sprig of oregano. “Has Hunter made his homemade gnocchi for you yet? It’s my favorite thing. My grandmother’s recipe actually.”
I blush at the thought of Hunter cooking. Both at the sight of what he’d look like in my kitchen, preparing a romantic meal, and for the fact that his mother thinks he would do such a thing. “No, he hasn’t.”
Her brows lower, and she nods her head softly. “Wait until you try it. Then, you’ll know.”
“Know what?” I ask just as Hunter walks into the kitchen with Ella on his back.
“Mom’s coconut shrimp!” He steals one off the plate. “I look forward to this every year.”
“Mind your manners. Eat in the dining room like a civilized man,” Nancy says with her hands full of our dinner.
Hunter shakes his head while putting Ella down on the floor. “You already cleaned up. Katie and I can sit at the island.”
Nancy lowers her eyes at her son. “Hunter Randall Johnstone, it’s a holiday. You can’t eat in the kitchen.”
He walks over to his mother and places a kiss on her cheek while taking the plates from her. “And I refuse to let you clean one more thing tonight.”
Nancy gives Hunter the side-eye as she playfully pushes him away. “Fine. Then, I’m going to set your places.”
She opens a drawer, retrieving two red placemats. She puts them on the island along with gold chargers and sterling silverware are set on the side. A water goblet as well as a wineglass is placed on the other.
“Your mom is better than Martha Stewart,” I whisper in Hunter’s ear.
He lets out a chuckle. “Tell her she’s like Ina Garten, and she’ll love you for the rest of her life.”
Last, Nancy whips out paper napkins with the snowmen covering them, setting them off to the side. I pick one up, smiling at the cuteness among the fanciness of our surroundings.
Hunter laughs. “Mom says there’s no need to be too serious all the time. She’ll always have something like that to keep us grounded.”
“Wait until you see the ones for tomorrow!” Nancy says with glee as she reaches across the island, placing a plate in front of me. This close, I can see it’s fine china with a gold filigree pattern.
“This is very beautiful. The presentation and the food. It looks like something I’d see on an episode of Barefoot Contessa,” I say.
Nancy’s hand flies to her chest as she looks at me with a beaming smile. “I like this girl, Hunter. You picked a good one!”
Hunter leans toward me, his breath tickling my ear. “Nice job, kid.”
“Can I pour you some wine?” Randy asks. I didn’t hear him come in.
I nod. “Yes, please.”
He holds up a bottle that reads Napa Valley, and I wonder just how expensive the wine is. Just like my whiskey, I tend to stick to the bottom shelf when it comes to wine and have never tried one from Napa. Now, I know where Hunter gets his expensive taste for liquor.
Hunter holds up his glass to me. “Merry Christmas, Katie.”
“Merry Christmas, Hunty.” My comment makes Ella giggle behind us.
We clink glasses, and he lets out a hard laugh. “Watch it. Only my niece can call me that.”
“Yes, God forbid someone else use the name everyone tried to call him his entire life, but suddenly, he was totally okay with it when it came out of her mouth,” a woman says as she enters the room. “Hi, I’m Melissa, Hunter’s sister.”
She reaches her arm across the counter to me, and I match her greeting, trying to hide my trepidation. After hearing what her daughter said, I’m not sure how welcoming she’s going to be with me.
“Sorry, I’ve been upstairs, putting my little one to bed,” she says as she grabs a chocolate from a candy dish on the counter and sticks it in her mouth.
“Yes, he’s finally out. Everyone said, Have another one. It’ll be fine,” a man about our age says, entering the room. “No one warned us the second one would be a handful.” Everyone laughs as he reaches his hand out to me. “I’m Tyler, Melissa’s husband.”
I cover my mouth with my other hand, nodding and meeting his greeting.
“So, how’d you nail this one down?” Melissa asks, leaning back against the counter and crossing her arms.
“Oh, stop, Melissa. Leave the poor girl alone,” Nancy says, lightly swatting Melissa’s arm.
I turn to Hunter with raised brows. How do I answer that one? I ask with my eyes.
He raises his brows back at me