Colby Blake flipped the pages of the old, note-riddled cookbook, looking for something good to prepare for dinner. It was tradition for the cook to add a recipe to the book, but he didn’t want to add just any old recipe. When he added his recipe, it had to be something memorable, otherwise what was the point of doing it?

            Of all the dangerous aspects of being a firefighter, serving a mediocre dinner to a firehouse full of hungry firefighters was more harrowing than racing into a burning building. If he didn’t get this right, he would be ridiculed for weeks. Luckily, he had thick skin. Being part of a large family had prepared him for teasing, fighting and making up within the span of an hour.  

           He turned another page of the book. Chicken cordon bleu? Nope, he thought to himself. The name alone sounded too fancy for the rough necks milling around. Which made him wonder who’d been courageous enough to try it in the past. He leaned in closer to read the note, it had been added to the book in 1986 by some dude named Trapper Dan.

           Tonight, preparing dinner was a futile attempt to keep his mind off his lackluster love life. It had been a week since he’d broken things off with his latest girlfriend, Ellen. She was a party planner; they’d met at a fundraising event for the fire station three months ago and it was lust at first sight. The pretty brunette with sparkling eyes and a vivacious personality had a way about her. She checked off all the boxes on his long his list for a girlfriend with the exception of her love of social media. But he got it, she was hot and these days everyone lived their lives, one way or another.

           Ellen fancied herself an influencer, the total opposite of his preferred low-key lifestyle. It was clear Ellen wanted to make her mark on the world and she was driven by the clicks and likes she got from her incendiary posts and videos. She was excited about the celebrities in his family and was always going on about when she would meet his siblings and cousins. He tried to temper her enthusiasm and suggested they take things slow. It was way too early for meeting his clan, but he didn’t tell her that he wanted to be sure it was a fling or if was something real.

           They were getting along great, until she posted a photo of them at a party with a caption that read ‘Me & My Gorgeous Boyfriend‘. An hour later his phone was blowing up with calls from family members who were surprised to find out on a public platform that he was in a relationship while being bombarded with private messages from thirsty women who saw Ellen’s post as more as an invitation to hit him up. The spotlight he avoided like the plague was on him and he didn’t like it one bit. Growing up in a celebrity family, you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a relative who lived in the limelight to a certain degree, whether they wanted to or not. But he was done with cameras in his face and his private life being laid out for all the world to see. His twin brother Connor was the ham that loved the cameras and the drama. He was content with living a regular life, something Ellen didn’t understand. A couple of days later, when they had the dreaded talk, he couldn’t make her understand why he felt ambushed. It validated the feeling he’d to take things slow. Ellen wasn’t the one.

           

           His cell phone buzzed, he looked over to see Con Man flash across the screen. Connor was checking in, like most of the family did when he was on duty. He knew they meant well and worried about his safety, but his on duty days felt like he first day of school after twenty plus relatives messaged him to be careful. But Connor’s check-ins were lighthearted and hilarious. He’d expect nothing less from his crazy brother, the professional hockey player who loved to live in the moment and enjoy life to the fullest. A stark contrast to his introverted tendencies but their Momma told them they were two sides of the same coin.

           Connor should have been home nursing a bruised shoulder he sustained during a white-water rafting trip. But knowing his high throttle twin, he was probably ignoring the problem. What was is about his athlete brothers that made them think they were invincible? He was getting as stubborn as Jake, who also had an aversion to admitting when something was wrong.

            He picked up the phone and opened the text app.

            Con Man: Hey Bro. What’s going on?

            Colby: Nothing much. Quiet night so far. However, it’s my night to cook.

            Con Man: Good luck with that. LOL.

            Colby: Ha ha. How’s the shoulder?

            Con Man: It’s getting better. Nothing a few more hot showers can’t fix.

            Colby: Or, maybe you could see a real doctor at the sports rehab clinic.

            Con Man: OK, Mom.

            Colby: You keep it up, I will tell Momma.

            Con Man: Snitch.

            Colby: Just looking out for you.

            Con Man: I know. You good with the Ellen situation?

           Colby: Gettin’ there. I better get back to cooking.

           Con Man: I’m taking it down for the night. Be careful. Remember, you promised to play my handsome stunt double in the movie about my life.

           Colby: Why would I jeopardize the opportunity to make your dream come true? LOL

           Con Man: Right. LOL. If you need help with a fire or something, give me a call.

            Colby: Will do.

