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Chapter Ten
Lexi
Brady and I spend the remainder of the week ticking items off my Christmas Inn bucket list, as he calls it. We’ve become almost inseparable. Several times, I’ve seen a look on Brady’s face that says he wants to kiss me. But he remains a perfect gentleman, even though I’ve tried to give him signals that I’m amenable to a kiss. Maybe I need to take the bull by the horns and just kiss him already.
Bucket list item: hot chocolate. Achieved on day one.
Bucket list item: sledding and snow angel: check. Achieved on day two. Sadly, the angel was questionable—a misshapen indentation in the swiftly liquefying snow.
Bucket list item: taffy pulling: check. We wandered by a little café yesterday that was hosting a taffy pull, so Brady and I participated.
Bucket list item: board games: still working on this one. In addition to Monopoly, we’ve played Scrabble—a game I excelled at and am proud to announce that I’m a two-game champion.
However today, we’re playing Yahtzee—a frustrating game of chance although the box claims it is an exciting and fun-filled game of chance. Not.
“How come I never get any good dice on my first shake?” I complain while Brady stares at a full house of fives and sixes on his first roll.
He laughs as he calmly writes down his score. “It’s all in the wrist action. Let me show you.”
I snort and grab the shaker from his hand. “It has nothing to do with wrist action,” I huff, then roll my dice and get. . . “A pair of ones! That’s the best I can do?” I shriek as I look at another crummy roll. “You’ve won two games already. Let’s quit after this game.”
A belly laugh bellows out of Brady’s mouth and he bends over in merriment at my pitiful score.
“I’m glad this is so entertaining for you,” I say with a pout as my next roll produces a pair of twos and a four. My full house is going to get a measly score, if I even manage to roll one.
“Just keep in mind who won at Scrabble, despite your attempts to cheat by Googling words before playing them,” Brady replies.
Who knew you can’t Google a word before you play it? “That’s your rule. I still think you made it up only because I tried to play ‘aa’ and couldn’t provide the definition.”
Brady snorts. “That word is ridiculous.”
“It’s a kind of lava rock and it was a perfectly valid play,” I say in a huffy voice, only knowing this after my Google search.
My playing companion rolls his eyes, then gets back to beating me soundly at Yahtzee.
After my third time to lose, we pack up the game and I proudly proclaim, “My Christmas Inn bucket list is complete. Thanks Brady.” I’m sincere in my appreciation. Brady’s been a real trouper in accompanying me on recreating as many of my childhood memories as possible. He seems to understand my need to recapture the days before I became a star and my mom became someone I didn’t know anymore.
We’ve been like two kids over the last few days, but now it’s time to get back to the real world. I’m leaving tomorrow after the fancy dinner prepared by Chase and Harper. I’m their special guest and get to try all the dishes created by the two celebrity chefs. I can’t wait for the tasting, although I’m a little sad that it marks the end of my stay at the Christmas Inn.
~*~
The meal is delicious. Chase pulled out all the stops in the “Ho Ho Holiday Feast”. I’m going to attempt some of these recipes when I get back to California. Chase made them look easy, although I suspect when I attempt to reproduce them, it won’t be nearly as simple as the celebrity chef made it look.
We’re enjoying Harper’s cupcakes and chatting around the island in the kitchen, just like old friends while the cameras capture our meal together. This is a live show, so Chase and Harper had to have everything planned down to the second as they demonstrated each recipe. The food we’ve tasted together was prepared and cooked ahead of time to fit within the one-hour program.
The Christmas Inn is a perfect holiday setting for this show. I remember watching the episode when Chase and Harper filmed a Valentine’s Day special here and somehow Harper put jalapeno extract in the cupcakes rather than vanilla. It was never clear exactly how that happened. The network issued a statement saying that there was a mix-up on the set, but I bet there’s a story behind that incident that no one is talking about.
“These caramel, crème de mint, and chili powder cupcakes are scrumptious, Harper,” I say as I hold up one of the tiny, delectable sweets. She’s famous for her unique flavor combinations. I was a little skeptical as to this combination, but it works.
Just as the words leave my mouth, there’s an odd, unworldly noise that comes from the plumbing system. It creaks and groans for several seconds as we all stare at each other, a combination of shock and apprehension on our faces. What is this strange noise and why is it happening?
The pipes rattle loudly, then a geyser erupts from the sink, spewing water as high as the ceiling. My mouth falls open as water gushes out, almost instantly flooding the kitchen and drenching all the occupants.
“Gah! That’s freezing!” I yell as the spray of ice-cold water instantly soaks through my shirt.
Chase pulls his wife into a firm embrace, shielding her from the cold onslaught. It’s such a sweet gesture from a man who obviously loves his wife very much.
The producer immediately yells, “Cut to commercial!” while we all scramble to get out of the way. Cameramen hustle to get their precious equipment away from the downpour.
Brady runs in, yanks open the cabinet under the sink, slides into the cramped compartment, and turns off the water valve. Silence fills the kitchen after the roar of the water ceases. Chase, Harper, and I stare at each other, dripping wet from head to toe, looking like three drowned puppies. Drops of water slide down my nose and drip from my chin. Harper’s beautiful cupcakes are now lumps of wet sugar and flour, none surviving the deluge.
A giggle floats up my throat and out my lips before I realize it. I put my hand over my mouth, but the hilarity of the situation hits me, and I start to laugh uncontrollably. Soon everyone is caught up in the gaiety—it’s contagious and can’t be stopped. Chase, Harper, and I laugh until tears run down our faces mingling with the water already dripping from our hair. Brady and the crew join in, the room filled with raucous laughter.
“Well, I guess we’re destined to have a debacle whenever we do a segment at the Christmas Inn,” Chase says in a matter-of-fact voice after everyone’s laughter is spent.
