“Ooh, a sci-fi virgin. Don’t worry, that won’t last long with me around,” Brooke said.
“She’s obsessed,” Kat murmured. “It’s kind of adorable, until you have to sit through a full-day Star Wars marathon.”
To be honest, that didn’t sound so bad. Spending a whole day relaxing with a friend would be pretty ideal, actually. She hadn’t been able to indulge in something like that for too long. Most of her friends had faded into the background during her whirlwind courtship and she’d never noticed how isolated she’d become until after she quit her job and realized she had all day to herself but no one to spend it with.
Although if she were honest with herself, she might not have gone out even if her friends were still around. There were cameras in Charles’s apartment—although fortunately not in every room—and each time she left, he asked where she’d gone. At first, she’d thought it was sweet he cared and paid attention, but after a while, it began to seem more sinister. Especially when he got it into his head that she was seeing other men or visiting friends who were trying to persuade her to break up with him.
In hindsight, she wished that were true. That someone would have warned her what she’d gotten herself into. She shivered, recalling the first time he struck her. It was the day after she hosted a dinner party for his colleagues. He’d asked her to butter up Glenn, but later he took exception to her friendliness, yelling at her that she’d been hanging all over him. She hadn’t, of course. The man was a letch, and she’d tried to avoid his wandering hands from the moment he arrived. But the next day, when she went to visit Mikayla and his boss was missing from the office at the same time, Charles had flown into a rage.
She’d been so shocked when he hit her that she found herself accepting his tearful apology and the promise that it would never happen again. She’d even wondered if perhaps she had been a little too flirtatious and needed to be more careful about how her actions could be perceived. The next time she wanted to go somewhere, she decided it wasn’t worth the hassle.
Everything had snowballed from there.
“Megan?”
She jerked to attention, having become so absorbed in her thoughts she hadn’t noticed Kat speaking to her. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
“That we should put your delicious treats on a platter. Are you okay?”
She nodded, although her heart was still hammering. “I’m fine, and that sounds like a great plan.”
She followed Kat through the apartment to the kitchen, noting that two coffee mugs sat side by side on the counter, and a photo of Kat and Sterling was taped onto the fridge.
“Where’s Sterling tonight?”
“Same place Tee is,” she replied. “Boys’ poker night at The Den.”
“What’s that?”
“The local pub. The owner, Logan, hosts poker for the guys every Friday.” Her lips twisted into a smirk. “Ever since he started going, Sterling has cleaned up, which hasn’t gone down well with Tee. He’s used to winning.”
Puzzle pieces fell into place. “Logan is the one with the sweet tooth.”
“That’s right.” Kat eyed her speculatively. “He’d like you.”
“That’s what Tee said.”
Kat grabbed a porcelain platter from an overhead cupboard and started transferring brownies to it. “Especially if these taste as good as they smell.”
“They do.”
Of that, she was sure. She may not be confident of a lot of things, but she knew her brownies rocked. When the platter was full, she tried to lift it, but Kat swatted her away, so she trailed behind the other woman into the living room, where the lights were off, the only illumination coming from the TV screen.
Brooke snuggled beneath a throw on the sofa, her feet tucked under her. When Kat laid the platter on the coffee table, she reached over and popped apetit fourinto her mouth. Then she moaned in appreciation.
“Magic,” she said, licking her fingers. “If rainbows were food, that’s how they’d taste.”
“Try the brownies,” Megan urged. She loved watching people taste her baking, although she had to admit, Brooke had nothing on Tione. He’d looked so blissed-out with her brownie in his mouth that she’d had the strangest urge to curl up against him like a cat and hand feed him more.
Both women tried the brownies. Kat shuffled in beside Brooke, and Megan sat at the end of the sofa, maintaining a little distance.
“You’re going to make me gain ten pounds,” Kat commented good-naturedly. “Wow.”
Brooke polished off another miniature cake. “If you’re planning to stay around, you should consider going into business. You have serious skills and Haven Bay doesn’t have a lot going for it in the baked goods department.”
Megan’s stomach flipped over. She’d be lying if she said the possibility hadn’t occurred to her, but she hadn’t allowed herself to indulge the thought. After all, who knew how long she’d be able to stay?
“Isn’t there a bakery in town? I thought I saw a brochure for one in the foyer.”