“Merry Christmas, and good luck with Tucker.” Cassie handed her a small box. “This is just a little something from us. Merry Christmas.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” Sheila hugged Cassie, Kyle, and Bert and then headed outside, where Tucker was waiting in the car.
She waved as she walked down the sidewalk, so thankful for this new friendship, and filled with hopes and dreams she thought might never be possible for her.
“Want to go to the mountains or your house?” he asked.
“Let’s go back to Chestnut Ridge,” Sheila said, “where it feels like Christmas.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Tucker merged the Tesla into traffic on the highway. “You know,” he said, “they’re having a cookie sale in front of GG’s Mountainside Gardens & Gifts tomorrow on Main Street to raise money for the Jacob family. Can I talk you into helping me bake cookies first thing in the morning?”
“I can help. What kind are you baking?”
“My tradition.” He glanced over and caught the look in her eye. “Honestly, I buy the slice-and-bake rolls, but I press red and green chocolate covered candies into them. People think they’re great. Don’t you tell anyone they aren’t made from scratch.”
She zipped her lips, and pretended to toss the key over her shoulder. “I’d never, but I make really good pecan snowball cookies. I know the recipe by heart. It was Mom’s favorite.”
“Those sound great. Can we do both? I mean people are expecting my traditional cookies.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Well, little miss I-know-my-recipe-by-heart, can you make a shopping list? We’ll stop and pick up everything we need on the way back. It’ll give us a chance to stretch our legs too.”
“Absolutely.” She pulled a small notepad from her purse and started the list. “If I triple the recipe how many would that be?” She pressed the pen to her lips as she calculated. “Let’s see, each batch makes about three dozen, so that’s about a hundred cookies.”
“Minus the ones we eat?”
“Oh no, sir. There’ll be none of that. This is a fundraiser.” She playfully smacked his arm.
“I can promise you therewillbe,” he said unapologetically.
“You’ll pay double for each one you eat then,” she said matter-of-factly, and moved on. “Do you have cookie sheets, or should I pick up some tinfoil ones at the store?”
“I have some and double ovens, so we should be able to make short work of it,” Tucker said. “Maybe we should quadruple your recipe. You know, so we have plenty for us too.”
“We can do that, but you’re not getting free cookies.” She wagged her pen in his direction. “You have to buy every one you eat.”
“You are a serious fundraiser.”
“It’s for the Jacobs, Cookie Monster.” She swatted his arm playfully. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Fine. Definitely quadruple or quintuple it. I’ll buy all you can bake.”
“You’re helping me. That’s a lot of little balls to roll out.”
“I’m not afraid of spending time in the kitchen with you.” In fact, he was looking forward to it.
They stopped in the last large town on the way home and got everything on the shopping list. She was a good sport when he made her toss things in the cart as he whizzed by. He liked that about her.
And when he grabbed extra paper towels and hurled them inher direction following a quick spin shouting, “Heads up!,” she actually caught them like a wide receiver.
Back in the car, with everything they’d need to bake cookies in the morning, she fell asleep, and didn’t wake up until he pulled up in front of Orene’s house.
Tucker touched her shoulder softly. “Hey, sleepyhead. We’re back.”
Her lashes batted as she awoke and sat up in the seat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep.”
