Christmas Sweets

by Joanne Fluke

  “What did Matt say?” Julie sounded calm, but the way her hands twisted in her lap was testament to her anxiety.

  “He believes you now.”

  “It’s about time! He should have believed me when I first said that . . .”

  “Stop!” Hannah held up her hand and Julie fell silent. “Let’s not compound the problem. Matt didn’t want to believe it, but he was tricked.”

  “Who tricked him?”

  “We don’t know for sure, but we think it was the boys.”

  “But . . . I thought the boys liked me,” Julie said, looking very confused.

  “Oh, they do. And they like Matt too.”

  “Then why did they try to break us up?”

  “That’s what I’m about to find out. You wait here. Matt’s coming to ask you to forgive him, and I want you to do it. It’s true that he should have trusted you, but everyone makes mistakes.”

  Julie thought about that for a minute. “You’re right, Hannah. I just hate to think the boys did this deliberately, though. Maybe they were just playing a prank and it got out of control.”

  “Maybe,” Hannah said. Julie was kind, giving the boys the benefit of the doubt, but Hannah didn’t believe it for a second. The boys had planned all this very carefully and she was determined to find out why.

  CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES

  Do not preheat oven—this dough must chill before baking.

  I came up with the cookie recipe and Lisa did the frosting.

  1½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, ¾ pound)

  2 cups white (granulated) sugar

  4 beaten eggs

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1½ teaspoons salt

  1 teaspoon flavor extract (lemon, almond,

  vanilla, orange, rum, whatever)

  5 cups flour (no need to sift)

  Mix the melted butter with the sugar. Let cool. Add the beaten eggs, baking powder, salt, and flavoring.

  Add the flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each addition.

  Refrigerate dough for at least two hours. Overnight is fine, too.

  When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the center position.

  Divide the dough into four parts for ease in rolling. Roll out the first part of the dough on a floured board. It should be approximately inch thick.

  Dip the cookie cutters in flour and cut out cookies, getting as many as you can from the sheet of dough. (If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can cut free-form cookies with a sharp knife.) Use a metal spatula to remove the cookies from the rest of the sheet of dough and place them on an UNGREASED cookie sheet. Leave at least an inch and a half between cookies.

  If you want to use colored sugar or sprinkles to decorate, put it on now, before baking. If you’d rather frost the cookies, wait until they’re baked and cooled.

  Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until delicately golden in color. Leave them on the sheet for a minute or two and then transfer them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

  Icing:

  2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar (powdered

  sugar)

  Pinch of salt

  ½ teaspoon vanilla (or other flavoring)

  ¼ cup cream

  Mix up icing, adding a little more cream if it’s too thick and a little more powdered sugar if it’s too thin.

  If you’d like to frost the cookies in different colors, divide the icing and put it in several small bowls. Add drops of the desired food coloring to each bowl.

  Use a frosting knife or a brush to “paint” the cookies you’ve baked.

  Chapter Ten

  “Hello, boys,” Hannah said.

  “Hi, Miss Swensen,” the boys chorused, and three faces with identical innocent expressions turned to greet her.

  “So why did you do it?”

  “Do what?” one of the twins asked, but a dull red stain crept up his neck and spread to his cheeks.

  “Yes, what?” the other twin chimed in, pulling his collar up a bit to hide his telltale color.

  “You know what you did. What I want to know is why.”

  “It was my fault,” Spenser said manfully, squaring his shoulders a bit. “I talked them into making the bet, and these guys had no choice but to go along with me.”

  “Yes we did,” one of the twins said. “We could have . . .”

  “. . . said we didn’t want to bet,” the other twin finished the explanation.

  “Tell me about the bet,” Hannah said, sitting down in the chair next to the couch and switching off the television with the remote control.

  Spenser drew a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “You can read all about it. I’ve got our copy right here. All of us signed it to make it official.”

  Hannah took the paper and read it. “The girls win if Mr. Sherwood asks Miss Jansen to marry him. And you win if they don’t get engaged. Is that right?”

