How to bake a scandal
Sutt
of Chase Innovations, the fluorescent lights buzzing lik
bsurd. The guy ran a tech empire, had biceps that could crack
ury Airbnb-marble counters, a fridge the size of my studio a
is sleeves. A jagged scar sliced across his left forear
ce. "Maybe you want people to see you're go
g a bowl down, "Claire
doorframe. "He hasn't baked since his mom's funer
. His knuckles whitened-old sc
h.
anas with too much force. "So
cracked an egg one-handed, y
. It smelled like overripe fruit and Ethan's
" I asked, swiping
tract, the bottle trembling sl
our mer
outh twitched. "Som
ral. Mom. Play nice.* I stabbed the b
bowl away. "You'r
umbled, not
is scarred forearm br
ing flour, folding batter, avoiding eye contac
u get that?
. "Soccer injury. S
oo
s no
He shoved the pan
a calendar alert.
cing through the tension. "I'll handle it." She didn'
r click
rred forearm flexed as he gripped the counter. The recipe
So... board meeti
voice rasped, eyes lo
le chilled my p
e didn't t
't w
r you're
read*-the card's edges frayed, a
fell over me.
was s
ist pulsed. "Someone who... believed i
the drawer. Our hands brushed-flour and callu
e sawed off a slice, crumbs avalanchin
el
hocolate and guilt burn
flour from my che
Claire was eviscerating the board. Here, the world n
ave like
hy
know when
shut. The story
r