I refused to give in to the naughty portion of my brain. I was not getting coal for Christmas.
“Remember to check the oven temperature, because you can never be too careful,” I said, checking the thermometer. “It looks good, so I'm going to slide in three pans, since this is a big oven.”
“Three at a time, Holly? Good gracious,” Morticia remarked as she creamed butter and sugar for the gingerbread cookie bars.
I just need one big… Shut up brain. Think of cookies and frosting.
Owen Frost… yum.
No, not that kind of frosting.
The timer beeped.
“Time to bang!” I chirped then mentally face-palmed.
Morticia was grinning. “Bang… frosting?”
I slammed each cookie tray on the counter once then put them back in the oven.
“Getting a little hot in here,” Morticia said.
*
While the cookies cooled,I made the gingerbread cookie bars and Morticia made the tarts. I was all tarted out, so I was glad she was doing it. It was dark when we finished. Morticia and I laid out the red-and-white boxes while Zane took B-roll of the piles of finished baked goods.
“How do you make sure they don't break up in transit?” Penny asked as Morticia helped me carefully pack the baked treats into the boxes.
“These are special boxes.”
“I designed them,” Morticia interjected. The boxes had little inserts that fit the various pans I used for making cakes, loaves, cupcakes, or bars. We carefully packed the boxes, nestling the baked goods in tissue paper decorated with candy canes, snowflakes, and the Taste My Muffin logo. As a final touch, I added a letterpressed note describing what each item was. I took a few pictures to post to Instagram.
“These are ready to go!” I said as Morticia helped me load the boxes onto the cart.
We took the boxes downstairs. I had arranged for a courier pickup, and a big truck waited by the front door to the lobby.
“Something in here sure smells good!” the courier said hopefully. I handed him a package of gingerbread cookie bars.
“For the road.”
He smiled. “Merry Christmas!”
After sending off my baking boxes to their new homes, I took a few pictures out on the street then recorded a video for my Instagram story.
“As you can see, it is starting to snow,” I said into the camera, shaking snowflakes out of my hair. “Though some of all this white stuff on me is powdered sugar. I've been baking, as usual!”
I watched my phone upload the video. The comments came in as soon as it was posted.
“I love Christmas!” I sang, twirling around in the snowflakes. I was so absorbed that I didn't realize anyone was watching me until a man grabbed me!
10
Owen
“My second-favorite brother!” Jack announced when I walked into Frost Tower. Yes, my little brother had named a whole tower after himself. The lobby was decorated for Christmas, and Jack stood in the middle of it smirking, surrounded by a frankly excessive Christmas scene.
“Like my sign?” Jack said, pointing to a neon sign displaying the Frost Tower and Grey Dove Bistro logos.
“It's fitting considering that this tower was a failure until Chloe came along and saved both your ass and your tower,” I replied.
