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By the time I finished, Neko diced the potatoes and blanched them, grated the cheese, and whisked the eggs. He held the skillet, ready to start the chorizo, when we heard footsteps come back into the kitchen.

“It must have been—”

A familiar feminine voice cut through whatever I was going to say. “Graham Norris, as I live and breathe.”

The effect on me was instantaneous. I reached for Neko and whirled him around in front of me, using him as a barrier between me and Hensley, who stood there in a pale gold designer pant suit, killer heels, and a matching trench draped over her arm. A gold and black clutch swung next to her as she tilted her head and graced me with a mischievous grin.

But it was Neko who’d snagged my attention, stiff in my arms, as I clutched him against my chest. He held up the unopened sausage tube in one hand and in the other, a skillet. When he glanced back at me, his eyes were wide and his mouth gaping open and closed, similar to a fish out of water, and I lost it.

Slinging my arms around his chest, I buried my face against the back of his neck and shook both of us as I cackled. The look, shock with a mixture of awe and a flare of jealousy, morphed his face into the cutest expression I’ve ever witnessed.

Neko huffed out an outraged breath. “Cupcake, I hate to break this to you, but a fucking model has graced us with her presence and I’m holding a tube of ground Mexican sausage and a frying pan like a dumb shit, while you use me as a human shield. Why the fuck are you laughing?”

Along with my deep laughter, a tinkling sound joined me and we both glanced over at Hensley, leaning against the counter with a wide smile on her face as she studied both of us.

Echo, materializing out of the ether for all I knew, stood with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands and narrowed her eyes at Hensley.

“Please state your business. Because if it’s getting Graham back, I’ll stop you. Trust me, I’m nastier than my five-foot ten-inch height, glassy, unfocused eyes, and messy hair might suggest. Then there is Neko’s mom, Reo, who I’ve seen claw a bitch’s eyes out like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. I would give an example of her husband George, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly…”

“Nope, I wouldn’t. Besides, if Neko wants his man, he’s the one who’ll have to go full-bitch, not me.”

“What—”

“Hey, why didn’t you pour the rest of us some coffee?” Ri asked.

“Oh, before all that, there are the twins, who might look innocent, but know more ways to hide a body dreamed up from their twisted imaginations alone than even the most talented serial killers.”

“Don’t you fucking encourage them, E! You know they’ll take pride in that,” Neko hissed.

As he poked the sausage toward his best friend in order to make a point, Neko glanced down and huffed out his frustration before he dropped everything on the counter.

“Too late,” they said in unison.

“Stop doing that. You two are worse than the twins in The Shining and you’re not even identical,” Neko complained.

Not knowing Hensley like I did, they stared at her, the placid expression on her face not giving away any emotion.

“You’re not freaked out?” Echo asked.

“By what?”

“Huh,” Echo murmured.

I found myself so ingrained in Neko’s life that I understood Echo’s one word held a wealth of meaning. She walked back toward the kitchen table, taking a deep inhale of the coffee in front of her before she drank down a colossal gulp, and rested her head in her hand.

“Great, now that we’ve moved past the embarrassing ‘the new love interest’s family is nuts and they don’t mind showing it,’ would you like to stay for breakfast… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” Neko said.

“Oh, it’s Hensley Drake-Bannerman. It’s nice to meet you, Neko-Ren.” Her hand shot out and Neko moved on instinct. When she squeezed, he let out a scant squeak.

“Um, you know my name?”

“Yeah, I’m a total fan. I’ve watched all of your videos over the past year, but I’m a few weeks behind. I have to say you’re more gorgeous in person, which shouldn’t be surprising. You have perfect skin.”

“Thank you,” both his parents said.

“Um, I shouldn’t say thank you because you are a goddess and you have a history with Graham, which makes me feel catty toward you. But I’m also confused because you know who I am and you’ve given me two of the best compliments of my life.”

Neko gasped when she beamed at him and yanked him in for a fierce hug. He stiffened in her hold for a few seconds before he lifted his arms and circled them around her back. His head tilted against her shoulder before inhaling. And then he moaned.