Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

Girl Fight

"So, a gala?" Alicia popped up near the station again.

Kaya didn't bother to look at her. "Shouldn't you be working?" 

"I'm multi-tasking." 

Ransom chortled. "Multi-tasking? Are you working as a corporate spy? Where is your supervisor?" 

"Um... busy?" Alicia shrugged. 

Kaya rolled her eyes heavenward. "What about Jacob? Aren't you still supposed to be helping him?" 

Alicia threw a thumb toward the swinging doors. "He went to talk to his brother." 

Great. Of course Jacob ditched his job to talk to the big brother he looked up to. Kaya angled away from Alicia. She didn't want to talk to her anymore. "What time are we leaving tomorrow?" 

"Come to my office at noon." Ransom gave Kaya's hand a squeeze, a silent reassurance in the face of frustration. "We'll plan from there." 

Kaya was about to respond when the doors flung open.

Lina breezed into the kitchen on the wave of wind. "I see big, tall, and buff is still standing guard."

"Lina?" Kaya knit her brow in confusion. "What in the world are you doing here?" 

"Three things. Let's start with the uncomfortable elephant in the room." Lina pointed at the young woman behind Kaya. "Is that the internet witch?" 

Kaya and Ransom exchanged a look. Did they tell her or not? Lina was known to be a bit... over-dramatic. If they told her, what might she do? 

Unfortunately, Alicia didn't know when to shut up, either. 

"I'm a fan club president." Alicia stepped forward and planted her hands on her hips. "Who are you calling a witch?"

"If the broom fits..." Lina stuck out her tongue. 

Alicia lowered her chin and glared at Lina, as if she might be able to make Lina combust where she stood. 

Lina folded her arms. "You insulted my best friend on a very public scale. You wanna go?" 

"I'm not insulting anyone, I'm trying to make people see the truth?" 

"What truth? That you're a hopeless maniac who ruins poor, innocent women's reputations and slanders them in the worst way possible?" 

Alicia took a step forward.

Lina unfolded her arms to raise a fist. 

Ransom stood from his position leaning against the counter. "Lawrence! Jacob!" 

The two men came scuttling in from the hall, panic clear on their faces. Thankfully, they reached the brawl before it really started. Lina had just reared her hand back to strike when Lawrence stepped in to snatch her arm and stop her.

Jacob slid to a stop between Alicia and Lina, his arms outstretched. "Hey, stop it." 

"Why should I? She started it!" 

"This is why you don't have any friends." Jacob shook his head at Alicia. 

Kaya barely held in her laugh. It came out as more of a soft snort, and Ransom turned his head to grin at her. As if he had something to do with it. 

Meanwhile, Lina had given up trying to get her arm out of Lawrence's grip. The difference between Jacob's talkativeness and Lawrence's silence wasn't lost on Kaya. She could only imagine how it had been at their house growing up. 

"If she wanted friends, she shouldn't have started this witch hunt!" Lina snapped in Alicia's direction. 

"You said I was a witch! How does that even make sense?" Alicia shot back. 

Ransom reached back to tuck his hand around Kaya's. "How long does your dough need to rise?" 

"A while." 

"Good." Ransom leaned down to Kaya's ear. "Let's get out of here and leave the rest to them." 

Kaya couldn't agree more with the suggestion. With a decisiveness and a certainty she wasn't aware she possessed, Kaya tagged along behind Ransom as he high-tailed it out of the kitchens.