Page 37 of Noel I Won’t
Ed pulled out a chair and sat down. He was doing a hell of a lot better than he had been, but I noticed he still tired easily.
“I want to get out and cut down a tree,” he said. “I don’t know how long Noel will be here, and Maggie has her heart set on him helping decorate one like when he was little. She’s feeling nostalgic with him home like this.”
“Oh, I can do that for you,” I said.
“No,” he said gruffly. “I’ll go.”
I turned to pour a mug of coffee to hide my grimace. I didn’t think that was a good idea.
“Go where?” Maggie asked as she came into the kitchen. “You want some oatmeal, hon?”
“No, I don’t want any damn oatmeal,” he groused. “I want another cinnamon roll.”
She clucked. “Well, those are for the store, Ed. We finished off the home batch.”
“Then some of that cranberry bread or a brownie. I’m not picky.”
She smiled at him and opened the pantry door, drawing out a packet of instant oatmeal. “All for the store, dear. Noel is determined to help us get a good start to the season.” She sighed.“I imagine he’ll head home soon now that he’s got us better stocked.”
“But he hasn’t even been here a week yet,” I blurted.
We’d only hooked up twice last night. He couldn’t go yet. We’d only gotten started.
“It’s longer than he’s stayed in a long time, hon,” Maggie said. “You don’t get to be a head chef by taking vacations. It’s a competitive field.”
“Yeah, he told me a little about that,” I said glumly, knowing she was right.
I carried two mugs of coffee to the table. Ed eagerly took the one I slid to him as I sat down.
“You never said where you were going, Ed,” Maggie said as she put a bowl in the microwave.
“Oh, just out to get a tree,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said. “Hopper can?—”
“It’s my damn house, and I can damn well cut down my own tree!” Ed burst out. “I’m not some goddamn invalid.”
“You’re still recovering.”
He puffed up, looking ready to blow, when Noel stepped into the kitchen. “Morning, everyone. Guess I’m late to the party.”
“Well, you worked hard yesterday,” Maggie said.
“So did you.” Noel gave her a hug from the side, eyes meeting mine briefly. “Guess I stayed up too late.”
“You didn’t have to finish all that brittle, sweetie,” Maggie said. “It won’t all sell in one day.”
“I know. I just want to do what I can while I’m here.”
“Well, we appreciate it, don’t we, Ed?”
“Appreciate it more when I get toeatsome of the baked goods,” Ed said sourly.
Noel chuckled. “Yeah, I bet. It was tempting for me, too, but I didn’t eat any of it. If you can’t eat it, I won’t either.”
Ed’s bushy eyebrows rose. “That’s not necessary.”
Noel grabbed a mug and poured himself some coffee. “It’s probably better for my health. As a chef, I had to learn a long time ago not to eat every delicious thing I made.”
