Page 61 of The Grump I Loathe

“Shit,” Connor mumbled under his breath.

I wheeled around, peering around Connor’s shoulder. “Hi, Grace!”

“What are you doing here so early?”

“Oh, she was dropping something off forShadow,” Connor started to explain. “And she was just?—”

“Your Dad just invited me to stay for breakfast!” I cut in, Connor stiffening beside me. “Pancakes, right?”

“Awesome!” Grace cheered, hurrying down the stairs. “We never have people for breakfast.”

“Grandma comes over all the time,” Connor said, frowning.

“She’sfamily—she doesn’t count,” Grace explained.

“Socks,” Connor reminded her.

Grace huffed, hurrying back up the stairs to get them.

Connor gave me a flat look when she disappeared. “Not cool.”

I rolled my eyes. “She has no idea,” I insisted. “So just be chill oryou’llruin it. Besides, this is good practice for work. You really think we can avoid each other every hour of the day?” He grumbled, glaringat me. “Grace?” I called. “Are you a chocolate chip girl or a blueberry girl?”

Grace appeared at the top of the stairs again. “What? You mean chocolate chip is anoption?Dad never lets me have chocolate chips in my pancakes!” She raced down the stairs to my side. I threw my arm over her shoulder.

“Kid, I’m about to open you up to a whole new world of wonder.”

“Admit it,” I said to Connor from across his massive dining room table, “the chocolate ones are so much better than the plain.”

Connor stuffed half a pancake in his mouth at once. “Sorry, mouth full,” he muttered.

“He definitely likes them,” Grace said, reaching out with her fork to stab another pancake off the tray. “Henevereats this much for breakfast.”

I grinned, feeling like I was getting insider information. “Is that so?”

As expected, Connor had started breakfast hovering over my shoulder as Grace and I crowded in at the stove with a pitcher of pancake batter and a bag of chocolate chips. He’d been on high alert, prepared to throw me from the room like I was a grenade about to go off at the slightest hint that I’d done anything to rock the boat.

But when I didn’t spontaneously combust or tell Grace I’d slept with her father, he’d settled, and before I knew it, we had the Spotify playlist on and were dancing around the kitchen island. Connor might have been freaking out at first, but to me, this morning felt as easy as hanging with Alannah. That thought stirred something warm and fluttery in my gut. Alannah was my family. Connor and Grace were…Well, whatever they were, it was nice.

“Okay, here’s one,” Grace said. “If you could be any color unicorn, what would it be?”

“Is rainbow an option?” I asked, licking chocolate off the end of my fork.

Grace wrinkled her nose, giving that thought. “No,” she decided.

“Then I’m going with a bright teal. Like those pictures of the ocean they’re always using to sucker people into vacations. The most perfect mix of blue and green.”

Grace nodded in approval. “You should color your hair like that next.”

I picked at the ends of my hair, the blue faded now. “You’re totally right. I need an update.”

“Dad, when can I color my hair?” Grace demanded.

My eyes cut across the table to Connor who chewed thoughtfully on his pancake. “Are we talking temporary dye or permanent?”

I hummed, a little surprised but delighted it wasn’t an immediate no. Grace pursed her lips, considering. “I don’t know. What do you think, Eddie?”

“Maybe start off with temporary. See how you feel about different colors.”