by Kristy Tate
He'd had to cut back his hours at the school, of course, but he didn't mind. The gallery didn't open until eleven, so he taught at Canterbury in the morning. More adjustments would have to be made when baby Harold arrived, but Ethan was looking forward to that as well.
Rather than hanging Christmas lights, they had hung battery operated candles on varying lengths of wire in the front window. Now that the sun had gone down and the lights were dim, the flickering candles looked as if they were floating in the air.
A banging on the window distracted him, and he went to open the door to his first guests, Misty and the Gearheads.
"Nice digs, man," Leo said.
"Yeah. No hard feelings, right?" Lance asked.
Misty looked around the gallery and sniffed as if she didn't like what she saw. Ethan just smiled, because he recognized the smell of envy. The gallery Misty and the Gearheads was doing fine financially—especially since Misty was selling what she called boudoir portraits in a private studio in a back room—but it marketed to different clientele.
When a very pregnant Zoe lumbered out of the back, Ethan held out his arm to pull her close to his side. "Nah," he said. "I have everything I could ever want and more."
“Aw, gross,” Hannah said. “Get a room.” But she smiled as she said it. She joined Laurel and Jon on the makeshift stage the band had set up beside the twenty-foot Christmas tree and picked up her electric guitar. Laurel fiddled with the keyboard while Jon adjusted his drums.
Ethan didn’t like Hannah playing in a band—he had visions of his daughter prancing on the stage in tight red leather pants and lace bustier—but Zoe had convinced him the Gingerbread Band would be good for all of them.
Mrs. Hancock’s boyfriend, Floyd, adjusted the sound system. Floyd had spent most of his life as a DJ and now worked for the Gingers. Mrs. Hancock had turned into their manager. Even though she and Floyd planned on marrying and Mrs. Hancock would soon be moving into Floyd’s house, she planned on continuing to rent the apartment in the house on Elm Street, because, as she said, even married people sometimes need their own space.
Courtney emerged from the back room followed by Grandma Lillian and Vivi. Each carried a tray of lavender and lemon zest cookies.
“Everything is perfect,” Zoe whispered in Ethan’s ear.
He kissed her cheek. “Almost,” he said.
“What would you change?” she asked.
“Funny, you should mention change,” he said.
She lifted an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.
He pulled a present out of his pocket. “I was going to wait for Christmas to give this to you, but I can’t wait any longer.”
Just then the band began to play, You’re All I Want for Christmas.
Zoe took the package, grinned, and untied the ribbon. One shiny, new gold coin glistened on a fold of black velvet. Zoe blinked back a tear.
“There is probably a story behind each of the coins in your box,” Ethan told her. “But of all the stories, I love ours the most.”
“Me, too.”
*– 1 Corinthians 13:1 (translation from Joni Mitchell)
Lavender Cookies with Lemon Zest
INGREDIENTS
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened (European-style butter is preferred)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 lemons, zested
1/4 teaspoon dried lavender
2 large egg yolks
2 cups flour
For the glaze
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from the zested lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon dried lavender
INSTRUCTIONS
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add in the granulated sugar, confectioner's sugar, salt, lemon zest, and the lavender and beat until smooth.
Add in the egg yolks and beat until well blended. Then add all the flour at once. Mix until the flour has been incorporated being careful not to overmix. The dough should look crumbly like wet sand.
Scrape the dough into a ball in the bowl you mixed it in. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4" thick.
Using a 2" cookie or biscuit cutter, cut 2" rounds from the dough. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1" apart. Once the sheet is filled with cookie dough, slide it into the freezer for 10 minutes. Repeat with all cookie dough and sheets.
Remove the sheet from the freezer and place it immediately into the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes, just until centers are set, but edges are not browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet.
When the cookies are still warm but not hot, mix together the glaze. Sift the confectioners' sugar to remove lumps, and then stir in the lemon juice until desired consistency is reached. The glaze should be thick, but not stiff. Stir in the lemon zest and lavender.
Using a small spoon, apply a small teaspoon-sized bit of glaze to the center of each cookie. Use the back of the spoon to spread it across the cookie's surface. Allow the glaze to set completely before serving or packaging. Makes approximately 48 cookies
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