Xavier greeted them both with hugs and then gestured to Ashley. "Guys, this is Ashley. Ash, my brother Ryan and his fiancé who is also my teammate, Everson."
Ryan ignored her outstretched hand and hugged her. "Thank you so much for our engagement cake. We loved it."
She swallowed her surprise and accepted the warm and exuberant embrace. Something told her that she and Ryan would be fast friends. "I'm so glad."
Everson started to shake her hand, then paused, and added in a one-armed hug. "One of the best cakes we've ever had. We're definitely having you make our wedding cake too."
"You just made my day." The happy feeling grew. No matter if Xavier had asked them, they wouldn't want her to bake a cake for such an important occasion if they didn't really like her work. Hopefully, they wouldn't fall on the Blackstone's bandwagon.
Katie nudged her arm and whispered, "Is it just me, or are you feeling really short right now too?"
Ryan was almost as tall as Xavier and Everson had everyone beat by a few inches. Ashley took stock of the heights—and in her and Katie's case, the lack of—and laughed. "A little."
She gave the men a quick tour of the kitchen, all the while, keeping an eye on Xavier. He seemed to relax as the minutes passed and Ryan and Everson joked with everyone. "Are we ready to bake?"
Ryan rubbed his hands together. "Bring it on."
Katie moved to the room's center. "Okay, we're in Philly, so the theme ingredient naturally should be... cream cheese."
Possible recipes flipped through Ashley's mind.
Katie dramatically raised one arm. "Ninety minutes are on the clock. And...go!"
Xavier waved Ashley over. "Huddle up." He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and bent until their heads were touching. "So, what are you thinking?"
"Cheesecake. It's an automatic go-to with cream cheese, but I'm betting that Ryan might think it's too expected, so he'll make something else." She peeked over her shoulder. Ryan and Everson were huddled in the opposite corner. They separated and high-fived.
"My mom's recipe box had one with easy in the title. I remember seeing the card."
"That's the one I'm thinking of. Let's go. You grab the eggs and cream cheese." She preheated the oven, then grabbed a pie plate and graham crackers, confectioner's sugar, butter, and salt.
Xavier and his brother nearly collided in the center of the room. When he passed Everson on the way back from the fridge, the auburn giant mock-tackled him. Xavier dropped the cream cheese. Everson grabbed it and sprinted toward Ryan. "Fumble recovery."
Ryan raised his hands and caught the brick. "Touchdown."
As they celebrated, Ashley doubled over laughing. "Guys. You're too much."
Xavier jogged back to their spot, grinning. He held another brick of cream cheese. "They better not pull that stunt in the competition."
They worked on making the crust first. Ashley pressed the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan. Then, she handed Xavier each ingredient for the filling. Cream cheese and sugar, eggs and vanilla all went into the mixer. "Remember, low-medium speed, so too much air won't get beaten in."
He set the pie pan onto a baking sheet. When she gaped at him, he shrugged. "Ryan once said this makes it easier to transport in and out of the oven, and also protects the bottom of the crust from any potential scorching."
"He's right." Smiling, she poured the filling into the crust, the set the cheesecake in the oven. "Can you set the timer for twenty minutes?"
"Done."
"We'll add the crust shield after that, and bake it for an additional ten."
Further down the room, Ryan slid a tube pan into the oven. Everson set the timer for sixty minutes. Ashley assumed they were baking a pound cake.
Katie came in carrying five cups of coffee. "Refreshments have arrived. I think Xavier and Ashley made cookies too."
Xavier pointed to the cooling rack, where he'd abandoned the cookies to save Ashley from her pantry climb. "Oatmeal chocolate chip."
Ashley kept watch on the timer as she doctored her coffee, adding in a sprinkle of cinnamon and cocoa powder. Seeing the brothers interact, it was obvious they had a close relationship. He'd told her early on that family was everything. She was glad to see he'd meant it.
For the next hour, Ryan and Everson chatted with Ashley and her sister like they were old friends. Xavier stopped rubbing the back of his neck so frequently. He sat between Ashley and his brother and relaxed degree by degree. Maybe it had been worry over how she and Ryan would get along. She'd worried enough over Katie and Xavier before he'd begun shadowing her, but they got along fine. Or maybe it was worry about the upcoming co-hosting thing or the Spring 5k for his foundation. Whatever it was, she was happy to see him feeling better.
Everson stood and removed the tube pan from the oven. He set it on a cooling rack, next to the cheesecake. "Smells great in here. Obviously, we were a lot more relaxed today than the real competition will be, but we both managed to get everything done within the time limit."
As if on cue, the alarm in Katie's phone went off. She silenced it and took some photos of the cakes. "Looks great. Can't wait to taste them."
The front door's bell jangled, and Ashley leaped to her feet, but Katie waved her off. "I've got it."
Ryan joined Everson at the counter. He peered at the cake with a critical eye. "Should we call Shane to come in and help judge? He loves giving his opinion on things, solicited and otherwise."
Xavier snorted. "I'll tell him you said that, Ry."
"What about me?" A man Ashley recognized as the Frenzy's quarterback Tyson stood in the doorway. "I can help taste test."
Concern overshadowed the surprise on Xavier's face. "What's going on? You look stressed and pissed off, maybe both."
"I was just at Blackstone's. The dude is shady.
