Page 31 of The Grump

I looked at the ingredients on the counter: egg yolks and sugar, milk and whipped cream, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.

“We have all the right ingredients except one. No alcohol?” I asked him.

“Nah. Once we tried to make one for adults only and a separate one for Bella, and it backfired because she kept wanting to taste ours. Let’s just say she wasn’t happy when we didn’t let her. Ever since, we just drink alcohol-free eggnog.”

“Fine by me. So, put me to work,” I said.

He stared at me. “No! You worked enough yesterday. Now you just relax.”

“But I madeyouwork yesterday too.”

“You needed the help. Besides, I can whip this up in no time.”

To my astonishment, he didn’t even need to consult the recipe. I was watching him with my mouth slightly open. Seeing this mountain of a man at the stove made him even sexier, especially when he took off his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

Sexy forearms. Of course. Why couldn’t he have super-thin nonmuscular forearms?

Because they wouldn’t go with the rest of his body, you dummy, a voice said in the back of my mind.

“Bailey?”

“Hm?”

“Where did you go just now?”

I shrugged, trying to play it cool, but I knew I was failing because his smile just widened. “I don’t know. Why? Did you ask me something?”

“I asked if you’ve got any tips for an eggnog recipe.”

“I don’t often make one, but that might change after tonight. You’ve got to give me your recipe. Actually, wait. I’ll taste it first and then see if I want your recipe or not.”

“You still don’t trust me, huh?” he asked as he poured the nutmeg into a bowl.

“I require proof.”

“You’re more like me than you think.”

“Meaning?”

He laughed. “It was a compliment.”

I grimaced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that it wasn’t. I do look up to you in many ways.”

I was focusing on his hands for no reason at all.

“You have skills in the kitchen,” I commented.

“Yeah, I told you that yesterday when you wouldn’t let me near the stove.”

“I figured—”

“That there was no use?”

“I wouldn’t put it quite like that.”Goodness, I need to watch myself with him.

“But close. I grew up with two chefs as grandmothers. There was no escaping cooking in my family. With so many of us, we kind of took turns with it.”

“I assumed your grandmothers wanted to be in charge.”

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