AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I have it so bad for her.
“Breakfast is ready,” I announce. “If you are not a lover of porridge, there is also toast and cheese.”
“I’m sure I’ll like it. Is there anything I can do to help?”
I shake my head. “Today you are not the waitress.” So it’s me who pours the juice and scoops out two bowls of porridge. I put a generous dollop of compote into each bowl.
“Did you see where the almond landed?” she asks as I set the bowls on the table.
“Just in case I might have, you should choose your seat.”
Laughing, she sits down and gingerly tastes the porridge. “Delicious. Tell me more about Finland. What else do you do on Christmas?”
“Movies and the sauna. But not at the same time.”
She cackles. “The sauna, for real? I thought that was just a cliche.”
“No, it is real. The Finns love their saunas. Sometimes we jump from the sauna into the ice cold lake, and then back again. There is also vodka involved.”
She laughs. “What kind of berries are these?”
“Lingonberry and blueberry, I think.”
“It’s deli…” I hear a crunch, and her eyebrows fly upwards.
“You found it!” I exclaim. “The lucky almond. Congratulations.”
She covers her smile with one hand. “I hope you weren’t counting on it.”
“No.”I am already lucky. “Maybe you need it more.”
“Maybe.” She makes a face. “Although it would be fair to argue that luck isn’t what held me back last year. I think stupidity was the problem.”
“Hey—take it easy on yourself for Christmas?” I suggest. “I am trying to have a lucky meal here. What movie are we watching?”
“Have you seenHome Alone?”
“No, I do not think so.”
“Then we have to fix that right away,” she announces.
It is a very funny movie about a little boy who does not have his family with him for Christmas. I know the feeling. But today I do not mind.
After the movie, we go upstairs, carrying the ham that I’ve baked and Chiara’s bottle of wine. There is a big room on one end of the topmost floor, and the team has rented it out for our party.
“Ivo!” our captain yells as I step into the room. “You cooked a ham? And who is your lovely date?”
A dozen heads swivel in our direction. “Dude, Ivo has a date?” someone asks. And someone else makes a cat call sound.
“I told you it was casual,” I grumble. “Guys, this is Chiara. She was responsible for helping my English go from miserable to only very bad last year.”
There is a round of laughter, but then Heidi Jo skips forward and offers Chiara a glass of champagne. “Are you an English teacher?” she asks.
“No,” Chiara says with a shy smile. “I was his favorite waitress at my family’s café, and he used to come in for lunch three times a week.”
“The food must be excellent there,” Heidi Jo says with a wink. “It’s lovely to meet you. How do you feel about playing poker?”
“I love poker,” Chiara says.
