SURROGATE : Conception (+18) BOOK 1 (COMPLETE)

| 12 | The Author of Confusion ||

Penelope was confused, but she shouldn't have been. That was also confusing. It'd been several days since Liam came to her for the second time.

What was she expecting? He was trying to make her first time special. Suppose she should be grateful for that. Now all she wanted was that again. Maybe he was doing the same thing he did the first time she was just interpreting it differently.

Then again the first time they exchanged oral, foreplay, looks, words. It felt real. The last time felt off. He was evasive. He seemed angry. He seemed distant. Either way she was left feeling off center the past several days that Liam was away.

She turned off the stove and added the hot water to the coffee beans in the French Press and capped it. She peeked in on her bacon in the oven.

Damn. It was smellin' right.

This is what she did when she was in her head. She got her hands to work. She cooked a lot at home, but since being at the Rogan's she seemed to be working overtime. Part of that had to do with waking up to her food gone in the morning.

She knew it was Liam because Frida didn't dare eat any of her food, well, except that Kale salad she made the night before. The woman even left her take out untouched.

She sighed. Counting calories was miserable. She ate what she wanted in moderation, and moved her body a handful of times a week. Deep down she was grateful he ate what she cooked because then she could cook more. It was a good escape sometimes. It was something she was familiar with in all the vast change. She clung to it, to her family tradition, to the memories.

"Oh my God." Frida said, hurrying into the kitchen. "I have to get out of here before I eat that entire pan of delicious bacon." She laughed a little bit, getting her green lumpy looking drink out of the refrigerator. "I swear I could be a vegetarian except for bacon. Gah! Little oinking bastards." She poured the rest of the coffee from the pot into her thermos.

"Good Morning." Liam said, looking like death. "Please tell me that you didn't drink the last of the coffee."

Frida rolled her eyes. "I did from the pot. Penny made you French Press."

He brought his gaze to Penelope. "Did she?"

"I told her you came in really late in the wee hours."

"Penelope." He said, acknowledging her calmly while she worked to not make eye contact.

"Mr. Rogan."

He paused for a moment and frowned briefly. "That was thoughtful, thank you."

"Mhm." She said, working away.

Avoidance. That's what she had to do in order to keep her mind on right and stay focused.

"I'll come back for it. Conference call in a few." He grabbed some fruit and headed off to his office.

"Now that the Queen of freaking England has returned, you can expect him tonight around ten. We're trying to do something here and unfortunately it requires him." Frida growled. "I'll be gone most of the day. Lots of things to get done."

Right. Penelope thought. Hair and nail appointments in between shopping for overpriced sundresses. She laughed a little. Lives of the rich and shameless.

She took the bacon out the oven with a smile and increased the temperature to ready the oven for the biscuits. None of that tubed stuff. Her Gammies recipe. Real buttermilk. It was harder to find than she thought. It was strange driving in the big SUV, but great not having to pray that it started every time she turned the key.