by Linda West
Behind them, the scoreboard boys were flipping again in frenzy. 60% Beaverton, 20% Landers, and now Goth chick, despite her upsetting threats, had pulled up again to rank at 20%.
Summer turned to Brad. “I’m so sorry, Brad. I was wrong. I should have trusted you. I was sure it was a case of the Landers’ curse. I should have had more faith in you.”
Brad looked at her with love. He cupped her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about this, Summer—ten years, in fact.”
Her blue eyes gazed up into his grey orbs, and then he said, “It’s only the Landers’ curse if you stay a Landers. How about switching it up? What do you say about becoming ‘Mrs. Brad Anderson’?”
A genuine smile of love and realization came over her beautiful face.
At that moment, a true Christmas miracle had occurred!
Summer realized that Aunt Carol and Mother had never given up their family name! Now, without a smidgen of doubt, Summer realized that’s all she had ever wanted to do.
The curse could be lifted after all.
“I do!” Summer sang out loudly.
With that, Brad reached out and grabbed her and kissed her ardently. Summer let the box fall out of her hand and the liquid pool of diamond shimmers spilled out all over the ground.
The crowd erupted into clapping and hooting and cheers of “Go Brad, go Brad, go!”
When they stopped kissing and finally came up for air, Brad raised his arms up like he had scored a touchdown—just like in high school.
This whipped the crowd up into a new frenzy of clapping and congratulations only to be quieted by the ringing of the bell signaling the start of the competition.
Chapter 31
The portly judge was ensconced in a King outfit, complete with a large gold crown.
The outfit really did not have any connection to Christmas, but did lend emphasis to the supreme importance of his position.
Each year, the judge was chosen from a large number of culinary experts who had applied for the job. This year’s judge was a professor from the French School of Pastry in Paris. This was not his first time as the chosen one.
‘Mr. Frenchy’, as Summer called him, had judged this contest many times before, and he was very experienced.
Jack, dressed as Santa, blew a horn, and then rolled out the official red carpet down the length of the booths. Mr. Frenchy strutted down the carpet in his King outfit.
Dolly followed behind him in her elf outfit with a silver tray holding a glass of milk and her bell.
He walked regally toward the first contender’s table. He studied the colors and shapes. He then took a bite of a cookie, and motioned for Dolly to hand him a glass of milk to swallow and clear the pallet.
The crowd waited expectedly. He said nothing and moved on to the next booth, which was Goth chick from Hell’s Kitchen.
Mr. Frenchy’s eyes widened when he looked at the black cookies shaped as coal. He took a tentative bite then lifted a quizzical brow, and reached for the milk.
He slowly made his way down the corridor of contenders without a word.
The Beavertons’ and the Landers’ booths were at the very end. The end booths were the most coveted, and reserved for past winners to build excitement.
The judge continued on without a word. Murmurs rose in the crowd as he sampled each of the cookies from the booths. The onlookers took side bets on what he might be thinking, based on the twitches of one eyebrow or another.
Sometimes the flexing of the nose held weight, although Summer thought it had more to do with his long nose hairs itching him—rather than an indication of what he thought about the cookies.
Now Mr. Frenchy was approaching the final two booths. The town’s folk gathered around them. The gloves were off. Now that the crowd had been forced off the main drag walkway for the King, the final contenders were finally able to see each other.
Aunt Carol and mom glared across at Mrs. Beaverton’s booth. The Beavertons glared back.
Now that the walkway had been cleared, they had a full view of each other’s booths—and cookies.
It was a showdown. It may not have been the Wild West—but it was the Kissing Bridge cookie competition—and it was fierce!
Aunt Carol, Mom and Summer stared across the pass at the Beaverton’s booth. They had chosen the traditional red and green combo colors. However, Mrs. Beaverton had changed up the usual shapes and gone for maroon sleighs and lime green elves. Indeed they were beautiful.
Mother stifled a gasp. “Those colors… they’re mesmerizing! So…Martha Stewart!’
And with that, she went into a full throttle wail. There was no consoling her.
“I’m taking to the bed, I might as well go get in right now! Make sure you bring me water so I don’t die. Sorry I’ll miss Christmas. I loved you both…”
Summer looked at her Aunt Carol, who was shaking her head.
“Never saw that coming. Darn Martha Stewart!”
The Beavertons’ cookies were truly a sight to behold. They were just sooo Martha Stewart, and of course that meant amazing.
Brad tried to reassure Mother. “Ms. Landers, you are the legendary Cookie Queen! You’re going to win. You’re the Landers!”
Mom looked down at the Tiffany blue bells cookies—without the silver bell part now. She really had outdone herself with the color this time. She drew in her breath and gathered her courage. Certainly, with all three Landers helping this year, this batch of Christmas cookies had to be the best batch ever.
She nodded.
She hugged Aunt Carol and Summer.
So they weren’t Martha Stewart coached, or Wolfgang Puck iced up with diamonds. They were still beautiful.
The judge approached the Landers’ booth. He studied the Tiffany-blue perfect bells (missing the would-be diamond bells.)
It looked like he moved his left ear, which could or could not have been a good sign.
In any case, he took a bite of a cookie and a swallow of the milk, and without another word or expression, he turned to Mrs. Beaverton’s booth.
The Landers looked at each other.
Brad grabbed a cookie and took a bite and said overly loudly, “Hmmm hmm! Mama, I really love these cookies! They’re the best ever!”
