Bun in the Oven - Sequel to Cooking with Bucky

Chapter 31 -- Christmas!!

It's close to Christmas now! It's the day before Christmas Eve. I was getting excited for Bucky's surprise tomorrow morning! I hope he's going to like it! We've been baking up a storm, very delicious cookies and I'm the taste tester of the Christmas cookies. He ended up doing the cookies I requested plus some fudge. I managed to have Sam and Michelle babysit for Grant tomorrow morning. We're taking them fudge and some holiday cookies too. We think that will be a nice Christmas gift from us. I was sitting in the kitchen while decorating the cut-out cookies. Grant was next to me and so was Lady. I think she was looking for any food to drop to the floor.

"Looks like Lady wants some of your icing or a cookie!" James said as he watched us.

"I think so too! I like how you decorated some cookies!" I gestured to his Christmas cookies on the other side of the table. He had some bells, Christmas trees and balls covered in colorful icing and decorated with those neat Christmas sprinkles and edible Christmas décor.

"I'm glad you like those! Just wait until I decorate the Santa's next!" He said with a smile as he stood near me and watching me decorate the cookies.

"I think you do good job on those too!" He said while admiring my cookies. I did some with two colors, some with zigzags, others with stars and polka-dots.

"Just wait... I think Sam and Michelle will like these tomorrow!" I proudly said.

"I think so too. Sorry little guy, you're not old enough to have one of these yet!" James said as he turned to Grant, who was sitting in his portable carrier which is placed on a kitchen chair. He was almost eye level with the cookies on the table. We laughed as Bucky/James said that. Grant was sitting there with his Pooh bear with no care in the world. James sat down again after the last batch came out of the stove. Those were going to cool off while he decorated some more cookies. This time he had some reindeer and gingerbread men. For fun he decorated one gingerbread man as himself when he was the Winter Soldier. We didn't have black icing so he covered the guy in green and then did the left arm in silver, then his touch with a red star on the left arm and a blob of icing on the face as his mask.

"There! I now have a creative version of the old me on a cookie!" He laughed. "Oh, wait! I almost forgot the hair!" He added. I saw him do wavy red lines going off the guy's head. We laughed when we saw the finished product.

"What are we doing for dinner tonight? I know it's your turn to cook but I want to start celebrating Christmas now." He said.

"I was going to do something quick and easy like grilled cheese and soup." I said. Today it was a cold, rainy day. It seemed like a soup day to me.

"I want to take the two of you out for a nice dinner somewhere." He said as he decorated some cookies.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked.

"Oh, I was thinking of our favorite steakhouse. You think we can get in there a little early tonight? I'm sure that they will be busy at dinner time." He said.

"The Outback is where you want to go! Am I right?" I asked him.

"Yes, that's the place! Thanks for reminding me that's where! So can we?" He asked as he waved around a paintbrush full of icing.

"Yes, we can! It's best to leave around five or five thirty for an early dinner." I said.

"Great then we'll have about an hour or an hour and a half to get ready to go to dinner. I've been dying for a steak for a good while!" He cheerfully said. I looked at Grant, wondering if he will have an instant liking for steak one day. His dad just loves a good steak. We were done with our decorating shortly after the last batch completely cooled off. We got ready for dinner and left for the Outback with Grant in tow. James drove my car. This time he wanted to drive around and look at Christmas lights and decorations after dinner. We arrived at the Outback in about ten minutes and saw that we arrived at the right time for dinner. Hardly any customers were in the restaurant. We got some glances at Grant and a few said 'how cute'. That was from the staff of the Outback. After being escorted to our seats and me placing Grant in the booth next to me, we got our menus. We didn't want to see the menus right away because we knew we wanted their blooming onion for an appetizer.