Page 24 of Acting Merry
We divide and conquer to get our hands on the pieces we need, plus some extras in case we run into any issues. I get all the pieces I was assigned, then glance up just in time to see Reese and Brady reach for the last remaining square piece.
Their hands bump, and they look at each other.
Time switches to half-speed for a few seconds while I watch them and wait for Reese to take the piece. She was there first.
She makes a gesture like she’s about to take it, then withdraws. “Sorry.”
“All good,” Brady responds, grabbing the square, then heading back to Megan.
Annoyance flickers through me as Reese looks up at me and grimaces.
Did she really just let him take it? Is she that sprung over the guy? I thought she wanted to win.
She comes over to me with the pieces she amassed, her teeth clenched. “Now what do we do?”
I consider bringing up the fact that she just let her ex take a structurally integral piece of our gingerbread house so that he and his new girlfriend, who happens to be one of her best friends, can beat us.
But that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to build her up.
“Now we adapt.” I grab one of the last rectangular pieces of gingerbread. “We can cut this one to size. But first, the foundation.” I grab the first of the frosting bags Tess gave us and hand it to Reese. “Lay the foundation.”
She looks at me like I just asked her to lay an actual foundation. “The foundation…as in the part of the house that affects the integrity of everything that comes after?”
I smile. “Just spread a thick layer of frosting…let’s say eight inches by sixteen inches.” I draw the general shape with my finger.
Brows raised like she needs me to know I may regret delegating this particular task, she steps in front of our canvas—a shiny metal baking sheet—and starts squeezing out the frosting.
I glance up to see who else has started on theirstructures, and my gaze meets Brady’s. He’s watching us as Megan squeezes more frosting at the base of the wall she’s holding.
His eyes quickly dip away, but it’s the reminder I need.
I said I was gonna turn up the heat, didn’t I? And it’s feeling a little chilly in here.
I step behind Reese and set my hand on her waist.
There’s the slightest pause that has me holding my breath, then she continues her task.
“Perfect,” I say. “Keep it as steady as you can. I can set down something straight as a guide if you want.”
“Not necessary,” she says. “I happen to haveverysteady hands.”
She’s not lying. There’s no wobble as she glides the frosting along the pan in an impressively straight line.
“Job requirement,” she explains with a satisfied smile.
Out of the corner of my eye, I note Brady watching us again as she finishes the third side of the foundation.
I scoot my body closer and rest my cheek against her hair, breathing in the sweet smell of her shampoo.
Her hand stops, and her head slowly turns, just enough that my lips graze her cheek. They tingle like I just swiped Icy Hot across them.
“You’re distracting me,” Reese says.
“You started it,” I say. “Get back to work.”
She laughs, and with our bodies so close, I don’t just hear it; I feel it.
“You’re very bossy,” she says, starting the last edge of our foundation. “I’m gonna call you Old King Cole.”
