Page 20 of The Clause in Christmas
An unreadable glance flickered between Eliza and Luke.
Luke cleared his throat. “Why don’t Ben and I string the lights on the tree while you ladies put the first batch of cookies in the oven?”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Eliza dumped a tray of cookie cutters onto the counter, the metal cutouts of stockings and snowflakes clattering against each other.
“We’ll call you when it’s time to add the ornaments.” Luke slid off the barstool and turned to Ben. “Hey, bud, ready to decorate the tree?”
With a rambunctious cheer that doubled as a yes, Ben deserted the Christmas Calendar on the table and scampered into the living room, followed by Luke.
“Here, you start cutting out the dough.” Eliza handed Cassie a cookie cutter shaped like a reindeer head before rummaging through her assortment of supplies. “There’s one more thing I need to do.”
Cassie stole sideways glances at Eliza while she dutifully made floating head cookies.
“Aha! Here it is.” Eliza pulled a small ziplock bag from the crate. Grabbing a dining chair, she dragged it beneath the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room.
Cassie set down the cookie cutter, curious what would happen next.
“While you’ve done a lovely job decorating,” Eliza said, climbing on top of the chair, “I thought there might be one small detail you’d forget.”
Eyes wide, Cassie watched Eliza tack a sprig of mistletoe to the doorframe.
“There! Now everything is perfect.” Eliza hopped off the chair and brushed her hands together, looking quite pleased with her little addition.
Cassie gulped.Great.Now she had to add one more thing to her list of worries. No way could she let herself get caught underneath the mistletoe.
Not with anyone.
But especially not with Luke Davis.
* * *
Asmile tugged at the corners of Luke’s mouth as he watched Cassie gape at the towering fir tree draped in twinkling lights, brilliant hues of red, green, blue, and gold reflecting off the bay window and dispersing around the room like rainbow fragments.
She held an angel ornament tentatively in her hands, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth. If the thought weren’t so far-fetched, Luke would assume she’d never decorated a tree before.
Slipping his phone out of his back pocket, he scrolled through his holiday music playlist and the lively rendition of Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” joined the sound of pine logs crackling in the fireplace.
“There.” Luke leaned his phone against the nativity set on the coffee table. “Now the mood is set for you to hang the first ornament.”
Cassie’s uncertain gaze flitted in his direction, then back to the tree. “How do I know where to put it?”
Ben sprang from his cross-legged position on the floor, two nutcracker ornaments in hand. “Watch me! Watch me!” Without a moment’s thought, he crammed both nutcrackers on the nearest branch. They hung back-to-back, as though about to count off a duel.
Cassie giggled. “Well, if it’sthatsimple…” On her tiptoes, she secured the angel to a branch directly above her. Stepping back, she placed both hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. “Not bad.”
“Nice job!” Luke grinned. “Only ninety-nine more ornaments to go.”
“So, basically, we’re going to be here all night,” Cassie teased.
Warmth spread across Luke’s chest, and he tugged at his collar. The ideawasn’tunappealing.
“Look, Cassie.” Ben tapped her arm. “I picked out this ornament for Grandma Edith all by myself.” He dangled a pair of silver bells by a red satin cord. As he flicked his wrist, the bells chimed in unison, soft and ethereal.
Eliza joined them, setting a plate of warm sugar cookies on the coffee table. The sweet scent of their golden, buttery crusts mingled with the sharp, tangy fragrance of evergreen. “Ben found it in our friend Penny’s antiques shop a few years ago and remembered Edith’s favorite Christmas song was ‘Silver Bells.’”
Luke noticed a shadow cross Cassie’s features and wondered if talking about her grandmother brought her sadness. Growing up in Poppy Creek his entire life, he couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be disconnected from your roots. And your family. Changing the subject, he directed a question at Ben. “Why don’t you hang it on the tree and pick another ornament for Cassie?”
Ben skipped to the tree and hung the silver bells directly above the nutcrackers, apparently going for the clustered effect. Next, he handed Cassie an ornament shaped like a heart with the silhouette of a man and woman painted on the smooth porcelain.
