Ho, Humbug, Ho by Kate Angell

Author:Kate Angell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sexy, contemporary, novella, sports romance, contemporary adult fiction, baseball romance, kate angell, richmond rogues
Publisher: Kate Angell

CHAPTER FOUR

Baking cookies with the over-sixty crowd was one thing; having Alex Boxer in Edna Murdock’s kitchen was quite another. The man charmed every woman wearing granny panties. Holly had never seen him so friendly, so flirty, so polite. So not-Alex.

She stood back and watched him work the room. He’d taken a turn at every cook’s station except hers. She knew which cookies were Alex’s and which belonged to the ladies. Especially when it came to the apricot and raspberry thumbprints. There was a big difference between Alma Mason’s delicate thumb and jock boy’s own. His print required an extra dollop of preserves.

He’d encouraged Greta Taylor to double the Bacardi in her rum ball recipe. He’d sugar-dusted the crescent moon cookies twice over. Two of his gingerbread men were anatomically correct. He’d made the older women blush.

At that very moment, Alex was eating chocolate chip shortbread off the cookie sheets faster than Emily Ison could bake them. He’d poured his third glass of milk.

He was relaxed, smiling, and very much at home.

Holly, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck.

The man gave her goose bumps. From the moment he’d arrived, she’d gone all tingly and jumpy. Alex hadn’t paid her the least bit of attention. Yet his occasional glance stole her breath and made her heart race.

She instinctively knew he’d try to kiss her again. She watched, anticipated, yet kept her distance. She was afraid if he caught her unaware, she’d respond. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of another conquest.

Three days and he’d be leaving town. Unless he got off early for good behavior.

There were twins in Miami.

She didn’t want to be his Holiday lay.

“Where are you from, Alex?” Edna Murdock of the white hair, kind brown eyes, and arthritic hands asked as she passed him a plate of warm snickerdoodles.

“Minneapolis,” he replied.

“Tell us about your family,” said Greta Taylor, who had lived all her eighty-five years in the small beach town.

“My father’s in real estate, and my mother does charity work,” he replied. “I have five older sisters, all married but no babies.”

“You’re a handsome guy.” Edna winked at him as she added coconut to the macaroon batter. “Why haven’t you settled down?”

“I haven’t met the right Mrs. Claus.”

The grandmas all giggled like girls.

Edna offered everyone tea, and once the pot boiled, the older women grabbed their cups and moved to the living room to put up their feet. They were tired from standing.

One last bite of snickerdoodle and Alex crossed to Holly at the kitchen counter. She was decorating sugar cookies in all the holiday shapes and sizes.

She hated the fact they were now alone. She had no buffer against this man. His closeness made her fidgety. Her stomach knotted.

He nudged her with his elbow. “Can I help?”

She pointed toward three bowls of frosting and an assortment of sprinkles, gumdrops, dried fruit, nuts, and colored sugars.

“Frost, then decorate,” she instructed.

Alex selected a star-shaped sugar cookie. He spread buttercream icing with a narrow rubber spatula, then shook on yellow-colored sugar.

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