Read Standing By: A Knight's Tale #2 for Free Online Page A

birthday. “So, you did like the tie.”
    “I did,” he smiles and his blue eyes crinkle. They’re identical to Brent’s; they got that from Mel, their mother. Mel used to say that I look a bit like them. That, in fact, the five of us have many of my father’s facial traits, yet with the different hair, eye and skin color we don’t think we look alike. “I closed a sale for Parker and heard the new owner doesn’t play nice with you, will you be okay with it?”
    “Yes.” I fake confidence because what’s the alternative? “A couple of years back we had a misunderstanding, but we’re grownups now, right?”
    “I don’t think you should depend entirely on Willows , perhaps renting the space next to the bakery should be your next step.”
    “No, Benjamin,” Dad cuts him. “Hayley isn’t going to expand, not at the moment when she’s about to lose her bakery.”
    Thank you, Dad, for your vote of confidence.
    “Is this a let’s bash Hayley party?” I ask them as I look for an escape route.
    “Dad, we agreed over the phone that we were here to have a nice family dinner. Not to talk about our careers.”
    “Hayley doesn’t have a career,” Benjamin corrected him.
    Fortunately, the waitress arrives to take our drink order and since I know their menu – “For me it’s going to be the grilled chicken salad and water, please,” I order what I usually have here. Dad orders a taco combo and my two brothers choose the trio fajitas.
    “Hey, Parker, have you thought about having an alpaca farm?” I try to steer the conversation to a much safer one… away from me.
    Before the waitress leaves, Dad speaks, “Make sure you grill her chicken away from my sons’ shrimp,” the waitress writes something down and disappears.
    I’m allergic to seafood, and any contact with it requires a shot of an EpiPen and sometimes a trip to the ER. Another reason why a bed of baby greens with cucumber, corn, beans and fresh cheese with cilantro vinaigrette sounds great.
    “You need to eat more than rabbit food.” Benjamin is on a rampage to finish what my parents started earlier.
    “I have enough with Paige’s wedding, if I add a few pounds to my already fat body my mother will send me to some eating disorder rehab center. Believe me, she notices those things.”
    “You’re not fat.” Parker, Benjamin and Dad say simultaneously.
    “And yet Mom finds the need to remind me every time she sees me and you can’t forget the part that I need to do something with my life and stop with that hobby of mine. The bakery.”
    “Well, then expand it.”
    Before any of us can talk, a hand places a glass of water in front of me.
    “Gentlemen, Miss Muffin, what a surprise.” I tilt my head and find a beaming Mitchel Knight delivering water, a basket of chips and a container with guacamole to our table. “A token but not from me; Brent called to apologize. He’s still in the middle of the board meeting. He said you’d understand. Now, the rest of the meal is on the house.”
    “Why is he giving us free food?” I whisper to Parker.
    “Because I own the restaurant,” he mumbles close to my ear, his tousled hair caressing my skin and making me shiver. “By the way, Parker mentioned earlier something about margarita cupcakes. You should think about supplying those little jewels to my restaurant.”
    I switch my gaze from him to my father, then to Benjamin, and I wonder which one of them is the lesser of those evils. Then I stare at the knife but realize a butter knife won’t help me with getting the release I need.
    *
    I place the fruit on top of the cutting board and make sure I choose the right knife before starting the daily task of chopping. “You can always move to Seattle with me.” Parker says the next day as he pours milk in the mixer. He decided to help me open the bakery, after yesterday’s dinner, where Mitch Knight and Parker talked for two hours about restaurants. Parker dropped me at home and promised to help