It was the last weekend before Christmas, and I knew there wasn’t going to be a perfect time to finish my shopping, but at least I was able to score some vacation days away from the boutique to spend with Ty before Carson picked him up after lunch on Christmas Day.
The panini press clicked ready at the same time as the doorbell chimed.
“Ty, can you see who’s at the door, please?” I hollered across the bar into the living room. “Be sure to look through the side window before you open the door.”
He didn’t budge. “I just got to level five, Mom.”
And yet another argument started. “It has a pause. Do it now or lose privileges, young man.”
He paused the game and tossed the controller on the floor beside his gaming chair. Within moments, he had returned with a brown paper bag nicely decorated with a big red bow and a tag that read, “Merry Christmas, Chelsie and Ty.”
“Who gave this to you?”
“No one. It was sitting in front of the door,” he answered.
He tore into the package as if it were Christmas morning already, scattering the contents inside the bag. I realized we needed to have a discussion about safety. My child feared no one and nothing.
“We don’t eat things, unless we know who made them. My bets were on Shawna, but I’ll have to ask her later.”
“It was probably Mr. Jorge; he does all the cooking over there anyway.”
Outta the mouth of babes.
With the goodies spread about, we dove in to see what we had been gifted. There were two clear bags—one with homemade sugar cookies and the other with two gingerbread cookies, one decorated as a boy, the other a girl. Definitely cuter than something I could create.
“Mom, there’s a note. I’ll let you read it. I’m going to go play.”
The panini press buzzer sounded, so I tossed the cookie swap stuff to the side and concentrated on getting dinner finished and prepping my dishes for the Bunco party the next evening. Ty was expecting Xander, his friend from school, to come for a sleep over and it was gonna be nice to sleep in on Friday morning for a change.
Gourmet presentation and all, I fixed his plate and served it up on the bar like a fast order cook. “Come eat before it gets cold.”
The two bar stools on the ends of my counter was where we always ate our dinner, so I sat down beside him, and we chatted about his list to Santa and all the things he wanted to do while out for holiday break. Splitting the days with his dad made it hard for our families to plan, but luckily Carson didn’t fuss about adjusting the calendar, so I could at least always have Christmas morning with Ty.
“Mom?”
“Hmm.”
“You weren’t listening.”
I pushed the plate away with my half-eaten sandwich. “Yes, I was, but I was chewing my food.” He knew me too well, and I was busted zoning out on him.
He’d eaten quickly. “What time is Xander coming?”
“His mom wasn’t getting off work until seven. They should be here in about an hour, so you have time to clean your room before you play any more games.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He jumped down and ran to his room. His idea of cleaning up was shoving as much under his bed as he could and dumping the rest in the closet, a habit I was struggling to break.
Grateful he had a friend coming over to entertain him, I had a few minutes to relax before diving in to my cooking projects, and so I picked up the cookie stuff and opened the card that had been included.
Welcome to the Cookie Swap. Hope you enjoy these handmade goodies filled with lots of heart. Follow the instructions carefully and lots of love is guaranteed to come back to you.
Within forty-eight hours, make a batch of cookies, your choice. When they are fresh from the oven, put them in a container and decorate it for the season. Copy the recipe and enclose with the cookies. Deliver to the second house to the north of you. And remember, do this with a soulful cooking heart and make room for much cookie love to come back to you. Don’t break the chain or bad luck will come to you.
To the north? That seemed to be a strange request. Why not next door? Or to your left or right?
The nicely decorated package was par for the course, but thinking about the strange instructions for a moment caused my CSI addiction to dive into overdrive. Our home was on the corner and the only neighbor in front of me was the mini-park. Since we lived on a cul-de-sac, the street kind of circled around. We only had neighbors to our left, or north.
To the north? I thought again.
This had to be of Shawna’s doing. Only she would do with the North business since she was a pilot. I was certainly going to ask her when she came over for Bunco the next night. Because two houses to the north meant the new neighbor, Dr. Ian Briggs and his son, Oliver.
