How to Bake the Perfect Christmas Cake (Home for the Holidays - Book 2)

by Gina Henning

  I take out the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder from the box and line them up on the counter. The last time Jack and I baked together, we each had our own bowls. It’s nice to be sharing one today. I place my mom’s big silver mixing bowl on the counter.

  “Let’s see this recipe you’ve got.” Jack reaches for the paper and skims it. He nods, “I think you’ve found a good one.”

  “I hope so.” I flex my neck muscles.

  I rip open the flour and sugar and begin measuring them into the bowl. “I’ll mix the dry ingredients if you want to get the liquids ready in this bowl?” I offer him my mom’s white plastic bowl.

  “Anything for my little sous chef.” Jack winks at me.

  Technically, I think he would be the sous chef today, but whatever. Jack grabs two eggs from the carton in the box and taps each on the side of the bowl and dumps them in simultaneously. It’s like he’s a magician or something. He reaches for the recipe. “One and a half cups of vegetable oil, I can do this,” he laughs.

  I study the recipe. I’ve got the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt mixed. I need to add the cocoa powder so I select it from the box along with the measuring spoon. One word from the ingredients is staring up at me like a fire alarm going off. Buttermilk. Shiat. Without checking the box I know there is no buttermilk, I didn’t buy buttermilk. I bought regular milk. I bite my lip.

  A vibrating sound comes from Jack’s pocket. He studies the Caller ID. “I’ll be right back.” Jack strides out of the kitchen and towards the back of his house, most likely his bedroom.

  What am I going to do? I pace back and forth in the kitchen running my hands through my hair.

  “Oh dear, what’s got you all in fury? It’s not the phone call Jack is on is it?” Aunt Minnie is leaning on the doorway of the kitchen. I jump back.

  “Uh, no, I don’t know who he’s talking to.” I bite the inside of my lip.

  “It better not be any more problems from Sherry.” Aunt Minnie tsks.

  “Yes, I hope not.” I stare at the recipe again.

  “Well, if Jack’s phone call wasn’t the reason for your distress, what is it?” Aunt Minnie scrutinizes me, like she is trying to pick my brain and find the answer to her question without me giving it voluntarily.

  “I made a mistake.” I sigh and purse my lips to the side.

  “Most mistakes can be solved, what is it?” Aunt Minnie raises an eyebrow at me.

  “I bought regular milk for the Red Velvet Cake and the recipe calls for buttermilk.” I roll my lips together and nod.

  “Ah, I see.” Aunt Minnie passes me and opens the door to Jack’s pantry. She returns with a bottle of white vinegar. “You know Jack’s mother used to make Red Velvet Cake every year on Christmas Eve.”

  “Yes.” I nod.

  “One year, bless her heart, she forgot to buy buttermilk and heaven’s be, the stores were all closed.” Aunt Minnie sifts through the box and pulls out a tablespoon and the milk. “Do you know what she did?”

  My mind is completely blank. “I have no idea.”

  “Well, she was a bright young thing, probably a bit like you anyways, she substituted a tablespoon of white vinegar with regular old milk.” Aunt Minnie measures out the white vinegar and dumps it in with the rest of the liquids and does the same with the milk. “And you know what?”

  “What?” I raise my eyebrows.

  Aunt Minnie has taken a wooden spoon from the box and is stirring the liquids together. “Nobody noticed a difference.” She pats me on the shoulder. “I’m going to have a nap.”

  “Thank you.” I say as she exits the kitchen. I finish measuring out the remaining ingredients and then dump the bowl of liquids in with my dry batter. Jack returns to the kitchen, his eyes are full of concern.

  “Are you okay?” I reach for him.

  “Yes, fine. How’s the cake coming along?” He peeks into the bowl.

  “It’s ready to bake.” I beam. I hope Aunt Minnie is right about the vinegar. Of course I would mess up on an ingredient. I should have double-checked everything before driving over here.

  Jack takes the bowl from the counter and evenly pours it between the three prepared pans. I open his oven and slide the first pan into the back and Jack brings the other two.

  “What kind of frosting were you planning with it?” Jack runs his tongue over his lips.

