Page 37 of Tis The Season for Secrets
“No, no, you’re far too tall and grown up to be my Beth.” Juliet shook her head and winked at Diana, who was cleaning up some of the mess on the counter while the youngest Frost was distracted.
Beth groaned, wrapping her arms around Juliet. “It’s me! Stop messing, or I won’t give you any cookies.”
“Let me get a good look at you.” Juliet leaned out of her tight embrace, staring into her familiar brown eyes. “We do have the same eyes.”
“I’m not playing this game with you.” Beth released her. “We’re making your favourite gingerbread cookies!”
Juliet wondered if they were edible. “You must be my sister– only she would know my favourite Christmas treat. However, I forbid you from growing anymore. You’ll be taller than me soon,” she teased, regretting how long it’d been.
“That wouldn’t be too hard.” Will Duncan stepped out from the pantry with a bag of icing sugar. “We thought you wouldn’t arrive until Monday.”
He acted like him being here was completely normal.What the hell?
Slack-jawed, Juliet tried to find her words. Even if they’d left each other on good terms, she wasn’t sure how many moresurprises her heart could take. Given the snowman apron he was wearing, he’d been here a while. From the flour on his cheek and food colouring stains on his hands, he’d been enlisted as Beth’s assistant in the baking.
Juliet shook away the thought; cookies were the last thing she was concerned about. When had he arrived, and why the hell was he here?How’d he know I’d come here?
“I couldn’t wait to see my sister. Why are you here?” She hadn’t meant to snap, but if he was here, she wouldn’t be able to snoop without his interfering.Is it to stop me from confronting my dad?
Diana frowned as the two stared at each other. “Mr Duncan is our guest for the holidays. Please remember your manners!”
“Sorry, tone delivery problem,” Juliet said. “I just wasn’t expecting him to be here.”
“Mr Frost said you two were already acquainted; he’s staying in the guest wing,” Diana explained, clearly delighted to have a helpful, handsome guest. “He only arrived last night.”
“Yeah, we’ve met… but surely you have your own plans for the holidays?”Arrived last night? Was it his plan to come here all along? She remembered his questions about her Christmas plans that first night in the hotel.
“I’d say we’re more than acquaintances.” His eyebrow arched playfully. Juliet gritted her teeth at the insinuation. “Mr Frost kindly invited me to stay when I informed him I’d be stuck in the city, working over the holidays.”
Juliet narrowed her eyes. She knew what he was working on over the holidays – her. She was his mission, and that damn chest he’d brought into her life.I can’t believe Dad would welcome a stranger into the house in the hopes of working with him!If he knew who Will truly was, he wouldn’t have got past the gate.
“I should get my bags to the cottage, settle in,” she said, suddenly finding the kitchen suffocating despite it being nearly the size of her entire apartment.
“Let me give you a hand,” Will offered, removing his apron. He clearly didn’t plan on letting her escape.
“Fine.” She wanted to talk to him alone anyway.
“Same!” Beth chimed in, eyeing the pair as though she was enjoying the show.
“You need to help Di clean up this mess. While you finish, I’ll unpack and then we can watch a Christmas movie in the cinema room – your choice,” Juliet suggested. She couldn’t let Beth find out about Yule; she was too young to handle such truths.
“Muppets’ Christmas Carol?” Beth didn’t hesitate. They’d watched it every Christmas they’d spent together, while hiding from the Annual Frost Christmas Eve party.
“Absolutely!” Juliet agreed. Beth hurried back to the counter, picking up the bag of frosting to finish the cookies.
“We aired out the cottage and I’ve lit the fire, but it’ll need time to warm up,” Diana called after her. “Are you sure you don’t need a hand? I can call Victor?”
“We’ll be fine,” Will interjected. Clearly, he wanted to talk too.
“Ididn’t think you’d be so upset to see me,” Will said, following Juliet through the house.
“I didn’t think you would stalk me all the way to Frost House.” She picked up the suitcase in the hallway, not wanting him to know she had brought the chest with her. He grabbed her handbag; pink wasn’t really his colour.
“I’m not stalking you, I was invited! After you ran out of the gala, your dad mentioned we should spend some time together over the holidays. And I figured you would come back here for answers. I thought you could use some moral support.”
“The last time you tried to comfort me, I ended up in some magical village. I can figure this out by myself,” Juliet said, trying not to sound rude. She’d still be in the dark about Yule without him, but right now she didn’t want to be distracted by him or his cologne. “You’ve done enough; you don’t need to watch me 24/7. I promised to call if I needed you.”
She opened a sliding door in the dining room, and the chill hit her as she stepped into the frosted gardens. They walked through the perfectly trimmed short hedges that separated eachspecies of flower and the various statues and fountains that made up the gardens.
