Page 45 of A Christmas Duet

Hailey hesitated. “Nothing illegal, right?”

Daisy grinned as she shook her head. “You’re safe. I added a bit of fresh basil and oregano.”

As it turned out, the egg frittata was scrumptious. “This is delicious,” Hailey said after she finished off the entire slice.

“Thank you.”

“You can make this any time you want to.” She wondered when Daisy had learned to cook like a French-trained chef. “I don’t suppose you have a recipe.” As a rule, Hailey didn’t often eat breakfast as she rushed to get out the door for school. If she ate anything, it was likely a granola or protein bar.

“Recipe?” Daisy repeated, like it was a foreign word. “I’ve never been able to follow one. I sort of make up my own as I go along. I’ll write down what I remember. Unfortunately, it changes every time I make it, depending on what’s available.”

“The fresh herbs made the dish.”

“They came from my kitchen garden. I grow them myself. In the summer I sell them along with my macramé. The herbs are always the first item to sell out.”

“If you cooked for Charles, it’s no wonder he’s in love with you.”

Her sister’s face fell before she quickly adjusted her expression. “I…I think he enjoyed my cooking.”

“How could he not? You won’t get an argument from me if you volunteer to cook our Christmas dinner.” The fleeting sadness that came over her sister told Hailey she would need to tread lightly when it came to any mention of Charles.

“I’d be more than happy to cook our Christmas dinner,” Daisy said, with a spark of enthusiasm.

Before Hailey could offer, Daisy had cleaned up the kitchen. “While you work on your song, I’ll head into town and buy the groceries we’re going to need. Which would you prefer? Turkey or roast?”

Tradition said turkey, but this was a different kind of Christmas. “Roast, I guess. No, turkey,” she said, quickly changing her mind. “I don’t know,” she cried. “You decide. Surprise me, and it doesn’t have to be either of those choices.”

“I make a wonderful…” She paused midsentence. “I’ll surprise you.”

Daisy dug around the kitchen, presumably checking for ingredients for what she intended to prepare, and then with a list in hand, left the cabin, eager to give Hailey the peace and quiet time she’d requested.

Hailey reached for her guitar and her mind went to work. Whether it was starting her day with a nutritional breakfast, getting a good night’s sleep, or clearing the air with her sister, she couldn’t tell. What she did know was that soon after Daisy left the cabin, her imagination came alive, with the notes and lyrics blossoming like a large fragrant bouquet in the sunlight. She couldn’t write the notes down fast enough. With her head and her heart full, she was eager to share her song with Jay. She could hardly wait for their dinner date that evening.

Daisy didn’t return until lunchtime. Refusing Hailey’soffer to help, Daisy unloaded several bags of groceries from her car. “My guess is you haven’t had lunch yet.”

“Nope.” Hailey glanced at the time and realized it was after twelve. Time evaporated when she was able to concentrate on her music. It seemed like Daisy had been gone only minutes, but she’d been away several hours.

“I brought us broccoli cheese soup,” Daisy informed her, and pulled a plastic container from one of the bags. “I met Thelma, and when she heard that you and I are sisters, she couldn’t stop talking, except she called Jay Jethro. Is that his real name?” Her lips twitched with humor.

Hailey had been amused herself. She’d explained the night before how they’d met. “You can imagine what I thought when Thelma told me Jethro was coming to get rid of the raccoon. The picture of some hillbilly came to mind, dressed in coveralls with straw between his teeth.”

Daisy laughed. “Bet you were surprised. Jay’s got hunk written all over him.”

Daisy could say that again. Every time Hailey looked at Jay, tingles of awareness shot through her. She was counting down the hours until he arrived for their dinner date. Although she’d been in town only a few days, she’d bonded with him faster than she had with anyone. It’d been less than twenty-four hours since she’d last seen him, and it felt as if part of her was missing.

Daisy and Hailey spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards and watching Christmas movies from videos they found in a cupboard.

An hour before the time Jay planned to collect her, Hailey was dressed and ready to go. Daisy tried to hide how miserable she was by keeping busy, flittering around the kitchen.

“You sure you don’t mind me leaving?” Hailey asked, checking the time.

“Of course not,” Daisy insisted, waving off her concern. “Don’t be silly. Go and have a wonderful time. I plan on baking a batch of snickerdoodle cookies, then crocheting a bit. I picked up a magazine while I was in town and want to leaf through that.”

Hailey wasn’t fooled. Her sister planned to pack her time with tasks to keep her from thinking about Charles. Knowing how miserable Daisy was, Hailey didn’t want to bring him into the conversation, although the temptation was strong.

Jay arrived at six, and Hailey let him in. He hugged Hailey and his eyes met hers. “Missed you today.”

“Missed you, too.” She’d been counting down the hours until they could be together again.

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