Page 49 of Sweet Redemption

Serena

Nope. But I do have cousins. Lots of them.

“You know book club is fun, right?” Saylor waves a dog-eared paperback in my face from across the coffee-shop table, barely missing my pink and green Sweet Temptations coffee cup in the process. “Seriously, I just mute the group chat, so my phone isn’t constantly blowing up.”

I kind of wish I’d muted our group chat. “If you mute the chat, how do you know what you’re supposed to be reading?”

She looks down at the paper cup in her hand, her cheeks flushing. “Someone usually tells me.”

Aurora snorts, and I take another sip of coffee and know I’d never actually mute our chat.

If I had I wouldn’t have seen Aurora’s message.

Aurora

Emergency coffee date. Nine sharp. Attendance mandatory.

Liv laughed at the message. She’s out of town, but Saylor and I agreed.

Not that there was an emergency, unless Aurora needing a chocolate fix counts as one. Which, based on the cupcakes in front of her and the way she keeps looking longingly at Saylor’s bag of chocolate chip cookies, could actually be serious.

I crack my neck, knowing I shouldn’t be here.

I should be at the office right now, harassing Human Resources for another stack of résumés. Theoretically, at least. They email them. I’m the one who likes to print them out. Either way, I’ve already interviewed five candidates to fill my position, and not a single one of them has been a good fit.

One spent the majority of the interview asking about game schedules and access to the owner’s box.

Immediate no.

Another wanted to know how many players she’d have access to, like they were her own private dating pool.

I escorted her out myself before informing HR that they’d need to start vetting the candidates before sending them my way.

And the gentleman I spoke to yesterday referred to Dad as Mr. Kingsley. Twice.

I wanted to say, Come on, man. Do your damn homework.

Instead, I smiled through it, fairly sure my lips were going to crack by the end.

“It’s not like you don’t love romance books.” Aurora smiles as she drags a finger through a mountain of strawberry icing on her cupcake and licks it clean. Then she proceeds to split the pink confection in half and smash the top upside down against the bottom before biting into it like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Saylor and I stare in a mixture of shock and awe. “What?”

“How is your ass not gigantic?” I groan, eyeing the chocolate crumbs and strawberry icing in the corner of her mouth.

Saylor’s eyes flick down.

My eyes flick down.

Aurora turns her head and grins.

“It’s barely nine a.m.” I stare, more than a little jealous. “And you’re drinking hot chocolate and eating a cupcake like it’s a breakfast sandwich.”

“Yoga,” she mumbles around a mouthful of chocolate cake.

“Not a good answer,” I groan.

“It’s my answer. You should try it.” She pushes one of the other cupcakes my way. “Try one. Maybe you’ll be happier.”

“I’m good.” I push it back.