  I wrinkle my eyebrows. “The recipe calls for cream cheese.”

  “Perfect. That’s how my mom made it, too.” Jack pulls me into his arms. “Isn’t this nice? Wouldn’t you want this every day?”

  I bite the insides of my cheeks. “Jack…”

  His lips meet mine and kisses me, causing a desire for something more than a make-out session in his kitchen. Jack runs his fingers though my hair as he makes his way to my neck and traces my veins with his lips. My head is tingling and goose bumps have popped up all over my skin. He blows softly near my ear.

  “Let’s make the frosting and then we can test it out.” Jack flashes a sly grin at me.

  I purse my lips and sort through the box of ingredients for the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla.

  I measure out the ingredients while Jack assembles the hand-mixer.

  He mixes the air a few times. “I’m ready to whip it good.”

  I laugh. He is like a little boy on Christmas morning, so incredibly jolly. “Have at it.” I push the bowl towards him and he reaches for me and kisses my lips.

  “The frosting.” I nudge him.

  “Oh, I know…I’m just having at the best icing, first.” Jack kisses me once more before sticking the mixer into the bowl. He blends up the frosting and creates a white fluffy bowl of deliciousness. I can see what Jack would want to test it out. I want to scoop up a load and try it myself.

  Jack doesn’t hesitate and takes a spoon and tastes it. He nods and runs his tongue over his lips.

  “Perfection.” He scoops up another spoonful and offers it to me. I open my mouth and Jack feeds me a fluffy bite of creamy frosting. I’m sure this one spoonful is like adding two pounds to the scale upon contact with my mouth. I can almost feel my pants getting tighter.

  Jack takes another spoonful and then offers me a second bite. “Oh no, I’m good.” I wave off his hand.

  “One spoonful and that’s your max?” Jack’s eyebrows push together.

  “It’s really rich. I like it but, I can’t sit here and eat frosting, I’ll bloat up like a ball and you’ll have to roll me out of your house.” I cringe at the imagery I’ve created.

  “I can’t see myself every rolling you out of my house.” Jack tosses the spoon into his sink and opens up a drawer near his stainless-steel refrigerator. He takes out a brown package, it’s the eleventh ornament, I’m sure.

  “Merry Christmas Eve, my love.” Jack offers me the package. Shivers tingle along my spine. I get the ornaments are my true love gave to me reference, but this is the first time he has blatantly said ‘my love’. I open the package and lift off the lid. Inside is a gold ornament with eleven Scottish pipers playing on their bagpipes. I turn it over and nothing is inscribed on the back. I glance up at him. His eyes are twinkling, as if he has some hidden secret. “Thank you.” I manage to say. Not that this ornament isn’t nice, but compared to the rest it’s a bit odd, with no message on the back.

  Jack reaches into his pocket and pulls out two thin rectangular tickets. He fans them in front of his face. “Scottish bagpipe concert tonight?” Jack’s eyes glimmer.

  “Bagpipes, where?” I reach for the tickets. Jack holds them up in the air.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  I nod and the timer from the oven goes off. We both reach for the handle at the same time.

  “Anxious?” Jack peers at me.

  “Maybe.” I release my grip from the handle and let him open it. Inside the oven are three deep-red cakes. He slips on a brown oven mitt from the drawer next to the oven and takes each cake out. He places them on top of his stov
e.

  “The concert starts in about an hour, we can frost the cake after it if you’d like.” Jack puts the mitt back in the drawer.

  “Okay, but shouldn’t I go home and change?” I glance down at my outfit I’m wearing a pair of jeans and a burgundy sweater with my black slouchy boots…not exactly concert attire.

  “You look beautiful.” Jack tugs on my sweater. “Besides we don’t have enough time anyways.”

  I nod. “Great.”

  Jack opens a drawer and takes out a notepad with a pen. He writes something down. “Just a quick note for my Aunt Minnie, I don’t want her to worry.”

  I pick up my purse and follow Jack to the door. He pulls out his keys and locks the bolt and we hustle to his car. I slide into the seat and Jack hops in next to me. As he backs the car out of the driveway, he turns on the CD player in his car. Bagpipes begin playing over the speakers.

