Mistletoe Match (No Match for Love) by Lindzee Armstrong

Author:Lindzee Armstrong [Armstrong, Lindzee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary romance, holiday romance
Publisher: Snowflake Press
Published: 2016-10-28T04:00:00+00:00

The knife that had lodged in Austin’s back when Victoria called slipped loose. Michelle was staying. The excitement on his three children’s faces had his heart somewhere in the region of his esophagus, and he struggled to keep his emotions from showing.

Michelle gathered loose mocha-colored curls into her hands and slipped a rubber band around them, utterly distracting him. “Austin, want to turn on some Christmas music?”

“Sure.” He’d run out to the store and buy a stereo right now if she asked him to. Luckily the house was wired with bluetooth speakers, and soon the rich timbre of Bing Crosby singing White Christmas filled the kitchen. A grin split Spencer’s face as Sydney bounced to the music.

“Perfect,” Michelle said. “Let’s pull over a chair for you to stand on, Sydney. I guess you guys have popcorn, right?”

“We do.” Spencer scampered over to the pantry. “Sometimes Lucy makes it for us.”

“Excellent,” Michelle said. “Mariah, can you grab the brown sugar and vanilla? Let’s see, we’ll also need baking soda and salt. Hmm. I guess you don’t have any coconut oil or dairy-free margarine do you?”

“I don’t think so,” Austin said. They sold that at grocery stores, right? The closest one was only a five-minute drive.

Mariah rolled her eyes and disappeared into the pantry. She emerged with a giant white tub, a bright blue label slapped on the front.

“When did we get coconut oil?” Austin asked.

“I asked Lucy to buy it,” Mariah said. “My cooking teacher said it’s great to fry things in.”

“Excellent,” Michelle said. “You guys won’t believe how yummy this caramel corn is.”

“I don’t see any caramel,” Sydney said.

“We’re making our own.” Michelle opened a cupboard, her hips swaying to the music. “Where are you pans?”

Austin ripped his eyes from Michelle’s figure. Pans. Did they even have those, or had Victoria taken them in the divorce? “Uh . . .”

Mariah sighed, opened a cupboard on the island, and pulled out a pan. “Will this work?”

Guilt gnawed at Austin. It wasn’t fair to Mariah that she’d had to take on so many household responsibilities since Victoria left.

“Perfect,” Michelle said. “Now, who can tell me what caramel is made of?”

Spencer glanced at the ingredients on the counter. “Brown sugar?”

“Bingo,” Michelle said. “It depends on who’s making it, but caramel is basically butter, sugar, cream, and vanilla. We’re going to use baking soda and coconut oil instead of butter and cream. You won’t even be able to tell the difference. Promise.”

“I’ve never made caramel before,” Mariah said. Her phone remained shoved in her pocket, and Austin’s happiness compounded.

“It’s easy,” Michelle said. “Here, I’ll teach you.”

“What can I help with?” Austin asked.

Michelle waved her hand. “Just sit at the bar and watch. I’ve got the perfect helpers right here.”

For the next hour, Austin watched as Michelle patiently taught Mariah how to make caramel corn, with Spencer and Sydney assisting. The kids started out timid and quiet, but by the end the entire kitchen was filled with rich laughter. Austin was sure this recipe took

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