by Chelsea Hale
“Okay. What do we start with?” he asked
She took a large stainless steel measuring cup and filled it with powdered sugar. She smiled. “Most people start by baking the gingerbread, but we’re not going to do that.”
She handed him a whisk and a bowl.
He liked the way her lips twitched when she was about to say something funny or share a secret. “We’re not?” he asked.
“Nope. We start with the frosting. It needs longer to chill in the fridge. We’ll whip up the first batch of that and then whip up some more a little later, after the gingerbread is in the oven. It’s my own secret. It’s how mine always stay standing.” She paused. “Well, what do you know? You happen to be the very first person I’ve ever told that to.”
“I won’t tell your valuable secret to anyone,” he said, feeling the intimate way she touched his hands giving him the motion of how to whisk the contents in his bowl.
She cleared her throat and stepped away. “Yes, well you’re doing a good job. I’m going to start … I’m going to get some more ingredients. Keep an eye on that bowl. You don’t want it too stiff in the beginning.”
He kept his attention on whisking but glanced up a few times as Emery paced through the kitchen. She stuck her head in the fridge and then came back empty-handed.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, wondering if they’d forgot ingredients.
“Yes. Perfectly fine. I’m just going to start on the gingerbread since you’re doing such a great job on the frosting, okay?” She was flustered and it was adorable.
He stirred, adding in more ingredients and finally some vanilla and almond extract. “I think it’s ready.”
She reached over and stuck her finger in the bowl, rubbing the frosting between two fingers. “It’s the perfect consistency.”
He grabbed her hand. “How can you tell?”
“You’re trying to quote Star Wars again with me, aren’t you? You know if you wanted a kiss, you don’t have to give me a line every time. We’ve kissed before.”
“Right, except no one is around to see it right now.” He wasn’t sure why the words flew out of his mouth. He was trying to be a good fake boyfriend. He didn’t want her thinking that he was trying to make-out with her at every moment, but he couldn’t pull the words back, and she pulled her hand away faster.
“The frosting is done when it feels like Play-Doh from the fridge. Right now it’s just supposed to be light and fluffy. But that’s not how we want it. This is fine for cupcakes, but not for securing walls of a gingerbread house together. I’ll go put this in the fridge,” she said, taking the bowl from the counter between them.
“I’ve got it,” he said at the same time trying to take it for her. A small amount of frosting fell onto the counter and James let go of the bowl. “Sorry about that.”
She took the bowl and laughed picking up some of the frosting from the counter. She smeared it on his face as she walked past him.
“I’m not a cupcake,” he said, picking up his own handful of frosting from the table.
She looked over her shoulder at him. “Funny. You could have fooled me in that apron,” she said with a sassy grin on her face.
He liked this sassy side of her. As she came back he caught her around the waist with one arm and smeared the frosting on her face. “Who’s laughing now?” he asked, flirting back.
She took one of her fingers and wiped off some of the frosting from her jaw and stuck her finger in her mouth. “It tastes good too.”
“I didn’t try it.” He moved his other hand around her waist, drawing her closer.
“You should try it. It’s delicious.”
He kissed her cheek where some of the frosting was and trailed kisses down her jawline until he met her lips. She reached her arms around his neck, kissing him back. He couldn’t taste the frosting anymore, it was just Emery and her kisses.
He was lost, enjoying the feel of her close to him and drinking in all of her kisses. His mind blanked to everything else around them.
In that moment he knew this was more than pretend for him. Emery was someone he wanted in his life. He kissed her with more passion, pouring in his emotions about this whole situation, wishing he could hold onto the reality of this moment that they shared.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” a masculine voice said.
Emery broke the kiss, the moment dripping away like the remaining frosting on the counter. She moved quickly away from James and cleared her throat in that customary way that James was seeing as her way to deal with uncomfortable situations. She was uncomfortable now. Why? Because her ex had caught them kissing?
She wouldn’t have been uncomfortable if they were really dating. Was it because she was hoping to get back together with him?
Was that why he was really hired for the week to come to her family’s Christmas? His heart sank at the thought. She had confided that she wanted to make her ex feel like it’d been a mistake to kiss her sister, but that was to get over him and have some satisfaction in the process—wasn’t it?
Emery smoothed her hair and turned to Owen. “Is there something we can help you with? Kristi is in the kitchen next door.”
Owen just stared, then shook his head. “I didn’t realize you were so serious. Uh, yeah, Kristi sent me here to see if she could borrow a half cup measuring cup.” He stuttered through his entire sentence.
Emery walked deliberately over to the counter and pulled out the stainless steel cup. “Here you go,” she said, handing the cup to Owen.
Owen didn’t take the weight of it but held the cup in between them.
James watched, narrowing his eyes. If Owen made a move on her while her boyfriend … while he was in the room, he’d find it reason enough to give him a black eye and maybe a bloody nose. The end of his fingers tingled at the thought of it.
