Free Pretty Pink Ribbons by K. L. Grayson Page A

hear Benny say, “ Well shit, that doesn’t leave us with many options.”
    The drive to Flame is short and it’s still fairly early, so the parking lot is empty when I arrive. I gather my things and head into the restaurant. The hostess—I think her name is Jamie—is setting up the tables and I wave at her. A soft melody floats through the air and I smile. Everything about this place is familiar and it makes me happy. It makes me feel safe.
    Mason pushes his way through the heavy door that leads to the kitchen and stops right before plowing into me. “Hey, Laney,” he says with a smile, but I keep going in the direction he just came from. As much as I love Mason, he’s not Levi, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed to walk in here—yet again—to no Levi. It probably sounds stupid of me, but I really thought I’d gotten somewhere with him the other night. I know he was shocked to see me, but there were points during our conversation that he looked genuinely happy. So the fact that he has gone MIA when he knew I would be here working rubs me the wrong way.
    “Hey, Mason.” I know he follows me because I can hear him behind me. I set my purse down on the counter and reach for my white jacket that’s hanging on the back of the door. This I can handle. Put me in a kitchen, let me cook, and I’m good to go.
    “You okay?” he asks. Pulling my recipe book from my purse, I turn to find Mason watching me, his hip propped against one of the sinks.
    “Fine, you?” I can tell by the look on his face that he knows I’m lying. He smiles and points toward my book.
    “What’s that?”
    I smile, giddy about what I have planned, hoping that he doesn’t mind. “This,” I say dramatically, picking up the spiral-bound book, “is my recipe book. I was hoping we could try a few new dessert items out.”
    “That’s a great idea—”
    “No,” Levi interrupts, barreling through the door. “We aren’t changing the menu.” His words are clipped and final, his eyes hard—and oh so sexy.
    “I’m not trying to change the menu. I’m just trying to spice it up. You have the exact same dessert options that you had eight years ago,” I defend, hoping I’ll get him to cave. Mason looks at me apologetically but doesn’t step in . . . and I don’t blame him. His big brother is a force to be reckoned with, and you have to be prepared to go up against him. Lucky for me, I’m prepared. “How many desserts do you sell a night?”
    Levi looks to Mason, who shrugs. “I don’t know . . . maybe ten to twenty, roughly.”
    “That’s it?” Levi barks.
    “It’s because your dessert options are boring, Levi,” I tell him. “People don’t want to buy a dessert from you that they can just as easily make at home. They want something new and exciting, something fresh. They want to pay for something warm and delicious here so they don’t have to go home and spend hours prepping and baking.”
    “I think it’s a great idea,” Mason says, grabbing my recipe book and flipping through it. “Plus, Flame is mine so it’s my decision.”
    “Wrong,” Levi snaps, pulling the book from Mason. “Flame is ours. It doesn’t matter if you’re running it, we both make the decisions.” Levi stops and I watch as his eyes roam over one of the pages. He looks up at me and then back down at the recipe. “Can I borrow this?”
    I hesitate, biting on the inside of my lip. That recipe book is like a Bible to me. When I’m feeling any sort of emotion, I bake, and even though I know all of those recipes by heart, I don’t want anything to happen to it. Levi must notice my hesitation because he adds, “Just for tonight. I’ll look through it, pick out a few and you can make them for Mason and me, then we’ll go from there. That okay?”
    I nod, happy that he’s at least considering it. Levi walks out without a second glance and Mason smirks.
    “What? What are you smiling at?” I ask him.
    “You’ve got his undies