  “That’s right,” Spenser said, and the twins nodded.

  “I don’t get it. You must not like Mr. Sherwood and Miss Jansen.”

  Spenser shook his head. “We like them a lot,” he said.

  “It’s just that the girls were being so . . .” one twin started the thought, but he got stuck for a word. “And stuck up.

  “. . . confident,” the other twin provided it. “And stuck up. They thought they knew better than we did.”

  “They did know better than we did,” Spenser pointed out. “Mr. Sherwood was going to propose to Miss Jansen. I saw him carry in the jeweler’s bag with the ring that he bought at the mall. The girls were right and we were wrong, and that meant we had to do their chores for a month. We couldn’t let that happen. It was just too awful.”

  “What do the girls have to do for chores?” Hannah asked, thinking that it must be pretty bad for the boys to go to such lengths to win.

  “Hope and Joy have to go shopping with Mrs. Caulder every Saturday and carry her packages,” one twin said, shuddering slightly.

  “And they have to pass trays of sandwiches with their crusts cut off on Wednesday at her musical sorry,” the other twin added.

  “Soirée,” Spenser corrected. “Serena’s chores are pretty bad too. She has to help Mrs. Dryer clean up the kitchen after dinner.”

  “When does this bet end?” Hannah said, an idea beginning to form in her mind.

  “The day after Christmas,” Spenser told her. “We didn’t know that Mr. Sherwood and Miss Jansen would feel this bad. Now we wish we hadn’t done it.”

  “Okay,” Hannah said, handing the remote control to Spenser and standing up. “I’ve got to go. I need to bake a dessert for tonight’s dinner.”

  “Are we busted?” one of the twins wanted to know.

  “I’m not going to punish you, if that’s what you mean. Your own consciences will do that.”

  “Do you think Mr. Sherwood will propose before Christmas is over?” Spenser wanted to know.

  “I have no idea. All we can do is wait and see,” Hannah said, heading for the hallway and leaving the three guilty boys to think about the havoc they’d caused.

  * * *

  “Hannah’s right,” Julie confirmed it when Matt told her Hannah’s theory. “The twins came into my office yesterday morning while I was getting my e-mail. Larry said he wanted to see if I had the latest virus protection and he offered to teach me how to check. I was busy with him, and I didn’t pay much attention to Gary.”

  “That must be when Larry got your password and Gary set the alarm clock.”

  Julie thought about it for a moment. “I remember Larry asking me to type in my password so he could download an update to my security program. It all makes sense.”

  “I think Spenser must have planned it. He’s quite the strategist. That boy is going to go far.”

  “Let’s just hope he doesn’t turn to a life of crime. He might just get away with it. He almost did this time.”

  “That was my fault.” Matt slipped his arm around Julie�
�s shoulders. “I should have trusted you when you said you didn’t have a fiancé.”

  “And I should have been more insistent that you listen to me. I just gave up without a fight.”

  “We’ll learn,” Matt promised, bending down to kiss her. “With every day that passes, we’ll trust each other more.”

  “Yes, we will,” Julie agreed. And as he pulled her tightly into his arms, it was as if the whole misunderstanding had been a bad dream and they’d never been apart for an instant.

  * * *

  Hannah pulled aside the curtains and peered out at the driveway. Her family and friends should arrive any minute. When Jordan High’s cook, Edna Ferguson, had heard that Julie and her young charges were going to eat frozen dinners for the holiday, she’d volunteered to come out and cook a “proper” Christmas Eve dinner.

  The two men Hannah was dating, Mike Kingston and Norman Rhodes, had volunteered next. Along with Lisa’s husband, Herb, and Andrea’s husband, Bill, they were bringing out snowmobiles to entertain the boys. Not to be outdone, Andrea had offered to take charge of the girls and decorate Aames House for Christmas. There would be presents, of course. Hannah’s mother had organized that. And Hannah would bake her special Christmas Date Cake complete with the surprises her mother had suggested.

