Sweat Equity (A Renovation Romance Book 1) by Aurora Rey

Author:Aurora Rey [Rey, Aurora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Chef, Contemporary, Home Renovation, Lesbian Romance, Sapphic Romance, Starting Over
Goodreads: 145038466
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2023-10-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Since the door to the cheese room was closed, Maddie peered through the small window rather than barging in. What she found was Sy, donned in her white coat, galoshes, and a hair net, studying a wheel of cheese like it held the secrets of the universe. She knocked lightly and cracked the door, knowing better than to barge in during production without the appropriate protective gear.

Sy turned at the sound, wielding what appeared to be a torture device. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Maddie smiled. “You look like a mad scientist right now.”

“Thank you.” Sy frowned. “Was I supposed to be expecting you and forgot?”

“No.” Maddie tipped her head. “Do you often forget you’re expecting people?”

“I wouldn’t say often.” Since Maddie couldn’t come in, she set down her tools and crossed the room for a quick kiss. “But I’ve been known to get lost in my work.”

“Happens to the best of us.”

“So, since I didn’t forget plans, why are you here?” Sy winced. “That sounded like I’m not happy to see you. I totally am.”

Maddie waved away the explanation. “I took a chance coming unannounced.”

“Well, your timing happens to be perfect. I just finished needling.” Sy lifted a finger. “Actually, let me go put them in the cooler and I can stop for a bit.”

“Are you sure?” Maddie asked.

“Yep. Give me two minutes.” Sy hurried over to the table and loaded the wheels onto a tray. She carried them to the cooler, then returned. “Thanks.”

“Needling?” She’d been sitting on that and wasn’t about to let it go.

“Poking tiny holes to encourage air flow so the molds can get in. It’s how blue cheese is made.”

“Oh. Yum. Weird, but yum.” She’d spent enough time with Clover to embrace such things in theory but hadn’t given much thought to the process.

“It will hopefully be exceptionally yum by the time I’m done with it.”

“I have no doubt.” She didn’t bother trying to suppress her grin. “And I have something that will help.”

“You do?” Sy asked.

“Well, some things, to be more precise. I brought the rest of the boards for the aging room.”

Sy had seemed happy enough to see Maddie, but now her whole face lit up. “I thought you said it would be after Christmas.”

“I thought it would be. But I pulled a few strings and was able to pick them up this morning.”

“You have no idea how excited that makes me. That means I can get them treated and installed, and they can acclimate and get inoculated before I’m even ready to fill them.” Sy did the sort of happy dance Maddie associated with football players scoring touchdowns.

“You’re more excited for this than the stove, aren’t you?”

Sy’s hip jiggle stilled. “Do I have to choose?”

“No, but I get to be amused by the fact that it would be a hard decision.”

Sy tipped her head. “I’m okay with that.”

They stood for a moment, right in the middle of the packing room, giving each other goofy looks. Like maybe they were both trying to decide whether sleeping together meant they should be more flirty with each other or less.

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