Read Online Merry Humbug Christmas by Sandra D. Bricker - Free Book Online
Authors: Sandra D. Bricker
instant before she spoke up . . . as he somehow had anticipated that she would.
“And maybe one of those red velvet cupcakes in the case up
front.”
The waitress gave him a knowing smile, and Patrick shrugged.
“Apple pie?”
“Dutch or plain?”
“Dutch.”
“A la mode?”
He shook his head. “No, thanks.”
He waited for her to jingle away before he told Joss, “I’ll be back straight away.”
The gold flecks in her brown eyes glinted with curiosity as he
pushed out of the booth and hurried after the waitress.
“Do you have a birthday candle to put in that cupcake?” he asked
when he’d caught up to her.
“Ohh,” she cooed. “It’s her birthday? On Christmas?”
“Let’s make a real fuss and really light it up,” he suggested. “She’ll love that.”
He chased away the devilish smile from his face before slipping
back into his spot across the table from Joss.
“What was that all about?” she asked him. “Trying to get a date?”
The tiniest hint of jealousy thrilled him to no end, but a date?
With the waitress?
“I think I went to school with her granddad,” he said. “A little
perspective if you please.”
Joss chuckled, and it sounded musical, like the bracelet on the
kindergarten waitress’s wrist.
When the girl reappeared, she carried a tray with two cups and
the sweets they’d ordered, Joss’s cupcake ablaze with at least half a dozen little candles. Three additional employees of the café followed, all of them singing.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 60
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Once Upon a Jingle Bell
61
“We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry
Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday
too.”
Joss rubbed her face with both hands, and then she glared at him
through open fingers. Patrick burst into laughter, mostly drowned out by the singing.
“Blow out your candles,” the perky young waitress added as if
part of the song. “And be sure to make a wish!”
Joss thought it over for a moment before looking Patrick dead in
the eye and grinning. She closed her eyes tight, and said, “I wish . . . I could get Patrick Brenneman really close to the ship’s railing.”
Before he could react, she blew out the candles and thanked the
quartet of singers.
When the festivities commenced and the wait staff retired to
their corners, Joss picked candles from the cupcake, licking each one clean before dropping it to the plate.
“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” he said, and he gulped his coffee.
“Yeah,” she said with a broad smile and a nod. “The kind of fun
where somebody gets chased with a power tool.”
Her sarcasm delighted him, and Patrick grinned. “Does that
make me the electric nail gun?”
“If the Black & Decker fits.”
“Hey,” he said with a chuckle, raising his hands in surrender. “I was just filling in for your candy friend.”
“My what?” Her brown eyes became spotlights searching the
room, and then golden sparks flickered as realization dawned. “Oh.
Reese. Well, no more of this, all right? And no letting on to Connie that it’s my birthday. The next thing I know, there will be a neon blinking light over my head, and I’ll become an honorary elf held in captivity.”
“I see your point,” he conceded. “It’s our little secret.”
“Ours and the café staff,” she said dryly.
“Oh, and Hadji, the cabin steward who brought your cake.”
“Yeah. I forgot about him,” she said. “I think we may have to kill him. The net’s getting too wide.”
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Merry
Humbug Christmas
“Maybe after dinner. We’ll need our strength.”
The amusement in her brown eyes blazed into a sort of terror,
and Joss suddenly began scraping the candles from the plate and
scooping them into the palm of her hand.
“Here,” she said, pressing them into his and yanking her hand
back across the table as a small contingent of the von Trapp family appeared
“And maybe one of those red velvet cupcakes in the case up
front.”
The waitress gave him a knowing smile, and Patrick shrugged.
“Apple pie?”
“Dutch or plain?”
“Dutch.”
“A la mode?”
He shook his head. “No, thanks.”
He waited for her to jingle away before he told Joss, “I’ll be back straight away.”
The gold flecks in her brown eyes glinted with curiosity as he
pushed out of the booth and hurried after the waitress.
“Do you have a birthday candle to put in that cupcake?” he asked
when he’d caught up to her.
“Ohh,” she cooed. “It’s her birthday? On Christmas?”
“Let’s make a real fuss and really light it up,” he suggested. “She’ll love that.”
He chased away the devilish smile from his face before slipping
back into his spot across the table from Joss.
“What was that all about?” she asked him. “Trying to get a date?”
The tiniest hint of jealousy thrilled him to no end, but a date?
With the waitress?
“I think I went to school with her granddad,” he said. “A little
perspective if you please.”
Joss chuckled, and it sounded musical, like the bracelet on the
kindergarten waitress’s wrist.
When the girl reappeared, she carried a tray with two cups and
the sweets they’d ordered, Joss’s cupcake ablaze with at least half a dozen little candles. Three additional employees of the café followed, all of them singing.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 60
7/23/13 1:06 PM
Once Upon a Jingle Bell
61
“We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry
Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday
too.”
Joss rubbed her face with both hands, and then she glared at him
through open fingers. Patrick burst into laughter, mostly drowned out by the singing.
“Blow out your candles,” the perky young waitress added as if
part of the song. “And be sure to make a wish!”
Joss thought it over for a moment before looking Patrick dead in
the eye and grinning. She closed her eyes tight, and said, “I wish . . . I could get Patrick Brenneman really close to the ship’s railing.”
Before he could react, she blew out the candles and thanked the
quartet of singers.
When the festivities commenced and the wait staff retired to
their corners, Joss picked candles from the cupcake, licking each one clean before dropping it to the plate.
“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” he said, and he gulped his coffee.
“Yeah,” she said with a broad smile and a nod. “The kind of fun
where somebody gets chased with a power tool.”
Her sarcasm delighted him, and Patrick grinned. “Does that
make me the electric nail gun?”
“If the Black & Decker fits.”
“Hey,” he said with a chuckle, raising his hands in surrender. “I was just filling in for your candy friend.”
“My what?” Her brown eyes became spotlights searching the
room, and then golden sparks flickered as realization dawned. “Oh.
Reese. Well, no more of this, all right? And no letting on to Connie that it’s my birthday. The next thing I know, there will be a neon blinking light over my head, and I’ll become an honorary elf held in captivity.”
“I see your point,” he conceded. “It’s our little secret.”
“Ours and the café staff,” she said dryly.
“Oh, and Hadji, the cabin steward who brought your cake.”
“Yeah. I forgot about him,” she said. “I think we may have to kill him. The net’s getting too wide.”
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 61
7/23/13 1:06 PM
62
Merry
Humbug Christmas
“Maybe after dinner. We’ll need our strength.”
The amusement in her brown eyes blazed into a sort of terror,
and Joss suddenly began scraping the candles from the plate and
scooping them into the palm of her hand.
“Here,” she said, pressing them into his and yanking her hand
back across the table as a small contingent of the von Trapp family appeared
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