Page 57 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

Jonas gave a quick nod. “Good. You’ll make the competitionmuchmore exciting.”

“Excuse me,” Tana cut in. “You’ve never seen me work with gingerbread before.”

The six of them followed the guests into a room decorated to look like Santa’s workshop. The area was set up with tables covered in dark green tablecloths, topped with silver trays that held stacks of gingerbread and all the decorations a person could dream of.

Gabe guided her to a table with a light touch on the small of her back. “This one’s ours.”

First things first—Anna tugged off her coat, and Gabe took it over to a coat rack in the corner of the room. While he was gone, she rolled up her sleeves and considered the tools at their disposal. Plenty of frosting. Plentyof sprinkles. Little bowls of gold leaf. When Elk Lodge did something, they didn’t skimp.

“I think we go classic,” she announced as Gabe joined her. “A one-room house, and let the decorations speak for themselves.”

He dropped a kiss on her cheek, sending a shiver all the way down to her toes. “Good plan but I just have to do one thing.” He whipped out his phone and started tapping.

“Dude!” Chase called out. “Tell me you aren’t doing what I think you’re doing?”

Gabe smirked. “You’re just mad because you didn’t think of it first.”

“Think of what first?” Anna looked back and forth at the brothers. “What am I missing.”

“You’ll see.” Gabe’s phone pinged with a message and he frowned as he read it. “Dammit!” Chase laughed. “When did you text him?”

“Before you!”

Chase’s laughter was infectious, but Anna still had no idea what was going on. Looking over Gabe’s shoulder, she looked at the text, which was a series of screenshots between Chase and Chef Chris. “Oh, he’s awesome. How do you know him?” Anna read through the screenshots, which consisted of Chase asking for tips on how to beat his brothers and Chef Chris providing what looked like advice except it was all blacked out. “Ooo, sneaky.”

“They used to vacation here when we were kids and we became friends with him and his cousins,” Gabe told her. “But since Chase and Chris were the clowns of the group, they were inseparable when the Dentons were here.”

Anna scrolled through the screenshots trying to catch anything under the black while she tried to figure out why she knew that name. When it finally hit her, she almost dropped Gabe’s phone. “THE Dentons? Of Denton Hotels? Are you serious?” Anna had actually applied for a job at their Las Vegas resort but ended up taking the position at the convention center.

Gabe elbowed her and whispered, “Stick with me and who knows who you might meet.” She grinned at him and handed him back his phone.

Over at the next table, Tana had dipped a finger in frosting and was waving it in front of Chase’s nose. He laughed, a deep belly laugh that had Lindsey giggling behind her hands, and the three of them jostled and argued as they got the house set up. Jonas had taken a table in the corner with Elin, who sat perched on a chair, delicately painting on swirls of frosting and adding decorations. The room was full of people who were already working on their masterpieces—they’d gotten a head start.

Anna and Gabe reached for a gingerbread piece at the same time, their hands colliding over the tray. Gabe caught her hand in his and kissed the back of it. Desire shot through her and heated her face.

She cleared her throat and went about setting up the four walls of the house. Gabe stepped behind her, reaching around to pipe in the frosting as she held the pieces together. The hard lines of his body bracketed her in, and her breath caught.

“There. Four walls are done,” Gabe said, smiling down at her and at what they’d accomplished as a team.

“Let’s do the roof,” she said.

Anna couldn’t help but notice the strong lines of his forearms, and the capable way his hands moved. But then he stepped back, letting her take over with the decorations as she added a row of gumdrops to the “front lawn” of the gingerbread house. Anna popped one in her mouth and savored the sweetness on her tongue.

“Don’t you want to help with the gumdrop fence?” she teased.

“It’ll be better if you do it.” Gabe stood close, supervising but not touching the candy. He always wanted things to be perfect and that’s what she intended to do. Gabe’s grandmother would only ever see her being perfectly happy and content. The ideal fiancée.

The host—one of the head staff members—calledtimeon the contest a few minutes later. Gabe took their house to the judging table. The winners would be announced the next day.

He returned with their coats and a relieved smile just as Chase and Tana approached.

“Dinner at Gran’s?” Chase asked.

“We wouldn’t miss it.” Gabe nodded. “What time?”

“As soon as everybody’s there.” Chase took Tana’s hand and she took Lindsey’s, and the three of them headed for the exit.

Elin left on Jonas’s arm right after them, leaving Anna and Gabe. They made their way to the elevator and rode up, but outside the door to Elin’s apartment, Gabe hesitated. He put his hand in hers, and Anna straightened. Obviously, they needed to make a convincing entrance.

---