“We should go back inside,” Dixie told her dog. She waddled over to the door, struggling to reach the handle and even when she did, her thick gloves made it hard to grasp.
Dixie furrowed her brows in frustration. Looking around, she noticed a box and grabbed it. She placed it in front of the door. Standing on it, she was nearly half a foot taller, making opening the door much easier. She gripped the handle with both hands, and it swung open.
The minute it did, Alfred’s nose caught scent of the freshly cooked food. His eyes grew big, and he rushed inside, knocking Dixie off her box and onto the snowy grass. Dixie landed with a thump but was unhurt. The same could not be said for the Christmas dinner.
When Dixie entered the kitchen, Alfred was already wolfing down the chicken like he had never seen food before. “Alfred, no!” Dixie screeched. “Alfred! You’re going to get us in trouble, and then I won’t get any presents!”
“What’s all that noise down there, Dixie?” Jack called out, coming down the stairs, rolling up the sleeves on his dress shirt. When he entered the kitchen, he stopped dead in his tracks. All his hard work had been completely destroyed.
“Alfred!” he growled, grabbing the dog by the collar and yanking him off the table.
Dixie hid in the corner of the kitchen, looking terrified. She thought that maybe if she didn’t make a sound, her father wouldn’t notice her.
Tammy came into the kitchen and covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh no, what happened?”
Before Jack could answer her, Alfred ran off with the remains of the chicken in his mouth. Jack didn’t even bother to go after the furry creature.
“Alfred started without us…” Jack sighed.
“Where’s Dixie?” Tammy asked.
Tammy heard a squeak from behind her and turned around. “There you are. You didn’t tell Alfred to do this, did you?”
She shook her head quickly, tears forming in her eyes. “I came inside because I was cold… I didn’t know dinner was on the table…” Her voice broke in various places. It looked like she was going to start crying at any moment.
“Don’t cry honey. It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.” Jack picked up his daughter, wiping away the tears that had spilled onto her cheeks. “We can just go out to eat. It’s okay. I promise.” He smiled at her, gently kissing her nose. “But we won’t go out if you don’t stop crying.”
Dixie sniffled. “Really? I’m not in trouble?”
“Yes, really.”
Dixie smiled, hugging her father tightly. “Can we go to Cupid’s, Daddy?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, it’s closed today. But we can go to a fast food place in town. What do you say?”
“Okay!”
Tammy smiled. “Do I get to come too?”
“Of course, you do, silly,” Jack answered. “Dixie get out of your wet clothes, put some dry ones on, and get your pea coat. I’ll go deal with our food thief.”
Jack tracked down Alfred and put him in his crate so he wouldn’t cause any more damage while they were gone.
“I hope you don’t mind…” Jack gave Tammy an apologetic look.
“Are you kidding? I’ve spent the last five years in my pajamas, watching TV on Christmas. This is a pleasant change, no matter what we end up doing,” she assured him.
Moments later, Dixie reappeared in a bright red coat, ready to go.
***
Dixie declared that wanted spaghetti and after consulting his smartphone, Jack found a small Italian place opened. They ordered a family sized spaghetti dish with an extra helping of breadsticks.
Dinner was filled with laughter and fun. A few spaghetti noodles even managed to find their way into Tammy’s hair. Tammy didn’t care one bit. She was just so happy to be spending Christmas with people she loved. It was her Christmas miracle.
Tammy pulled Jack to her ear. “Do you remember that wish I made on a shooting star?”
“The one you refused to tell me about?”
“You can’t tell your wish before it comes true,” Tammy protested.
“Agreed. Since we’re talking about it, does that mean your wish has come true?”
Tammy gave him a quick hug. “Yes.”
“So, what did you wish for?”
Tammy swept her hand above the table from Jack and around to Dixie.
Jack narrowed one eye. “You wished for Italian food?”
“No, silly. For family. You and Dixie are my family.”
Jack nearly choked on his sip of water. He coughed and wheezed until his face turned a dark shade of purple.
