by Alina Jacobs
“We missed you at the bake-off this year,” Gunnar said to Jack.
“Did we though?” Owen asked wryly.
Jack elbowed him. “It's Christmas, Owen, be pleasant.” He slapped a Santa hat on Owen's head.
“Very sexy!” I told him, giving him a thumbs-up.
“You didn't tell me there would be children,” Morticia said with horror. She was in all black but had on a red scarf in a grudging recognition of the Christmas holiday. Her identical twin, Lilith, had come too. She hugged me.
“The Great Christmas Bake-Off was good to you!” Lilith said, jerking her head in Owen's direction.
“You're a lot more chipper than Morticia,” I remarked, giving Lilith a hug.
“I've been around all this Christmas for the last month,” Morticia complained as more Svenssons spilled in.
“Are these all of your brothers?” I asked Walker, trying and failing to count all of the blond men.
“Not even close,” he replied.
Owen handed me a drink. I'd made cranberry old-fashioneds and white-chocolate peppermint martinis.
“Ready to party?”
The heavy-metal strains of Korn's rendition of “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” from The Nightmare Before Christmas blared over the sound system. I downed the rest of my drink and sprinted over to where Morticia and Lilith were rocking out.
“Oh my god,” I said, switching the music back to Paul McCartney singing “Wonderful Christmas Time.” “We're having a nice Christmas party.”
“You mean you aren't going to set up your candy-cane stripping pole?” Morticia asked loudly.
“Shhh!”
“You have a candy-cane stripper pole?” a woman with crazy brown hair asked.
“This is Josie,” Owen said, introducing us. “Mace's girlfriend.”
“I love candy!” she said excitedly. “I didn't even know you could buy a candy-cane stripper pole!”
“We were all pregaming on the ride over,” Hazel said, coming by with a drink in each hand. Archer, her fiancé, reached for one. She clutched them both to her chest. “These are mine.”
“Seriously? I had to ride in a bus all the way over here,” Archer complained.
“You rode in a school bus?”
“It is the Christmas bus because the whole thing was repainted for Christmas, because, Christmas,” Penny said with a shrug.
Owen came by with a tray of drinks. The dogs and kids were chasing each other around the penthouse.
“Maybe we should not have brought them,” Hunter said, narrowing his eyes.
“And instead have a civilized adult evening?” Garrett said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Impossible.”
“Stop running,” Hunter ordered. His low voice carried around the room. The kids stopped and stood at attention.
“You have them trained,” Chloe said, hugging Hazel, Josie, and Penny.
“Need another drink?” Owen asked me, tugging me away.
Matt and Oliver were talking excitedly to the college-aged Svensson boys. I heard the words “billion-dollar company” and “make a shit ton of money.”
“You two need to act better,” Owen reprimanded them. “It's Christmas. No swearing.”
We went out onto the large outdoor roof deck. Snow was falling. The strains of Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas” filtered out of the speakers. Owen danced me slowly around the rooftop.
“I wish it was Christmas every day,” I said with a sigh.
Owen leaned down. Before he kissed me, he said, “With me, it will be.”
Keep reading for a sneak peek of
TASTING HER CHOCOLATE CAKE
Tasting Her Chocolate Cake
Read more about Owen and Holly!
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1
Holly
There's a super-boring zone between Christmas and Valentine's Day during which January stretches on forever. Outside, it was grey, cold, and snowy. I was looking over the preliminary design for the restaurant, while Owen was sitting next to me, reviewing potential corporate acquisitions.
“This is the perfect time of year,” Owen said happily.
We were sitting in front of the fireplace in his living room. Owen's husky puppy, Rudolph, now much bigger, was on the balcony to escape the heat. I was under a giant fluffy blanket because Owen had the windows wide open. It was a compromise: I got a roaring fire and he got an open window.
“Really? It's so long and boring and cold.” I sighed.
“Yes. Perfect.”
“I wish there was a big holiday in January,” I said.
“Just invent a new holiday.”
“That’s dumb,” I complained.
“There’s probably a random holiday in January,” Owen suggested. “Maybe you could elevate it.”
I scrolled through a list I found on my phone. “There's a lot. We’re definitely celebrating Something on a Stick Day in March.”
Owen smirked. “Sounds like my kind of holiday.”
I swatted him playfully. “I’m trying to make this a family-friendly holiday. Oooh, there’s Chocolate Cake Day on January twenty-seventh. We’re totally celebrating that!” I said, starting to make a list. “We can invite all the Svenssons.”
“We just had them all over,” Owen countered. “Surely once a year is enough.”
“Yes, and now it's a new year, so we can invite all the Svenssons again. Cheer up, Owen! I'm going to bake more chocolate cake than you've ever seen in your life. All different kinds! We can have chocolate soufflés, chocolate lava cake, chocolate mousse cake, and chocolate cheesecake.”
