Renounced by Bridget E. Baker

Author:Bridget E. Baker [Baker, Bridget E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Purple Puppy Publishing

12

Ruby

I smile at Madeline, who has placed another platter of pancakes on the table. She curtsies, which is bizarre, and then ducks back into the kitchen.

“These pancakes are actually pretty good.” I stab one more and drag it onto my plate.

Sam takes the rest of the stack and douses them in syrup. “I know you hate being in charge and yesterday didn’t go the way you wanted, but the food is a dramatic improvement over our first trip together.” He smiles. “Remember that rabbit you caught?”

I laugh. “That I made you kill and skin?”

“That stew.” He cringes. “I don’t miss setting snares for our meals and cooking them over a fire.”

“Me either.”

“Things have changed,” Sam says. “But I hope you know that—”

“I’m going to kill her.” Adam stomps through the door. “I’m going to wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze until she stops talking.”

“Who?” I ask.

But Sam’s face is unsurprised. He knows. “Lydia hasn’t worked in security for a few years, but she’ll adjust to working with a team quickly, I swear.”

“Oh, that’s not the issue.” Adam spins on his heel and glares at Sam. “She’s telling all of us that we’re cleaning our guns wrong. And then she told me that I cock my hip. She says if I stop, my aim will be nearly perfect.” Adam’s face turns bright red. “My aim is already perfect.”

“Not beyond thirty—”

“No.” Adam shakes his head. “Not from you, too. You go deal with her, and make her understand that her job is to be a cog in a wheel that I turn, or I will either kill her or quit.”

“You can’t quit,” I say softly.

“And I doubt you could kill her,” Sam says. “At least, not if you don’t stop cocking your hip.”

Adam lunges for him, and Sam’s up like a flash and darting out the door. So much for a nice breakfast and a discussion about us post-Lydia.

“All the pancakes are gone?” Kimball sounds so mournful when he walks into the room and stares at the empty platter.

I laugh. “I’m sure Madeline will be out with more any moment.” I stand up. “She seems to believe that I’m on the brink of starvation.”

“Where are you headed?” He grabs a piece of bacon off the plate in the center of the table and stuffs it into his mouth.

Men are all the same. “I’ve got a huge stack of resolutions to review. Apparently interim chancellors can only do a very short list of things, and approving resolutions isn’t among them. Which means they’ve backed up for weeks.” I groan. “Not that I know what any of them mean. My head already hurts and I haven’t even started yet.”

“I’m sure you have plenty of people offering to help you,” Kimball says. “But my dad does a lot of this kind of stuff too, and I’ve been helping him since I turned twelve.”

“Grooming you much?” I laugh.

“Oh, he has high hopes, my dad.”

He looks nothing like Wesley, other than his coloring, but sometimes he reminds me of him anyway.

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