The Christmas Cookie Crush (Arcadian Falls Christmas #4)

BONUS SCENE

Nora

“You’ve gotten so good at cookie decorating,” Austin says to Sophie as they survey her latest masterpiece at Mom and Dad’s dining room table.

Sophie, now eleven, beams at Austin’s praise. In the two years since Austin and I have been dating, he’s basically become one of Sophie’s honorary uncles. Between last Christmas and now, they’ve really bonded over the cookie decorating, and he’s even let her come to Give and Cake every once in a while for cookie and cake decorating lessons. And Austin’s not just blowing smoke either. She really has a knack for it, and seems to really enjoy it too.

Sarah and Shane come in to admire Sophie’s work. They’ve been relegated to the living room, where they’re working on their own cookies on the folding tables we use for Mom and Dad’s annual open house party. The party’s quickly approaching, and we’re all enlisted to help prep this year. Mom and Dad are handling the appetizers, but the rest of us are on cookie duty, which we’re getting done while they’re at ChristmasFest. It’s my first year not working as an elf at all, but it’s nice to just worry about the store this year. I still manage the elves’ schedule, but I’m not on the roster.

We have a wide variety of cookies, as usual, but the frosted sugar cookies are sure to be the star of the show thanks to Austin’s contributions and Sophie’s growing skills.

“Those are amazing, Soph,” Shane says, his voice a little gruff.

She turns her face up to him, her smile softer. “You think Mom and Dad would like them?” she asks in a small voice that makes my heart squeeze.

He pulls her roughly into his chest and drops a kiss on the top of her head. “They’d love them. They’d be so proud of you, Bug.”

“Thanks, Shane,” she whispers into his chest.

“I’m glad we put you on cookie decorating duty,” Sarah adds. “I couldn’t do half as well as these. You two make quite a team. All those lessons at the bakery are paying off.”

Sophie gives her a sweet smile and reaches an arm out to pull her into the hug too.

After they break apart, Sarah turns and gives me one of her patented big sister looks. “And what about you? You’re just sitting there while the rest of us work?”

I hold up my hands in protest. “I’ve been working! I’m the one who mixed the dough and rolled most of it out and scooped out the balls for the others and?—”

Sarah waves a hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, you’ve contributed a lot. But it’s not like we all just sat around during that. Come help Shane and me finish in the living room. You can unwrap the Hershey’s Kisses for us to put into the peanut butter blossoms.”

“Fine,” I grumble. “Only if I get to eat some.”

“Of course, of course,” Sarah says, grinning at me. We’ve fallen into an easy rhythm the last couple of years working together at the Christmas Emporium, and while she’s technically my boss, our relationship feels more like a partnership, even if she does still pull the big sister act every so often. Usually it’s when we’re at Mom and Dad’s house, though. Not at work. We all sort of revert back to our childhood roles here, even now that we’re all adults in stable relationships with good jobs.

Our brothers and their girlfriends can’t be here for the open house this year, unfortunately, but they’ll all be here for Christmas, and I suspect we’ll have another marathon cookie decorating session then.

Austin stops me in the doorway to the living room and gives me a kiss. “Stay out of the kitchen for a bit,” he murmurs. “Sophie and I are working on a surprise.”

That piques my curiosity. “What kind of surprise?”

He gives me a sly smile. “If I tell you, that’ll ruin the surprise, won’t it?” At my narrowed eyes, he laughs, kisses me, and lightly smacks my ass as I turn to leave.

“It better be a good surprise,” I call over my shoulder.

“You’ll love it,” Sophie squeaks, and her face is positively giddy.

My mind whirls with possibilities as I sit down at the end of the table, tear open a package of Hershey’s Kisses, and start unwrapping them for Sarah to press into the cookies. Shane joins me, popping his first one into his mouth and grinning, then unwrapping one and placing it into the bowl for Sarah to use.

“So you two know anything about this surprise?” I ask.

