“As usual, our chefs have made this decision incredibly difficult for our judges. Each of you has brought talent together with art to tell ten very different, very wonderful life stories. Sadly, only one of you can take home our top prize of ten thousand dollars. Today’s winner has shown not just creativity and skill in execution, but a broad range in both flavor and presentation. The winner of this year’s Pine Mountain Christmas Cookie Competition is . . .”
Chapter 14
“Chef Pete Mancuso!”
The breath pasted to Lily’s lungs expanded with a dizzying whoosh, and it snuffed out the slight pang of disappointment at not hearing her own name. Even though it probably broke four different sets of contest protocol, she ran over to Pete’s station before Chase was even done with his follow-up. Pete turned toward her, his expression a mixture of pure shock and growing joy, and she threw her arms around him.
“Oh my God, you did it! You won the money for School Days!” Lily pushed up on her toes, completely unconcerned that there were no less than two dozen cameras clicking around them, and planted her mouth right on his.
They parted, Pete still clearly mired in disbelief. “I thought . . . God, Lily, I thought you were going to beat me. That chocolate sable was a brilliant risk.”
She shook her head, tears blurring her eyes as she kissed him again. He deserved this, and he’d beaten her fair and square. “It was your risk that really paid off. Congratulations.”
“But, your bakery . . .”
“Will happen someday regardless.” Lily smiled despite the disappointment welling in her chest at the mention of her bakery. She would come to terms with waiting longer for her dream later. Tonight was for celebrating, not sadness.
On the fringes of her awareness, Lily heard Chase finish his wrap-up, thanking the judges and the sponsors, but it was the sound of a feminine throat being cleared that had both her and Pete turning toward the stands.
“There’s going to be no living with you now, is there?” The pretty brunette crossed her arms over her chest, but her smile canceled out the toughness in her stance.
“Hey, Ava.” Pete let go of Lily to loop his arms around his sister in a tight hug. “It means a lot to me that you came.”
“Thanks to Lily.” Ava fixed her with a warm glance before returning her eyes to her brother. “I can’t believe you didn’t even tell me you entered! It’s a huge deal.”
“I know. I just . . . the holidays are hard enough for us. I didn’t want to bring back bad memories.”
Ava sighed, the sound a total contrast with the chaotic buzz of the crowd now filling the kitchen. “Thank you for looking out for me. But I’m tougher than you think.” She smiled at Lily. “And thank you for hitting up the Pine Mountain grapevine to find my number. It seems you two are, um, quite well acquainted.”
Lily’s cheeks prickled with heat that had nothing to do with the elevated temperature in the room. “I take it you watched the clips online.”
“Are you kidding? It was the first thing I did after you called.” Ava nodded her head to the growing crowd behind them. “And speaking of which, it looks like you’re going to be busy for a while. How about we catch dinner later?”
Lily’s head sprang up, and she caught sight of her parents smiling down from the stands. “Actually, I’d love it if you’d both join my family’s Christmas celebration. As long as, ah, you’re okay with that.”
“I am very okay with that.” Pete wrapped an arm around her, and it felt better than all the past Christmases combined. “It’s about time Ava and I started some new family traditions.”
“Pardon me.” A gentle voice at Lily’s elbow had her turning toward the judge’s stand. “I don’t mean to interrupt.”
“Oh! Mr. Alexander.” Lily smiled at the judge. “You’re not interrupting at all.”
“Yes, well. I was wondering if I could have a word with the two of you.”
Lily exchanged a look with Pete while Ava waved a silent good-bye-for-now and slipped through the crowd.
“Sure,” he said, and Lily nodded.
“First off, congratulations to you both. It was truly thrilling to watch you compete.”
“Thank you,” Lily said, trying to keep her curiosity to a dull roar while Pete looked as though he felt the same.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but I’m the silent owner of several bakeries along the Blue Ridge. One of the reasons I offered to judge this contest was to test the market in Pine Mountain.”
Lily’s heart kicked against her ribs, but she managed a polite, “I see.”
“Frankly, Ms. Callahan, your desire to run a bakery interests me a great deal. With talent like yours, I’d be very open to an investment opportunity.” He looked from her to Pete. “I realize you’ll both probably get a lot of offers, but you’re an incredible team. I’d be willing to make it worth your while to open a bakery here in Pine Mountain with me as a silent partner. Are you interested?”
Lily’s breath hitched. If the way Conrad Le Clerc had salivated over that Blondie was any indication, all Pete had to do was say the word and his dream job would become a reality. She couldn’t ask him to do this, no matter what she wanted.
“I am, yes, but—”
“We are,” Pete said, looking at her with a slow, sexy grin. “As long as you’re up for a partnership, that is.”
“Pete.” Lily angled herself toward him, and Martin stepped back to let them confer more privately. “You could have that job at L’Orangerie, and you know it.”
He laughed and wrapped an arm around her. “Probably. But I don’t care. I want this. I want you.”
Her heart fluttered. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you, Blondie.”
