Page 21 of One Pucking Destiny

“Really? What did you win?” Grandma’s voice raises an octave in wonder.

“Bragging rights,” I say.

“Ah, well. I guess that’s better than nothing.” She collects the measuring utensils from the counter and loads them into the dishwasher.

I grab the pine-tree cookie cutter and push it into the dough. Hattie sneaks a piece of the dough and plops it in her mouth. I glare at her in mock annoyance.

She giggles. “You know the dough is the best part.”

“What other shapes should we do?” I ask my sister.

Hattie sets the magazine down and riffles through the bin of cookie cutters, pulling out her favorite holiday-themed shapes.

My sister and I have spent the weekend before Christmas with our grandmother since we were infants. It started with my parents needing uninterruptedtime to shop for our gifts. My grandma offered to take us, and it turned into a cherished yearly tradition. We spend the weekend baking, playing Yahtzee, and watching all the old black-and-white Claymation Christmas films. Every year, it’s the same, and every year, it’s amazing. It doesn’t matter that Hattie and I are twenty-four years old. Time with our grandma is always magical.

We’ve had to get creative the past couple of years with the NHL schedule, as the Cranes have had games on the Saturday before the holiday. This year, we’re spending our “weekend” during the week to avoid my game. Admittedly, making the hour drive to practice every morning changes the feeling a bit, but we do the best with the time we have.

“G-ma, I need to think of a cookie to bake this year during bye week. We’re making the cookie competition a yearly thing.” I set the cut-out shapes onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

My grandmother nods, pulls her recipe box from the cupboard, and flips through the handwritten notecards. “I have just the recipe. I accidentally bought some mint chips the other day and played around with a recipe, creating the best chocolate cookies. It’s basically the same as my chocolate chip recipe, but I replace half of the flour with cocoa powder and add the normal chocolate chips and mint chips. I’m tellingyou. Delicious. But you have to use quality cocoa powder to get the perfect texture. These cookies come out chewy, chocolatey, and very delicious. We’ll make them next!”

“Fine, but we still have to play Yahtzee and watchIt’s a Wonderful Life,” Hattie says. “We can’t run out of time this year.”

“We won’t,” I state.

“We did last year,” she reminds me. “I swear, the baking portion of the weekend gets longer and longer every year, and the rest gets cut short.”

Grandma nudges my side and grins. “It is the best part.”

“For you two.” Hattie pins us with a stare.

“Don’t even pretend you don’t love all the eating.” Cookies are in the oven, so I set a timer.

She plops another piece of the dough in her mouth. “Yes, I like partaking in all the goodness while we play the games and watch the movies.”

“Well, that goodness takes time to prepare, love,” Grandma says. “Come join us. Give baking another go?”

Hattie scrunches up her face. “I think I’ll pass. It’s just not my thing.”

Her words make me smile. She’s been adamant from a very young age that the kitchen is not where she wants to be. She often teases that her goal in life isto find a husband who will do all the cooking and meal cleanup.

“Though, I am excited to try this new chocolate mint cookie you’re talking about,” she says.

“Yeah, you’ll have to tell me if it’s good enough for the bye week competition.”

Grandma huffs beside me. “Oh, it will be good enough.”

I grin and return my attention to Hattie. “Speaking of…did you figure out if you can come this year?”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I really can’t.”

“Is this just because it’s in Texas? Are you still mad your Fiji suggestion didn’t win?”

It’s no secret that Texas wasn’t the ideal location for anyone. Nothing against the place but we’ve become accustomed to traveling to these exotic locations. However, seeing that Beckett is the one who started and planned these bye week getaways, he gets the ultimate say. This year, he opted to plan a more family-friendly getaway since his wife will be pregnant. He swears the estate is impressive—lots of rooms, pools, a hot tub, and cool hangout areas. It’s not Fiji, but we’ll have a great time. We always do.

“No, it’s not that. I’m just busy with school and stuff. I can’t afford to take off any time. I mean, I really should start getting serious about graduating, you know? I’m a twenty-four-year-old junior.” She laughs.

“So you're sticking with education?” I ask.

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