Only You (Adair Family #5)(40)

“Oh, Ms. Sinclair!” Sloane suddenly called behind us, and I stiffened as Monroe came into sight. It surprised me when Sloane enveloped Monroe in a hug, like they were friends. My ex-best friend noted me and quickly looked away toward the array of baked goods.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you that my neighbor and I devoured the cupcakes you gifted me, Sloane. Best cupcakes ever. Seriously. In fact, I need more.” Monroe opened her purse. “How much for one?”

“Five quid,” Walker answered around a mouthful of madeleine.

Sloane shot him a surprised look, her lips twitching. “I think we can discount for Callie’s favorite teacher.”

He grunted.

Monroe chuckled, and it set off a sharp pain near my heart. I hadn’t heard that sound in eighteen years. “I’ll pay the fiver. It’s for the school, and your cakes are worth it.”

“Try a madeleine.” Walker picked up the tray and held them out to Monroe.

“Oh. Okay. I’ll take one of those too.” Monroe reached for one. “How much?”

“One—”

“Two pounds fifty,” Walker interrupted Sloane.

I could hear Regan choking on her laughter, and despite Monroe’s presence, amusement filled me at Walker’s proprietary reaction to Sloane Harrow’s baked goods—and the fact that the gorgeous young woman was staring up at him like he was a god and Walk was oblivious to it.

“The pie’s fuc— is amazing too,” Walker added.

Monroe’s gaze dropped to her purse, and I saw the slight pinch around her lips before she waved him off. “A cupcake and madeleine will more than see me through.”

Was cash a problem for her? Is that why she was in Gordon’s caravan, freezing her arse off?

It shouldn’t bother me, the idea of Monroe struggling.

“You must take a scone, Ms. Sinclair,” Regan called to her. “Eilidh and Lewis helped me bake them.”

“Really?” Monroe’s face lit up, and she moved around the table, passing me to get to them. I caught a whiff of her perfume, and my gut tightened, my eyes dropping to her tight arse as she sashayed past me in a skirt that molded to her body. A short split in the back was annoyingly tantalizing.

The clothes she wore to school switched between young at heart and playful and sexy receptionist.

“These look so good. Well done, Eilidh. Well done, Lewis.”

“Thanks, Ms. Sinclair.” Eilidh beamed.

Lewis scowled at the table.

Fuck.

Monroe’s face fell while Regan stared at her stepson in surprise. “Lewis, what do you say to Ms. Sinclair?”

He shrugged.

Double fuck.

“Lewis, do not ignore Ms. Sinclair.”

His eyes flicked up to me and then to Monroe. “Thanks.”

Shit. Fuck. Shit.

Monroe was right again.

Regan caught my eye and looked between me and Monroe, a warning in her expression for all to see. Great. Now my sister-in-law was catching the vibe, and it wouldn’t be long until Thane heard about this. My big brother would not be happy I was causing his son problems at school.

I wasn’t happy.

Because this meant I was going to have to act like I could stand to be around Monroe for Lewis’s sake.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Monroe said quietly and strode away.

I forced myself not to watch her leave and engaged in conversation with an exuberant Eilidh who tried to get me to taste everything she, Regan, and Lewis baked. More people came to our table, and Walker became my entertainment, distracting me with the gruff and almost aggressive way he sold Sloane’s cakes for her. What brought an American to Ardnoch as a housekeeper, and how did she get the job in the first place? Curiosity reminded me to ask Lachlan.

“I helped Mom with the pie,” Callie said to Walker during a quiet moment.

“Aye?” he asked. “You a good baker, too, then?”

Callie smiled shyly. “I like it. Mom wants to open a bakery, and I could help.”

Walker looked at Sloane. “Bakery?”

She sighed. “Pipe dream.”

“I don’t know about that. You can bake, woman.”

Her eyes grew heated at the growled compliment, and I shot Regan another look. My sister-in-law watched Sloane and Walker as if they were the best soap opera on telly.

“You should try my lemon meringue pie sometime,” Sloane offered with a hint of flirt. Not too obvious, but enough for a man to hear the invitation in her words.

Walker Ironside nodded. “That would sell well here. Next time.”

Regan looked at me, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

Walker was a perpetual bachelor. Either he genuinely was unaware of Sloane’s attraction to him or he didn’t want to lead her on. Could be either.

As Callie talked to Walker about the best flavors of buttercream (a topic I’d never thought I’d hear Walker actively engage in), my attention wandered. Like a magnet, I got stuck on Monroe.

Annoyance flared through me at the sight of her laughing with some good-looking bloke and his son. I recognized the kid from our rehearsals. He was in the chorus and one of Lewis’s friends. Martin or Michael or Mason or something with an M.

The good-looking bloke held out a cake toward Monroe, and she flushed.

He gestured with it, and she rolled her eyes before taking a bite right out of his hand. She nodded, making big eyes at him, and the bastard leaned over and slowly wiped a crumb from her lip with his thumb. Then he licked the crumb off his thumb. Fury swirled in my gut as Monroe blushed, murmured something, smiled sweetly at him, and strolled out of the cafeteria.