“Are you okay?” Tammy asked. She’d been trying to explain how important he and Dixie were to her, but she was apparently doing a terrible job.
“I’m fine.” Jack coughed once more and then laid his hand on top of Tammy’s. “Hold that thought until we open presents.”
Tammy squinted at him, but he shook his head.
“Trust me, you’ll understand.”
Eventually, they made their way back to Jack’s house. He started up a roaring fire in the fireplace. Tammy sat down with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, watching Dixie frantically open up her gifts. She screamed in happiness at each one, showering the two adults with various thanks.
“Tammy, open up your gift!” Dixie exclaimed, handing her a small envelope.
“What is it?” she asked, grabbing it and pretending to scrutinize it the way Dixie had with every one of her gifts. She shook it, but it didn’t make a sound.
“Open it! Open it!” Dixie urged, pushing it toward her.
From the couch, Jack observed her with a nervous expression. He had a small layer of sweat forming on his body, and his heart was beating a mile a minute just thinking about how Tammy would react to the gift.
Tammy glanced over at Jack, wondering what it could be. Their eyes locked, causing her pulse to quicken. She gulped, running her finger through the flap, to break the seal. She pulled out a handmade card, created by Dixie herself. She quickly recognized the goofy, one-eyed creatures she loved to draw.
Tammy opened the card, and her heart stopped as she read the question printed in a very childish handwriting. Will you become a part of our family? It was signed Dixie and Jack at the bottom.
Tammy looked up to find Jack kneeling next to her and holding out a small black box. “Tammy, it was the perfect kind of fate that brought you into our lives that day at Cupid’s. Dixie and I were both a mess.”
Tammy sniffled. “You were both fine.”
“Shhh. Let me finish. I didn’t realize until that day how much I needed you in my life. My love for you had grown day by day and expanded the size of my heart at least four times. Please tell me that you’ve found room in your heart for me and that you’ll marry me.”
Jack flipped open the box’s top, and Tammy gasped. A marque diamond sat nestled in a bunch of sapphires. Tears began to blur her vision. It was so perfect. Jack was so perfect. Her new family was so perfect.
“I would love to be Mrs. Jack Ferguson.” Tammy threw herself at Jack, hugging him tightly.
Little arms wrapped around her waist. “Does this mean you’ll be my mommy for more than a day?”
Tammy wiped the tears from her eyes to look at Dixie. “If you want, I’ll be your mommy from now on.”
Chapter 17
Tammy couldn’t believe that she and Jack had been together for just over nine months. It still felt like some sort of dream. Sometimes, she had to pinch herself, just to make sure it was all real.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Jack asked, squeezing her hand as he brought it into his lap, resting it on his leg.
“I was just thinking about how crazy it is that we’ve been together for nearly a year now,” Tammy admitted.
“I know, when I first met you it was Dixie’s first day of school, and now, it’s already her kindergarten graduation. Can you believe it?” he asked.
Jack sat back in his worn out school auditorium. Luckily, they had gotten there
early enough to snag some of the better seats. Tammy held onto her smartphone, ready to snap some pictures of Dixie’s proud moment when she came on stage in just a short while.
“Not at all. The day before I met you, I was complaining to Katy that I’d never find the one, but then you just popped into my life. Funnily enough, if she hadn’t been so persistent about me coming to that breakfast special, I would’ve never run into you. It’s like she knew it was going to happen that way…” Tammy trailed off.
She’d wondered for ages if it was just chance that had brought the two of them together or if it was indeed Katy and her rumored magical matchmaking capabilities.
“Excuse me. I couldn’t help but overhear,” a woman’s voice said near Tammy’s ear.
Tammy turned around and saw a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties with long, brown hair and milk chocolate-colored eyes. She was with a man who looked a few years older than her. He had a fine face and a swimmer’s body. His hair was brown and a bit shaggy like he needed a haircut. “Um, I’m sorry but do we know you?”