Summer slapped her hand over his mouth and they all laughed.
Brad grabbed her and hugged her.
She realized that this was the best day in her entire life; with or without winning the blue ribbon.
The excitement of the crowd had grown to a fervor. Everyone gathered around Mrs. Beaverton’s booth now. The crowd had pushed through onto the red carpet area and the Landers could barely see.
They huddled together in a little cookie prayer. Brad stood on his toes to see what was happening.
The judge picked up one of Mrs. Beaverton’s cookies and took a bite.
There was a long pause.
He reached slowly for the milk, and took an extra long sip. Then he paused for a moment, before he reached over for the last swallow of milk and put the empty glass down with finality.
Dolly rang the bell, signaling the competition was officially over.
Everybody crowded in front of the judges’ platform to await the results. Last-minute bets were still flying back and forth.
The King waddled back down the red carpet toward his judging throne.
The Landers waited expectantly holding hands.
Brad tried to keep their spirits up.
“I mean it. These are the best cookies I’ve ever had. You guys really outdid yourself this year!” He munched on another one. “HMMMM!” He held one out to Summer.
“Try one.”
It was going to take a moment for the judge to squeeze his rotundness into the throne again.
Summer picked up a cookie and took a bite. A smile spread slowly across her face.
The flavor.
So fluttery perfect.
Heaven.
Summer took
another bite.
“HMMMMM!” She looked at the cookie with a confused look.
Aunt Carol was studying her.
Summer shoved a cookie at her.
“Taste this.”
Aunt Carol chewed. Her brows shot up. She smiled broadly. “What did you do different to the frosting?”
Summer looked confused. “I made it the same as we always did—straight out of Grandma’s recipe book.”
Aunt Carol chomped another bite of the cookie.
“It’s so good! It tastes like . . . like I remember when I was a little girl—when… when…”
Suddenly her excitement got the best of her.
“Ethel, try this!”
She pushed a Tiffany blue bell cookie into her sister’s mouth. Ethel tore her gaze momentarily away from the judge who had finally gotten his butt into the throne.
Her eyes went wide as she chewed. She took another bite and a look of realization came over her face.
Aunt Carol and she both said at the same time, “Grandma Izzy’s cookies!”
The Landers chewed on in amazement and joy. These certainly were the best batch of cookies ever! With, or without Wolfgang Puck, nobody surpassed Grandma Izzy!
Dolly rang her bell to signal the announcement of the winner.
The King cleared his throat.
He spoke French as Dolly translated, “It was a fabulous crowd this year. All the contenders did a wonderful job…. I want to thank Dolly for holding my milk tray… And also please pick up your trash on the way out, as tomorrow is Christmas and there will be no cleaning crew.”
“Now, onto the results of the Silver Bells Christmas Eve Fair Cookie Competition.
“The winner is…
(in lieu of a drum roll, Santa blew his horn again).
“…In third place, for her unique contribution…”
A hush went over the group as they waited in anticipation.
“…Miss Josephine Jamison.”
The crowd clapped. Goth chick ran out of the booth area cursing something very un-Christmas like.
The judge cleared his throat and the people turned their attention back to the podium.
“Second place, the red-ribbon winner… for her unique cut-out choice and excellent color combination …Mrs. Beaverton!”
The crowd clapped and hollered.
Mrs. Beaverton turned as red as her cookies.
Summer looked at her mother. A smile spread across their faces.
“…And first prize goes to… the best-tasting cookies I can ever remember tasting...The Landers ladies!”
The crowd went into an uproar.
Brad lifted Summer up into the air.
Aunt Carol and Mom hugged each other tightly.
They had won! The blue ribbon was coming home with the Landers tonight!
Brad went and lifted up Mom and carried her toward the platform, amidst cheers from the town folk. He carried her through the cheering crowd and up the stairs to where the King had just squeezed out of his throne, to turn over to this year’s rightful Cookie Queen.
Aunt Carol followed behind their wake, thanking people along the way, as they reached out to shake her hand in congratulations.
She joined Mom on stage and soon they were taking bow after bow.
The townspeople cheered as they passed around the cookies and paid up on their bets. It had been a very exciting day for everyone.
Summer looked at the contestants lined up, holding their ribbons for the annual Kissing Bridge Gazette photo. Mom was beaming and Aunt Carol winked at her.
Summer was so happy with the way everything had turned out.
Whether it was the Tiffany blue, the magic of Christmas, or Grandma Izzy’s ghost that managed to throw the vanilla liqueur (her real secret ingredient) into the frosting, it was the happiest Christmas Summer could ever remember!
They had discovered how to break the Landers’ curse, she and Brad were going to get married and have lots of kids, and Mom and Aunt Carol had regained their rightful place as Christmas Cookie Queens.
Everything was as it should be again, back on Kissing Bridge Mountain.
Against all odds, it had turned out to be a truly magical and wonderful blue ribbon Christmas after all.
Secret recipe for you from the Lander’s Ladies!
Grandma Izzy’s
Famous Blue Ribbon Winning Cut Out Cookies
If you enjoyed this book please follow your new friends on their new journey! The next two books in this series are currently available on amazon!
“Holiday Kisses and Valentine Wishes” and “Chocolate Kisses and Love Filled Wishes.”
“Holiday Kisses
and
Valentine Wishes”
By
Linda West
Continues on from where we left off in Kissing Bridge!
“Chocolate Kisses
and
Love Filled Wishes”
By
Linda West
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