  The big grandfather clock in the lobby had just struck noon when the first car drove up with Edna Ferguson and her sister, Hattie. Hannah rushed to the door to greet them, and then she called for Matt and the boys to help them carry in their load of goodies for the holiday feast.

  The next to arrive was Andrea, and she brought Tracey, baby Bethany, and her live-in nanny, “Grandma” McCann. Once Julie and the girls had exclaimed over the baby and made Tracey feel welcome, Hannah got baby and nanny settled in the lounge while Andrea took the girls off to unpack the decorations she’d brought.

  Just about the time good smells were beginning to waft in from the kitchen, Bill and Mike drove in, towing a large three-passenger snowmobile behind Mike’s Hummer. Hannah’s other boyfriend, Norman, was next, and he was also towing a snowmobile. Lisa’s husband, Herb, was right behind him with the third, and when the boys raced out to look at the snowmobiles, Matt turned to Hannah.

  “Is all this for us?” he asked.

  Hannah shrugged, but she was smiling. “I just mentioned that I was coming out to spend Christmas Eve with you, and the word spread. The guys decided to take the boys out for a ride and give you a little break this afternoon.”

  “That’s really nice of them.”

  “They’re all nice guys. Mike’s got a Christmas tree in the back of his Hummer. Why don’t you go out and help him carry it in before he takes off on his snowmobile with the kids?”

  Once the tree was inside and securely fixed in the stand, Andrea and the girls began to decorate it. Matt watched the boys leave with the four men, and Hannah thought he looked a bit lost.

  “Is there anything you need me to do while they’re gone?” Matt asked her.

  “Yes,” Hannah said, her mind racing to think of something he could do with Julie. “Andrea could use some mistletoe for her decorations. I spotted some hanging from the old oak tree near the end of the driveway when I drove in. Would you and Julie go out to cut some?”

  With everyone busy and happy, Hannah was about to head for the kitchen to bake her cake when her mother arrived. Delores was dressed for the occasion in a red satin pantsuit that would have looked ridiculous on any other Lake Eden woman even approaching her age. She wore gold high-heeled shoes and carried a gold-beaded purse. Anyone who saw her for the first time immediately knew how Andrea had acquired her perfect petite figure and her sense of fashion.

  “Nice outfit, Mother,” Hannah said, taking her mother’s coat.

  “Thank you, dear. I wanted to be festive.” Delores reached in her purse and drew out a tissue-wrapped packet. “I brought the silver charms for the cake, dear.”

  “Thanks. And speaking of the cake, I’d better go make it.” Hannah headed for the kitchen at a trot. Once there, she worked fast, getting out the ingredients she’d brought with her and mixing up her batter. She was just slipping the cake into the oven when Julie came into the kitchen.

  “You look happy,” Hannah remarked, noticing that her younger friend was practically glowing.

  “That’s because I am happy. I think Matt’s going to ask me to marry him, Hannah. And I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s tonight.”

  “Uh-oh,” Hannah said, thinking of the boys and their bet. Then she noticed the frown on Julie’s face and hurried to reassure her. “I’m delighted, Julie. I think you and Matt are perfect for each other. There’s just one small problem. Come over to the sink with me while I wash these things, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Hannah finished explaining the terms of the bet about the same time Julie dried the last bowl. “I know they deserve to lose for what they’ve done. And doing the girls’ chores won’t be that bad.”

  “Oh yes it will. You have no idea how the other boys will tease Spenser when he has to work for Mrs. Dryer in the kitchen. And the twins will just die if they have to follow Mrs. Caulder around the mall. I want Matt to ask me to marry him, but I don’t want the boys to suffer. Isn’t there a way that the boys and the girls could both win?”

  Hannah thought about that for a minute, and then she started to smile. “No, but there’s a way they could both lose. It’ll take some doing and you’ll have to clue in Matt, but I think it should work.”

