“Oh, a romance novel a friend recommended.” She grabs the book and hands it to me.
The first thing I notice is the beautiful cover, with gold lettering and flowers.
“I’ve never heard of this author before,” I murmur as I flip the book over to read the bio.
“Oh, yes. She’s an indie author, but lives here in North Carolina, so I decided to give her a chance. It’s actually very entertaining.” Her voice grows more animated as she tells me about the story and gives me a quick summary of what she’s read so far.
“You know what? I’ll give it to you once I’m done. I think it’d be a good read for you.”
“How come?” I ask, looking at her intently, fully invested in whatever answer she’s about to give me.
“Well, hija…” She shrugs. “You’re still single. You need to find spice somewhere, even if it’s through the pages of a book.”
I burst out laughing. Of course, my mother worries about the level of spice in my life.
“Unless…” she says in a hushed tone.
“What, Mami?” I ask, wiping tears from my eyes.
“Unless the MacAllister boy is already adding spice to your life.”
This should be an easy answer.
No, Ma. He’s not.
But I stay quiet, and apparently that’s all the ammunition she needs.
“Hmmm. Sometimes silence is louder than words.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” I shake my head. “But no, Mami. Miles and I are just coworkers.”
The lie comes out so easily, I almost believe it myself.
I mean, technically, that’s what we are. The fact that we’ve had a couple of very sexy moments together is a whole different issue.
“Anywho,” I say quickly. “The reason I came by is because I need your help.”
Her entire demeanor brightens. “What can I help with?” she asks, clasping her hands together excitedly.
“So, the MacAllister girls—Ruin and Rain—are hosting a Christmas cookie exchange, and I thought it’d be fun to participate.”
“I see.” Her voice goes completely flat.
“Is something wrong?” I ask, carefully.
“Well, Penny Bean, you’re not the most talented person in the kitchen. It’s a good thing you came to me.” She pats my arm, and I scowl at her.
She laughs and waves me off. “Come on. We need to brainstorm. Do you have an idea of what kind of cookie you want to bake?”
I lift my eyebrows and purse my lips.
Mama lets out a dramatic sigh. “Oh, dear.”
Together, we head into the kitchen and pull out herrecipe books.
Since there isn’t really a traditional Colombian Christmas cookie, Mami decides we should make a sugar cookie decorated like faroles with royal icing.
One of the Christmas traditions in Colombia is lighting candles to honor the mother of Jesus. The faroles are made from colorful paper with intricate cutout designs, and once you place a candle inside, they glow like little kaleidoscopes.