It was all Lily could do to keep her laughter from overflowing. She turned back toward Martin with an ear-to-ear grin. “What’s the sugar without the spice? Count us in, Mr. Alexander.”
“Together.”
Want to get sweet in the kitchen? Kimberly Kincaid says these Blondies are sure to please!
PETE MANCUSO’S BLONDIES
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups light brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1½ cups (okay to eyeball this) store-bought caramel topping
1½ cups thin twisty pretzels, broken into pieces
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and spraying with cooking spray, leaving some overhang on either side. Set pan aside. Spread pecans in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake until just fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes (this releases lots of flavor—don’t be tempted to skip this step!) Remove and cool.
Increase oven temperature to 350°F.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a small bowl and set aside. Using a mixer, combine melted butter and brown sugar until it resembles wet sand (I promise it will taste better than that). Making sure the mixture has cooled from melting the butter, slowly incorporate eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture in small increments, scraping down sides as needed. This mixture will be thick. Your mixer may protest a little. That’s okay!
Stir in pecans by hand and spread mixture in prepared pan with an offset spatula (or you can put a little cooking spray on your hands and press it into place). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. A cake tester should come up essentially clean, with maybe a crumb or two. These are meant to be slightly gooey in the middle. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Lift out of pan to cool completely. Remove and discard parchment.
Once cool, carefully slide the blondie sheet back into the 9 x 13 pan. Top with caramel topping and refrigerate 30 minutes, until set.
Just before serving, top with pretzel bits. Slice into bars and serve to the one you love!
Makes approximately 3 dozen bars.
EPILOGUE
January 1
The evening air was crisp, with a light breeze whispering the promise of more snow. The air inside the community center was significantly more heated. Every man, woman, and child in Pine Mountain had jammed inside the big, redbrick building for the second time in a little more than two weeks. But this time, it wasn’t about bidding on Christmas cookies. Tonight, it was about what the Christmas cookies had done for the community center. And a few firemen calendars. And a philanthropic gesture or two . . .
Clara spotted Abby near the back of the crowd, just inside the doors. “Oh good, I’m so glad you’re here. We’ve been worried about you! When did you finally get your power back on?”
Abby’s cheeks were a little pink, but it was the twinkle in her eyes that had Clara suspecting it wasn’t the cold winter chill that had put it there. “I’m . . . not entirely sure what day that was.”
Clara’s gaze narrowed. “Oh . . . really.”
“I’m sorry, I know I should have called, or . . . or something. I was a little distracted.”
“Right! With the holidays and your business. I wasn’t thinking. How is it going?”
“Well, anatomically correct men definitely had something to do with the distraction. Man, actually.” Her blush deepened and awareness dawned for Clara.
She playfully swatted at her friend. “You . . . you gingerbread maker. Here Lily and I were worried that you’d frozen to death in your cabin. Will was offering to send half the fire department up there.”
Now Abby arched a brow. “Will? And who might that be?”
“Oh, well, I kind of almost burned down my house. The morning after the cookie swap actually. And . . . an old friend offered me a place to stay.”
“An old . . . friend. I see.” Abby’s lips twitched, but the twinkle in her eyes held nothing back.
“So, who’s the anatomically correct guy?” Clara demanded, steering the topic back to Abby. “And, more important, where’s the guy?”
“He’s heading up to the stage. There.”
Clara looked at where she was pointing and—“Isn’t that the guy who crashed the cookie swap? The guy who paid—” She broke off, gasped. “No! He’s the guy! The guy who paid all that money, for your cookies. How did you—and where did you—I mean, he took off out of here like a bat out of hell.”
“And he crashed said batmobile halfway up the mountain. I . . . found him. And helped him.” At Clara’s look of unmitigated glee, Abby nudged her friend in the side. “Sort of like how your old friend helped you. I’m guessing.”
Now it was Clara who felt the heat climb in her cheeks. “Maybe.”
“And where is this old friend?”
Clara nodded toward the stage at the front of the room. “Oh, he’s up there, too.”
“Up . . .” Abby turned to look at the stage. “There? Which one? Oh, look! There’s Lily and Pete! I wasn’t sure she’d be able to talk him into being here.” She quickly turned to Clara. “Oh. Yeah. Pete. And Lily. Awkward. Did you hear, I mean, have you talked to Lily?”
“Yes, and don’t worry. It’s fine. Surprising,” she added, which didn’t begin to cover it, “but fine.” Not the part where Pete had fallen for Lily, but that her workaholic, career focused friend had fallen right back. Watching Lily now, up on stage, tucked under the arm of Pete Mancuso, Clara noticed the way they looked at each other. It was a look she now recognized, and understood. Intimately. “Well. I’ll be damned.” They’d fallen all the way. She grinned, truly happy for both of them.
“He beat her, you know,” Abby said. “In the cookie contest, I mean. Won the whole dang thing. That’s why he’s here.”
“Oh, I’m thinking she won a pretty nice prize herself.”
“True,” Abby said, her happy sigh echoing Clara’s.
Hearing that, Clara glanced down at Abby and her eyes widened a bit. It looked like maybe Abby understood that look now, too. Interesting. And awesome.
