Four Of A Kind

Chapter 123: [3.25] A Rubik’s Cube on Fire

“I thought you’d make standard cupcakes,” I corrected. “These are bakery quality.”

Harlow beamed. “Mrs. Tanaka helped with the recipe! She says baking is chemistry for hungry people.”

Iris wiped her hands on her apron. “We made two dozen. Twelve are vanilla with strawberry, and twelve are chocolate with raspberry.”

“And you decorated all of them differently,” I observed.

“That was Cassidy’s idea,” Harlow said. “She said boring identical cupcakes are for people without imagination.”

Cassidy’s ears turned pink at the credit. “Whatever. It just makes sense to customize them.”

I looked at the cupcake she was working on—the tiny painted strawberry now had individual seeds and a perfect stem.

“You’re actually really good at this,” I said.

She glanced up, her expression guarded. “At what?”

“Art.” I gestured to her work. “That’s museum-quality fruit.”

Her cheeks flushed to match her ears. “It’s just food coloring on frosting. Anyone could do it.”

“I couldn’t.”

“That’s because you have the artistic talent of a concussed penguin.”

“Harsh but fair.”

The corner of her mouth twitched upward before she caught herself and resumed her neutral expression.

“Iris said you guys have to leave soon,” she said, carefully casual. “For the train.”

I checked my watch. “Yeah, we should head out in about twenty minutes.”

“But first,” Harlow interjected, “you need to try the chocolate ones! And take some for the trip! And for tomorrow! And forever!”

“Maybe not forever,” Iris said.

“At least until the end of the week,” Harlow compromised, already boxing up several cupcakes in a container that had materialized from somewhere.

I watched them, these unlikely baking companions—my serious little sister, the human hurricane that was Harlow, and the secretly artistic Cassidy who pretended not to care about anything.

Something in my chest tightened.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

I wasn’t supposed to get attached to these girls. They weren’t supposed to become anything more than names on a contract.

And yet here I was, watching my sister bond with two of my employers over cupcakes, while a third employer accused me of having inappropriate relations with a fourth employer, who had touched my face and said things about seeing people.

Life was simpler when all I did was tend bar and sleep on trains.

“Yo, space cadet,” Cassidy said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. “You in there?”

I blinked. “Sorry. Lost in thought.”

“About what?” Harlow asked.

“Nothing important.”

Cassidy’s eyes narrowed slightly, like she knew I was lying but wasn’t going to call me on it in front of Iris and Harlow.

“We need to clean up,” Iris said, looking at the frosting-splattered countertop. “This place is a disaster.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that!” Harlow waved her hand. “Mrs. Tanaka has people who handle that stuff.”

Iris frowned. “But we made the mess.”

“It’s literally their job to clean it,” Cassidy said, picking up another cupcake to decorate.

“That doesn’t mean we should leave it for them,” Iris countered, already gathering dirty bowls. “That’s rude.”

“It’s what they’re paid for.”

“Doesn’t make it less rude.”

I watched my sister stand her ground against the Valentine sisters, unintimidated by their wealth or status. Pride bloomed in my chest.

“Iris is right,” I said. “We clean up after ourselves.”

Harlow looked surprised, then thoughtful. “I never thought about it that way.”

“Because you’ve had staff your entire life,” Cassidy muttered.

“So have you!”

“Yeah, but I don’t pretend they exist to handle my every whim.”

“I don’t do that!” Harlow protested, then paused. “Do I?”

“Sometimes,” Cassidy admitted. “But less than Vivienne.”

Iris had already filled the sink with soapy water and was washing the mixing bowls. I grabbed a cloth and started wiping down countertops.

After a moment’s hesitation, Harlow joined us, collecting sprinkle containers and returning them to a cabinet. Even Cassidy helped, though she made a show of sighing dramatically before gathering up dirty spoons.

When Mrs. Tanaka entered the kitchen ten minutes later, she stopped short at the sight of all four of us cleaning.

“What are you doing?” she asked, genuine confusion in her voice.

“Cleaning up our mess,” Iris answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mrs. Tanaka looked at me, then at the Valentine sisters, then back at me.

“Interesting,” she said after a moment. Then she smiled—the first real smile I’d seen from her. “Thank you.”

She helped us finish the cleanup, showing Iris and Harlow where various items belonged and complimenting Cassidy’s decorated cupcakes.

By the time we finished, it was time for Iris and me to leave.

Harlow hugged Iris tightly, making her promise to text about manga recommendations and visit again soon. Cassidy gave an awkward half-wave that somehow managed to convey both “goodbye” and “you’re tolerable” in a single gesture.

As we walked out to the Lexus, Iris looked thoughtful.

“They’re not what I expected,” she said.

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. Snobby rich girls who’d look down on us for being poor.”

I unlocked the car. “And?”

“They’re just… people. Weird, super-wealthy people with a mansion and staff, but still people.” She climbed into the passenger seat. “I like Harlow. She’s like if sunshine took human form and then discovered anime.”

I laughed. “That’s disturbingly accurate.”

“And Cassidy pretends to be all tough, but she was really careful helping me with the frosting technique. She’s actually patient when she thinks no one’s paying attention.”

I started the car, thinking about that observation. Cassidy Valentine, secret softie. Who would have guessed?

As we pulled away from the manor, Iris fastened her seatbelt and turned to me.

“So which one kissed you?”

I nearly drove into a hedge.

“What?”

“I’ve met three of them now. It wasn’t Harlow—she would have said something or been super awkward around you. And it wasn’t Cassidy because she kept watching you when you weren’t looking, which means she’s interested but hasn’t done anything about it yet.”

My ears burned. “Your detective skills are both impressive and terrifying.”

“So it was the other one? Sabrina? The quiet one who reads all the time?”

I focused very intently on the road. “I’m not having this conversation.”

“Or was it Vivienne? The one who was mad you didn’t answer her calls?”

“Still not having this conversation.”

“It was totally Vivienne,” Iris declared triumphantly. “You get this look on your face when she’s mentioned.”

“What look?”

“Like you’re trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while it’s on fire.”

I sighed. “Can we please talk about literally anything else?”

Iris grinned, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “Fine. Let’s talk about how you’re going to tell me which sister kissed you.”

“You’re fourteen. You shouldn’t be thinking about any of this.”

“I read romance manga, big brother. This is tame compared to what’s in my brain most of the time.”

“That’s concerning on multiple levels.”

She patted my arm consolingly. “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Figure what out?”

“Which sister you actually like.” She settled back in her seat. “Though I’m voting for Cassidy. She draws really nice strawberries.”

I focused on driving and tried not to think about purple eyes, soft lips, and the way my heart couldn’t seem to decide which Valentine sister made it beat faster.