Frosting Her Christmas Cookies - Alina Jacobs Page 0,136
a development taking up all of your time.”
Greg bared his teeth.
I stifled a laugh as Belle took a bite of the fried squid.
“You know,” Dorothy told him, “if Belle hadn’t come to me with her proposal, I was going to make you a counteroffer.”
“You were?” Greg asked.
“Yep. A holiday evening to remember in exchange for the Hamilton Yards property.”
Greg blanched.
Belle laughed. “That would probably make him the most expensive lay ever, though I’m not going to say he isn’t worth it.” She winked at Greg.
I thought I heard a molar crack over the Christmas music as his jaw clenched.
“The sexual tension is strong with this one,” Holly whispered to me.
I picked up the empty calamari basket and headed out onto the porch, where Oliver and Matt were frying more calamari and white cod under Lilith’s strict supervision while joking with several of the Svensson brothers and drinking cranberry old fashioneds.
“Got any more in the queue?” I asked.
“Barely,” Oliver grumbled. “People keep eating them.”
I laughed and grabbed what they did have and went back into the main room. The front door was propped open so people could stream in and out.
“Merry Christmas!” my friend Penny yelled. She was trailed by Garrett Svensson. “Wow!” She looked around then snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Who are you and what have you done with Morticia? Did you put up all these decorations by yourself?”
“I was under duress,” I assured her.
“You were being paid,” Dana Holbrook called out over Penny’s head as she unwound her scarf.
“Did you bring your cousins?” Garrett asked her.
Dana rolled her eyes. “Of course not.”
“Too bad,” Garrett said. “It would have provided the entertainment.”
Several more Svenssons packed into Jonathan’s condo. I was gripped with icy fear as I surveyed the crowd. “I don’t think I have enough food,” I said, slightly panicked.
Chloe laughed and waved to Jack, who was wheeling in a cart bearing steaming containers. “I have extra from the restaurant,” she said. “Hope you don’t mind. I feel bad, because everyone ate like a third of what you had bought yesterday.”
“You don’t understand,” I moaned. “I’m Italian. I can’t run out of food. This is a travesty.”
Chloe snorted. “Honestly, you have a ton of food. I’m just here to use all these strapping, good-looking men as garbage disposals!”
The timer dinged, and I went into the kitchen to pull another lasagna out of the oven and put the next one in.
“I’m sorry,” Jonathan said, coming up behind me after I had slid the lasagna into the oven. “Did you say you were worried about not having enough food? The fridge is packed, and it’s like a sauna in here with the oven and the stove and the fire hazard of portable burners and the hot plates all over the table.”
“I have to have enough food so people can have seconds and thirds and take a to-go box home,” I said stubbornly.
He kissed me. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I told him. “But we need to talk about your kitchen.”
“It’s huge!” he protested.
“I don’t have enough burners,” I told him flatly. “If I’m going to spend any amount of time here, I need another fridge and freezer and a third oven.”
Jonathan laughed. “If you ask nicely, maybe Santa will give you the house of your dreams for Christmas.”
“I was going to save my Christmas wishes for things like world peace,” I said. “I figured a new kitchen might also miraculously appear under the tree if I let you come down my chimney!”
Keep reading for a sneak peek of
Frosting Her Cake Pop
Frosting Her Cake Pop
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1
Morticia
“You can’t tell me you’re also one of those people that goes all out for Valentine’s Day,” I remarked to Jonathan as we walked down the street. It was February and freezing cold. Jonathan wasn’t even wearing a jacket, though Cindy Lou Who was decked out in a hot-pink coat and little cat-sized booties. Salem was roughing it in a Halloween-themed sweater.
“You can’t judge me,” he retorted. “It’s nine months until Halloween, and you’re already preparing.”
“Yes,” I said, “nine months, so it’s practically here already. Besides, it is a major, legitimate holiday, unlike Valentine’s Day, which is basically Amazon Prime Day masquerading as a real holiday.”
“Please,” Jonathan said. “I’m going to wine and dine you. Rose petals, an opera serenade, chocolates shaped like sex organs, the works!”