Ty and I’d seen them the day they moved in when their dog got loose and came running to me in our yard. On quite a few occasions, I would go out for the newspaper early in the morning about the same time as Dr. Briggs, and his dog would come running up to me. It was as if our clocks were synced. I’d wave and so would he, always smiling and a few times he yelled hello, but I always quickly retreated.
Never thought of myself as shy, but since a very painful divorce, I’d lost my self-confidence.
Surely, Shawna wasn’t trying to play a game of matchmaker. Nah, surely not. She knew how I felt about being set up, and her last attempt was an epic failure.
The calendar hanging on the side of the fridge caught my stare. 2013. It had been almost three years since I’d found out Carson had been sleeping with his twenty-year-old administrative assistant. It took almost a year to finalize the divorce, but during that time, I’d let myself go from anxiety and depression. The “husband with a younger woman” scenario had taken a toll on me. Not that thirty-four was old, but I thought I’d lost “it”. You know, spark, pizazz…sex appeal. Heck, I didn’t even remember how to flirt. So, I stopped going to the gym or watching what I ate and continued to feel sorry for myself. Possessing a petite form didn’t help, since every pound seemed to double in visibility.
It was Shawna and her husband, Jorge, who brought me out of my shell. We became friends the moment Ty and I moved into the neighborhood. Soon, I was back to running, working out, and attending functions again. But always alone and always the third wheel. They set me up once with a friend of theirs, and that didn’t go well. He wasn’t ready to be daddy material and said so. I’ll never understand why he accepted a date with a woman who had a child. Shawna and Jorge had both felt bad, and we agreed no more set-ups.
So, why was she doing it again?
Chapter 4
Bunco was an amazingly fun game, and I loved all of my Bunco Sisters as we referred to each other.
Shawna was the first to arrive for our monthly get together.
“I’m glad you got here early. I wanted to ask you about the cookie swap set up.”
Shawna fidgeted with her hair as she always did. I wished she’d get rid of those horrid extensions. “Cookies, did you make some?”
“You know I made cookies. They’re sitting on the bar you passed on the way in here. Don’t be coy. I was talking about the cookie swap you left on my door.”
She turned her back to me and started pouring herself a glass of wine. “Oh, that. Yeah, we got a sack left on our doorstep, too.”
“Just admit it, you started the whole thing on purpose. To the North?”
She turned to face me, extending a glass of wine. “North?” she asked with puzzled amusement.
“Yes, my instructions are right there.” I pointed to the mail and whatever basket next to the coffee pot. “Don’t play stupid,” I teased.
She picked up the card from the junk pile and read the instructions aloud with a giggle.
“Seems someone had specific directions for you. Mine just said pick a neighbor and share the generous treats of the holidays, but I haven’t done it yet.”
“Hmm.” I wasn’t sure I believed what she said.
&
nbsp; The doorbell rang, and within moments, my home filled up quickly with ten more gals ready to drink and roll the dice.
Sharing life, love, and loudness, we knew how to have a great time, especially spending our last night in our form of a girl’s night out of peace before the craziness of the season consumed us. Shawna and I didn’t get a chance to continue the cookie swap conversation, but I had her on speed dial and would be bringing it up later for sure.
The next morning came quickly, bringing a pounding headache. We do love a little Bunco with our wine.
There was no time to waste. Four Advil and a glass of juice were down by the time the shower water got hot. Since I slept late, I had to hurry and pick up Ty at Xander’s house before going to church. It was nice to have a kid-free Bunco zone, but it made Sunday morning indeed a rush.
I no more than put the car in park when Ty came running out. “Mom, can we go to the mall today? I want to use my birthday money for a game.”
Checking the buckle on his booster seat, I kissed his cheek. “Good morning to you, too,” I teased.
“Sorry. Good morning.”
“It’s going to be crazy at the mall, and you’ll want to wait to see what all you get for Christmas.”
