Amelia holds out her arms, wanting him to fly her through the air like Supergirl. Or maybe she’s making fun of me. But I’d like to think she prefers to be a superhero, flying through the hallway.
“If I have a recipe book. Although I can probably dig something up on the internet,” I say. I haven’t tried to get online since arriving at the mansion. I’ve been rather preoccupied with Panty Thief and his adorable daughter. Besides, I’ve tucked my phone away in the nightstand drawer. The only person who texts or calls is my ex-husband, and I don’t want to communicate with him.
“You’ll need the internet passcode,” he says.
“That would be helpful.” I follow the two of them into the kitchen. Levi places Amelia on the counter, sitting her on the edge while blocking her from falling. He reaches to the right on a shelf attached to the wall with a half dozen hardcover cookbooks.
He places it on the counter and flips it open, finding the recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
“Can’t we just use cookie dough?” I ask. I’m not much of a baker. I can make a cake from a box or cupcakes, again from a premade package, but mixing ingredients and putting it all together I haven’t tried. And I’m bound to make a mess even without the help of a little girl.
“I don’t store cookie dough,” Levi says. He points at the pantry. “The flour and granulated sugar are in there. There are fresh eggs in the fridge.”
I’m impressed by how stocked his pantry and fridge are. For a bachelor, I would have expected everything to be bare or expired.
I also grab the bag of chocolate chips that we’ll need for the recipe. “What else?”
“Butter, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.”
“Slow down,” I say, grabbing one item at a time as he lists them off for me again. I’m unfamiliar with his kitchen. It takes a few extra seconds to locate each ingredient. He grabs the bowls and mixes the ingredients, following the directions in the book. “I’m surprised you know how to cook.”
“When we were kids, Mom wanted to open up her own bakery. She’d make cookies, cupcakes, pies, anything that you could put into an oven. Except she never wanted to sell the baked goods. She’d give them away.”
Levi turns on the oven, allowing it to preheat while he points for me to grab a baking sheet.
“That’s kind of sweet,” I say.
In a matter of minutes, we spread the cookie dough onto a greased pan and slide the tray into the oven.
Amelia reaches her hands into the leftover batter, but Levi stops her. “You can’t eat it yet, sweetheart. There are raw eggs in there. It could make you sick.”
“I want chocolate chip cookies,” she says, and squirms until Levi puts her down on the floor.
“They’ll be ready in a little bit,” I say. “Do you want to watch them bake in the oven?” I flip the oven light on, and she stares through the glass door, watching the cookies.
“You’re good with her,” he says.
“Is that a compliment?” I’m taken aback by his words. It’s the first nice thing he’s said to me.
“You didn’t let me finish my sentence. You’re good with her when you don’t lose her.”
“Ouch.” I bring my hand to my chest like I’ve been shot. “Harsh words coming from the panty thief.”
Levi’s eyes widen, and he glances past me at Amelia. Is he worried that she could overhear our conversation? “You’re not to call me that,Airplane Girl.”
“What should I call you?Bossy Grump?” I ask.
He straightens his shoulders. “That’s a new one.”
“Well, you are being bossy and constantly grumpy.”
“Am not.”
“Are too,” I quip, realizing how childish the two of us sound. I hide my smile as I rest my hand momentarily on my jaw and spin around to pay attention to Amelia. She’s by the oven, and while she’s only looking inside, I don’t want her to get burned or hurt.
Panty Thief’s phone buzzes and pulls us out of our little reverie. “My brother is on his way over. Amelia, you’re going to meet Uncle Connor.”
She doesn’t seem fazed by his remark.