Holiday Escort by Julia P. Lynde Read Free Book Online Page B

pleased with my later batches. I'd made enough for her to bring some to the office, but they wouldn't last long.
    Karen looked between me and the waiting krumkake . "May I have one?"
    "One," I said. "Don't ruin your appetite." I paused. "They probably aren't quite like your grandmother's."
    She took one and bit into it, closing her eyes. She finished the cooking, leaning forward to avoid spilling powdered sugar down her front, her eyes closed the entire time. When she opened them and looked at me, her eyes were glistening. "They're exactly like Grandma's," she said. "Thank you."
    She took two steps up to me and pulled me into her arms and kissed me.
    The kiss didn't last long before she jerked away.
    "Oh my god. I'm so sorry." Her face had a look of horror.
    "It was a nice kiss, Karen." I stepped forward and hugged her. "I'm glad you liked the krumkake ."
    She still looked embarrassed. "Do I have time to change before dinner?"
    "Please be quick."
    * * *
    I got all her cards out. I made her sit down with me and write the ones she really needed to do herself. There weren't that many. She thanked me afterwards. "I would have put it off if you hadn't insisted."
    * * *
    She was hosting four events during December: a holiday party for her employees, a dinner party for her friends, Christmas Eve for her family, and New Year's Eve for a lengthy list of people. The first was the holiday party.
    I actually didn't have that much to do for it. She gave me a list of names and asked me to buy little presents for everyone. "In the past, I've given gift cards," she said. "That would be fine this year. If you can buy them and have them ready, I'd appreciate it."
    "These are for your employees?"
    "Actually, they're for the spouses."
    "Are you set on the gift cards?" She wasn't. So instead I bought little baskets and assembled pampering kits for everyone. I bought bubble baths, fancy soap, hot chocolate, sweets, candles, and whatever else I could think of then assembled baskets for everyone.
    Other than that, I simply had to coordinate with the caterer. Before hiring me, Karen had already handled invitations, arranged the caterer, and bought a mixed case of wine, so my job was a snap. The caterer would provide all the food and two people to serve it and help clean up afterwards.
    The part y was set for the Friday after the event at Ryan and Cor r ine's. I baked like a banshee for the two days previously and was obsessive making sure everything was perfect.
    The caterers arrived at four. I was already primped and dressed. I managed the caterers but let them do all the setup. Everything was ready to go by four thirty.
    Our first guest arrived at five fifteen. Karen wasn't home yet. I met Erik and Mary. They were barely inside the door when Mary turned to Erik and hit him on the arm.
    "I told you that your boss wouldn't be here yet."
    I laughed. "Which is perfect. Erik , you can tell me all about Karen before she gets here."
    Mary laughed with me and said, "You, I like. Where's the wine?" She looked at her husband. "You're the designated driver tonight." I took care of their coats and showed them where the wine was. Erik poured glasses for both of them while Mary talked to me.
    "This isn't at all what I expected." She looked around. "It doesn't seem like Karen's style at all." She looked critically at me. "You did all this?"
    "Some days I think the only reason Karen wanted me was for my decorating skills." Mary laughed, eyeing me up and down. "Somehow I think it's more than that."
    I blushed.
    "Is it true the house has a ballroom? I've never been here."
    "It's true," I said. "Would you like to see it?"
    "Absolutely!"
    So I took them downstairs. I had a playlist running for music, and the place was lit only with the Christmas lights I'd put up. Mary's eyes grew wide when she saw it. "This is amazing!" She listened to the music for a moment. "That's not Christmas music. I suppose that wouldn't be politically correct these days anyway."
    "It's tango,"