Chapter 23 (1/2)

Given all the crap on New York’s streets, probably best to just always do that anyway, I guess—

“Hello?” Tessa repeats, her voice closer now.

When I look up, she’s standing a few feet from me.

“You scared me,” she says, her eyes meeting mine. She’s been so nervous since someone broke into an apartment on the first floor a couple months back. She doesn’t say it much, but I can tell by her anxious glance to the door every time there’s a creak in the hallway.

Tessa’s wearing a WCU T-shirt and her black leggings are covered in what appears to be flour.

“Sorry. You okay?” I ask. The dark hollows under her eyes are evidence that she’s not.

“Yeah, of course.” She smiles, shifting her feet. “I’m baking, and how can anything be wrong when you’re doing that?” Her words turns into a wry laugh. “Nora’s here, too, in the kitchen,” she adds.

My brain skips past the latter part for now. “My mom would be proud.” I smile at her and toss my jacket on the arm of the chair.

Tessa eyes it, but decides to let this slide. Aside from the cleaning, she’s a great roommate. She gives me my time and space in the apartment, and when she is here, I like her company. She’s my best friend and she’s not in the best place right now.

“Yes!” I hear Nora yell.

Tessa rolls her eyes and I shoot her a questioning look, to which she just she nods her head toward the kitchen.

“Thank God,” she says sarcastically as I follow her into the kitchen.

The sweet scent grows stronger with each step. Tessa walks straight to the small cart we call an island. At least ten baking pans are stacked on top of one another on the small space.

Tessa lets me in on their reason for celebration. “She must have gotten this batch right.”

“We took over your kitchen,” Nora tells me. Her greenish-brown eyes catch mine for a moment before she looks over at the mess.