“Yeah, Flynn,” Mia said. “Get over it. Amelia loves to cook, so get out of her way.”
He supposed he was going to have to get used to the idea that cooking wasn’t burdensome to her. He’d wanted to give her a night where she could put her feet up and relax, but maybe this was her way to relax.
As she leaned against the counter and sipped on her glass of wine, Amelia said, “Let me put it this way. If you and your brothers—or a bunch of your teammates or friends—were together and someone suggested you go outside and play a game of football, would you balk and say, ‘No, I don’t want to because that’s too much like work for me’?”
He frowned. “Hell, no. I love playing football.”
She nodded. “Exactly. That’s how I feel about cooking.”
He began to see her point. “Okay, I get it. Rock on with your shortcake, Amelia.”
She laughed. “I intend to.”
The smell of the cake baking filled the kitchen with a delicious sweetness. Baking wasn’t something he got into, but maybe he’d have to expand his horizons, because he sure as hell loved desserts. And when Amelia pulled the perfect cake out of the oven, it was all he could do to wait until it cooled. While it did, Amelia made whipped cream.
“Can you come live with me and be my personal chef and my new best friend?” Mia asked.
Amelia grinned. “Sure. When you make that new business a go and you’re rich and successful, give me a call.”
“Hey,” Flynn said, shooting a frown at his sister. “No stealing my talent.”
“Is that what she is?” Mia asked. “Your talent? Or is she more than that? Because we haven’t yet discussed what I overheard the other night about the two of you having sex.”
“And we’re not ever going to discuss that, Mia, because it’s none of your business.”
Flynn had shot a warning glance over to Mia. She might have had a few glasses of wine, but his sister knew when he meant what he said.
“Okay, fine. Let’s talk about how soon we can eat the shortcake instead.”
“Actually, right now,” Amelia said. “Flynn, can you get the strawberries out of the refrigerator?”
“Sure.”
He was glad he wasn’t going to have to press the point any further with his sister. Instead, they all sat down and ate what had to be the lightest shortcake he’d ever eaten, topped by the best damn whipped cream he’d ever had.
Was there anything Amelia couldn’t do?
“This is so damn good,” Mia said. “I’m totally serious about declaring my undying love for you, Amelia.”
Amelia laughed. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I don’t just like it, I love it. And wait until my mother meets you. She’s a total foodie.” Mia looked over at Flynn. “Which reminds me, Thanksgiving is coming up. What do you typically do for Thanksgiving, Amelia?”
Amelia gave a deer-in-the-headlights look to Flynn. He had nothing to offer, so she said, “I . . . don’t know.”
“Where’s your family?” Flynn asked.
“My father died ten years ago. My mom remarried and she and her husband typically go to his parents’ house for the holidays.”
“So you go there to visit?” Mia asked.
Amelia shook her head. “My mother and I . . . well, let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, so we haven’t shared many holidays together in the past several years.”
Mia gave her a sympathetic look. “That just sucks. You should come to the Cassidy ranch for Thanksgiving. It’s a huge free-for-all with my brothers and their fiancées and my parents and uncles and aunts. It’s insane but friendly. And my mom would love you. Wouldn’t she, Flynn?”
Amelia gave Flynn a helpless look, but he didn’t like the thought of Amelia being alone for Thanksgiving. “Yeah, she would. Come to the ranch.”
“I . . . couldn’t. It would be such an imposition. Plus, there’s work.”
Mia let out a scoffing sound. “Please. It’s not like the boss won’t give you the time off. Right, Flynn?”
The more Flynn thought about it, the more the idea held appeal. “Absolutely. You should definitely come spend time with us for the holiday, Amelia. The restaurant is closed for Thanksgiving, and you can take a couple extra days off.”
Amelia looked from Flynn to Mia and shrugged. “I . . . guess so?”
Mia got up from her chair and hugged Amelia. “That’s great. You’ll enjoy it on the ranch and my whole family is going to love you.”
They finished dessert, then cleaned up the kitchen. After hanging up the dish towel, Mia yawned. “I’m tired and I have an early meeting tomorrow. So if you don’t mind, I’m heading to my little house in the backyard to go to bed.”
“Sure, Mia,” Flynn said. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Mia hugged Flynn, then Amelia. “It was so great spending time with you. I hope I get to see you again before I leave town. Oh, wait, you’re coming to the game on Sunday, aren’t you?”
Amelia blinked. “I hadn’t planned on it.”
“Oh, you definitely have to. St. Louis is coming to town and my other brother Grant is the quarterback for that team. It’ll be a family thing. Brother against brother. You can’t miss it.”
Amelia lips quirked. “Brother against brother, huh?”
“Yes. We’ll get a pass for the skybox and we can drink and eat food and root for . . . I dunno, whomever.”
Flynn frowned. “Whomever my ass. You’ll be rooting for me.”
Mia laughed. “I take no sides when it comes to my brothers and you know that. Anyway, Flynn will give you the details. Say you’ll come?”
Amelia looked at Flynn. “Is she always this pushy with her invitations?”
“Always. You might as well say yes now or she’ll be at the restaurant hounding you until Sunday.”
Amelia shook her head. “Then, yes. I wouldn’t want to miss two brothers beating up on each other.”
Mia laughed. “Awesome. Grant’s playing quarterback so it’ll mostly be him dodging Flynn, who’ll be trying to get past the offensive line so he can grind Grant into the ground. Fun stuff.”
“Sounds like so much fun,” Amelia said with a tilt to her lips. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”
“Great. Night.” Mia started to turn away, but she stopped. “Oh, and by the way, I have plenty to drink, and snacks in my little house in the backyard, just in case you two decide to get busy tonight. You don’t have to worry about me popping in on you.”