Page 29 of Christmas in Kiwi Country

The smells of onions on the grill fills the air and I feel right at home. There’s nothin’ quite like a BBQ where friends and family gather together to enjoy good food and company.

“What can I get you?” the man inside the little white shack asks with a wide smile.

Cullen’s gaze slides to me and I shrug one shoulder with a little grin. “We’re here for the experience,” he says and the man chuckles.

“We’re from outside Nashville, Tennessee,” I add and he nods. I’d learned a long time ago that no one who wasn’t from Clementine Creek knew where that was but you threw in Nashville and they’d be nodding like a bobblehead.

“All right. Two from the barbeque with onions?” He raises his eyebrow in question and we nod. “Soft drinks?”

“Please,” I say.

“In the chilly bin at the end with the sauce and mustard if you like.”

“The what?” I ask.

“The chilly bin,” a feminine voice says from behind me, and I turn to see a pretty blonde with glasses standing behind me with a grin. “Couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Outside Nashville, is it?”

“Yes, we’re here on vacation. I’m Gwen.” I hold out my hand, and she eyes it and then smiles as we shake.

“I’m Eve and this is my husband, Riley.”

Smiling, I say, “It’s nice to meet you. Cullen is my…partner?” The man in question rolls his eyes as he takes a step out of the way to allow the next customer to step up.

“Nice to meet you, Gwen and Partner Cullen,” Eve says with a smirk. She points to where they’re cooking the sausages. “It’s a barbeque never a grill. Chilly bin keeps drinks and food items cold. I think you Americans call it a cooler, but you’ll stick out like a sore thumb in kiwi country if you call it that.” She sends us a playful wink as Riley chuckles.

“Two sausages with onions!” the man behind thebarbequeyells, and Cullen steps over to grab them and our soft drinks.

“Needs sauce,” Riley says. “Mustard if you like but definitely sauce.”

“Like ketchup?” I ask and they both chuckle.

“Thicker than ketchup,” Eve says.

“Definitely better,” Riley says. “If you’re here for the experience…”

“Let’s do it,” I concede and Cullen grins and then follows me to the table where the condiments are located. Eve steps up behind us and expertly applies sauce to her sausage, and I notice for the first time the piece of white bread it’s resting on.

“Think Joe would consider swapping out the rolls for white bread back home?” I ask Cullen. The owner of Smokin’ Joes back home would probably start swearin’ up a storm if anyone even suggested such a thing. Still, I kind of like the simplicity of it.

“I don’t think you could convince that woman to do anything without risking a smack upside the head.” I throw my head back and laugh because it’s true. “Case was trying to get under her skin, and she handed him a cloth and spray bottle and made him clean tables.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Well, what do you think?” Eve asks with a sparkle in her eyes before biting into her own.

Looking down, I move it this way and that until I have the perfect bite lined up and then go in for the kill. The sausage is hot and delicious with the onions, and somehow the white bread is working for me.

“Wow, that’s good,” I say once I’ve swallowed. Cullen’s eyes are trained on my mouth before returning his gaze to his own sausage while cocking his head to the side.

“Think we can get this sauce in Tennessee?”

Popping up on my toes, I kiss his cheek. “If anyone can it’s you.” I wipe my red lipstick from his cheek, and Riley turns with an exasperated expression toward Eve.

“You never compliment my sausage like that.” She rolls her eyes and I snicker. These two are fun and exactly the kind of people you meet and justknowthey could become your good friends.

“Complimented you just fine this morning,” she murmurs to her husband and then turns to us and in a stage whisper says, “Short term memory that one.” We all laugh and this moment makes me feel like I’m back in Clementine Creek. It’s so strange being so far from home but also feeling like I’mhomehere too.

We laugh and joke about the differences of hot dogs, corn dogs, and frankfurters. Cullen and Riley are animated, each man standing his respective ground as Eve and I talk books and families and everything in between.

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