Can't Love Christmas

Twenty Seven

The timer on the oven went off, and Rowan stuck his head back into the kitchen "Are they ready?"

"They need to cool before you can eat them. I will not let you burn your mouth. We are not having a disaster today."

"You mean, other than your oven not working."

"Dammit! I forgot about that. Do I even stand a chance at winning this bet?"

Rowan's eyes glimmered. "You haven't figured out the winner yet?"

"No."

"Huh. I'm surprised. You'll figure it out."

"What's the official deadline for figuring it out?"

Rowan walked right up beside Ash. "Well, how about we talk on New Year's Eve about it?"

"Then the loser only has one night to lose sleep about it?"

Rowan laughed. "Of course, because New Year's Eve is known for people getting a good night's sleep. You crack me up, Cinders."

Ash lifted the cookies from the pan onto the cooling rack. One of the candy cane cookies broke in half. "Oh no. Our first sacrifice to the cookie gods."

Rowan reached out for it. "What do we do with it now?"

"Eat it of course. You have to hide the evidence from the other cookies so they don't get any ideas."

They each took a half. Rowan bit into it right away. "Hasahhashsfhahhf." he tried to cool it off while it was already in his mouth. Ash blew gently on hers before taking a small bite.

"Dork."

Rowan shrugged and did the same thing with the remaining bit of cookie. "Are you going to come to the New Year's Eve party here?"

"Am I invited?"

"Technically, you don't need an invitation as it is an open event, but yes, I am inviting you and I hope you'll come."

"Okay. I'll be there." Rowan beamed, a sprinkle from the candy cane stuck between his front teeth. Ash looked away and finished the rest of her cookie.

"Rowan!" Brittany called from the other room, "I need your help."

He sighed. "I better go. I'll be back shortly, and I expect to be able to eat some more delicious cookies." He reached the door and turned back. "Seriously, my typical dinners consist of way more than half of a cookie, and I am huuuuungry."

Ash put another tray of cookies in the oven, as Brittany walked in. This time it was Ash's turn to do a double take. Brittany had changed from her t-shirt into a tight, plunging v-neck tank top. Brittany loaded a tray with glasses from the dishwasher and headed back out to the front, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she passed Ash. Ash directed her attention back to the cookies in front of her, smiling to herself at the obvious display Brittany was putting on.

Rowan came back into the kitchen while Ash mixed the royal icing for the sugar cookies.

"I wish it smelled this good in the kitchen all the time." He walked over to Ash and peered over her shoulder into the bowl of icing. He leaned to whisper into her ear, "please tell me I can eat some more cookies, or I might actually die right now."

Ash turned her neck away from where his breath tickled it. "Yes, have at them. Just the ones with sprinkles though! I need to ice the others first."

"Oh thank god!" He grabbed a plain snowman, "but no one tells me how to eat my cookies."

"You're the worst!"

"Oh my god Ash, these cookies are amazing." He moaned as he swallowed his first bite.