Brody - Ellie Masters Page 0,59
past the library, and I wind up in a magnificent kitchen where a cloud of flour puffs in the air and makes a huge mess.
“Shit, shit, shit!” A woman slaps at the power button of the blender and looks up at me with a sigh. Flour dusts her face and settles in her auburn hair. “You’d think I could figure out how this works.”
“You’re supposed to add the flour in gradually. Let it mix slowly into the dough.”
She flashes a smile and beams. Radiant, welcoming, I feel like I’ve known her my entire life.
“You must be Grace.” She wipes at her forehead, smearing the flour.
“And you must be Evie.”
“That’s me.” She drags a kitchen towel over her face. Tenacious as all get out, the flour sticks to her skin. “Evelyn Thornton, otherwise known as Evie, and the better half of Triplet Number One.”
“You smudged the flour on your forehead. It doesn’t really wipe away like that.” I try my best not to laugh. “You have to wash it off.”
She grabs for a washcloth.
“Oh, not like that. That’ll just gum everything up.”
“Well, it’s all over me. I’m open to suggestions.”
“What are you trying to make?”
“Would you believe sugar cookies?” Her lips twist in a wry smile. “Cooking is not my strength, but I’m determined to figure it out.”
“I can help if you want.”
“That would be great.” She looks around at the mess of flour dusting the counter, cupboards, and her clothes. “Is that in helping me clean up or in helping with the dough?”
“Both. I’m actually pretty handy in the kitchen.”
“Well, get in here. I’m not above putting a guest to work.” She turns to the sink and wets a cloth to dab at her face. “Asher told me Brody was bringing a girl over, and I got this crazy idea in my head to make cookies to go with dinner, and well—you see how that’s going.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “And if you’re up for a little prank, I can most definitely use some help.”
“You really didn’t have to go to all this effort, and prank? Tell me more.”
She walks over and clasps my hands in hers.
“My motto in life is to overcome and conquer. If I don’t know how to do something, I take that as a personal challenge to master it. So, I’m going to learn how to do this—eventually. In the meantime, another one of my mottos is nothing is fair in love and war.”
“I think you mean, All is fair in love and war.”
“You’d think that.” She raises her forefinger as if making a point. “You’d be wrong. These boys love to prank, and I’ve been dying for a way to pay Brody back.”
“Pay him back?”
“You don’t know what he did to me?”
“Until a few minutes ago, I didn’t know you existed. And congratulations, by the way, Brody told me you and Asher are engaged.”
“We are, and since you’re going to be hanging around, you and I need to consolidate forces and form a united front, as it were. Are you with me?”
“Just tell me what to do.”
Evie makes me laugh. Her energy is infectious, and I love that she’s willing to go head-to-head with the brothers. I remember the pranks they played on everyone and anyone. Well, anyone but me. Asher and Cage didn’t know about Brody and me.
“Not sure what you’re thinking, but sign me up. As for the cookies, cooking isn’t hard. I can teach you everything you need to know.”
“That’s awesome. You know how people have green or black thumbs when it comes to plants?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I have the scorched thumb, or burnt thumb, when it comes to cooking. I can survive in the wilderness with nothing but my wits and a pocketknife, but throw me in a kitchen, and I’m a hopeless mess. I’m the person that burns water. In my defense, I always had a cook who made everything.”
“A pocket knife?” I raise my eyebrows, not believing her boast. A cook? That’s a question for later. Who has a cook growing up?
“No lie.” Her grin is infectious. “I used to not know how to open a pocket knife without slicing my thumb off, but the world throws obstacles in our way. I’m an accomplished solo hiker now, but don’t mention that to Asher. He seems to think it’s too dangerous for me to hike alone.”
“You hike alone? Wow.”
“Well, not since Asher rescued me.”
“Wait. He did what?”
“That’s a story for another time. I’ll tell you all about it after we deal