“Is he treating you right?” Owen asked.
“He is.”
The words sounded definitive and James wondered if she meant them or if she was just trying to cover up and she pretended that what they had was good enough.
Owen nodded. “I’m glad to hear it.” He put his hand on the door, about to leave the room when he turned back. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for how things ended last year. And you might not believe me, but I really am happy that you found each other. It couldn’t have happened if we would have stayed together, so that’s something positive. I guess everything worked out in the end.”
Emery nodded, keeping her entire posture straight. “Thanks. We’re glad too.”
Owen nodded and left the room.
The moment the door shut Emery put her hand on the counter’s surface and seemed to crumple.
James waited a heartbeat before coming toward her and putting an arm around her shoulder, rubbing in small circular motions.
“I hate lying to everyone,” she whispered.
He swallowed the lump in his throat that wanted to come out. He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t pretending, and they could really make this relationship work. That kiss had been more than real in his mind. They hadn’t been kissing for show or because people were watching.
He’d kissed her because they were connecting. But she wasn’t ready for that yet. He only nodded and said, “At least he caught us in a believable moment.”
She tilted her head at that comment but didn’t say anything.
He wasn’t sure what else he could say, so he added, “It’s only for a few more days, then no more lying.”
She turned toward him and he wrapped her up in a hug. “Thanks,” she said.
“That’s what I’m here for,” he said, trying not to feel like his entire world was about as stable as the gingerbread house they were about to build. The pieces felt like they were crumbling, but he’d put on a brave face for her.
Chapter 21
Emery's mind was on auto-pilot as she went through the familiar motions of rolling out the gingerbread and baking it in long sheets. She still wasn’t sure what kind of house th
ey’d be building when it came out of the oven in a few minutes, but they’d think of something.
It was more about the decorating anyway. They could just build the standard four walls and a roof and call it good. The candy and the frosting piped around the entire thing would be impressive enough to do well at the auction, just like every year.
She made more frosting with James in silence, wishing she could come up with something to say to break the stifling awkward quietness between them.
Saying, ‘Hey, I really love kissing you, but let’s not make it feel so real because I’m actually falling for you,’ was not going to be the thing to say.
Especially not after James’ confession that it was a believable kiss to be caught in. Did he not feel anything between them? She wanted to ask him but, how could she? She was paying him to be here with her and her family during the holidays.
Sure, they’d talked about pretending to really date, and she knew from all of their get-to-know-you questions that Matt had been right—they were compatible. But compatible for a few dates or as a boyfriend for a week wasn’t the same thing as a long-term commitment.
She furrowed her brow at the frosting she was mixing, wishing she had never put herself into this mess. When Matt said he had a friend originally that would pretend to be her boyfriend, she shouldn’t have agreed to it.
What if she had dated him for real from the beginning? That would have made everything better. She was paying him to come to her family’s house. How different it would have been if she could have just asked him after they’d dated a few weeks. Then none of this weird limbo pseudo-relationship stuff would have gotten in the way of their actual chemistry.
“What are you thinking right now?” James asked.
She looked up at him across the counter from her, but he was laser focused on whisking his own bowl of white fluffy frosting. She cleared her throat but couldn’t keep the words inside. “I was thinking that I wished I hadn’t paid you to come with me to my family’s for Christmas.”
He nodded. “You don’t have to pay me,” he said, keeping his eyes on the bowl but moving the whisk faster.
He was missing the point. “That’s not what I meant,” she said. “I’m still going to pay you. I’m not going back on our deal. I just wish—”
“That things were different?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“You wish you were still with Owen.”
Emery studied him hard. His biceps bulged as he continued to spin the bowl and whisk in one fluid motion, never looking up at her.
Did he care? Was there a part of him somewhere that wished for their relationship? A real one instead of a fake one? The whole reason why she’d brought James as her fake boyfriend was to prove to her family, and Owen and herself, that she could get over her past relationship. That she was worthy of love from someone other than a cheater.
Owen had interrupted the most real kiss she’d ever experienced. Emery had wondered what it would be like to see her ex again. She’d thought about it for the better part of a year.
But in the couple times she’d seen him over the last two days, there had been no sparks. No kindling of the desire to have him in her life again. She was still hurt about how it ended, but she wasn’t sorry it was over. Not anymore.
“No, I don’t.”
He looked at her for a moment, finally nodding.
“Tell me about your last ex,” she said, wondering if he would open up.
“It wasn’t a long relationship,” he began. “Actually, it ended abruptly.”
Emery's mom came into the kitchen as the timer for the gingerbread went off. “I’m not looking at your house,” her mom said.
“It’s just coming out of the oven,” Emery told her mom. “You’re not spoiling the surprise.”
“Good. I’m wondering if I can borrow James. We need a little more muscle out here for some of the decorating. It shouldn’t be long.”
