Page 21 of Mistletoe Hearts
Grandma Lucy gave me a broad grin. "That's because your girl here is regaling me with stories of your misadventures. Did you two really meet because you and your fraternity brothers were attempting to steal a mascot?"
I darted a glance to Alex. "You told her that story?"
Alex shrugged. "You know I don't lie well." Her expression said it all.
Don't go there. I'm trying to talk about anything but the one thing I can't talk about.
I cursed my luck. "Yeah, Alex busted me, but then I asked her if she wanted to join us. And she helped to cart it all the way back to our fraternity house."
"Well, the establishment in the Fine Arts department was a bit snooty. They certainly needed a shakeup. Besides, I liked the idea of being stealthy and undercover."
I grabbed a slice of the fresh-baked bread and slapped a big pat of butter on it. When I took a bite, I all but moaned around it, and my grandmother looked on with delight.
"Cinnamon bread. Your favorite."
I couldn't help but talk with my mouth full. "Grandma, seriously, I don't know how you do it, but this is amazing."
My grandmother shook her head. "Wasn't me. Alex made that."
I coughed. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to swallow the piece now or spit it back out. Thing was, it tasted fine. It wasn't rock hard. It was soft and warm and moist. Just how I liked it. And it tasted freaking delicious. I opted for swallowing.
"Alex made this?"
Alex nodded. "I don’t know how it happened, but with your grandmother standing right here, there was no way I wasn't getting it right. Turns out when she says a pinch, it's not an exact science. It's more like an art. When she explained it like that, it was pretty easy."
I nodded warily, not sure it was a good idea to take another bite, but my stomach rumbled, begging for more. It was really good.
My grandmother patted me on the back. "And why are you standing up like I didn't teach you properly? Grab a plate and coffee and juice. Eggs and pancakes will be out in a moment."
"Another Alex creation?"
Grandma Lucy shook her head. “Now that I have Marta from the hotel coming over to cook for everybody, Alex and I got to know each other." Her smile intensified when she glanced at Alex. "So listen, Jensen. I want you to go golfing with Martin today. I think you two can heal your tension. Then when you're done with that, will you go to LA and check on Alex's artwork for her so she doesn't have to do it herself? You know her nerves."
I looked back and forth between my grandmother and my best friend. And my gaze locked on Alex's. The crackle of a spark was there, just like it had been last night, but today it was worse. I needed to get away from it.
"Okay, I'll head out to the course. What time?"
My grandmother grinned. "They started an hour ago."
Shit.That meant I was late. I grabbed another slice of bread and jogged upstairs to change. When I finally made it up to the golf course, my cousins and uncle were on the fourth hole.
Martin was typically snarky. "Look who decided to wake up. It seems the rest of us who aren’t the favorite were up at the crack of dawn."
"Keep talking, Martin. Grandma's not here right now, so I will happily break your nose. For the second time." I grinned. I'd been seven when I broke Martin's nose the first time. Didn't matter that my cousin was older or bigger than me.
But now I had the height and weight advantage. While Martin may have looked similar to me, working out for my cousin consisted of a round on the golf course. I wasn't sure if my cousin had ever run anywhere in his life.
Martin studied me for a moment, unsure if he should take me seriously or not. There was no way I was going to poke at my cousin with my grandmother present, but since Grandma wasn't there, I was done taking Martin's insults.
Martin cocked his head and took a step back, conceding it would have been a fight. “It's okay, cousin. I mean, I know you probably didn't get enough sleep with that hot piece next to you.”
I tossed down the five iron I'd picked and got in Martin's face up close and personal. “What did you say?”
Martin held his hands up. "Sorry. Can't help it if I notice that your woman is hot. She's got that sassy thing going for her. I mean honestly, I never thought you were into exotic girls, but man am I glad you brought her around. Maybe she's looking for an upgrade.”
Exotic? What the actual fuck?
If I hit him in the face, Grandma Lucy would notice and be upset. As I assessed all the points that I could hit on my cousin without my grandmother noticing, my uncle stepped between us. "That's enough, you two." Uncle Jake wasn't a bad guy, he was just complacent and let his son have too much freedom.
