Page 79 of Black and Brown

“Don’t give me that fuckin’ look. I told you I know a few tricks in the kitchen.”

Grace grunted, then moved a cutting board to the other side of the stove and placed two cucumbers and an avocado on it with a small, slender knife.

“Peel and cut the cucumbers in quarters, then slice ’em thin.”

Mirage nodded.

How hard can it be to peel a cucumber? I peel apples all the time.

“Then slice the avocados into half-thick slices.”

Mirage nodded again.

“No problem.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why did I open my big mouth?

Grace

If Grace was a laughing kinda guy, he’d be cracking up right now.

Mirage looked like Grace had just asked him to butcher a whole hog.

“Don’t I need an apron?”

Grace scanned Mirage’s basic gray sweatshirt and well-worn jeans with faded knees.

“I love this sweatshirt,” he argued.

Bullshit.

He was sure Mirage could read that sentiment on his face, but Grace went to his closet to fulfill the request anyway.

After picking one he no longer used, he peeked around the corner to find Mirage hurriedly scrolling on his phone.

Grace harrumphed to hold in the chuckle rising from his gut. He couldn’t deny that Mirage’s pretending was fucking hilarious.

Grace cleared his throat when he walked back into the kitchen, and Mirage jumped so hard his phone slipped from his hand and hit the flagstone floor.

“I was just, um, checking the weather for tomorrow in case we decide to do some outside training.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Grace tossed Mirage the apron and ignored the way he slowly put it on, then hefted the cucumber and knife, staring for a long moment before he began peeling.

Trying to peel it.

Grace busied himself with mixing the ingredients for his Asian sesame dressing, tasting as he went along. When he was pleased with the balance, he added the mixture to the dressing shaker.

While he was shaking, he snuck a look at Mirage’s process and saw the cutting board was a complete mess. Peels and several thick cuts of cucumber littered the floor.

What in the actual…?

Mirage forgot about the small bowls beside him and slid the few pieces of cucumbers he’d salvaged onto the counter.

But it was the avocado that made Grace’s mouth fall open.

Mirage was slicing the pieces about an inch and a half thick, with the goddamn tree bark-like skin still on.