A Myrtle Clover Christmas

Chapter Sixteen

Erma Sherman gasped, "She wasn't on the guest list!"

Tippy shot Erma an annoyed look and swept over to Myrtle's side. "Myrtle. What a pleasure to see you."

"And it's such a pleasure to be here. I don't know where this town would be without you, Tippy. I do believe you're hosting at least half of the events in town this Christmas."

Tippy gave her a gracious smile. "It's something I enjoy."

Everyone seemed to watch Myrtle's plate of cookies with great intensity.

Tippy said, "How about if you put your treats over here in the display area?"

Myrtle followed her into the dining room and watched as she put the lemon cookies down on a massive mahogany table that easily seated twelve. Everyone else watched, too.

"You should try one," said Myrtle. "It's an ancient recipe from my mother's cookbook."

Tippy froze. Then she slowly said, "As tempted as I am, I believe I'm right at the limit of my daily caloric intake."

"Nonsense! I know how organized you are, Tippy. If you knew you were hosting a Christmas cookie swap, and I presume you did, you'd ensure all of your calories were consumed during your party."

Tippy gave her a small smile. "Of course." She reached out for a lemon cookie.

Everyone was completely silent, watching the tableau unfold.

Tippy broke off a bit of the cookie and put it in her mouth. Her eyebrows went up, and she thoughtfully chewed it. Finally, she swallowed it down and said, "Delicious."

The proclamation appeared to stun the audience. There were murmurs of surprise.

Myrtle preened.

Tippy considered Myrtle for a few moments. "You must have worked very hard on these."

Myrtle snorted. "It was child's play. It is an excellent recipe, however. You're all free to ask me for it. Wanda gave me a hand in the kitchen—she was my sous chef."

There were quick glances among the revelers.

Tippy gave her a smile. "I can imagine that Wanda was a tremendous help."

"Well, I didn't really need tremendous help, since this was a fairly easy recipe. But yes, she was very helpful, as always."

Tippy nodded. "Be sure to sample everyone's goodies. We'll do a recipe swap later."

The conversations started up again, and soon the house was buzzing with it. Tippy moved on to greet some new arrivals while Myrtle picked up a plate of fine china and handpicked seven cookies to place on it.

She turned around to find Erma Sherman standing impossibly close to her with a leering grin on her face.

"So Wanda helped you out with your cookies, did she?"

Myrtle said coolly, "Wanda is a friend of mine. I like to include her in as many activities as I can while she's staying with me."

"Did her crazy brother run her off?" asked Erma with interest.

"Certainly not. She's merely made the sensible decision to spend Christmas with friends."

"But she's not here," said Erma, looking around.

"No. More's the pity. I wanted her to come with me, of course. She had a conflict, however. Plus, she'll likely want to take a nap. Considering how it's been so very bright outside with your Christmas lights."