Page 44 of Wrapped in You

Sophie couldn't believe they were joking about this. It was night and day compared to their first moments together.

Sophie closed her eyes and laughed. "Believe it or not, I have a mountain of more Christmas decorations in the attic. But I've been so slammed with work. I'm always on set or at headquarters, and I'm hardly here. And when I am here, I'm thinking about recipes, and catering, and keeping my catering company alive, and..." The kettle bubbled louder.

Derek sat down at the kitchen table and assessed the mess she'd made in pursuit of the new butterscotch Christmas dessert.

"It almost makes me think it was all an act," Derek said. His voice was teasing. "You were just shoving Christmas cheer in my face because you knew it upset me."

Sophie's heart seized. "I didn't know you were anti-Christmas because of what happened to Georgia. I'm so, so sorry about that."

Derek waved his hands. "It's really okay. Don't worry."

The air was taut. Sophie wasn't sure what it meant. Was she just so attracted to him that she couldn't handle being around him? Or did she not trust him?

She certainly liked him. But she didn't know if she wanted to like him.

"What are we going to do about it?" Derek asked.

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Are we going to decorate your house together?"

Sophie laughed. "I can't imagine you know your way around tinsel and mistletoe."

Immediately, her heart seized again. Why did I have to bring up mistletoe?

The kettle whistled, and Sophie hurried to pour water into two mugs. "What kind of tea do you like?" she asked, grateful for something else to talk about rather than Christmas, mistletoe, and his wife's death.

Derek opted for peppermint. Sophie put the bag in the mug and set it down in front of him. "I should clean all this up," she said of the butterscotch dough.

"No," he insisted. "I don't want to interrupt your day. Keep going." He tilted his head, then added, "I could listen to some Christmas music, though. If you want that."

Sophie was flabbergasted. What does he want?

"You can tell me if it becomes too difficult to listen to," she said softly.

Sophie set up her Bluetooth speaker and played jazzy Christmas tunes. She also turned up the heat, so worried was she about Derek's bluish fingers. But just as soon as he began to sip the tea, his coloring came back; his smile became brighter.

"What inspires you to make a new recipe?" Derek asked as she worked.

"That's easy," Sophie said with a laugh. "I love so many different flavors, and sometimes, I want to bring those flavors together and see what happens. It's more like experimentation in pursuit of a brand-new, favorite dessert or meal. It's pretty selfish, when you think about it. I'm just hungry and eager for something else!"

"You love food," Derek said thoughtfully.

"Of course! Don't you?"

"I think I used to," Derek offered. "I've sort of lost my appetite over the years. Then again, Culinary Tastings hasopened a door for me. I'm hungrier than I've been in years. You saw me last night. I wolfed down that pizza."

"You didn't wolf it down," Sophie said, using a spoon to dollop out the butterscotch dough onto a cookie sheet. "You ate it at a normal speed! And it was delicious! It was there to be eaten!"

"In California, people would have looked at me strangely," Derek admitted.

"I don't know if you noticed, but we're not in California!" Sophie said.

Derek laughed. "Can I help you with that?"

Sophie was surprised. She glanced up and looked into his eyes. For the first time in over a half hour, she remembered she was wearing princess pajamas and a big sweatshirt with multiple stains on it. How had she forgotten that? Why didn't she care anymore?

This is a pretty strange first date, she thought.

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