Page 33 of Fire and Ice
“You must have had a huge dining table.”
“And a big house.” He rolled the sugar cookie dough a quarter inch thick with the wooden rolling pin. “But it never felt like enough room.”
Chelsea smiled. “I’ll bet. You have a huge family.”
He used Chelsea’s Christmas cookie cutters to make snowmen, bells, wreaths, poinsettias, snowflakes, and ornaments. He set them a couple of inches apart on the large baking sheet, set it aside, and started another so that two sheets would go into the oven at the same time.
He focused on rolling out the dough before continuing. “To be honest, I don’t miss the days of having to share a bathroom and bedroom with my sisters. They took so much time that they always made us late for school.” He shrugged. “Granted, my three oldest sisters were out of the house and on their own before I was old enough to battle my sisters for the bathroom.”
“My siblings were so much younger than I was that I never had that problem.” Chelsea grabbed another bowl and started on the next round as they talked. She shook her head. “It was another story for the four of them.”
She added ingredients to the bowls. “If I had an industrial mixer and a bigger oven, this would go way faster.”
“Then I couldn’t keep up.” Grady put the two cookie sheets in the oven to bake for nine to eleven minutes. “This pace works for me.”
They chatted as they worked, Chelsea finishing a batch and Grady starting on the next two pans while the first couple baked.
When the cookies were a light golden color, Grady pulled the pan out of the oven, let the cookies cool for five minutes, then transferred them to a cooling rack. “It’s gonna take a while to decorate them.”
He slid his arm around her waist and looked over her shoulder. “What do you say to ordering pizza for lunch?”
She looked up at him and smiled. “If you don’t mind spending the entire time making cookies, I’m up for it. I love pizza, especially Hawaiian.”
The corner of his mouth curved into a sexy grin. “As long as I get to spend the entire day with you, it sounds terrific to me.” He squeezed his arm around her waist. “Even if it means eating a ham and pineapple pizza.”
She laughed. “We can get two pizzas.”
“Sausage and pepperoni for me.” He gave her a light kiss before he put the next sheets into the oven.
While they made the cookies, they would sing their favorite Christmas songs together, then start talking before singing another holiday tune.
They occasionally bumped into each other. Sometimes Chelsea wondered if Grady did it on purpose—no, she was sure he did—and that made her smile.
Chelsea had purchased decorator icing in squeeze tubes with nozzles. She had bought red, green, pale blue, light yellow, white, and black icing.
As the sugar cookies completely cooled, Grady decorated them. Like he’d said yesterday, he was good at it, and the cookies looked great in the various designs he created.
When it was closing in on lunchtime, Grady and Chelsea took a short walk with Spot so that he could do his business and enjoy sniffing everything they passed while getting in exercise. By the time they got back to the house, she was starving.
Grady ordered the pizzas for delivery. Half an hour later, they arrived, and Grady and Chelsea plopped down at the kitchen table and relaxed while they ate. Spot sat between them, alert and ready for them to give him tidbits of pepperoni, sausage, and ham.
“My legs are already sore from standing so much.” Chelsea waved a paper napkin to fan herself. “And I’m perspiring. It’s probably from the heat of the stove.”
“I’ve worked up a little sweat, too.” Grady nodded. “I think you’re right about the heat.”
Grady picked out a lacy snowflake he’d decorated for Chelsea and took a red poinsettia for himself for dessert after they ate the pizza.
“It’s too beautiful to eat.” Chelsea took a bite of the snowflake and slowly ate it, savoring the sweet treat. “These always remind me of my mom.”
“These are fantastic.” Grady had already finished his. “I’m ready for another.”
They took a thirty-minute break before going back at it. Spot drank water then returned to the rug.
They never seemed to be at a loss for conversation. She liked how well they worked together and the comfortable way they interacted. It was fun and domestic, like a married couple might be together.
When that thought came to mind, her face heated.
Grady happened to look at her when she was sure her face was red. “Still hot?” he asked.