“Do you want anything not chocolate?” Owen asked. “That sounds like a lot. The Svenssons will be pretty put out if we load their younger brothers with chocolate and caffeine.”
“Obviously I'm serving food too,” I scoffed. “You can't come to one of my parties and just eat cake! I'm totally making a ton of dips, though. We're not having a sit-down meal. You should have seen me when I was working at this pub on 31st Street. I made amazing dips! I had pizza dip and white pizza dip, spinach and artichoke dip, jalapeño dip, and taco dip, and barbecue pork dip.”
Owen leaned over and kissed me. “That sounds fantastic.”
“Oh, and crab dip. Forgot about that!”
Fiona and Morticia were waiting for me in the lobby the next morning. I wanted their opinions on the design of the restaurant in the lobby.
“Did you settle on a name?” Morticia asked me.
“I was thinking the Sparrow and Thyme Bistro,” I said, taking the plans out of my bag and spreading them out on a table. The Christmas decorations had been taken down, and the lobby felt empty without them. I resolved to add some Valentine's Day decorations.
“Not bad,” Morticia said. “I like it. It’s a little Victorian. I'll make you a chic logo.”
“I’m a little worried about not having street frontage,” Fiona said, inspecting the plans.
“I think it will be fine; it will be like a little surprise. We'll really hype it as a hidden gem on Instagram,” I assured her.
“We need Instagram-worthy foods,” Fiona said, pulling out her notebook. “I'm thinking a rotating list of signature drinks, along with some French bistro-inspired foods like omelets, savory tarts, and hot sandwiches.”
“I'm trying out some Instagram-worthy chocolate cake if you want to come by for a party. It's Chocolate Cake Day in a few days! Owen has done a lot for me, and he works hard. I want to host a nice party for him where he can see his friends. Also, you know me. Any excuse for desserts!”
2
Owen
“Are you paying attention?” Walker Svensson, my friend and COO, asked me, snapping his fingers in front of my face.
“Marginally,” I said.
“Repeat back to me what I just said,” he ordered.
I tried to concentrate on what he and Beck had just been talking about.
&nb
sp; “You want more money for… something?” I said.
“Wrong. We're asking you your opinion about moving to purchase that company that's doing AI pattern recognition.”
“Oh, right, yeah. That's fine.”
“What is going on with you? You need to get your head in the game,” said Beck, my CFO and Walker's brother.
“He still has a Christmas hangover.” Walker snickered.
“I don't have a Christmas hangover.” I was glad Christmas was over. Now we had reached the long stretch of winter. It was much colder, and I approved. Who knew? I might even need to start wearing a coat. All Holly's talk of the party had given me the perfect idea. I started plotting in my head but then forced myself to concentrate on what Beck and Walker were discussing.
Walker turned to me. “What do you think, Owen?”
“I think I'm going to ask Holly to marry me.”
“Uh, okay, one, that was not the question. Two, What the hell? You've known her for two months.”
“That does seem early,” Beck said slowly.
“We'll have a long engagement,” I said with a shrug. “Besides, it takes years to plan a wedding, or so I've heard. Additionally, I don't want my little brother engaged before me. Jack would never let me live it down.”
“And I thought our brothers were competitive,” Walker said under his breath.
“What if she says no, it's too early?” Beck asked. “She could see it as a big red flag.”
Read Tasting Her Chocolate Cake
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Sugar Cookie Recipe
Everyone who eats these cookies says they are absolutely amazing, even people who don’t normally like desserts. Enjoy!
For the cookies
Makes 3-4 dozen
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°
In a food processor, cream the sugar and butter.
Add eggs and vanilla. Mix.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
Add dry ingredients to food processor, alternating with milk in two or three portions.
Put in a bowl and chill 1 hour.
Put parchments paper down on an air-insulated cookie sheet.
Roll 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured board or pastry cloth.
Cut out with a cookie cutter and place on parchment paper.
Bake 8 minutes. Should be barely golden.
Let cool completely before frosting with fluffy icing and sprinkling with large colored sugar.
For the fluffy icing
Makes 7 cups
Ingredients:
2/3 cup water
4 Tbl Wilton Meringue powder
12 cups (about 3 lbs) powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups Crisco (solid, not flavored)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract
1/4 tsp butter extract
Directions:
Beat at high speed water and meringue power. Add four cups sugar, one cup at a time, beating at low speed after each addition. Add salt and flavorings. Alternately, add shortening and remaining 8 cups sugar. Beat at low speed until smooth.
Can be stored for up to two weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
About the Author
If you like steamy romantic comedy novels with a creative streak, then I'm your girl!
Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…
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