            Colby chuckled and placed the phone on the counter. It was nice how Conner showed concern without overdoing the sentiment. The family was up in arms when he told him he wanted to be a firefighter. It took Grandpa Curtis, former fire chief, to speak up for him and to tell the rest of the family that he would be fine. He reached for the cookbook again but the chatter coming from downstairs made his ears perk up. People dropped by from time to time, but the chatter was livelier than the usual ruckus.

           “Blake!” Someone called out. “Your sister’s here!”

           Ah, the mystery guest was his little sister Kenzie. He tossed the towel onto his shoulder, walked out of the kitchen and down the stairs. The crew always enjoyed it when his sister stopped by for a visit, especially his buddy Tom. It was obvious that Tom had a thing for her, and he would have given the typical ‘don’t even think about it’ speech like he’d done hundreds of times in the past with other friends, but Kenzie had already knee capped Tom in her own way. For all the worrying the men in the family did about her, Kenzie could handle herself and the poor sap she was rejecting was usually too dense to realize he’d been friend zoned to Antarctica.

           He stopped short when he reached the bottom of the stairs, assessing the scene. Kenzie, dressed in jeans plaid shirt, muddy ranch boots with her trademark red hair in a loose braid down her back. She was a natural beauty who didn’t make much of a fuss about her appearance. She had more of the Blake family features and didn’t have the typical Reed woman height and had shot past their petite Momma Morgan to five foot seven by the time she was fifteen.

           As always, Kenzie had a captive audience, laughing and joking with the crowd. She had a knack for drawing people to her and putting them at ease, much to the chagrin of the men in the family who were very protective of her. As he figured, Tom was standing right beside her. When he heard his co-worker Henry compliment her attire and saw Tom’s face turn into a grimace, it was time to step in and put everyone out of their misery.

           “Kenzie.” Colby broke through the crowd and gave his little sister a bear hug. “What on earth are you doing here?”

           “Great to see you too.” She welcomed the embrace then pulled back and gave him a punch on the arm. “You said it was your night to cook in your text, so I thought I’d save you the trouble and give your co-workers a treat to the family’s five alarm chili.”

           “Are you trying to render the entire firehouse useless?” He groaned, rubbing his belly. “We are on duty. That stuff is liable to back up the plumbing in this place.”

           “No worries, I asked Uncle Tyler to tamp it down. It’s more like two alarms and tornado warning.” Kenzie grinned and handed him a small basket. “This is for you.”

           “Thanks.” He took the basket and set it down on a chair next to the fire truck. “You didn’t have to drive all this way.”

           “Speak for yourself.” Henry nudged him. “We’re saved from your attempt at cooking once again.”

           “Hey. My cooking is not that bad.” Colby shot him a dirty look.

           “No. It’s not. But it’ll be even better since we have Kenzie here.” Henry flashed a big smile.

           Kenzie smiled. “You guys are so nice. I always feel so welcome when I come for a visit.”

           “We love it—” Tom squeaked then cleared his throat, “Colby likes it when you drop by.”

           “Real Smooth Tom.” Henry said under his breath.

           Colby’s jaw ticked. “Don’t you two have something to do?”

           “Actually, Tom and Henry, would you mind getting the food out of the truck?” Kenzie held up the keys to the vehicle.

           “Sure thing.” They said in unison as the pushed each other to get the keys out of her hand. Tom won and held them up like he’d won a prize at a carnival.

           “Thanks.” Kenzie grinned as she watched them scamper away. “They seem a little tense.”

            “Nothing a hundred pushups and a hose down wouldn’t cure.” He grumbled.

            “Huh?”

            “Nothing.” He put his arm around her shoulder. “How’s work?”

            “I would love to complain but I can’t.” She bit her lip. “I love it. The kids are all so cute and they like to learn new things.”

            “So, no regrets teaching a kindergarten class?”

            “Nah.” She waved her hand. “All those years of babysitting paid off.”

            They’d all done their fair share of babysitting duties with the next generation of kids in the family. But there was no competition, hands down the kids loved Kenzie.

            “You heard from Jake?” Kenzie continued.

            “No, I think he’s still laying low after that disaster of an interview.” Colby replied.

            “It was more like an ambush than an interview.” She huffed. “He was blindsided. That hack sportscaster thought he was going to take a shot at Jake and Dad at the same time? And Jake was just going to sit there and take it? Jake was well within his rights to tell that guy to kick rocks on live television.”