“But…”
“But you can help me make special cookies today for a fun project. How’s that?”
“Can I eat the cookie dough?”
I turned into the church parking lot and glanced back at him. “Yep.”
“Awesome,” he squealed.
We were sitting on the third row from the back on the left side of our little community church, which happened to be right in our neighborhood. Shawna was the one who’d introduced me to the small church.
Perusing the bulletin, I was distracted when out of the corner of my eye a dark figure appeared in the aisle to my right. When I looked up, it was none other than our neighbor, Dr. Briggs, and his son Oliver. He was skimming the room for someone or somewhere to sit. I just wasn’t sure.
“Hi,” I mumbled with schoolgirl shyness.
He smiled. “Good morning.”
A cough did nothing to clear the lump in my throat. He was so handsome, and I was caught staring at him. “Are you looking for someone?”
“No. Well, yes. Oliver is supposed to meet his friend. I don’t know the parents, so I’m at a bit of a disadvantage.”
“Who is it? I might be able to help you.”
Oliver stepped between us. “Phillip Milan.”
Thinking for a moment, I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know him.”
He moved to the bench directly behind me. “We’ll just sit right here and keep watch.”
It felt weird knowing the handsome fella was sitting so close to my personal space. In fact, I was so self-conscious I continued to smooth my black skirt and made sure it stayed pulled down to the right length over my tights.
As the service started with song, I heard his deep baritone voice and caught myself daydreaming about what it would be like to stand around a piano and sing songs with him.
Every once in a while, our pastor would have us move about to greet each other and guests, a chore I preferred not to do. Well, he picked that day to do just that, so I turned around to the doctor and extended my hand.
“Good morning again, Dr. Briggs.”
He smiled and held on to my hand. “Please, it’s Ian.” I looked at our hands, his with long fingers, and I noticed the black bracelet.
Ty pulled on my sleeve. “Mom, is it okay if I sit with Oliver?”
I looked back up to Ian’s eyes, but before I could answer, he smiled. “It’s fine with me. In fact, you both can move back here if you’d like.”
Ty had already rounded the turn for their row. “Sure,” I mumbled as I leaned down to pick up my things.
The seat I took put the boys between us. Throughout the service, Ian or I shushed or tapped our own boy to remind him to be quiet. It felt strange—and comfortable at the same time.
Behaving as a family would.
We walked out together, although several feet distanced us, as though neither of us were comfortable with closing the gap. When we got to the beginning of the parking lot, Ian abruptly stopped walking. “We’re going to Chili’s for lunch. I’d love it if you and Ty could join us.”
Ty pulled on my arm. “Mom, can we go please, please?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to impose.”
“Please,” Oliver tossed in his pleading as well.
I looked down at two very eager boys and back up to Ian’s smiling lips. “Sure, I suppose it would be okay.”
We joined them inside the restaurant, and I had that first date giddy feeling for about the first five minutes after being seated in a booth. After that, Ian had me completely comfortable with his joking manner. He definitely had the “Surfer dude” cocky charm, but when he smiled, his tanned face lit up. I loved the long dark layers of his hair.
I took a long sip of my tea. “So, you decided to take care of broken bones. I bet there’s no shortage of them.” I winked.
He stretched his long legs under the table and accidentally kicked me. “Oops, sorry. Nope, no shortage of broken bones or orthopedist in the area either. It’s a great choice in medicine. It’s like working puzzles. I love it, and I’m always the first to autograph the cast.”
“Except mine,” Oliver giggled.
I looked from Oliver back to Ian. He nodded his head. “That’s right. I was setting his wrist in a cast in my office the week we moved here when one of the Dallas Cowboys came in for a check-up. Oliver saw him and begged him to sign his cast. So, he beat me to it.”
“Yes, and he’s so big. Like four-hundred gazillion pounds. I kept the cast.”
“Wow, that’s big,” Ty added.
