Page 36 of Arctic Panda's Secret Mate
They stared at her, but only Tristan’s smile mattered. “She’s my mate,” he said proudly, coming to her side and taking her hand.
“You are the genius behind the cooking binders!” Chef said warmly. He came around the table with a friendly hand extended, which Haisley gingerly shook. “It is a delight to properly meet you. I apologize for all of the liberties I have taken with your kitchen.”
Darling gave a regal tip of her head. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance,” she said graciously. “I would love to ask you about your bread recipes. I amDarla. Breck is my very inappropriate mate and he means nothing with his outrageous behavior.”
“This is a very neat solution to the mystery of the chalet,” Breck said with a cheerful half-bow. “I trust we can thank you for the return of the Internet and the hot water.”
Haisley flushed. “It was a poorly conceived attempt to get you to leave,” she admitted. “I apologize.”
“Completely understandable!” Chef boomed. “We were encroaching on your kitchen! You had to hide in your own house, at Christmas.”
“Well, notmyhouse,” Haisley felt obligated to clarify. “I only work here.”
“Pish,” Chef snorted. “You clearly rule the place, and our arrival disrupted your holiday plans.”
“You do understandourneed for secrecy,” Darling—Darla—said seriously. “We didn’t ask you to be dismissed out of malice!”
“Of course,” Haisley said. “You wouldn’t want everyone to know about your black market leopards and panda bears!”
She worried for a moment that it was a joke in bad taste, but Breck and Chef laughed uproariously, and Darla chuckled.
A timer went off in the kitchen.
“I have to start the cinnamon rolls so that they are warm when everyone is up!” Darla said, and she vanished into the kitchen with quiet energy.
“You must join us for Christmas breakfast,” Chef said firmly. “For all of Christmas! You are Tristan’s mate! You arefamily! I won’t even need to adjust the recipes for you! Your recipes, I might add! Though I would love you to take a look at a modification of the tart recipe. I think you might appreciate the spicing I chose. Oh, I must get the goose marinating at once!”
Haisley found herself tucked comfortably up against Tristan as Chef hurried after Darla into the kitchen.
“Bastian will have to fly back to the airport after all,” Breck said merrily. “There was barely room for us coming up. But we’ve got the charter plane, at least, so no reason to book another ticket for Haisley.”
“A ticket where?” Haisley asked in sudden concern.
“To Shifting Sands Resort, of course.” It was Tristan that answered, and Haisley turned to look at him in alarm.
“You think I’m leaving to go to Shifting Sands with you?”
He blinked at her in dismay. “Aren’t you?”
“I think I hear Darla calling me from the kitchen,” Breck said quickly. “Coming, beloved!”
Haisley wished she had a cookie sheet at hand.
32
TRISTAN
Tristan felt the moment that Haisley went cold against his side and he immediately ran back over everything he’d said.
“I justassumedyou would come home with me,” he started to stammer as she took her hand back to cross her arms and stare at him.
“And give up myentirelife here?”
“Shifting Sands has lots of jobs available!” Tristan said desperately. “Your boss literally kicked you out at the last minute before Christmas. Whywouldn’tyou want to come to a hot tropical island with your soulmate?” Was he wrong about this? His bear was confused.
“Maybe I love it here! Maybe I want to stay here!”
“InAlaska?”
