Page 5 of One More Yule Log
She smiled at her father. “I know Dad wanted Christmas as his holiday, but you showed me all about the solstice. You used to make me cakes, remember? With mushrooms made out of fluff.”
Ouch. Gray watched Ben closely, hoping he kept on smiling, because that used-to reminder had to hurt.
“I do remember, baby girl. That is important to Frannie too. She’ll be tickled.”
“I want to make it so pretty, Daddy, and I know you’re busy. Fran is not a good baker, but Gray is!”
Gray chuckled. No, Fran couldn’t work a Swiss roll to save her life. She’d cracked three sponges on the one day and had sat back with a coffee and a mini carrot cake after. Directing.
“Fran is a great cook, but not a baker. At all.” Ben smiled up at Gray and winked. “She’s the only sister who can’t make a pie come out.”
“She seems like a super neat lady,” Gray agreed. “She gave me a great recipe for kitchen scrub with lemons and rosemary.”
“That’s our Fran. She has amazing cleaning ideas.”
“She has smelly ideas!” Olivia clapped her hands and laughed. “Can I go to the bathroom here, Gray?”
“Yeppers. You know where it is.” He pointed her off toward the back room. “Careful of the mixers.”
“Thank you!” She bounced off, and Ben offered him another smile.
“You must be swamped this time of year. Thank you for helping Olivia. I had no idea she’d come up with this idea.”
“Hey, she’s very determined. I turned her down flat and she convinced me. I think she swore Fran to secrecy, so I screwed up.” He moved a little closer to Ben, drawn by that amazing expression. “She’s only going to need a few more lessons too.”
“She’s fierce. She reminds me very much of her papa.”
“I’m sorry about your husband.” Gray hated awkward moments like this, but it had to be said. Ben had lost someone important to him and it needed to be acknowledged.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” Ben’s expression now was warm, a touch bittersweet but not devastated.
“So, what do you think of Olivia making a cake?” He wondered if Ben was put out that he’d accepted the job or just bemused.
“I think it’s the sweetest thing ever. She’s a good girl, isn’t she?”
“She really is.” Gray figured it was important for Ben to know other people thought he was raising a good little human. “Anyway, she’s got a few more lessons coming up, as long as that’s okay with you.”
“Of course. Yes. Oh. Oh!” Ben’s face fell. “Aunt Fran is going to visit my cousin Daniel in Hawaii next week. When do you need Liv here? Did you already decide dates and times?”
“Well, we were looking at Monday and Thursday. I actually have two assistants on Thursday, so I definitely have more time.”
“Thursday.” Ben pulled out his phone. “What time? I’m a little crunchy with work.”
“Well, I was thinking about four?” Crap. Olivia really wanted that cake. How creative were they going to have to get to finish her lessons?
Ben frowned at his phone, then frowned at the back. “Liv? Are you gonna stay in there all day, honey?”
“Daddy!”
Ben sighed softly, rolled his eyes. “Girls.”
“Oh, God, I have sisters. I get it.” They all lived flung to the four winds, but got along.
“Do you? I’m an only child, but I’ve learned a lot from raising Miss Liv.”
“I bet.” Parenting seemed like the ultimate challenge to him.
Olivia came bouncing out of the bathroom, her hair completely different, her face freshly scrubbed. “I had frosting on my chin,” she explained.
