"But how can I help?"
"Sometimes there's nothing you can do, but there is one thing that almost always helps. It's the big secret to dealing with women."
He shifts closer. "What's that?"
"Chocolate."
"Huh?"
"No matter if they cry or laugh, chocolate is always welcome."
"You sure?" he asks suspiciously.
"Buddy, having chocolate ready for every occasion is Survival 101. Trust me, I have three sisters."
This seems to convince him.
"So what do you do when someone makes your sisters cry?" he queries.
"First I give them chocolate. Then I have my sisters' backs. I protect them. That's what brothers do."
His face instantly lights up.
Chapter Nine
Christopher
The house smells like heaven when we step inside. I'm guessing Victoria's been baking some kind of pastry. I don't recognize the smell, but it transports me back to when I was a kid and Mom baked for us. This is what a home should smell like.
"What's she baking?" I ask Lucas as I follow him into the kitchen.
"Cookies. I hope she made some with cheese again."
"Cookies with cheese?"
"Yeah, we have cookies every weekend, and she likes to experiment."
We walk in on what appears to be happy hour in the kitchen. The girls are drinking lemonade and laughing their asses off. Sienna sits on the windowsill, munching on a cookie. Chloe sits on the table while Victoria braids her hair. Neither sees us come in, and I take this moment to study Victoria in silence. She changed into jeans and a tank top, and there is something incredibly sweet about the way she plants little kisses on top of Chloe's head while doing her hair. I like this tender, nurturing side of Victoria. But then again, I suspect there's little I wouldn't like about her.
"Boys," Sienna exclaims when she notices us. "I didn’t see you there. Which one of you will shower first?"
"Which means we stink badly," I say.
"How come I'm not allowed to be smelly, but they are?" Chloe inquires, looking honestly crestfallen.
"They played soccer, and they’re sweaty," Victoria explains patiently. "But they'll shower."
I pop a few cookies in my mouth. Damn, they're good.
"Chri
stopher said he can come by after dinner until my tryouts," Lucas announces, puffing his chest forward.
Victoria turns to me. "But don't you have work and meetings?"
"I'll shift things around," I assure her. The bright smile she offers me is the best damn payment in the world.
"I'll go shower first," Lucas says. After stuffing himself with cookies, he rushes up the stairs. Sienna and Chloe leave the kitchen too. After the girls leave, I take advantage of the fact that we're alone and ask, "Can I talk to you about Lucas?"