“Are we making a gingerbread house?” I ask him, picking up one of the kits and inspecting it.
“Yes ma’am. Your dad’s idea,” he answers back. He hums in excitement, and I feel my nerves easing up. If we just focus on this next task, we won’t have to talk about anything.
“The next task is a gingerbread house? Seems sort of easy compared to the last two.”
He laughs loudly. “We have to build a gingerbread house, but it can’t be a gingerbread house.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “What does that even mean?”
“The next task is to build something out of gingerbread, but it can’t be a house. It can be a spaceship, or the Iron Throne,” he motions to the television, which is still playing Game of Thrones. “It can be whatever wild thing we can think of—”
I cut him off with a laugh. “Except a house. Good one Dad.”
“Bacon and Phil won the snow-fort contest, so we need to really knock this one out of the park.”
“Bacon?”
His cheeks flush red and he runs a hand through his messy hair. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. I meant Kevin.” He looks at me sheepishly.
And I burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Chapter Eighteen
Spencer
Phoebe’slaughteriscontagious.I find myself unable to stop smiling because of it, unable to look away from her. I was worried something was off with her when Piper Facetimed her earlier, but with how hard she’s laughing, I’m guessing everything is okay again.
Maybe I was just overthinking it earlier, and she just seemed out of sorts because she wasn’t feeling well. Things seem back to normal though—well, as normal as they could be considering everything that happened between us last night.
I hope she doesn’t regret it. I sure as hell don’t. Last night was one of the best nights of my life, and I’m dying to press my lips to hers again. I don’t want to spook her though, so I’ll wait for her to make the next move.
The last thing I want to do is drive her away again. Not when things seem to be going surprisingly well between us right now.
Phoebe wipes at the tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard, I don’t think I’ve seen her look more beautiful. Her red hair is in a messy bun piled on top of her head. She’s got on the most ridiculous looking pajama pants that I’ve ever seen, and she has one of my football sweatshirts on. Add all that in with her smile that lights up my whole world…she’s perfect.
“Okay, okay,” she proclaims. “I’m done laughing.” I raise an eyebrow at her, and that just sends her into another fit of giggles.
I shake my head at her, laughing at her in the process, and start opening the first gingerbread house kit. I tear the box apart and lay it flat on the table so we can use the cardboard as a base for the project. I’m completely and totally winging this thing, and I hope that I can make it look the way I’m picturing it in my head.
My plan is to build a gingerbread library. We can use some Red Vines and frosting to make bookshelves that line the inner walls of the library, and different types of candy for the books. The rest…well I’ll leave that up to Phoebe because she’s got fantastic decorating skills. Her ugly sweaters have won first place every time we’ve played the Feud over the years, and I know most of them she’s made herself.
“Alright, I’m actually done this time,” she giggles while wiping under her eyes again. “Tell me what the plan is. I see those gears working in your head, so fill me in.” She steps closer to me, placing her hands on her hips. Evidently that’s her battle stance.
“We really need to win this one. We can’t let Phil and Bacon get another win under their belts. Sorry,Kevin. I was thinking we could make a gingerbread library. We could use different candies as books, and line the walls with licorice or something to make it look like bookshelves,” I tell her. “Maybe we can use some graham crackers and pretzels to make the tables for our gingerbread men, and women, to study at. I don’t know, I’m just spit-balling here. What do you think?”
She studies the table, and the supplies for a moment. “We could get some of those little chocolate donuts and use them as little bean bags. I loved the bean bags at my library,” she says thoughtfully. “And maybe some of those pink Snoballs and use them as cute little bushes for the front? We can use some green sprinkles to make them look more like bushes, and then we can use red M&M’s to make them look like rose bushes. Oh! We can also get some marshmallows and pretzel sticks to make some bookcases between the tables, like a real library!” She claps excitedly and jumps up and down in place.
I glance down at my watch. “We only have a few hours to get this done, so I’ll run to the store and grab the rest of the supplies. You stay here and start putting this library together. If that’s okay with you?”
She doesn’t say anything, but she quickly walks to the fridge and grabs my grocery list off of it, and then grabs a pen from the junk drawer. I know I need to focus on this task, but I sort of love that she knows her way around my small house.
Phoebe writes the list in a rush, then hands it to me. “Don’t forget the peppermint candies! They’ll make cute wall decorations!” I love hearing the excitement in her voice. She follows me to the door, and walks me out. She surprises me by placing a swift kiss on my cheek before she heads back inside.
“Oh and Spencer,” she yells from the doorway. I turn back around and face her. “Drive safe.”
Her smile could melt all the ice caps in the world with how brightly it shines at me.
When I get back home, I don’t even make it to the front door before I hear Phoebe singing loudly to the Games of Thrones theme song. I’m not sure I can classify it as singing since the theme song has no words…but whatever it is…it’s loud. I open the door cautiously and almost die of laughter when I see her dancing around in those stupid pajama pants around the kitchen island. She’s moved everything I had set up on the table over to the island, and when I step closer to her, I swear I hear her saying something that sounds eerily similar to “wiener” over and over again in tune with the theme song.
