Egg Whites and Blue

Chapter 1-2

Dom was right about there being no customers this early in the morning. Kiko opened Yolks on You, his store, and busied himself refilling the toilet paper in the bathroom before retreating behind the counter to wait. Although his place was themed around eggs, he stocked as much as he could that would be vaguely related, or at least purchased year-round, such as that cookbook by Sander Koch.

Sander. Kiko walked his aisles until he came to the book section. It took only a moment to locate the shiny hardcover and flip it over to see the picture on the back. Sander looked older, of course, by a decade, but the same cockiness lit up his gaze. Blond hair and green eyes on a white-yet-tanned face, brutally pastel shirt, enormous whisk. Kiko took it in for a full minute before returning the book and booting up the computer he used for online orders. Lack of business in the morning gave him time to pull and prepare shipments, and right now, he needed something to get his mind off everything.

“Looks quiet this morning,” said Katie when she came in, ponytail bobbing behind her as she moved behind the counter to set down her purse.

“I’m sure we’ll get our normal storytelling crowd soon enough,” said Kiko.

“Did you hear? Chef Koch refused the library again about a book signing.” Katie shook her head. “When he’s already in town in a free room and everything. Can you believe it? He grew up here!”

“Sander always was a bit of an asshole,” said Kiko, and Katie examined him more closely.

“You went to school together, didn’t you?” she asked. In her forties now, Katie had spent her entire life in Mount Angus and had a decent memory about past events.

Kiko shrugged. “He was a year older, but yes.”

“Now there’s more to that, and don’t even try to tell me otherwise. I can see it in your face.”

Kiko managed a weak smile.

“We went out for a while. He was an asshole. I moved on.”

Kiko did not mention that Sander was his first love, or that it was Sander who broke it all off. He didn’t care to share that with Katie at the moment. It had taken him years to get over the man, despite how poorly he’d treated Kiko, despite how they had only been in high school and weren’t really grown enough to know how to have a relationship to begin with.

Katie laughed.

“Sounds like you got lucky then! Wish I would have known my ex was an asshole before I married him. Oh, look, they’re starting to trickle in. I’ll handle the first round of books.”

“Thanks,” said Kiko as Katie moved off to the Mother Goose display. Some people in Mount Angus took their toddlers to both the children’s readings at the library and the ones Kiko offered here, although Mother was always a bigger draw than shelves of books.

He went about his day trying to focus on what needed to be done to run the store. The earliest tourists were beginning to trickle into town now even though it was only the first of July, but he would not complain about the business. By six o’clock, Kiko was feeling fairly satisfied with how little he had thought about Sander.

Until the man walked in through the door.

Thankfully, there were few people in the store right now, and of those there, Chad, Kiko’s part-time teenage worker, was seeing to whatever was necessary. Still, Kiko tried to busy himself righting the stuffed animals on a shelf, hoping Sander wouldn’t notice him. His heart raced. He felt sick. He didn’t think he was prepared to meet the man he hadn’t seen since he’d been dumped all those years ago.

But Sander walked right up to him. Kiko turned, plastered on his best salesman grin, and pretended not to recognize one of Madison’s most prized chefs and the first man he’d ever gotten naked with.

“Welcome to Yolks on You,” he said. “I’m the owner, Enrique Cooper, and if there’s anything I can help you with, just ask.”

“Kiko,” said Sander, giving him that don’t-try-to-lie-to-me look Kiko remembered so well, “Don’t pretend you don’t know who I am.”

Kiko felt his smile drop. He set a stuffed goose back on the shelf stiffly, trying not to wonder why Sander seemed even taller than he remembered. The man had a good eight inches over him, and he did not like it. Nor did he like how comfortable Sander looked, standing there in a clearly expensive mint green shirt.

“I heard you were back in town for the Knee High Fourth of July Festival,” said Kiko, “but why you’d be bothered to show up here I can’t imagine.”

“You sound angry with me,” said Sander. He paused as though waiting for Kiko to respond, but instead Kiko brushed past him to right the selection of children’s books. Sander followed. “I guess I deserve it, don’t I?”

Sander began straightening the books next to Kiko. Surprised, Kiko stopped, glanced over at him. It was out of character for Sander to be interested in anything or anyone other than himself. But Sander seemed intent on making sure the books all looked right and no corners were bent after the children had gone through them.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Kiko.”

“You moved out of state and never spoke to me again,” said Kiko. “You didn’t even say you were dumping me. I stupidly kept thinking you’d call me for months.”

Sander reached over and set his hand on top of Kiko’s, the touch like a jolt. “I’m sorry,” said Sander.

Kiko pulled his hand away.

“I loved you,” he said, turning away. Dom was walking up behind him, brown eyes sharp under a frown. Kiko wanted to flee, but he had not suspected he could truly get through the entire festival without Dom finding out.

“Let me make it up to you,” said Sander. “When you’re done with this customer.”

“I’m not a customer,” said Dom, glaring now. “Kiko, who is this?”