James nodded. “I’m happy to help, as long as it’s okay with you,” he said.
“Just come back by the time it cools. We still need to brainstorm the idea for our house.”
“I came up with a brilliant one,” he said. “Stay tuned.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead which she knew was for the benefit of her mom in the room, but she soaked in the moment anyway, just like she’d soaked in their frosting kiss earlier.
“Hurry back,” she said.
“Don’t miss me. And don’t mess up the gingerbread,” he said, winking at her. “Apparently this tradition can get a little competitive.”
She laughed. “I love you,” she called after him without realizing what she’d said. Her eyes widened, but she’d said it and the words had tumbled out. With her mom in the room she couldn’t recall the words.
He turned back toward her, kissing her and making her go weak in the knees in front of her mom. “I love you too.”
She blinked, trying to clear the fog from the moment. He’d just saved the situation and confused her all at the same time. But now wasn’t the time to clarify how he really felt.
He was here doing a job, being her boyfriend. She didn’t need to make it more awkward by dissecting every moment to see if it actually meant something or if he was just a very good pretender. She’d hired him to be a good pretender.
Why was she giving herself the unneeded expectation that it was more than that?
He was back in less than five minutes, in time to cut the gingerbread out while it was still warm. He took a notepad and pen from a caddy on the wall and began doing a rough artistic sketch of a house. “This is my idea. What do you think?”
The sides were misshapen and uneven. “I think it looks like … Yoda’s house.”
He grinned. “Bingo. Do you think it will sell?”
“Considering the newest Star Wars is coming out this week, yeah, it will probably do really well. Why don’t you cut the gingerbread for it and I’ll look on Pinterest to see if I can find ideas on how to make a candy Yoda?”
“Sounds like a good plan.” He took the pizza cutter and carefully started cutting the gingerbread.
Emery scrolled through several different designs, finally settling on one made from fondant. “You just really wanted to stay here all day, didn’t you?” They’d have their work cut out for them, but if they could pull it off it would look amazing.
“As long as I’m with you,” he said, gazing into her eyes.
And in that moment her heart melted again.
Chapter 22
Emery showed James how to work with the warm gingerbread. They spent an hour in concentrated silence, only occasionally talking through the process.
Emery wanted to ask him more about his ex, but he was working so carefully with a sharp knife, she decided to hold her questions until they were at the decorating phase.
James’ phone rang, but he didn’t move away from where he worked. They were assembling the house, and he held up the pieces while she frosted them together. They made a great team.
It was such a stark contrast from how last year’s gingerbread house had gone with Owen. Owen had been disinterested the entire time and had barely looked up from his phone while she’d worked away at her creation.
She doubted James was having the time of his life helping her, but he made the effort to learn, commenting several times how fun it was to play with food.
There really was no comparison.
“You can get that if you need,” she said.
“Whoever it is, they can leave a message.”
It was a nice thought, and she admired the way he stayed focused on what he was doing. But by the third call, James went over to the small table and glanced at the number. “It’s work. I should probably get it since they’ve called three times in a row.”
“No problem,” she said. “I can hold the walls and keep going where we are.”
He washed his hands and picked up his cell. “I won’t be long.” He stood there awkwardly between her and the door, like he wasn
’t sure what to do.
She arched an eyebrow. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I usually do all of it myself.”
He nodded. He took a step forward, then shuffled back. “Right. Well, I won’t be too long.”
“You said that already. I’m trying to think of a really good Star Wars line for this situation but it’s just not coming. Maybe I should say something about a Kessel run? You know the record is twelve parsecs.” She grabbed more frosting, securing another wall of the house.
“This phone call will be less than that. I can make the call faster than jumping to light speed.” He laughed, then straightened. “Do I hug you before I leave?” He looked awkward and unsure.
Understanding dawned. He’d given her a goodbye kiss when her mom had been in the room. And Owen had walked in on their … well on their kiss. But now that they were alone, he was more comfortable with a hug. She’d give him an out.
There was no need for him to go overboard. She pointed at her apron sprinkled with a light dusting of powdered sugar. “You already took your apron off. No sense in getting messy. Besides you aren’t going to be gone long, and there’s no one here to impress.”
He nodded and headed out the door.
Emery spent several minutes trying to figure out which pieces James wanted where. He was doing a cool layering job of the gingerbread but she wasn’t sure how to duplicate it. Was it supposed to be layered the entire way around? He was the one with the idea for this house.
She should have just stuck to making the frosting and securing each piece once he had placed it. She didn’t want to take over James’ job. He was doing well and it was fun to work together. She’d forgotten how much fun having someone around could be. The thought had her grinning like a giddy teenager.
She placed a couple of pieces around the perimeter, grateful when she heard James come back in the room. He hadn’t been gone long at all.
“Help me, James, you’re my only hope of this house turning out this year.” Emery laughed as she turned toward the door. It wasn’t James. “Kristi, what are you doing here?”