How to Bake the Perfect Christmas Cake (Home for the Holidays - Book 2)
Page 22
Jack pulls me back. “Here, let me, Lauren.” Jack leans in to grab the cat but it hisses at him.
“Okay, kitty, it’s okay, we’re just going to remove you from the table. Come on.” Jack lifts up my mom’s fish platter with the cat on top. He storms towards the front door. I follow behind him and open the door since his hands are full. I’m not sure if he intends on throwing the cat out the front door or what. I shut the front door, literally.
“My car keys are in my pocket, can you get them for me?” Jack glances back at me.
“Sure, I don’t mind looking for them.” I stick my hands into his pocket and take a little longer than necessary to find his keys. With them in my hand I unlock the car door and Jack puts the cat in the back on the floor.
“My place is close, let’s go over there and drop off George and then we can come back and apologize to your mom. I know the fish is a big deal.”
I bite my inner cheek. This seems like a good idea, but I really don’t want to be stuck in a vehicle with this cat. Especially not after it hissed at me and now I have to ride in the front seat with my back turned towards it. This does not bring any sort of comfort. I’m not sure how long this cat will gorge on the fish that my mother worked so hard on preparing.
“Come on, Lauren, I won’t let George hurt you.” Jack grins, a really big flashy smile. He opens the passenger door and I slide in, hoping Jack can be true to his word.
Jack rushes around to the driver’s side and hops in.
“So I’d say this has been my most eventful Christmas ever, what about you?” Jack winks at me.
I laugh. “Yes, this one will definitely go down in history and not because of George…but because of a different guy.”
“Oh really? A different guy, I hope you don’t mean Scott?” Jack cocks his head to the right and stares at me.
I laugh again. “God, no.” I shove his shoulder. “I mean you. Hello…we are engaged.”
Jack’s lips form into a juicy grin. “I figured as much, I just wanted to hear you say it.”
“Bossy much?”
“Lauren, that’s the second mention of bossiness in one afternoon, I think I’m going to have to make good on your word choice.” The engine roars as Jack shifts gears, he must be in a hurry to accelerate our trip quickly.
Hmphh, I can’t say I’m not interested in what exactly he means, but then again I’m also a bit nervous. What kind of ideas does Jack have floating around in his bossy head?
ILoveDPG
Chapter Eighteen
Jack, being a planner, apparently rushed out last night and bought Aunt Minnie a cat carrier for Christmas, but she refused to use it to bring George over to my parents’ house. Jack slid George and the plate into the crate and closed the latch.
“My house, my rules, and I’m not sure how that fish eating is going to go down. I don’t want to deal with a throw-up mess when we get back.” Jack closed the door to the laundry room and grabs my hand.
“Do you think Aunt Minnie will be okay without him?”
“Well she’s been okay without him for her entire life, I think a few hours won’t hurt anything. Now, come with me.” Jack leads me back to the living room.
I bite my lip in anticipation for what is about to happen.
“Don’t you think we should be getting back to dinner?” I raise my eyebrows at him.
“No, I’d rather be here alone with you.” Jack kisses me.
“But what about the cake?” I crinkle my eyebrows.
“Let them eat cake.” Jack winks at me.
“I do want them to eat cake, but I made it for you.” I blink my eyes.
Jack pulls me close and kisses me lips. “And eat cake we shall.” He leads me back out to the car and we arrive as the dinner table is being cleared.
“Mom, are you okay?” I eye my mother, carrying a stack of dishes into the kitchen.
“Oh yes, dear, it’s fine. The rest of the food turned out lovely.” She places the stack of dishes in the sink.
“I made a cake.” I stride towards the back counter and show her the glass cake pedestal with the letter “W” engraved.
“Lauren, that’s gorgeous. Is it…?”
“Red Velvet.” I beam.
My grandmother sashays into the room. “A Red Velvet Cake? Well, this is the perfect Christmas after all.”
“I’ll get the plates. Lauren, it looks amazing,” Megan says as she reaches in the cupboards.
I bring the cake pedestal out to the empty dining room.
Jack is behind me. He has a knife and a stack of forks in his hand. “Are you ready for the ultimate test?”
I roll my lips and lift the lid off, slice a piece of cake and place it on a plate.
“Shall I?” I cut a frosted square and bring it to his lips. Jack opens his mouth and takes a bite. His eyes widen and he nods with approval.
“Unbelievable. It’s just like my mom’s. You’ve made the Perfect Christmas Cake.” Jack stares down into my eyes. His words mean more than the perfect Christmas cake, they are words that transpire from one person to another without actually being spoken. Deep, penetrating thoughts of mutual understanding and the shared passage of love. I stare back at him in acknowledgement of his message. He leans in closer to me and kisses me deeply, passionately. This is my fiancé. I shut my eyes and all I can sense are exploding feelings spiraling around in my mind, zinging from one sensation to the next. An electrifying kiss with a message of promise and hope that the best is yet to come. A marriage.
CARINA™
ISBN: 978 1 474 02026 8
How to Bake the Perfect Christmas Cake
Copyright © 2014 Gina Henning
Published in Great Britain (2014)
by Carina, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
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