It was the universe screaming.
Case in point: Corbin wasn’t a big fan. The raw egg component freaked him out. The caloric content did too. He avoided chocolate (and cream, ditto butter and sugar). In fact, he avoided pie on the whole. And desserts.
Juno loved cooking with me, and I tried my darnedest to be a good mom, so I taught my daughter to eat healthy. I did it with her. But we also had regular treats.
She also loved her dad, but if there was one thing she’d grumble about when she was back from his place, it was that he made her eat healthy all the time, there were no fun treats at her dad’s pad, and he encouraged her to keep that up when she was with me.
With this French silk pie info, I was feeling significantly balanced with my energies as I gazed up at Auggie.
“Are you going to kiss me again?” he asked.
“I’m not feeling backseat Hummer sex and I wasn’t all that hip on you stopping the last time. I don’t want to court another go.”
“That’s probably good since Hattie and Axl have been hanging twenty feet away for the last five minutes and we got shit to do.”
I jerked and looked right, seeing he told no lies.
Hattie and Axl were standing on the sidewalk not close, not far. And if Axl was perturbed about Hattie being involved in my master plan, he was over it, because they were in each other’s arms, Axl’s head bent to Hattie, who was saying something to him.
Seriously.
I loved Axl for her.
They were so cute together.
I looked to Auggie. “Do you have eyes in the back of your head?”
Another grin from him.
Day further made.
“No,” he answered.
“The heightened senses of a commando?”
Still grinning. “Something like that.”
“I should probably stop hogging your time, and we should probably save Mo. Lottie looked none too happy you all thwarted my master plan. She’s been itching for some action. She’s felt left out of the kidnappings and whatnot.”
Auggie’s chest started bouncing before his laughter became audible and he shifted to my side so he could slide an arm around my shoulders.
“Then we best rendezvous with them, save Mo and reunite you with your car,” he said.
I looked up at him to see him catching Axl’s eye and jerking up his chin.
“Right,” I replied.
He looked down at me when I did.
“Pepper?”
“Right here,” I pointed out.
“Just to say, no worries on the flirting. You might be out of practice. You’re still a master.”
What a nice thing to say!
I smiled brightly up at him.
He aimed his shades at my mouth and warned, “Stop smiling at me like that or Axe and Hatz are taking a walk and we’re having backseat Hummer sex.”
I forced my smile upside down.
He didn’t laugh at that.
He busted out laughing at that.
Nope.
Now my day was made.
Chapter Nine
Crispy Duck
Auggie
Carrying a bag of Chinese food, Aug walked up to Pepper’s house, thinking the same thing he did the last time he did that.
Her autumn decorations were the shit.
He hit the doorbell and prepared to wait and possibly have to hit the bell again.
Her outside lights were on as well as the Christmas lights that trailed through the pumpkins and pots of flowers up her brick steps. He’d also texted to say he was on his way, and she’d replied Great! See you soon! so she knew he was coming.
He was still prepared to wait because women did that shit. The waiting thing. For whatever reason they had, making it clear you didn’t matter, she was good in her own zone, her own space and she had the power to let you in whenever it pleased her.
Even if she knew you were coming over to hang or pick her up to take her out.
His mom did the same thing. Not only to his dad, but when his parents were on the outs, and she lived somewhere else, and his pops was taking Aug over for her visitation time, she’d do it to Auggie, her own son, as he was standing outside her door.
He didn’t get it then.
He didn’t get it now.
What he got was a jolt when the door opened on these thoughts within seconds of him ringing the bell.
And Pepper was standing there wearing what she’d been wearing earlier that day. A slouchy beige sweater that hit her at her waist and fell off her shoulder. Under it was a white cami or bra that had a high spike of some lace that you could see and a spaghetti strap. And she had semi-distressed white skinny jeans covering her legs.
She’d been wearing some ankle boots earlier that day, but now her feet were bare, her toes painted a wine color. Also, her hair had been down earlier, and now it was up in a mess at the top of her head, tendrils floating around her face and neck.