Page 20 of Baking it Merry

His smile was small, but she could tell he understood.“I get it.I’m not great at cooking, but I get by.There are some nights I just grab takeout because I’m too tired to do anything.”

“Sadly, that’s me most days lately.In my head, I think I can do it all, but the reality is very different.”She took another bite before adding, “And there’s only so much cake a person can eat before it gets to be too much.”

“I feel that way about takeout sometimes.Like it’s all fine and there are so many options, but after a while it’s just like…enough.”Picking up a napkin, Tristan paused and looked around and Daphne could tell by the look on his face that he found her taste in decor to be a little unpleasant.

Like the way he viewed her gingerbread house.

And porch.

“So…you decorate for everything, huh?Everywhere?”His words were as stiff as his face, and when he faced her again, she caught him glancing at her sweatshirt and frowning even more.

“I do,” she said proudly, taking a second slice.“I love the holidays and surrounding myself with things that make me happy.”Although, looking around, she could see where some people might consider it overkill.There were dried leaf garlands around all the windows and along her mantle.Tiny pumpkins adorned her coffee table and kitchen island, but the scarecrow in the corner was probably a little over the top.Maybe.

For several minutes, they ate in silence.

“Let’s talk about the parties,” she blurted out when she couldn’t stand it anymore.It was obvious they had zero in common, so she might as well skip the small talk and focus on business.“You said you liked what I had planned, so…”

“I did,” he agreed before finishing his slice.“I think you really captured everything I hoped these parties would be.”Reaching for his satchel, he pulled out his laptop and set it up.He tapped on a slideshow, and Daphne marveled at the pictures.

“Is that your house?”she squeaked, unable to believe that it was real and that he lived in something like that by himself.

Until she realized maybe he didn’t.

“Your family must love having all that space.Your wife…and kids…”

“I’m not married,” he clarified.“And no kids.It’s just me.But when you design homes for a living, this is sort of what you end up with.You want your space to be custom-made.”

She’d have to take his word for it because she couldn’t even wrap her head around living in such a space if you were alone.

Forcing herself to focus when he got to the photos of the living area, she saw that the main floor was primarily all open—like hers—but way more massive.

“The space is perfect for entertaining,” she said.“I think having the living room, dining room, and kitchen all open like that is perfect for what we’re going to do.And your kitchen is an absolute dream!That island alone could handle everything we’re going to serve.”It was done in a T shape and just…huge.She imagined having all that space to bake in her own house instead of having to rent space and got seriously jealous.Pushing that thought aside, she watched a few more slides.“Or we can set up some things on the island and some on the dining room table.It looks like it seats like…”

“Twelve,” he supplied.“But if we set it up to serve, where would people eat?”

“These aren’t formal events, so you don’t want them sitting down at the table to eat.Parties are for gathering and socializing, so you want your guests to be able to pick up their food and mingle.We’d put the chairs away or set them up in small clusters around the space to supplement the existing seating.”

For a moment, he just looked at her.“Do you have catering experience?Because you just seem to have a real grasp on this sort of thing.”

“When I was in college, I worked for a catering company.I was with them for a little over four years and pretty much helped out in every capacity—server, setup, driver, dishwasher, DJ, assistant chef, baker, and bartender.But just for total transparency, the DJ and bartending thing only happened once; it was during flu season and we were shorthanded.”

That made him chuckle.“Good to know.”

“Anyway, I just learned a lot while I was working with them, so I feel confident in what I’m suggesting.Of course, you can do whatever you want.These are your parties, so if you want them to be more formal and have people sit down with place cards and whatnot, we can do that too.”

“I didn’t say I wanted it formal,” he corrected stiffly.“I just thought…” Sighing loudly, he reached for his drink.“I don’t know what I thought.This really isn’t my thing, so I feel a bit out of my element.”

Even if he didn’t admit it out loud, Daphne knew.For a man who seemed confident—almost arrogant—there was a vulnerable side to him where these parties were concerned, and it was actually kind of sweet that he was feeling this way.

“You’re going to be fine,” she assured him.“The first party is family, so there is really no pressure there.I mean, it’s going to be twenty-five people who you know and love.It’s the perfect way to ease yourself into the whole thing.And since it’s right after Thanksgiving, it’s also a great way to help everyone kick off the holiday season.Trust me; it’s going to be great.”

The look on his face told her he wasn’t convinced.

“Are you going to get a tree for everyone to help decorate?”

Picking up a fresh slice of pizza, Tristan shook his head.“I don’t think I can handle that.”

“Really?Why not?Don’t you get a tree every year?”

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