  “A little pre-bagpipe performance?” I raise an eyebrow at him.

  He laughs. “Something like that.”

  I peer over my shoulder and see his neighborhood disappear quickly. We drive for what would seem like only a few minutes but when I check the clock on my phone it’s been an hour, which means one thing, an hour out means an hour back. At first I thought we were headed towards Austin, but when we exited for Highway 79, I was clueless.

  Jack pulls over to the side of the road. This is odd because this area is reminiscent of the spot where he picked me up almost a month ago. The day before Thanksgiving where one of the worst days in my life turned into one of the best days of my life. Because I met Jack and yes, he rescued me from an ice storm. My car, or rather my mother’s car, got a flat tire and because of Brian and his fixing, there was no spare tire. Not that it would have mattered because I’m not much of a car person. My dad tried to show me one time. But I found the whole ordeal boring and not worthy of my time. After this happened, my dad made sure I had extra insurance on my car for towing. And my mom’s car had this too, but on that day…my cell phone had also died and I had no charger. I had to hoof it back to my parents’ house which was a two-hour drive. Anyways, Jack happened to be driving on the exact same road and he rescued me from an ice storm. Okay he did rescue me. But I am no damsel in distress, not willingly at least.

  Jack turns the engine off and unlocks the doors. He hops out of the car before I can even question where we are and why. All sorts of emotions are running wild in my mind. This is the place where I did almost have a full-on panic attack. This doesn’t nullify the possibility of a real one here. Right now. I take a deep breath. My stomach is clenched. Be brave, this is no big deal. I glance at Jack. He seems pensive, like he is about to make a big decision. Should I be concerned? Worried? But I’m not. I take a deep breath and reach for his hand.

  “Hey, are you okay?” I squeeze his palm

  Jack’s eyes bore into mine and he leans over and kisses me softly. “I’ve never been better. Come on, I want to show you something.” Jack grabs both of my hands, practically dragging me from the car. I’m a little unsteady in my somewhat stiletto boots. I definitely would not want to take a long walk in these. I had put them on with the intention of doing as little walking as possible. Because these boots are not made for walking…I wonder if Nancy Sinatra has a tune about that?

  “Lauren, do you know where we are?” Jack takes my hands and brings them to his mouth, his lips resting on the edge of my knuckles. My chest tightens. My breathing is constricted. I take a deep breath. Steady breathing, Lauren. I exhale and blow my carbon dioxide into the misty air.

  “The middle of nowhere?”

  “Not exactly. Lauren, we are at the point of somewhere…a place that changed everything for me—” Jack casts his eyes on the ground for a second and then he bends down and gets on one knee in front of me.

  The open road behind him begins to blur and the ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ begins to play in the background. I take in a deep breath. My lungs fill up with oxygen to the point of near explosion. It hurts even as I exhale.

  Jack is digging in his pants pocket and pulls out a small white box. I cannot believe this is happening. If what I think is happening is happening, it doesn’t make sense. It seems too soon. I’m not ready or am I ready? I don’t know.

  Jack is talking to me, but I can’t make out what he is saying, it sounds like he is talking to me underwater. I’m drowning in anxiety and the realization that what is happening is actually happening. Jack grabs my hand and squeezes it. His firm grasp is like oxygen over my mouth and a calming effect takes place over my body. Little bubbles of air flow through my body and my breathing takes on a steady, more relaxed pace.

  “Lauren, this is the spot. The spot where I knew I wouldn’t ever want to see any harm come to you. I wanted you right here at that moment, to take you in my arms and make sure you never had a sad day in your life, that every moment going forward would be filled with happiness. I know we have had a few setbacks but I think this proves how much stronger we are because of them. Honestly, Lauren, I don’t care what happens, setbacks or not. I’ll take any setback as long as you are at my side to get through it together. Forever.” Jack opens the white box and inside is sparkling solitaire diamond ring on a silver-colored band.

  “It’s beautiful.” I blurt out.

  “Will you, Lauren Hauser, be my one and only forever and marry me?” Jack takes out the ring and holds it up to me.