“Hey, I saw your cookie column in the paper,” Abby commented as the crowd on the stage continued to assemble. Every year on New Year’s Day, Pine Mountain hosted a community Giving Back Brunch, where various local individuals or businesses helped to launch the new year by making charitable donations and contributions. “I haven’t had the chance to read all of them,” Abby went on, “but I loved the direction you took. I bet your editor is thrilled.”
“Well, she was. I actually kind of quit. The day after Christmas.”
Abby’s mouth dropped open. “You what?”
“The column was only supposed to run until then, but it did pretty well with readers and Fran wanted to make it permanent. But, to be honest, I didn’t want to get stuck again doing something I’m really not cut out for. Will gave me an idea about approaching another paper with my story ideas. So . . . I did.”
“We only have one paper.”
“Well, Bealetown has one, too. And it turns out their editor was really interested in my sample stories.”
“Sample stories? When did you have time to write sample stories?”
“Once I got the cookie column slant figured out, we were able to get them done pretty quickly.”
Abby grinned. “We?”
“I baked. He kept his kitchen from going up in flames. Anyway, I ended up writing a story about the new tri-county forensic lab and a side story about one of the cold cases they think they’ll be able to finally close that involves several of the local families. I want to write stories about what’s happening in the community, both bigger picture, and smaller, more intimate stories. Anyway, the Bealetown editor offered me a job, starting tomorrow, actually.”
“That’s . . . incredible!”
Clara looked back at the stage in time to see Abby’s man—“What’s his name?”
“Whose name?”
“Your anatomically correct, real-live man?”
Abby laughed. And blushed a little. “Lander. Lander Reynolds.”
“Why is he up on stage?”
“I’ll tell you if you tell me which one is Will.”
“Well . . . he’s the guy holding the big oversized check.”
Abby’s mouth dropped open and she turned to Clara. “The guy wearing only a fireman’s hat and uniform pants?”
“Technically, he’s not really a fireman anymore.” Like that made all the difference. “In fact, he’s going to head up that forensic lab I wrote the story about. We . . . we went to college together.”
Abby’s eyes goggled. “He’s that Will? He was on the cover of that calendar. You never said he looked like that.”
“He didn’t. Back then. And you know he’s on the calendar cover because . . . ?”
“Well, maybe it’s possible I saw one. Somewhere. Oh, right, I bought one.” She gave Clara a sheepish smile. “It was for a good cause.”
Clara laughed. “That’s what Will keeps telling himself. He will be so glad when this is over.”
They watched as first the fire department presented their check to the children’s hospital charity, whose main business offices happened to be in Pine Mountain.
Then Lander stepped up and announced a new annual college scholarship sponsored by his family’s bank, Philadelphia Capital, for seniors graduating from the local high school. He mentioned how grateful he was for the town’s warm welcome—at which Clara nudged Abby and whispered, “And how warm was it?”
Abby nudged back, but her smile said it all, as Lander went on to explain that he wanted to become an integral part of helping the town grow, seeing as he was now a resident. At which point Clara hugged Abby, then whispered, “I want all the details. Every crumb.”
“I’ll share if you will. Does he dress like that when you’re baking?”
Clara snicker-snorted, drawing a few glances and a fresh peal of laughter from Abby.
Then it was finally Pet
e’s turn. He stepped up and donated his winnings from the resort cookie contest to Marianna, the community director, for use in the center’s School Days program for the town’s underprivileged kids. He tried to quickly duck back in line, but Marianna grabbed him, and her heartfelt hug of thanks was felt by every person in the room. Pete seemed momentarily stunned, then hugged her back, and the cheers grew louder.
“Lily said he wanted to make the contribution anonymous, but she convinced him that it was a good thing, letting other locals know how easy it is to share, to give back, and that it would spread more goodwill than simply sending a check in the mail. Lander and I had pretty much the same conversation.”
“Good for both of you. And good for both of them.”
All three men actually looked like they’d rather be almost anywhere else, and Clara had no doubt they’d all have preferred to make their contributions in a far less public fashion. But looking around at all the smiling faces, seeing everyone clapping, cheering them, she knew it was important to give folks a chance to come together, celebrate the good things together, and be inspired to create more of those occasions. It was why the town held the annual brunch in the first place.
As Marianna made her closing speech, still wiping tears from her eyes, Abby linked her arm through Clara’s and pressed her head briefly against Clara’s shoulder. “This might have been the best Christmas ever.”
Clara thought about the amazing changes that had happened for all three of them since the time, just a few weeks earlier, when they’d all been standing in that same exact spot. She squeezed Abby’s arm and grinned. “Santa works in mysterious ways.”
Lily popped through the crowd just then and pulled them both into a group hug. “Happy New Year!”
Pete, Lander, and Will emerged through the crowd and smiled as introductions were made.
Pete took Lily’s hand just as Lander found Abby’s. Will smiled at Clara, then, still half-dressed, stepped behind her and grinned sheepishly as he wove his arms around her waist.
The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap Page 35