“I don’t think so. But we couldn’t help but overhear you two talking about Katy, from Cupid’s right?” she asked.
“Yeah. That’s the one. Why?” Jack eyed the couple suspiciously.
“Well… we heard you two talking about how Katy played a big part in the start of your relationship. The same thing happened to us.”
The girl giggled, looking over at the guy. “You see I’m a vegetarian, but my boyfriend here is a sworn meat lover. On my first day at Cupid’s, I ordered a BLT, no bacon and he ordered one with extra. Katy messed up our orders and caused us to instigate a conversation. We haven’t been a day apart since,” she smiled brightly, holding her boyfriend’s hand tightly.
“Really?” Tammy said, amazed. “And you think Katy set it up somehow?”
“Definitely. She has never messed up an order since. Her memory is superb. I don’t believe for a minute that it could’ve been an accident. Even on her bad days, she’s a perfect waitress,” the guy stated.
“Are you suggesting that Katy is some sort of a matchmaker?” Jack asked.
“I mean, her last name is Cupid. It’s very fitting,” the girl commented.
“She has a point,” Tammy smiled. “So, who are you here at the graduation for?”
“Oh, my niece,” the man said. “I promised little Jasmine that her favorite uncle would be here.”
“Jasmine Elliott?” Jack asked suddenly.
“Yeah, how did you know?” The man answered, a bit confused.
“My daughter is Dixie Ferguson. Jasmine and Dixie play together,” Jack explained.
“What a small world.” The girl smiled and held out her hand. “I’m Brooke, by the way.”
Tammy nodded, shaking the woman’s hand. “I’m Tammy.”
“And I’m Jack.”
“I’m Justin.”
Just as they finished exchanging pleasantries, the lights dimmed, announcing the arrival of the kindergarteners. Tammy quickly swiped her phone and found the camera app. She handed it to Jack who took much better pictures than she did.
Jack captured a few photos of his daughter, smiling and looking adorable in her little graduation cap and gown. He smiled ear to ear, feeling like the proudest parent in the world. When the students began to perform a little show, he sat back, enjoying it as he held Tammy’s hand.
She laid her head on Jack’s shoulder, feeling at ease. Throughout their time together, she wholeheartedly accepted Dixie as her very own daughter and so, she felt like a proud Momma when the little girl came forward to receive her diploma.
Dixie had changed quite dramatically throughout the course of the year. She wasn’t as much of a troublemaker anymore. Of course, accidents somehow still managed to happen in her presence from time to time, and she still weaseled her way out of it with a smile, but at least she was getting much better about it. She always listened to Tammy and was slowly starting to regard her as a mother.
“She looks so nice,” Jack whispered in Tammy’s direction. Dixie’s hair was done up in two braided buns on the side of her head. She had decided she wanted to be a space princess for her graduation, so Tammy spent almost an hour perfecting the hairstyle. Tammy was no expert when it came to hair, but she didn’t want to disappoint the little girl. So, after countless how-to videos, she finally managed to figure it out.
“She looks beautiful,” Tammy corrected, whispering back, squeezing Jack’s hand just a little tighter.
“Thanks to you.” He kissed Tammy’s head.
Chapter 18
After Dixie’s graduation, the trio made their way to Cupid’s to celebrate. Tammy wanted to confront Katy about her matchmaking abilities, but Jack insisted she let it go. He convinced her that it was better to keep it mysterious because once you learned the explanation behind something, it often lost its charm.
“Daddy, can I get a sundae?”
“What’s the magic word?” He lifted an eyebrow in her direction.
“Please,” she answered and fluttered her lashes.
He nodded, kissing the top of her head. “Two cherries?”
“Pretty please!” She giggled and started to color on the child placemats that had been placed in front of her when she sat down.
“I wonder where Katy is. She usually greets us the minute we enter the door,” Tammy commented, swiveling in her stool, trying to locate the iconic owner.
