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“I’ll go with you,” he told her. “I’d like to taste these ‘sandy balls’ you make.”
Madeline stifled a smile for some reason.
“They’re pecan sandysnowballs,” she corrected.
Grath shrugged.
“Whatever. I’m certain you make better balls than this other female whose relation judged the contest unfairly in the past.”
“Oh, yeah,” Anna said with a completely straight face. “Mattie makes thebestballs.”
“And thebiggestballs,” Ethan added and the two of them started snickering. “They’rehuge.”
“And sotender,” Anna added, laughing harder. “Why, Mattie’s balls practically melt in your mouth!”
“You two behave—you’re acting like children!” Madeline’s mother commanded. Then she looked at Madeline. “It’s too late to back out now, sweetie,” she said firmly. “They finalized the list last week. If you don’t go, it will put a big hole in the program!”
“Well…” Madeline looked around at her family helplessly and then her eyes settled on Grath.
He nodded at her encouragingly.
“I think you should go make these huge, tender balls of yours,” he told her gravely. “Let the judges taste your balls and judge them accordingly.” This made Madeline’s sister and brother-in-law laugh even harder, but he ignored them and concentrated on Madeline.
“All right…all right.” She lifted her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’ll do it.”
“Good.” Grath nodded. It would be good to observe this Earth custom, the “Christmas Cookie Bake-off,” but it would be even better to watch Madeline demolish one of the foes that had made her younger life here so miserable.
He couldn’t fucking wait to see it.
FIFTEEN
MATTIE
There was a little time before the Bake-off started, so they didn’t have to rush. Mattie was glad of that—she needed to find a way to talk to Grath about the kiss they’d shared under the mistletoe and make sure something like it didn’t happen again.
It had snowed overnight but the sun was out, shining on all the pristine whiteness. As usual, Mattie was all bundled up in her warmest coat and scarf and hat, but Grath was still just wearing a t-shirt.
They started off from the house holding hands, since her mom and dad were waving them off, but as soon as they got out of sight of the house, Mattie released the big Hybrid’s hand abruptly.
“Hey…” He frowned down at her. “Why’d you let go?”
“Because nobody’s watching now and we need to talk,” Mattie told him.
“Talk?” He raised his eyebrows innocently. “About what?”
“You know about what!” Mattie exclaimed. “That kiss under the mistletoe!”
Grath frowned.
“What was wrong with it? Didn’t we do it right?”
“No!” Mattie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Weoverdid it—likewayoverdid it!”
He crossed his own arms over his chest, a frown creasing his forehead.
“So…we did itsoright we did itwrong?”
“Essentially, yes,” Mattie said, nodding. “A kiss under the mistletoe isn’t supposed to be so…so…” She waved a hand, unsure how to continue.
