The Price of Redemption by ML Nystrom

Author:ML Nystrom
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing

CHAPTER 17

Gabriella poured a cup of coffee at the counter and sipped at it slowly. She was dressed for work since she had the morning shift and needed to help set up the brunch buffet that was offered to hotel guests. She had awoken to find Ice wrapped around her earlier, smelling strongly of some serious booze. She had left a glass of water plus three ibuprofen tablets by the bed. She didn’t know if he would wake before she left, but there was a fresh Swedish pastry ring filled with pecans and raisins she’d baked last night that he could eat when he did get up.

When Ice had left her alone at the house, she briefly indulged in a good cry. Then she picked herself up and did what she always did when life got tough. She baked. Her mother had always believed in cooking therapy and taught those skills to Gabriella. Lots of traditional recipes handed down to generations of women in her line had been made in Mom’s kitchen, and now they were in Gabriella’s hands. Last night’s yield sat in multiple containers all over the counter. Swedish pepparkakor, apple cake, almond kringles, orange spritz, and more lefse. Gabriella had cooked and baked until she ran out of ingredients and containers to store the goodies.

Gabriella sipped her coffee again and pulled off one of the ring sections of the pastry, a dusting of powdered sugar drifting down as she chewed the sweet treat. If life continued this way, she would have to find some therapy other than baking mountains of cookies and cakes. Confusion lived with her constantly in the form of Iceman. He came to the school when Ricky called but refused to transport her on his bike. He was generous with his money, giving her whatever she needed to run the household, but barely spoke to her at the club unless it was to bark orders or embarrass her.

Last night he was brutally clear that she meant nothing to him, so it surprised the hell out of her to find he’d come home and curled himself around her to sleep. She woke up to him holding her close as if she was precious and breathing lightly into her hair. If that wasn’t enough of a shock, his hand palming her breast made up for it. It didn’t feel like a sexual touch. Surely, if he'd decided to take her up on her offer, she would have woken up and remembered it. Just as the night they fell asleep together on the sofa, nothing had happened. Just the warmth of his hand on her body, which made the contact more intimate somehow.

A soft knock on the door paused her silent reflection. Railroad walked in and sat at the counter. The scars on his face had alarmed her at first, but she was used to them now. His loyalty to Ice and the club had also extended to her.

“I’m assuming Ice is here sleeping it off?” he asked cautiously.

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