I give an eager nod. “And as the official and mostproficientmatchmaker just this side of the Rockies, let me tell you that he is undoubtedly the one for you.” I may not be all that proficient, but Sabrina doesn’t need to know that. All she needs to know is that Graham Holiday officially has a target on his back, and I’ve just turned her into a torpedo. “I promise that you and Graham will be the premier super couple in all of Gingerbread. Once I gift you Graham Holiday’s head on a platter, there will be no refuting it.”
Her mouth falls open as she looks to herself in the mirror to our left. “This is really happening.” She primps her hair with her fingers. “I can’t believe this, Missy. I have wanted Graham Holiday for myself for as long as I can remember.”
“Well, here’s your chance. Would you like a few insider tips on how to land your man?”
She inches back. The look on her face lets me know that projectile vomiting half the bakery she just inhaled is a real possibility. “Fromyou?” She breaks out into a pitiful laugh. “Oh,honey. I’m thankful you pointed my feet in the right direction, but let’s face it—I can take it from here. No offense, but taking advice from you would be like the choir instructor asking the church mouse for a few instructions. Back up and watch a seasoned pro. I’ll have a rock on this finger by New Year’s.” She wiggles her left hand my way as she heads back to her page turning posse.
My stomach does an odd revolution, and as much as I try to tell myself the visual of Sabrina upchucking my cookies was the leading cause, the thought of Graham decorating her finger with bling makes my insides churn.
I look to Holly who’s busy scowling at me.
“Oh, who cares?” I hiss. “It’s a means to an end. They deserve each other, remember?”
“Okay.” She tosses her hands in the air before unleashing herself from her apron. “Just remember you deserve someone, too.”
Sabrina races out the door and into traffic. The sound of a car horn cuts through the silence.
Holly shakes her head. “Wind her up and watch her go.”
“Are you kidding?” I scramble to take off my own apron. “You and I are about to get front row seats.”
I shout for Jenna to man the fort as I pull Holly by the wrist all the way there.
Angelino’s is a quaint Italian restaurant with a pizza bar that lines the front as well as tables and booths in the back. It’s one of Gingerbread’s official fast casual restaurants that you can get in and out of pretty quickly if you just want to sneak a bite between batches of cookies baking in the oven. They have a popular sandwich counter that usually has a line out the door at lunchtime, and they’re our only hope for delivery in the evenings.
Holly and I step inside and are immediately welcomed by the thick scent of garlic and roasted marinara as they permeate the air. I take a deep breath in through my nose and savor the scents as my stomach begins to growl.
“There he is!” Holly gasps as she points to the back where a bewildered Graham Holiday tries to decode whatever Sabrina is pumping in his ear.
“Ha! The look on his face is priceless!” I pull my sister into a booth near the front, affording us a full view of the soon-to-be lovelorn couple in the rear of the establishment.
A waiter comes over with a basket of complimentary garlic breadsticks, and Holly quickly orders a large veggie pizza.
I snap my fingers to get his attention before he leaves. “Throw on a slice of Canadian bacon and pineapple for me!”
Holly waves me off. “You don’t throw on a slice once you order a whole pizza. Weirdo.” She ducks for a moment as Sabrina’s piercing laughter resonates through the place.
“Sure you can.” My voice wavers as I say it. “That way you and Tom can have a pizza for dinner, and I won’t feel bad about cutting into it.” I glare over at the table in the back as the two of them laugh it up as if they were having the time of their lives. How dare they have so much fun, and right in front of my face! The whole idea was to invoke a serious dose of misery on both parties—or at least Graham.
“Why are you shooting them dirty looks?” Holly pulls my hand over until I’m forced to look at her.
“Because the point of this wasn’t to have them enjoying one another’s company. I wanted Sabrina to slowly kill Graham with her homicidal laughter, not have him join in on it.”
Her mouth rounds out as she gives an awkward nod in their direction. “He’s coming this way!”
Graham’s woodsy cologne arrives at the table long before he does, and I can’t help but inhale the warm scent and let it fill my lungs for a moment. I’ve always been a sucker for a clean-smelling man, just not this particular one.
“Holly.” He nods to my sister. “Missy, can I speak with you alone for a minute?”
“No,” I shoot back so fast it sounds like a reprimand. “I mean, we’ve only got a few minutes left on our lunch break, and we’re just starving to death.”
I jam half a breadstick into my mouth and moan as if it were a decadent slice of cheesecake. But it’s not. It’s dry toast smeared with garlic salt, and it’s all I can do not to gag right in his face. It would serve him right after he all but enjoyed Sabrina’s company in my presence. As if him standing right in front of me isn’t vexing enough, he’s practically gloating over the fact he’s having a great time. No way am I going to let him haul me to the side to let me in on it either. I’ve got two eyes. I can see what’s going on here.
Graham folds those enormous arms of his across his wide as a linebacker's chest. “Have it your way.” He tucks his pointy tail back between his legs and heads back to the redheaded demon waiting to greet him. I can’t help but scowl at the two of them as they pick up right where they left off—in Happyville.
Holly makes a face. “Have what your way? You think he’s onto you?”
“Who cares?” I pick the remainder of my breadstick apart as if I were readying a crumb trail to lead to the bakery. “What matters most is that the two beating hearts seated in that direction find their way to beating as one. I’ll be right there at their wedding, ready and willing to tackle anyone who objects.”