“What surprise?” Shane returns, his voice so normal I almost believe him for a second.

But I catch sight of the look he exchanges with Sarah.

“You do know!” I accuse.

Sarah holds up her hands, palms out. “Whatever we might or might not know, we certainly won’t be telling. A little anticipation won’t kill you, I promise.” I narrow my eyes at her, and she returns my look with one of her own. “I’m serious, Nora,” she says, sounding so much like Mom it’s uncanny. “You won’t even have to wait that long. Get a grip.”

The last part isn’t like Mom at all, and the sharp contrast makes me laugh. “Okay, okay.” I eat a Hershey’s Kiss, giggling some more at her glare.

“If you two eat all of those, we won’t have enough for the cookies. And I have to add them while they’re still warm and soft, so this batch’ll be ruined.”

“Ruined seems a bit far. The cookies’ll still be good without the kisses,” Shane protests.

“Yeah!” I add, popping another candy into my mouth out of spite.

Sarah swats my hand and snatches the Kiss I’m currently unwrapping, peeling the foil off and pressing it into a waiting cookie then glaring at us some more. “Seriously, you two. You’re supposed to be helping.”

“We’ll help,” Shane promises, sounding suitably chagrined, but he gives me a not-so-secret grin.

“Shane,” Sarah warns, and he laughs, standing and going to her to pull her into a kiss. They’re still so cute, even five years later. And Sarah announced at Thanksgiving that she’s pregnant, which is exciting. I’d had my suspicions, because she’d been feeling crummy and run down for a while, and complaining about nausea that wouldn’t go away. And I know they’d started talking about having a baby more in the last couple years, though Sarah kept saying she wasn’t quite ready yet. I guess she’s ready now, though.

We get back to work, Shane and I efficiently unwrapping the Kisses—only filching a few more—and just as the cookies are done, Sophie comes out, grinning ear to ear.

“Nora,” she says, practically singing my name. “Austin would like to see you in the kitchen now, if you don’t mind.”

Eyebrows climbing my forehead, I glance at my sister and her husband, who both seem to be trying to hide wide grins of their own. It’s clear they won’t give away anything more, though, so I stand, still eyeing Sophie, who waves me toward the kitchen.

I step into the kitchen slowly, surprised to find the kitchen table cleaned off, only one of Mom’s small china plates bearing a frosted sugar cookie to show that this has been a hub of cookie decorating until just a few minutes ago. There’s a red taper candle in a crystal candle holder behind the plate, and Austin stands behind the table, fidgeting like he’s not sure where to put his hands.

Meeting his eyes, I raise my eyebrows in question, and he clears his throat and nods at the cookie.

Stepping closer, I see it’s a large heart, and my brows crimp together. When did we cut out a heart shaped cookie? Let alone one this large? I don’t remember seeing it go into or come out of the oven, even …

But then what’s on the heart catches my attention. There’s a girl elf with dark hair on a white background. A boy with brown hair in a black apron. And on the right half, in red looping script, the words, “Will you marry me?”

When I raise my eyes to Austin, my hand involuntarily flies to my mouth. He’s down on one knee, an open ring box in his hand, the diamond solitaire glinting in the candlelight.

“Yes!” I cry, unable to temper my volume. “Of course!”

Grinning widely, he stands, and I launch myself into his arms. He laughs, sounding happy and carefree, and he picks me up and swings me in a circle before setting me back on my feet and kissing me.

I hear clapping behind me and turn to find Sarah, Shane, and Sophie crowded in the doorway, still grinning.

“I’m so happy for you, Nora!” Sophie shouts. “It was so hard to keep it a secret. We’ve been working on that cookie in the shop all week, not to mention how long he’s been working on the design. He’s been planning this for ages!”

Turning to face Austin again, all I can do is kiss him, tears of happiness pricking my eyes.

“I love you,” he murmurs and kisses me again.

“I love you, too.”