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The only hiccup was when he hadn’t read the labels and picked up a cucumber instead of a zucchini. Theylooked the same,and he would not be held responsible for that mistake. It had no bearing on his cooking skills whatsoever.

Grady ended up buying two steaks, ingredients for a marinade—because Lake couldn’t say with complete certainty exactly what was in his pantry—some thick beer-battered chips, and broccolini. Lake was already hungry, thinking about it. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a steak at home. The last time might have been at Zach and Felix’s or a restaurant. He’d tried himself a few times, but he was too easily distracted and always ended up overcooking it. Steaks were fickle creatures, and it only took a second to look away andbam,overcooked.

Grady was his new best friend. Move over Zach and Felix; there was a new man in town.

Except that when he went to slide onto a stool to watch the magic happen, which is exactly what he did when Zach cooked for him, Grady gave him a look and said, “What are you doing?”

“Getting out of the way?” Lake said slowly. What did it look like he was doing?

“I don’t think so,” Grady said, snorting. “Get the fuck over here. Do I look like your goddamned butler?”

“You’re quickly losing best-friend status.” It was important that Grady understood how tenuous the title was and how easily it could be swapped around.

“I’m not dignifying that with a response.”

Lake made a sliding-down motion with his hand. “Slipping further downnnnn, man.”

“I’ll survive. I’m not cooking this by myself.”

Lake grinned and hopped up enthusiastically. “Should we sign a waiver before I start? Any injuries inflicted are your own fault for asking me to help, and you can’t sue me for hospital fees?”

“Do you ever stop talking?”

“I don’t think I talk in my sleep?” He couldn’t recall a girlfriend saying anything. Sadie hadn’t, but a lot of them got sick of him before the end of the day and didn’t stay the night. Their loss. He was a great snuggler.

“I’m not sure I believe that. Maybe you’ve only been in bed with deep sleepers. You talk underwater too, I bet.”

“Don’t tell anyone; it’s a secret.”

Grady shuffled around in the drawer below his cutlery drawer and came out with a meat tenderiser. “Someone cooks in this house,” he mused.

“People thatcome herecook in this house.” Mostly his parents, Avery, and Zach. He and Felix were good helpers, though.

“How old are you?”

“Is that like a sarcastic question?”

“No.”

Lake didn’t know why he’d asked. Grady seemed like he was always serious. He was surprised that he didn’t have wrinkles. Maybe he did. Maybe that’s what the beard was for. “I’m thirty-one. Thirty-two in July.”

Grady looked surprised at that. “How did you make it to your thirties?”

“I think thebiggerquestion is,” Lake said with a grin because he wasn’t offended, “how did I get to adulthood in general?”

“A good question. You’re older than me.”

“Yeah?” That felt more surprising than it should have been. Age was just a number and maturity wasn’t always a factor.

“By a year, don’t get excited.”

Lake grinned. “Cool.” He pretended to roll up his sleeves, even though he was wearing a T-shirt, and he didn’t need to. “Okay. I’m ready. I’m great at taking direction, so this should be a cinch.”

Grady was silent for a long moment. Lake contemplated poking him.

“A lot of people underestimate you, don’t they?” Grady said. It sounded like a statement, not a question, even though it was said like a question.

“Uh…” Lake had no fucking idea what to say to that. It wasn’t how he would have worded it. People had certain expectations of him, and maybe that bar wasn’t that high, but he wouldn’t have saidunderestimated.He was just a casual, easy guy, and that’s what people saw when they looked at him?