Deep Freeze Christmas by Marian P. Merritt Read Free Book Online Page A

advance her career.
     
    ****
     
    Cameron awoke early, dressed quickly, and headed down the stairs.
    Julian was already in the kitchen making coffee. "You up early." Julian turned to him.
    "Couldn't sleep anymore. I'm gonna take a snowmobile out. Want to come with me?"
    "Who me? On dat thing. No way. You mus be off your rocker."
    Cameron put his arm around his shoulder. "C'mon, Julian. It'll be fun. Maybe you could take Miss Coco out." He jabbed Julian's belly.
    "Whoa, don't go gettin' fancy ideas, boy."
    "C'mon. Leona did it. You should have seen her. She's a natural."
    "Yeah, that girl is special." He turned to Cameron and met his gaze head on. "It's time some nice fella realized what a gem she is."
    Cameron raised his brows. "Me?"
    "Someone who deserves to have her in his life. If dat's you, then yes. If not, then no. Simple as dat." Julian poured hot coffee into Cameron's mug and then filled his.
    Cameron slid onto the closest stool while Julian gathered items for breakfast. "Julian, how do you know her?"
    "Her papa was a good friend. We hunted together when we were young. Grew up on the bayou. We reconnected when the family moved closer to N'awlins. He and his wife were good to me when my wife and daughter disappeared. Leona is the same age as my daughter. She has a special place in my heart. I would hate to see anybody do her wrong." He lifted his right brow and gave Cameron the Julian death stare.
    "I hear you, Julian." Cameron raised both hands. "Don't worry. I would love to get to know her better, but I don't think she wants the same."
    "Why you say dat?" Julian placed bulk sausage in a stainless steel pot.
    "I've tried to talk to her, but she brushes me off." He fiddled with the handle on his coffee mug. "Does she have a boyfriend back home?"
    Julian snickered. "No, she don't. She's too busy for a boyfriend. But, my boy, it's like dis. She's not gonna pay attention to another woman's man."
    "What?"
    "You heard me. You and Marissa." He crossed his index finger and middle finger together. "Like this."
    Cameron grabbed his head. "Ah, man. The kiss. She thinks Marissa and I are together?"
    Julian nodded. "I think Marissa thinks dat, too."
    "You've got to tell her that I'm not dating Marissa."
    Julian shook his head and began chopping an onion. "No way. I'm not gettin' in the middle of dis. You have to tell her."
    "Are you kidding? She won't believe me after what she saw." Cameron hung his head.
    "Seems to me you better get creative and in a hurry. You got less than a week before we leave." Julian finished the onion and added it to the pot of cooking pork sausage. He rolled out pie dough for two quiches.
    Leona entered the kitchen tying her apron around her waist. "Chef, you started without me. I thought you said we'd start at six thirty."
    "Uh—huh, I did. But I couldn't sleep. Neither could my boy, Cameron, here. So we been drinking coffee together. And you know me. I can't be in a kitchen without cooking somethin'."
    "What can I do?" she asked.
    He pointed to the coffee brewer on the counter. "You can go over to that coffeepot and pour yourself a big mug of coffee and sit right there and drink it." He pointed to the stool with his wooden spoon.
    She narrowed her eyes toward him and then did as he asked. Or rather commanded. As Julian had always done. She slid into the stool on the far end of the counter.
    When Cameron had lived in Louisiana during his fifth and sixth grade years, he'd been so intimidated by Julian. His dad and Julian had become good friends when his dad had invested in his restaurant. He and his dad had helped paint the place and get it ready for the grand opening. That summer is when Julian had taken Cameron under his wing to teach him to cook after Cameron had confided in Julian that he dreamed of doing just what he was doing—become a chef and open his own restaurant.
    Julian and Leona were doing what they loved. Not pretending to be something they weren't. Cameron hated his job. It was the