Page 40 of A Scottish Christmas Hideaway
He shrugged off his coat and hung it over the back of a chair. Jessica couldn’t help noticing he was wearing the same checked shirt he wore to the Christmas tree farm that day. The one that made him look extremely hot.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m always prepared, Jessie. Though I have no idea what you’ve got in store.’ Then he looked over and saw all the gingerbread pieces. ‘Ah, okay. I wasn’t expecting this. And I do have to tell you that I’ve never built a gingerbread house before. Or a real house either. I tend to just be involved in the design process.’
Jessica chuckled, realising it was also the first time she hadn’t winced when he had called her Jessie. In fact she was growing to actually quite like it. But there was no way she would tell him that. ‘Compared to what you usually do, I’m sure it will be a cinch. I mean how hard can it be?’
He looked at her, his eyes steady and intense, which made her heart race and her cheeks flush with colour.Why did he always have that effect on her?
He raised an eyebrow as he rolled up his sleeves and stepped towards the sink to wash his hands. ‘So, where do we start?’
‘Reuben, that’s why you’re here. You’re supposed to be the expert.’
‘Mm,’ he said, frowning. ‘Well, we need some glue or something to stick it together.’
She gave him a withering look. ‘Glue?Really?I’m just about to make some icing which will act as the mortar. I’m now wondering if you’re up to this challenge at all.’
Reuben laughed. ‘I promise I won’t let you down.’
Jessica quickly made up the icing, then handed him the piping bag. ‘I’ve got this board to use a base,’ she said pointing at a large cake base on the counter. If everything went to planthe house would be the size of a large doll’s house which would make an eye-catching showpiece in the window display. ‘Should we assemble it here and carry it through? Or just do it in the window?’
Reuben grinned mischievously at her. ‘We can do it in the window if you want to. But people might talk.’
Jessica could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks and rolled her eyes in an attempt to lighten the sudden crackling air between them. ‘Honestly, you’re impossible, Reuben Campbell. Your mind is in the gutter.’
‘I was just saying,’ he said trying to look straight-faced but failing.
She shook her head and laughed. ‘Right. Mr Architect. Let’s get to work.’
Within minutes the bakery was filled with the sound of their laughter as they worked side by side. Jessica smeared a thick layer of icing on the board so that it looked like the ground was covered in snow. Then they started to stick the pieces together.
Reuben worked with the focus of a master architect, using cocktail sticks to pin the walls together and piping icing along the top in preparation for the roof. Then he asked Jessica to lift the gingerbread pieces for the roof into place. ‘Hold it there. We don’t want the roof to slide off. That would be a disaster.’
Jessica giggled. ‘You’re making me nervous now.’
‘This is a very serious business, you know.’ As he leaned in to steady the roof in place, his hands brushed against hers and he glanced at her, his eyes lingering on her face.
There was a moment of silence and then Jessica froze. ‘Oh no,’ she gasped. ‘I don’t believe it.’
They both watched in horror as half the roof crumbled inwards.’
‘There must be a flaw somewhere,’ he said, jokingly, with a spark in his eyes. ‘I blame the baker.’
Jessica tutted at him and burst out laughing. ‘Just as well I came prepared then. I made some extra pieces just in case.’ As she walked over to pick up another piece of gingerbread, she took a steadying breath. The moment was gone but she was sure something would have happened if the house hadn’t started to fall apart. Perhaps another kiss? She really wanted to kiss him again. She wasn’t sure she could just think of him as her brother’s best friend any more. Not when she was so attracted to him.
When they finally finished gluing the gingerbread house together, this time without any complications, Jessica sighed. ‘All we need to do now is add some icing to the roof, so it looks like snow, and add the sweets and chocolate buttons and these chocolate fingers for the door.’
‘That should be the easy part,’ he said. ‘Now that the heavy construction is done.’
She rolled her eyes and focused on adding the finishing touches with his help. Then she stood back to admire their work. ‘It looks amazing. Thanks, Reuben. I couldn’t have done it without you.’
‘Well, don’t speak too soon. We still need to get it into the window. Do you want to carry it or shall I?’
‘I’ll leave it to you. No pressure at all.’
Reuben grinned as he picked up the cake board and carefully walked to the front of the shop, placing it in the window. ‘It is incredible,’ he said softly.
She looked at him, expecting him to follow up his comment with a joke. But he was looking at her with sincerity. ‘What you’ve done for Struan and Gillian is wonderful. I think they’ll be blown away when they see this. And so will the village. I don’t think there’s ever been a gingerbread house here before.’
For a moment they stood together quietly admiring their work. She looked up at him, his gaze dropping to her mouth justas he leaned towards her. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, interrupting the moment.
