Testing Recipes for Disaster (Emberwood #2)

Chapter 5- Lauren

P ulling back the foils and watching an entire goddamned rainbow appear was magical. My client had decided to go for it today after a year of being afraid of vivids. It kicked my ass but looked so good. I was floating. On days like these, it was easy to forget that I was only cosplaying as a person with their life together. Today, I felt like my hot-mess self was my Hyde instead of Jekyll, and I totally had that bitch under control.

To congratulate myself, I put tight spiral curls in my hair, giving off very Julia-Roberts-in- Pretty-Woman vibes, and I pulled out a lilac sundress with a sweetheart neckline that I’d thrifted over a year ago and never worn. Was it overkill for the only establishment in Emberwood to offer happy hour? Yes. Did I care? Absolutely not. Life was too short not to be the best dressed person in the room. It had nothing to do with the fact that Jeremy and I would be in the same room for a whole evening for the first time in months.

And if it did have something to do with him, it would only be to make him regret his life choices that he didn’t kiss me when he could have.

Revenge clothing was my favorite kind. But then I was thinking about how close he was to me yesterday morning when he brought me muffins. Fucking gourmet, delicious muffins that I would now compare all other breakfast baked goods to as long as I lived.

Screw him for ruining breakfast for me .

Picturing him in an apron, measuring out crushed lavender, had me in a chokehold. He was shirtless under the apron in this daydream, the veins running over his biceps on full display.

Get.It.Together .

The clock let me know that I was running an expected number of minutes late, so I slid into a pair of heels and headed to my car.

Thankfully, Sam was as consistently early as I was late, so I never had to worry about us getting a table. She and Jesse were looking perhaps too cozy for a public setting, so it was my job to interfere with that.

“Try not to make everyone else bear witness to your little bubble of love all the time, yeah?” I demanded, sliding in across from them.

“Try not to make everyone else feel inferior by showing up to The Bar looking like you’re headed to a Parisian café. Jesus, Laur,” Sam replied, checking me out in the friendliest way possible.

“I had a good day. Ergo, I do pretty hair and wear a pretty dress.” I shrugged.

“Mhm. Nothing to do with the company on this particular night.”

I glared at her.

“You shut up, Sam Marsh. And also, don’t talk to my spirit guides or whatever. I declare a boundary or a magical contract forbidding you from doing so.”

I’d meant it to be funny, but she looked a little hurt like I was accusing her of something.

“You know I don’t—” she started.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. It was a joke, honestly.” I cleared my throat, hoping to move on.

“Back to this ‘company,’ who is coming tonight that I don’t know about? Do you have a date?” Jesse interjected.

“No. I just decided to clear my very busy calendar to prioritize you guys, and, you know, whoever else comes to happy hour. Friendships are important, Brother.”

“Right. You’re here to prioritize your friendships. Not because Jer is coming. Because it’s not a date.”

He schooled his expression into something neutral, and it was clear that Sam had something to do with his non-judgmental tone, even if it was strained.

“It’s not, Jesse. He’s made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t want it to be.” I could have stopped there, but I felt like testing my brother’s newfound commitment to being fine if I wanted to date his best friend. “And if it was , you’d have to zip it because if you hadn’t noticed, you’re about to marry my best friend, and I never made a peep about it. The hypocrisy, honestly.”

Jesse had the decency to look sheepish.

“Well...” Sam started.

“Gah! Fine! One peep. Sue me.”

“Who is suing you and why?” a voice interrupted from behind me. I ignored the anticipation that wound around my spine.

Sam jumped in, saving me an awkward explanation.

“I am. For her showing up looking like that while the rest of us are stuck being mere mortals.”

Jer’s eyes roamed over me, lighting up nerve endings I didn’t know existed. My brother muttered something that sounded a lot like not making a peep before he claimed he was getting us all a round of drinks. Sam not-at-all-subtly jumped up to follow him.

That shook us out of whatever trance we were in, and Jer slid in next to me. He leaned over even further, the scent of fresh laundry and cinnamon overwhelming me. I wondered if he’d been baking before he left.

“Are you trying to kill me?” he murmured in my ear, sending goosebumps down my arms.

“I already told you I was. I threatened to slit your throat and make it seem like an accident not two days ago.”

He sighed. “This tactic is more painful.”

I met his eyes, and he did look almost pained, but he was grinning regardless. I simultaneously needed to lean into him to feel his hands on me again and also drag my chair to the other side of the table because I had already made up my mind about him.

Friends. Friends. Friends .

I settled for scooting my chair a few inches to the left, making him look at me like I’d popped his balloon.

Why can’t this be easy?

Jesse and Sam finally returned with not only drinks but also cheese fries and mozzarella sticks and pretzel bites with queso. Suspicion rose in my chest. This much bread and cheese was usually reserved for heartbreak.

“What, were they out of pizza and grilled cheese?” Jer asked, his brows furrowing. Maybe he was also aware of the implications of this combo.

“We can get that, too! If you want, I mean,” Sam said.

“Nope! You’re not this cheerful. Spit it out,” I demanded while shoving a pretzel bite into my mouth.

She glared at me.

“I can be cheerful .”

“Babe...you may have overdone it,” Jesse agreed quietly, making Sam roll her eyes.

“Fine. We have to tell you guys something, and we aren’t sure if you’re going to be thrilled about it or not,” she admitted.

“If you are pregnant, and I have to find out the same time as Jer over cheese fries , I will seriously consider revoking your title and status because—”

“I’m not pregnant ,” Sam ground out, telling me to shut up with her eyes.

I stopped talking and grabbed another pretzel.

“So,” Jesse started. “We’re getting married—”

“ What?! Congratulations! How’d you keep it a secret?” I interrupted. My snarkiness was apparently out in full force tonight.

Now both my brother and Sam were shooting me annoyed looks. I jumped as I felt an arm wrap around me and a hand clamp over my mouth.

“I got it, guys. Go on,” Jeremy assured them.

I thought about licking his hand, but I couldn’t decide if that would deter him or not. I sighed in defeat and listened.

“We’ve decided to get married on Equinox,” Sam got out, not giving me any more chances to delay.

Jeremy uncovered my mouth.

“Remind me what Equinox is,” he said.

“Oh, there’s a fall and spring equinox. It’s when the day and the night are the same length, like a marker between the light and dark half of the year,” Sam explained.

“And you mean spring , right?” I asked, starting to understand why they said I might not be thrilled about this.

“We do not,” Jesse said. “We’re getting married on September twentieth.”

“It’s already July !”

I wondered if it was possible neither of them had looked at a calendar recently before making this decision.

“That’s cool. I am so confused. Why this is an issue?” Jeremy looked at me for clarification.

“Lauren’s brain is going to explode because most people take a year to plan a wedding. And while we’ve done a little bit, we’re essentially going to do it in ten weeks,” Sam explained.

I nodded emphatically like this was the most obvious thing in the world.

“And in order to do that... we’re going to require a fair amount of help from our maid of honor and best man,” she finished, offering an apologetic smile.

I took in a slow, deep breath and consciously fixed my face.

This is fine .

I could help my best friend and my brother plan a wedding in ten weeks with no prior experience in doing so. It would simply have to become my new all-consuming hobby.

“Okay, then. Perfect. Let’s make some lists, shall we?”

The relieved smile that immediately spread across Sam’s face was all I needed to know; I’d do whatever I had to in order to make sure this wedding was everything she wanted.

And sure, Jesse, too. Whatever.

I’d have to figure out how to do it on my own, though, because being in close quarters with Jer on a regular basis for the next three months was a surefire way to lose my mind.