            Jake was having a rough year. Hell, they all were but it was Jake who was captured reacting to the pressure from his professional career and pain the family had been through on camera. He wasn’t just a quarterback. He was the son of Seth Blake, and it was tough on him and the person interviewing him, a former player from their dad’s era, apparently had an axe to grind with not only their dad but the Blake legacy in football.

          “I know.” Colby ran a hand over his face.

            “What really sucks is Jake telling us to stay out of it.” Kenzie frowned. “You don’t hurt family and we just —“

            Colby interrupted. “But you know Jake. He feels he’s not one for showing his feelings and having to tighten up that douche bag on television pissed him off.”  

             

            The entire new clan of Blakes were ready to take to social media when they got the order from Jake to stand down. He said it was his fight and didn’t want them in a media war over one asshole who couldn’t get past Seth and the Titans continuously dominating the dude’s former football team twenty years ago.

            “I know.” She stopped and faced him. “Dad’s career was not an anomaly. He earned his G.O.A.T. title and I’ll throw hands with anybody who says different.”

            “You could, nobody throws a right cross like you do. But that’s not very becoming behavior for a kindergarten teacher.” He waggled his eyebrows.

            “Yeah. Yeah.” She waved her hand at him. “Decorum, blah, blah, blah.”

            “And we both know this is more than about Dad. Jake has something to prove too.”

            It was a stark reality that Jake spent more time in his career battling criticism at every turn. He took it in stride, but the circus that was supposed to be a superstar career had changed him. He’d become isolated, moody and had pushed everyone away.

            “But I worry about him.”

            “Kenz, you worry about everybody.”

            “I can’t help it. We’re all scattered all over the place and I don’t feel like I have to open social media to find out what my family is up to. Girlfriends, fights, career moves. I want to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.”

            “And you do.” He nodded. “Which is why we’re all terrified of you and text often.”

            Kenzie rolled her eyes. “I like keeping tabs on you knuckle heads.”

            “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He smiled. “So, tell me, as awesome as it is to see you, why did you come all the down here?”

            “I told you. I knew you were cooking tonight and—” She stopped.

            “And?” Colby raised an eyebrow.

           “Well.” She bit her lip. “I wanted to make sure you were OK after your breakup with what’s her name, Easter?”

           “Her name was Ellen.” He shot her a knowing look. For someone with an impeccable memory, Kenzie could never get the names of their girlfriends right.

           “Right.” Kenzie snapped her fingers. “Ellen. I should have remembered. Rhymes with felon.”

           “Ha ha.”

            “I didn’t know if it was serious, but I know you’re also not one for wasting your time. I also know that when she posted that photo on her social media account, her days were numbered. You take your privacy as seriously as Jake takes football and Connor takes, well Connor.”

            Colby laughed. Everyone in the family knew Connor was very self-aware. He loved being the center for his pro-hockey team and loved being the center of attention too. Their Momma said Connor had their dad’s healthy ego in his younger years and it was supercharged. Women loved Connor and being mistaken for him, being his twin, wasn’t always a bad thing.

           

            “Well thanks for looking out for me. I just have to clear my head and I’ll be OK.”

            “I know you will.” She beamed. “I know you don’t like being thought of as a piece of man meat.”

           Tom and Henry had returned with the buckets of chili and had two more guys towing behind them carrying in the other crates filled with food.

            “I hope I brought enough food.” Kenzie scanned the items in their hands.

           “You packed for an army.” Tom said. “Hey Kenzie, I can give you a hand with reheating the chili.”

           “I thought I’d help you warm up the cornbread.” Henry interjected.

           “Sorry guys, but I can’t stay.” Kenzie looked at her smart match.

           The guys groaned in disappointment.

           “Oh, come on, it’s a Friday night.” Tom squeaked. “Live a little.”

            “Honestly, I’m shocked you’re not out on a date.” Henry blurted out.

           “Kenzie has a standing appointment.” Colby gave them both a smug look. “And she never misses it.”

            Everyone in the family knew Kenzie spent her Friday nights video chatting with Scooter, who mostly went by Isaiah these days. He had been in the Army for over three years and was currently stationed in Japan and never missed a chance to call home or more importantly, to call Kenzie.

            “I do have to get going.” Kenzie squinted at Colby. “Walk me out bro?”

            Colby linked arms with his sister as she waved to everyone as they headed for the truck. Once they reached the vehicle, he opened the door for her and helped her into the cab. She fussed with him some more, but he promised he’d be OK, and this was just another bump in his dating life. And he promised to check in on Jake.