  * * *

  When the last succulent bite of roast turkey had been eaten, and the final morsel of sweet potato with marshmallow and brown sugar topping had found a willing mouth, it was time to serve the dessert.

  “Will you explain dessert, Mother?” Hannah asked, turning to Delores.

  “Yes, dear,” Delores stood up and smiled at everyone seated around the oval table. “We’re having a Regency Love Cake for dessert.”

  “What’s that, Mrs. Swensen?” Serena asked, clearly enthralled by the concept.

  “It’s a little something they served at parties in England in the early nineteenth century. Hannah has baked the modern-day version, a Christmas Date Cake. Each piece has a little prize inside, a small keepsake to remind you of this marvelous Christmas Eve. It’s wrapped in a foil packet so you won’t inadvertently eat it.”

  “That’s good,” Norman said, and everyone laughed.

  “All the prizes are the same,” Delores went on, “except for one. And that special prize is what makes it a Regency Love Cake.”

  “What’s the special prize, Mrs. Swensen?” Joy asked.

  “A gold ring. Is everybody here willing to abide by the old Regency rules and reveal the name of the person they love if they get the piece with the gold ring?”

  The adults at the table laughed and nodded. In sharp contrast, the kids looked very uncomfortable.

  “But Mrs. Swensen,” Spenser gulped slightly. “What if we don’t have someone we love?”

  Delores smiled to reassure him. “Don’t worry, Spenser. The gold ring is only for adults. If you or one of your friends gets it, just give it to me and I’ll pass it on to Hannah.”

  Hannah gave her mother a dirty look. Delores was matchmaking again.

  “And now it’s time for the Regency Love Cake.” Delores walked over to dim the lights, and Hannah ducked in the kitchen to light the candles on the platter of cake. Each piece had a dollop of whipped cream on top to camouflage the spot where she’d inserted the prize. She quickly located the piece with the double swirl of whipped cream and carried the platter out to the applause of the kids and the assembled guests.

  Once the candles were blown out and the lights were back on, Hannah plated the cake the way they’d planned, making certain that Julie got the piece with the double swirl. She gave Julie a conspiratorial wink, and then she put on her best guileless smile.

  Everyone tasted the cake and pronounced it excellent, and one by one, they found their prizes, a little silver wh
istle for everyone except . . .

  Julie unwrapped her prize and let out a little shriek. “Oh my!” she exclaimed, acting very surprised. “I’ve got the gold ring!”

  “How marvelous, dear!” Delores reached over to pat her on the shoulder. “You’re our lucky winner. Will you tell us the name of the person you love?”

  Julie nodded, blushing slightly as she smiled at Matt. “It’s Matt and I’ll give him this ring if he’ll marry me.”

  Matt did a good job of feigning surprise, but he quickly recovered. “Yes, I will. Remember the day I went out to the mall to pick up a few gifts for the kids? Well, I stopped at the jewelry store and bought an engagement ring for you. I was planning on asking you to marry me later tonight, but you beat me to the punch.”

  “Oh no!” Spenser groaned as Matt reached over and placed the ring on Julie’s finger. “Mr. Sherwood asked her to marry him!”

  “No, he didn’t,” Larry pointed out. “Miss Jansen asked . . .”

  “. . . Mr. Sherwood to marry her,” Gary finished the thought.

  “Then we win the bet?” It was clear that Spenser could scarcely believe his good fortune.

  “What bet?” Delores asked.

  “I’ll explain later,” Hannah told her, and then she turned to Spenser. “You lose the bet, Spenser. You bet the girls that Mr. Sherwood and Miss Jansen wouldn’t get engaged until after Christmas was over. Take a look at that ring on her finger. They’re engaged.”

  “So you have to do our chores!” Serena crowed, giving Joy and Hope a high five. “We win!”

  “No, you don’t,” Hannah said, taking great relish in pointing it out. “You bet that Mr. Sherwood would ask Miss Jansen to marry him, and that didn’t happen. Miss Jansen asked Mr. Sherwood instead.”