“Did someone just say my name?” Katy seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
Tammy jumped, nearly falling off her stool. She stared at Katy, trying to figure out where she had come from. “How did you do that?”
“How did I do what?”
Jack squeezed Tammy’s hand under the counter. “Never mind. I think we’re ready to order.”
“Great, what will it be?” Katy asked, pad in hand.
“Can I get the burger, shake combo, and hold the fries.”
“You don’t want fries?” Katy asked, seemingly surprised.
“No. I think I’m good. Trying to watch my figure and all.” Tammy ran a hand over her body, showing off the few pounds she had shed in her morning jogs with Jack.
“You look fine just the way you are, babe,” Jack whispered in her ear, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her a little bit closer. “You’ll always look beautiful to me.”
Dixie gave them a reprimanding look. “You’re being yucky again.” She reminded them. While she liked that her father was with Tammy, she still wasn’t quite used to their public displays of affection. She preferred when they didn’t kiss each other.
“Sorry,” Jack chuckled, letting go of his fiancée.
“So, should I still write down that you don’t want any fries?” Katy asked, just to clarify.
“That’s right.” Tammy nodded.
“What happened to your motto?” Katy inquired.
“What motto?” Jack asked curiously.
Tammy’s cheeks turned red when he looked at her, knowing it would be embarrassing to admit. “Um… well when I was upset about that horrible date, you know the one where I wasted two hundred dollars on the worst night of my life? Well… I came here for some comfort food the next day. I got a basket of fries and ended up making the choice to live my life following the motto ‘fries before guys.’ But then I met you… and…”
Jack laughed and leaned in to kiss her lips. “You’re cute.”
Katy watched the couple kiss and felt a thrill of excitement run through her. She’d done it again. Finding just the right match for those around her made her life worthwhile and on most days it erased the pains of her own heartache. Like now, Katy couldn’t imagine feeling more complete than she did at this moment. Tammy and Jack had found their perfect match, and that was something to celebrate.
Jack turned from Tammy and refocused on Katy. “We’ll have the burger, shake combo with fries and a chicken tender meal for Dixie with a caramel sundae.”
Katy tapped her pencil against her no
tepad and said, “That’s what I like to hear. Now, what did I tell you that day, Tammy?”
“You were right. Everything worked out in the end.” Tammy glanced at Jack for a split second before taking in a deep breath. “But there’s still one thing I don’t understand.”
“What’s that?” Katy asked. She knew where Tammy was going, but it was always best to pretend she had no idea what they were talking about.
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That Jack would be at the breakfast special. It was like you knew that if I didn’t come that morning, I wouldn’t have met him. That’s why you pushed for me to come so hard, isn’t it?”
Katy grinned. This would be an easy one to answer. “That my friend is called chance.”
“It couldn’t have just been chance!” Tammy retorted. “At Dixie’s graduation this morning, we ran into another couple who said you brought them together, too. That must be more than simply chance.”
“Oh? Who?” Katy asked.
Katy matched a lot of couples, and she was curious who Tammy was talking about.
“Justin and Brooke.”
She nodded at the names. “Great kids. They both went to Berkeley and met here one day when I was a bit scatterbrained and messed up their orders.”
“But you never mess up anyone’s order!” Tammy exclaimed.
“Everything happens for a reason, my dear.”
Sensing her cue to leave, Katy ripped their order off the pad and walked back to the kitchen.
“She has to be some real-life Cupid or something,” Tammy grumbled.
“Maybe she is,” Jack whispered, gently kissing her and rubbing her neck. “And if that’s the case, we should just be grateful that we were shot with her arrow and fell in love.”
He smiled deeply, his heart swelling with happiness. Their eyes locked, and he found himself falling deep into her gaze yet again. He felt like he never wanted to look away from those piercing blue eyes of hers. Jack knew he would dedicate every day of his life to this woman, through thick and thin.
Fries Before Guys (Cupid's Cafe Where love is on the menu Book 5) Page 8
