Don't Go Baking My Heart

Sheryl King breezed in looking fresh and radiant in one of her usual pantsuits. Her birthday was this Saturday, and she had been enjoying herself all week in preparation. They were planning to do a family dinner tonight as Cherisse had to cater a party on Saturday, and she and Keiran were flying out Sunday morning.

“Hi, sweetie.” She slipped into the chair opposite him, a huge smile on her face. It made him nervous.

“Everything okay? Why didn’t you call me?”

“I know you’re busy, but we have a small change in my birthday plans.”

“Oh?” He hated last-minute deviations from an agreed-upon plan.

“Your sneaky brother booked a beach house this weekend so we can celebrate. He felt guilty that he wouldn’t be here for my entire birthday. So, surprise! We leave tonight, so there’s enough time to pack some stuff before we head up. I spoke to Dax already, and he’s definitely okay with you taking off a little earlier today so you can get everything packed up. Keiran and Cherisse will stay until Saturday morning, then head back, but we have the entire weekend.”

Devon stared at his mother. There was no way he was hearing correctly.

“Before you say anything, Dax all but insisted you leave early and get some rest. He agrees you’ve been working so hard and need a break. When was the last time you even took a vacation? It would also mean so much to me, honey, to have all my kids there tonight.”

He could try to fight this down, insist he didn’t have time, but his mother had laid on the guilt trip a little thickly at the end there. He would look like an asshole if he was the only one of his siblings who didn’t go.

It was true he hadn’t had a proper vacation in a while, and it was just for the weekend, but he had so much work. Even though he had agreed to work with Reba, their schedule wasn’t taking up his entire weekend, just part of it. This was an entire 48 hours he’d be at the beach.

“Taking one weekend off won’t derail your life plans, sweetie,” his mother said as if she had read his mind. “I promise. The practice doesn’t crumble when I go on vacation now, does it? It’s all about delegating. Think of it this way—it’ll refresh you to keep going.”

Devon sighed. “Fine.”

Dax had already given his blessing, and he would look like a terrible son for refusing. One thing Dax prioritised was his family.

“Yes! Now don’t leave work too late, please. We really want to be heading up by four.” His mother got to her feet and blew him a kiss. “Love you! See you later.”

Devon rubbed his forehead and glanced down at his cell again. Was it coincidence that this was happening now? Or had Reba put the idea in Keiran’s head? He didn’t go back to the chat. Now that he was being forced into leaving work early, he had to push through to get most of his stuff done in less time.

He didn’t need to add gawking at Reba to that list. He would take his laptop with him and still get some work done at the beach house. It was a simple enough plan.

Devon was definitely gettingno work done this weekend. His entire plan was already in shambles.

They had made it up to the beach house just as the sun was setting. He had been bombarded with calls from his mother, Keiran, and Maxi, reminding him to get his ass to his mother’s house by four. Otherwise, they were storming his office to physically drag him out. Even Dax had peeped in to tell him he should be on his way.

He had arrived at the house at the stipulated time, ignoring all the excited chatter to pack their bags in the car. The faster they got a move on, the quicker they could get to the house, and he could possibly lock himself in a room to finish up a bit of work before the festivities began.

Except, they had barely settled into the beach house when Keiran had cranked up some music, and they were already talking about getting the BBQ pit going. He was getting no work done in this noise.

He wandered out to the balcony to peer down at the sand and water below, contemplating whether he could quickly check his email without being noticed. His phone was barely in his hand when it was snatched away.

“Seriously?” He whipped around to glare at his sister.

Maxi waved the phone around. “Don’t even start. It’s mummy’s weekend, and it won’t kill you to put these emails on Do Not Disturb for the duration.” She lifted her brow as if daring him to challenge her.

He could easily take his phone back, but knowing both his siblings, they would team up against him and possibly hide it somewhere. Younger siblings were truly annoying.

He sighed. “Fine. I promise. Now please, can I have my phone back?”

“Sure. Now lemme put those hands to work, so you don’t have time to check emails.”

Devon rolled his eyes but followed Maxi to help with the mini party prep. Keiran shoved a beer in his hand as he fired up the grill that was stashed away in the corner of the balcony. With the cool sea breeze blowing in, the laughter and constant chatter, this was a far cry from how Devon liked to spend his weekends, but Maxi was right. His mother deserved some downtime and to be doted on by her children. He wouldn’t argue with that. She had earned it.

His phone chimed in his pocket, and like a predator scenting its prey, Maxi’s head turned in his direction.

“That’s not my email tone. It’s a WhatsApp message. Am I allowed to check that, at least?”

“Who would even message you at this hour if it’s not work-related?” Maxi asked, brow raised again.