Page 9 of The Orc Who Hated Christmas
And then the orc smiled! It was only a small smile. A slight lifting of the corners of his lips. But it was still a smile. Cas had made the grumpy orc smile. More pixie dust burst around him.
Lacy glanced at him, but Cas ignored her.
“You won’t regret it. Sugar cookies are my favourite! AndI am excellent at baking them. I use vanilla and ground almonds in them, and they are sweet. I have such a sweet tooth!” He laughed. “I only make sweet treats. Cakes, cookies, tarts, and truffles. Those are my speciality. I even made a Christmas jam yesterday.”
The orc stared as Cas rambled.
“How many sugar cookies did you want?” Cas asked, trying to focus.
“Ahhh…” The orc looked down at the cookies. His brows furrowed. “Just the one, please.” So softly spoken in his rumbly voice.
“Only one?” At least it was more than none. Still… “You don’t want two? Then you could try the pink and blue ones. I think they look lovely together. Don’t you?”
The orc’s mouth moved for a few seconds before any sound emerged. “Ah. Yes…they look lovely.”
“So you’ll take them both?”
“Ah… Okay.”
Cas took out the cookies and paused. “And you should try a cinnamon star cookie too.” He grabbed one. “And try a vanilla crescent cookie. They’re divine. And this jam sandwich cookie!”
The orc stared at him.
“Don’t worry! They’re on me.” Cas packed the cookies into a small box. Then he grabbed a bit of ribbon, tied it around the box, and handed it to the orc.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“No, please,” Cas insisted, still holding the box out. “I think you’ll like them. And it makes me happy that you want to try them.”
The orc blinked. He hesitated. Finally, he took the box. He stared down at them like he didn’t quite know what to make of them. “Thank you.” The orc reached into his pouch, pulledout several coins to cover the cost of the brick bread, and handed them over to Cas.
Cas gave him his change. “I’m Cas, by the way. I’m a Christmas pixie. I spread Christmas cheer to everyone.” His wings fluttered.
“I know. I mean, I know your name is Cas.” The orc’s lips pressed together. “Graal. That is my name.”
“Well, it’s lovely to finally know your name, Graal,” Cas said.
Graal nodded. “Thanks.” He gestured to the box of cookies. “And a… Have a good evening.”
“You too,” Cas said as Graal walked away. “And Merry Christmas!”
Graal looked back. “Merry Christmas.” The bell tinkled as he left.
Cas sighed. He glanced around. Lacy served the remaining customer at the counter.
“Are you giving away cookies again?” Grady asked.
Cas jumped. Grady leaned on the table separating the back and front areas.
“He needed it! And I will pay for it!” Cas flew towards him. “He smiled, Grady! Graal actually smiled!”
Grady chuckled. “It’s fine, Cas. It’s not like before when the bakery was struggling and you kept giving away food to everyone.” He gave a lopsided smile. “And it’s nice to see you bringing a little joy to his life. He always did seem pretty sad.” Grady tilted his head, gaze studying Cas.
“What?” Cas asked. He touched a hand to his cheek. “Is there something on my face?”
Grady shook his head. “Nah. You just remind me of Mother.”
Cas clasped his hands together. “Really?” There was no greater compliment in the world to Cas.