“Dad look, there’s Dr. Brooks and his daughter, Cammi.”
We turned towards my right, where Oliver was pointing to see a shorter, bald-headed man talking to a girl almost as tall as him. With her hand expressions, it appeared she was pleading her case about something.
Ian left the table and spoke with them as they waited in line for a table. Within a few moments, they all approached our table.
“Chelsie, I’d like you and Ty to meet my partner, Brooks Holloway, his wife Juliet and his daughter Cammi. Where’s Peyton?
“Oh, she’s off with friends. Nothing like to have one old enough to drive,” Brooks rubbed for the hair missing on his slick head.
“No doubt,” I said. “This is my son, Ty, and he thinks he’s ready for the keys already.”
After pleasantries were extended, Ian offered for them to join us, but they declined, having already agreed to dine with other friends. It was nice to meet his partner.
We laughed over our lunch, and since Ian was sitting directly in front of me in the booth, I got the chance to observe his features. His dark hair was in need of a trim, and day old scruff covered his round cheeks, but I could clearly see dimples when he smiled. And smiling was something he did often.
“Mom, can they come home with us?”
“Ty, they aren’t puppies. We don’t just pick them up and take them home.”
Everyone laughed.
“No, but we’re making cookies, and they can help.”
“Maybe another time, Ty. Oliver’s grandparents are coming for dinner, and we need to get home.” Ian rubbed his chin. “Perhaps sometime real soon?”
“Sure,” I added.
When the check came, I was sad to see our time end. When I reached for the bill, Ian put his hand on top of mine. Neither of us offered to move. A black-banded bracelet adorned his right wrist and the silver bar bore an engraving, but I didn’t get a chance to read it before he moved. He had such long fingers, and in a split second, my imagination went crazy with thoughts of them touching me and doing savory things.
“My treat.” His voice was soft, causing me to lift my eyes to his. There was a feral hunger emitting from his icy blues.
My cheeks grew hot as
if flashed with steam. “Sure, next time will be on me.”
He didn’t answer.
The long pause of silence was maddening. Maybe he didn’t really intend for there to be a next time.
All of a sudden, my self-conscious monster was back.
Chapter 5
The bag of cookies piqued my interest, and I read the instructions for the cookie swap again. North still had me puzzled, but I decided to go with it. Especially since I had spent time with the doctor. He’d mentioned his favorite cookies were peanut butter, which were mine as well, although I didn’t share that information with him.
Snickerdoodles had been always a hit, so I thought I’d tease them with my arsenal of talent. My grandmother had the best recipe for them and had handed it down to me. Who could resist cinnamon in their cookies? Seriously, no one I knew of.
Ty put on his favorite Christmas movie, and we got out the bowls, ingredients and heated the oven.
“I think you help just for the dough,” I kissed his cheek.
“Yep,” he said with a giggle.
We had fun making two different kinds of cookies, and he left me when the dough was done, and he was on sugar overload.
With a tray of each kind baking, I rummaged through the closet of holiday stuff to find a gift tin and pulled out a bolt of cute green and red polka-dotted ribbon to decorate the cookies. I had to hunt for a blank holiday card and came up empty, so I decided I’d just make a quick one on the computer.
Following the pattern I’d been given, I typed out the directions and ripped a few holiday images from the Internet to jazz it up. Doing this task at the boutique would’ve been so much easier with our fabulous wrapping station, but of course, I managed to be a half-ass wonder woman and didn’t have shit at home.
The oven timer alarmed, and the clock told me it was almost four. Uncertain of when Ian’s guests were arriving, I put extra cookies in the tin so hopefully, there would be enough. Of course, the only piece of cellophane I had barely fit, so I had to make it work, but rounding off the top with a big bow made it very close to a masterpiece, rather than a last minute shamble. With the card attached, our cookie swap was ready.
Conflicted on 5th: A 5th Avenue Romance Novel, Book One (5th Avenue Romance Series 1) Page 3
