Sunrise Kisses (The Kisses 8)

I snickered slightly at her use of “special sauce,” but she just rolled her eyes and took another bite.

“Why are they called Rough-Day Sandwiches?” I asked, taking another bite.

Charlotte swallowed, pausing long enough between bites to explain. “When we were younger, Bastian would make them for me whenever I had a rough day. They make a rough day better—thus Rough-Day Sandwiches.”

“When you were younger?” I asked, feeling a cold pang in my stomach. If she had known him since childhood, there was no way I could compete. “Did you know each other as kids?”

She nodded. “We basically grew up together. We had the same foster family. We may have different last names, but he's family. He's as much my brother as anyone can be.”

“Oh.” My heart stopped falling. He was her foster brother. Which also explained the use of past tense when referring to his parents. They must have died when he was much younger. “So is Kindling Romance a family business then?”

Charlotte laughed as if I had said something wonderfully clever and funny. “Oh, no. It's all Bastian. He's the one who convinced his two friends they actually had a legit idea. When he gets a notion in his head, the rest of us just come along for the ride.”

I nodded. He seemed like the kind of person who would take charge and lead a business. But really, I was just glad to know that Charlotte considered him her brother. They weren't a couple. Butterflies happily danced around in my stomach at the thought of those gray eyes looking at me again, and knowing that they were actually looking at me.

“That was so good.” Charlotte smacked her lips and licked the crumbs off her fingers. “Totally worth breaking the diet.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Don't tell him you shared with me.”

“Too late,” Bastian whispered loudly from behind her.

“Damn it!” Charlotte jumped and then glared at him. “You know I can't pass up a Rough-Day Sandwich. That's like asking the ocean not to be wet.”

Bastian just shook his head slowly at her. It was easy to see their brother-sister relationship now that I knew what it was.

“What did Leo want?” Charlotte asked, brushing crumbs off her blouse.

Bastian sighed, the shadows creeping into his eyes and losing the warmth of his smile. “The new app is a mess. I'm going to need you to cancel my morning appointments and schedule a conference call.”

“Will do, Boss,” Charlotte chirped, pulling out her phone.

“I'm sorry, but I have to go deal with this,” Bastian said, turning toward me. I could see real regret in his face.

“No worries. I have plenty I need to do myself.” I knew my face mirrored his regret, but I smiled and waved my hand at the papers on the table. “Thank you for dinner, though. I really appreciate it. It was wonderful.”

And I didn't just mean the food.

Bastian smiled, the sun coming out from behind the shadows of his eyes. Seeing him smile, especially at me, gave me happy tingles in all the right places.

Charlotte cleared her throat, reminding me that it wasn't just Bastian and me anymore. I hoped I hadn't been smiling at him with my stupid happy smile for too long.

“Charlotte, go get the lawyers on the phone. We've got a busy night,” Bastian said to his assistant before looking at me. His eyes met mine and I could see his smile lightening them. “Goodnight, Ava.”

I liked the way he said my name. “Goodnight, Bastian.”

He grinned, and then turned to hurry up to his office to work.

“Yes, good night, Ava,” Charlotte mimicked her brother's farewell. I stuck my tongue out at her and she laughed before hurrying to follow him. She ducked her head back into the kitchen at the last second and whispered, “Thanks for the sandwich!” before disappearing up the stairs.

I shook my head and chuckled. It was an interesting dynamic between those two. It made me wonder what it would be like to work with a sibling. As an only child, I could only imagine, but since I worked with my father, my aunt and uncle, and my two cousins, I figured it was probably similar. Working with family was wonderful and exasperating at the same time.

I turned back to my paperwork, but the words just looked jumbled and unappealing. I couldn't concentrate, instead wanting to close my eyes and just remember what it felt like to have Bastian smile at me. I knew I couldn't just sit there basking in his imaginary glow, so I got up to put the dishes away. It was the least I could do since he cooked.

The kitchen was remarkably clean. Other than the frying pan and the vegetables neatly arranged on the cutting board, everything else was already neatly put away. I put the veggies on a plate and found some plastic wrap before placing it in the fridge next to his sauce. I hand-washed the frying pan and cutting board, leaving them out to air dry.

Glancing around the kitchen, I realized that Bastian really must know what he as doing. Everything was spotless and perfect, despite making a rather complex sandwich.

I smiled, thinking of him in the kitchen and the fact that he had made me a Rough-Day Sandwich. I was glad that Charlotte had told me just what they meant, as it made the act even sweeter. He may not know much about art, but he did know how to make a person feel better with food.

Chapter 10