Page 64 of Knotty, Nice, & Holiday Lights
Matthew transcribes the guests and the menus for both the party and the family dinner, while I create the grocery list on my phone, rapid-fire.
“I volunteer to tend bar,” Asher chimes, pulling out his phone with a grin. “I’m good at it, and I have a little cheat sheet.” He turns his phone to us, showing a meticulous ingredient and instruction list with little photos of beautifully crafted mixed drinks.
“Ooooh,”I sing. “Fancy.”
His eyebrows waggle a bit. “I live to impress.”
“We need to make sure to have lots of non-alcoholic options, too.” I start adding some sodas and juices to the list.
“Right,” Will chimes. “Violet and Ivy won’t be drinking, that’s for sure.”
“Oh, and we definitely need eggnog.”
“And an insulin injection,” Matthew teases me. “But honestly, Iz makes the best Nog Mudslides you’ll ever taste.”
I blow him a kiss across the table, and he winks.
I add Kahlua and chocolate sauce to the list beneath eggnog.
“We have a great eggnog here from a local farm,” Will tells me, his eyes excited. “I’ll show you which one. They use old school glass bottles.”
“That sounds perfect.” I add an asterisk to the eggnog entry and type *special local brand.
“And Vaughn is bringing some of his brewery’s seasonal beer, so no need to buy any.”
I nod at Will before looking up from my list. “When should we go shopping?”
“Non-perishable, frozen stuff, and liquor tomorrow, perishables on the twenty-third,” Will says it so matter-of-factly that I can’t help but laugh.
“You’ve got this down to a science.”
“Yup.” He looks so proud. “I learned from the best.”
“Your parents?”
His expression is warm as he nods. “Damned straight.”
We’re all at the grocery store together, and I have to say, I am loving the energy.
The store interior is all Christmasy, and everyone is bundled up from the cold outside. People are smiling and kind. Although the smiling and kindness seems to just be Crescent Lake itself. There’s something so beautiful about this place, I think most people are always in a good mood.
I push the cart, and my three Alphas all split up to find items from the list, while I roam to find anything of interest we didn’t think of.
“Got the Kahlua and spiced rum,” Matthew says with a grin as he places them at the back of the cart, nearest me, where they won’t fall over and roll around.
“My hero,” I hum, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek.
He raises a brow at me, expression bemused. “Am I going to get a kiss every time I drop something in the cart?”
A laugh rips from my chest. “Just don’t go bringing one thing at a time.”
There’s a devious glint in his eye before he pulls his phone from his back pocket, nods at me, and is off once more.
When Will returns to me and our cart with a bunch of packages of mushrooms, placing them safely inside the little elevated kid seat at the back of the cart, I give him a kiss, too.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
I huff a laugh. “I gave Matthew a smooch when he delivered booze, so, equal opportunity.”
