Flawless by J. D. Hawkins

Author:J. D. Hawkins [Hawkins, J. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HEA Press, LLC
Published: 2019-03-25T04:00:00+00:00

“Breakfast is ready!” Liam calls out.

I feel guilty for throwing Liam under the bus like that, but maybe having a girls’ night out is the perfect way to get my friends up to speed about what’s been going on with my love life. After everything I’ve said about him already, I know they’ll be overprotective, but hopefully by the time we all get together I’ll have plenty of stories about his redeeming qualities…starting with his skills in the bedroom. And this breakfast.

The buttery aroma of the kitchen immediately brings back memories of childhood, of Sunday family brunches stacked high with pancakes, sausage, and fresh peaches that my grandma brought from her tree when they were in season. Jonathan was never big on breakfast and my cooking skills didn’t extend much beyond eggs and toast, so the spread Liam has prepared is a real treat. There are Belgian waffles with blueberry compote, whipped cream, poached eggs, and maple-glazed bacon on the side. Two mugs of steaming coffee rest beside our plates along with a fancy glass bottle of organic Vermont maple syrup, and the pulpy orange juice in the glass jug between us looks fresh squeezed.

“Wow,” I say, sitting down. “This is incredible…I feel like I’m on vacation.”

“Glad it meets your approval.”

Liam sits down across from me. His chest is bare, his hair slicked back and damp from the shower. Even with this dreamy breakfast in front of me, he looks good enough to eat. “I love to cook. I spent a lot of time helping out my mom in the kitchen growing up, so a lot of it is just second nature by now. It’s meditative in a way.”

“Not for me, but I will gladly help you consume the fruits of your labor.”

He grins. I begin cutting my waffle, then stop when I realize Liam is watching me. “Do we say grace or something?”

He laughs. “No, sorry, please go ahead. You just look so excited. It’s adorable.”

“Glad you think so,” I say, taking a bite. “Mmm.”

We dig in, and after a few minutes Liam sets down his coffee and says, “Tell me something about yourself, Zoe. Something I don’t know.”

“I don’t know. I guess I never thought I’d end up back in Austin, even though I grew up here. When I moved to Boston for college, I was convinced I was meant to be a New England sophisticate. I know Austin’s the liberal bubble of Texas, but it’s still Texas, and I wanted to be taken seriously. I thought I needed to live in Boston or New York for that, you know? Places that are considered hubs of art and culture and academia.”

“So what happened? Did the cold get to you?”

“No. In fact, I actually miss the seasons. There’s absolutely nothing like the way the leaves change colors throughout New England during autumn.”

“Then why didn’t you stay?” Liam asks.

I sigh, swirling the milk and sugar in my coffee. “I don’t talk about this with people very often, but I found out my mom had cancer, just a week after I graduated from college.

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