Page 27 of Trusting Forever

“Let’s cut up some fruit. We don’t want to spoil your dinner.” Any more than it already was. Sebastian asked me to rein in his mother’s snacks, but it was hard to step in when she loved providing Ember with after-school treats she’d baked fresh just for her.

“Uh. Fine.”

I put grapes, cheese, and crackers on the table. “What do you think about starting the cookie dough for cut-out cookies? We’ll need to refrigerate it for a few hours. So, we could put the dough in the fridge overnight and roll them out tomorrow.”

“Yes, cookies!” Ember exclaimed before popping a grape into her mouth.

I’d ordered everything we needed earlier in the week, so I gathered the ingredients and placed them on the counter, then hunted for the cookie trays until I finally found one. “I think we’re going to need to invest in more cookie things. Your father only has one tray and no cooling racks.”

“He never bakes cookies. Not from scratch. Just the pre-made ones from the store.”

My eyes widened. “Well, that’s not going to cut it.”

Ember giggled.

“We need the real deal. You want to help?” I asked Ember, but she was already scooting a chair across the floor, which made a loud screeching noise. Hopefully, she wasn’t scratching Sebastian’s new wood floor.

I propped my phone on a holder that Sebastian kept on the kitchen counter so I could show her the recipe. Ember read the list, and then I helped her measure and pour each ingredient into the bowl.

Lori made a ton of cookies for the shop and the family, so I only made one batch. These were just for us and Santa.

When Ember was mixing the batter, and flour covered us and the counter, my phone buzzed with an incoming text.

“Is it the tree?” Ember asked, her tongue peeking out as she concentrated on her task.

I picked up the phone to see the full message.

Knox:

I can bring one by at close tonight. Does that work?

That’s perfect. Thank you!

Knox:

Anything for my niece.

Even if Ember was missing her mother, she had so many uncles who adored her. “We’re getting a tree.”

She squealed. “Do we have lights for it?”

“I think there was another box of lights. I’ll look once the dough is in the fridge.”

“We can’t cook them tonight?” Ember asked, her lower lip popping out into a pout.

“It needs to sit in the fridge for a few hours so they’re easier to roll out. We want to do cut-out cookies, remember?”

“My arm hurts.” Ember handed me the spoon, and I took over, making sure the flour was all mixed in.

Then I rolled it into a ball, wrapped it in cellophane, and placed it on a shelf in the fridge.

“Lights?” Ember asked, jumping off the chair.

“Don’t jump off chairs. That’s dangerous,” I said, my heart leaping in my chest.

She ran toward the basement door without listening to me.

“Hold up, Ember. We have to clean up our mess.”

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