Page 53 of Noel I Won’t
“Thanks again for doing this,” Hunter said when we sat down with them. “Our parents are going to love it.”
“You’re very welcome,” Noel said warmly. “You reviewed the menu items? I want to make sure you don’t think the sausage apple pies are too provincial.”
Hunter and Kevin exchanged a look, probably as unsure of what he meant by that as I was.
“Who doesn’t love a good pastry?” Hunter settled for saying.
“I’ll bake them in small, individual ramekins. It’ll look elegant, and?—”
“They’re tasty as hell,” I interrupted. “Noel has been testing most of these recipes on us.”
“I’m hungry now,” Kevin complained with a pout, even though he had a doughnut in front of him topped with frosting, sprinkles, and marshmallows.
“Eat your sugar,” Hunter said, nudging him with an elbow. “I did have one question about the menu.”
Beside me, Noel tensed. I could tell that even though he was inviting criticism, he didn’t really want any. Who could blame him? He’d created a beautiful menu. If they wanted to swap something out, he’d have to put even more work in, and it was already being done on short notice.
“What is a bacon brie tree?”
“Oh!” Noel laughed a little. “It’s just rolls filled with cranberry sauce, bacon, and brie, but I’ll arrange them to bake into the shape of a tree. Unless you think that’s too Christmassy. I tried to use elements of the season without overshadowing your parents’ anniversary.”
“Oh, that’s so clever,” Kevin said.
“Sounds great,” Hunter said. “We’re fine with a little touch of Christmas. Right, Kev?”
Kevin nodded. “If it’s full of bacon and brie, hell yes.”
Noel laughed. “I could ditch the tree shape, if you’d rather just have rolls?”
“No way,” Hunter said. “My heart is set on this now.”
Noel smiled. “Okay, wonderful. Let me just go over a few more things to make sure there’s no confusion.”
While Noel read out his menu, explaining each dish in more detail, I shoved the gingerbread doughnut into my mouth. It was spiced perfectly, and I hummed happily, not even noticing I’d caught everyone’s attention.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “Carry on.”
Noel smiled. “That’s what I want my food to do for everyone.”
“Trust me, babe, your food is even better,” I said.
Kevin’s smile widened, reminding me of the last time he’d performed as Sassy Solo, his drag queen persona. “Well, it’s likethat, is it?”
“Like what?”
Noel shifted. “Uh, you called me babe.”
“I did?” Everyone nodded, Kevin still looking like the damn cat who’d gotten the cream. “Sorry. It just slipped out.”
“Aw, don’t apologize,” Kevin said. “Just appreciate what you’ve got.” He looked at Noel. “Hopper’s a great guy, really. He has the biggest heart.”
“I’ve noticed,” Noel said softly.
Kevin turned to me. “And Noel is way out of your league. Way to go, country boy.”
I scowled. “He grew up at the farm next door.”
Kevin waved a hand. “Yeah, but that was a Christmas tree farm. Totally different. Plus, he’s a chef. That means he has better taste than all of us combined.”