  “Yes.” Tears begin to fall from my eyes and I’m shaking, not because I’m cold. I’m shaken by this huge thunderous, pounding wave of emotions that has rolled over the top of me. I’m wavering in my stiletto heels as Jack stands up and slides the ring over my ring finger. He holds me steady and wraps me into his arms.

  “I will spend each day of the rest of my life trying to make sure that your life is better than the day before.” He breathes into my ear.

  Little bumps pop up all over my legs and arms. If it weren’t for Jack’s arms around me I would have a serious fainting spell and it’s not hot. The weather is tepid. The rush of emotions through me is chilling my spine. The idea of this man, this amazing man, this guy I’ve been waiting for…for so long, without even knowing it. Everything seemed fine in my life until I met Jack. And now everything has changed. I can’t imagine going back to the moment before I met him. I want him in my life in a permanent way. He wants this too.

  He wants to marry me. He wants to make each of my days better than before. I’m woozy. I wish I had my jacket except I’m in Jack’s arms and I can’t imagine a warmer spot I would ever want to be.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Are you sure you are okay with this?” Jack puts the car in park. I glance at the little green lights on the car’s dashboard. We have been gone for three hours. My cell phone died and I didn’t feel like calling to alert my parents or anyone else for that matter. To let them know I am okay. Because I’ve never been better and I don’t need life to ruin this moment for me. Especially since we decided to keep our special moment a secret until after Christmas dinner. Jack wanted to wait until everyone had gotten to know each other over dinner before announcing that we were joining families.

  I thought the less is more tactic would be better. Meaning, the less of a big scene the better, but he disagreed and I didn’t want to have our first fight after our engagement.

  “Yes, I’ll wait for your cue or for you to say whatever it is you want to say and until then mum’s the word.” I nodded, even though I’m hesitant to keep such a big secret from my family - especially this type of secret. I had always imagined that the moment I got engaged I would immediately dial up my mom and sister to tell them the good news. But now I’m being silenced. I have to keep this huge, big, important moment a secret.

  “Let’s go frost the cake.” Jack’s eyes beam at me.

  I open the car door. “Just a second, I need to get something from my car.” Now is a better time than any to give him the present. I open the trunk and take out the silver package with a big red bow.

/>   “What’s that?” Jack eyes the present.

  “Your Christmas present.” I hand it to him.

  “I’ve already got everything I want for Christmas.” Jack puts his arm around me and kisses my head.

  “Well then, consider this a value add.” I poke in him in the side. “That’s corporate lingo.”

  Jack nods. “Ah, thanks for the clarification, Uber drivers like myself need all the help we can get.”

  He unlocks the door to his house and Aunt Minnie is back on his couch with the cat.

  “Hello there, I see the cake turned out.” Aunt Minnie glances in my direction.

  I smile at her. I hope it tastes as good as the baked product looks.

  “Yes, we are about to ice it.” Jack turns around and wiggles his eyebrows at me.

  I laugh and follow him into the kitchen. He opens up the refrigerator and lifts the bowl of frosting. From the island drawer he removes a spatula. “Do you want to do the honors?”

  I roll my lips together. “Yes.” I take the spatula from him and begin frosting the first layer.

  “Why don’t you open your present now?” I raise my eyebrows at him.

  “All right.” He strides towards me and begins pulling up my sweater.

  “Jack.” I push down my sweater over my hips.

  “What? It was your suggestion.” His eyes are twinkling at me.

  “Ha-ha, you know what I mean.” I’ve finished with the first layer. I glance at Jack. He needs to hurry up so I can frost the rest of the cake on the stand and not have to worry about a frosting disaster.

  “I guess.” Jack pops off the bow and places it on my head. I cut my eyes to the side and shake my head.

  Jack pulls apart the paper and pushes it down at the sides. He stands back to inspect the box. Jack pulls the box completely away from the wrapping paper and places it on the counter. His face is glowing.

  “Open the box.” I prod.

  Jack pulls back the lid and slowly removes the glass lid and pedestal. He places them both on the counter. “Wow, I’m really touched, Lauren.” He rubs his jaw and turns his back towards me. Is he okay? The last thing I wanted to do was upset him.