“Thank you,” she whispered. Her lip quivered, and Lachlan kissed her back delicately. The way he held her face was like he was holding a glass ornament, precious and worthy of being cherished.
“That isn’t all,” Lachlan mutters.
“What isn’t?” Eliza asked.
“Puffcake and I wanted to do something else for you, but thought for this next gift, you might want to be more involved.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, in the new year, I’ll come up and help you search for places in London for your bakery.”
“But I—” Eliza stuttered. “—I only have five thousand pounds. That isn’t enough to?—”
Lachlan cut her off. “Your five thousand pounds has been matched.”
“What? You can’t just do that! I got you a bloody mug for Christmas, and you buy me a houseanda bakery?”
Lachlan laughed. “One, you just spoiled my Christmas present. How dare you? And two, I’m not the one who helped match your bakery funds.”
“What?” Eliza blinked. “Then … who was it?”
Puffcake came fluttering over, then, eyes aglow with the joy of Christmas morning. He wagged his tail feverishly, snuggling into Eliza.
“Puffcake?” Eliza gaped in disbelief.
“Turns out, the exchange rate on chocolate chip cryptocurrency is through the roof right now. Guess that’s what living for seventy-five years will get you with nothing to blow your money on but candy cane lattes and frosting facials.”
“Guess you could say our gingerbread pal is rolling in dough,” Eliza giggled, scratching in between his ears.
Puffcake barked out a laugh, too, and smoke dissipated in the winter air.
“How could I ever repay you?” she asked them both.
“Just repay us in pastries. Word on the street is that the exchange rate foryourdelicious treats is pretty high, so you’ll have paid me back in no time.”
She kissed him again, and Puffcake flew out from her scarf and bounced wildly on her head. “Puffcake!” she giggled. “Lay off!”
“Jealous, much?” Lachlan said.
Puffcake still pounded away, pointing behind them. It was too late.
A snowball came barreling through the air, smashing both Eliza and Lachlan in the face. A triumphant “whoop!”came from the street, and they both turned to see Hansel and Gretel slapping in a high five.
“Nice work, bro!” Gretel’s voice glittered through the air.
Eliza shot to her feet, and lent a hand to Lachlan. The two of them smiled mischievously, thinking the exact same thing. Together, they began packing as much snow as they could, hiding behind Lachlan’s car.
“You guys are burnt toast!”
“Three, two, one!” The crowd cheered from behind Eliza.
She tightened her grip around a dramatically oversized pair of red scissors, the plastic handles comically bright against her flour-coated hands. Lachlan’s fingers settled over hers, his presence constantly grounding her to the spot as several camera shutters clattered in short bursts.
“Ready?” Piper called to them over her phone, her eyebrows raised expectantly as she held her camera high. She was live on her TikTok, smiling into the camera as the hearts were already bubbling up the side of the screen. She stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Hansel and Gretel, trying to coach them on how to “get the best angle.” Eliza’s parents were beside them, her dad grinning wide, and her mum wringing her hands the way she always did when she was fighting back tears.
On the other side, Lachlan’s mum and sister were leaning in so close that Eliza thought they might topple over any second. They were all in the front row, eyes up front, and cameras set. Every face on the street was turned toward them, as their little corner of London seemed to hold its breath for the grand opening.
Eliza took a deep breath and looked to the ribbon pulled taut against the double doors of her new bakery, Puffcake’s Pantry. On her shoulder, Puffcake balanced there like a crowned mascot, beaming between her and Lachlan, his chest puffed tall in his moment of fame.
