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“It’s an addiction Ilsa! I can’t help it.” Robin brushed flour from the counter with a damp towel, catching it as it fell from the edge in the cupped palm of her left hand, before turning and depositing it in the bin. As she did so, she caught Ilsa eyeing the cooling gingerbread men on the counter in front of her and cleared her throat meaningfully.
Ilsa, started and grinned up at her. “All I’m saying is that it’s kind of taken over your life at the moment.”
“I can stop anytime I want to,” Robin deadpanned drawing a snort from her friend. “It’s just…I started watching The Great British Bake Off while I was wrapping presents this weekend,”
“I hate your powers of organization. It’s not right that there are still eight days until Christmas and you’re already finished shopping and wrapping and have started baking. It’s unnatural,” Ilsa interrupted.
Robin snickered, “Well, I had less people to shop for this year without Matt’s family and many, many less gifts to wrap since I’m not having to wrap ten gifts for the gifts he bought his work mates and all the gifts I had to buy for all of his other mates. I only had my family, you and Nick, the Wardles and Vanessa and Cormoran this year.”
“He really had you do all his wrapping?” Ilsa rolled her eyes.
“Of course,” She affected a deeper voice, “‘You’re so much better at wrapping and they always look so pretty.’” And I naturally fell for it. The only person he had to actually buy anything for, other than his work mates, was me.”
The noise Ilsa emitted could only be described as impatient mixed with anger. “Honestly Robs…You’re so well shot of him it’s astounding.” She reached over and laid a hand over Robin’s. “And it never fails to delight me, when you tell me these stories, that I got to be the one to rake him over the coals in court.” Robin snickered. “Seriously! That was the best Christmas present anyone could have given me this year. The joy of finalizing your divorce.”
“And I’m so grateful to have that part of my life over and done with,” Robin’s smile was wide and heartfelt. “But, while I was wrapping last night I was watching Bake Off and it’s like Paul Hollywood hypnotized me with his eyes or something. The next thing I knew I was dragging out my granny’s recipe book and trying some of her cakes.”
“Aww that’s sweet,” Ilsa sighed.
“Yeah, Granny gave me a ‘cookbook’ when Matt and I got married. It was half full of her recipes that she knew I loved and there was room for me to add my own.”
“Did you add any to it?”
“No. Naturally, Matt didn’t like any of Granny’s recipes and was always asking me to try stuff he found on the internet and then getting mad at me when I couldn’t get it right on the first try.”
“How did you deal with him for so long?!”.
Robin shrugged. “Willful ignorance I suppose.”
“Hmmm. Maybe,” was Ilsa’s only response. “Well are you going to take anything to the office? For the team?”
“I am actually.”
“Ooh what?”
“Well…I tried gingerbread men and I thought it would be fun to make them look like the guys.”
“Ugh! Of course you did. You’re impossible! Did you know that?” Ilsa laughed. “It’s impossible to be friends with someone so perfect. If I didn’t love you so much I’d hate you.”
“I am far from perfect Ils,” Robin protested.
“You take those gingermen to Cormoran and tell me if he doesn’t think you’re perfect.”
“Oh stop it.”
“Stop what? He thinks you’re perfect!” Ilsa insisted.
“He does not.”
“Just you wait and see.” Ilsa shook her finger at Robin. “I’m right. And I’ll enjoy rubbing it in.”
“Ilsa, Cormoran is not interested in me in any way. It’s not like that between us. Seriously.”
She’d been divorced from Matthew for six months and in all that time her partner, and closest friend, hadn’t given her any indication at all that he had a flicker of interest in her in any way other than as his junior partner. Even though she privately, very privately, wished he had.
She’d tried to be patient, thinking maybe he was just trying to give her time to get over the total collapse of her relationship, but nothing. All the promise of that hug on the steps at her wedding had just disappeared despite that fact that she had been single now for four months.
If she hadn’t known any better, she’d think she’d imagined that moment on the stairs. But she knew she hadn’t, if only because every time they’d argued Matthew had thrown the fact that she’d walked out of their first dance to chase Cormoran as he was leaving, in her face.
More than once over the last year and a half she’d wished she’d just offered to return to London with Cormoran that night.
As friends.
As lovers.
As partners.
However he’d have taken her.
She glanced up at the cheerful jingle of keys to see Ilsa preparing to take her leave.
“I have to get going. Nick’s office party is tonight and I need to go get ready,” she explained as she rounded the corner of the breakfast bar to envelop Robin in a hug. “Thanks for the tea and the chat.”
“Do you want to take some of these with you?” Robin indicated the multitude of different biscuits cooling alongside the gingerbread on the counter.
“Are you coming to dinner tomorrow night?”
“I am.”
“Why don’t you just bring them over then? That way Nick won’t eat them all between now and then,” Robin laughed, knowing this was very possible. “And we can have them for dessert after dinner,” Ilsa finished.
“Sure. That gives me some time to decorate tonight.”
“I despair of your social life, Robin darling.” Ilsa shook her head with mock sadness as she walked to the door.
“Oh go on…” Robin giggled, making a shooing motion as Ilsa opened the door. “See you tomorrow. Have fun tonight!” She called.
“Night!” Ilsa called back before pulling the door to.
Robin turned to her biscuits and set about decorating them, singing along with the Christmas carols playing softly from her kitchen speaker.
The following evening found Robin standing at the Herberts front door, holding a tower of cookie tins tied with festive ribbons.
The door swung open to reveal Cormoran’s smiling face and disheveled hair. “Robin!” he exclaimed. “How are you? Need a hand with those?”
“Oh! No. I’ve got them,” she said, startled a little by his appearance at the door. He stepped back to let her inside.
“We’re in the dining room.” He gestured her ahead of him and followed close behind her as she headed in that direction. “We’ve already ordered takeaway and it should be here in the next few minutes,” he explained as they entered the dining room to see both of the Herbert’s seated at the dining table, drinks in front of them.
She set the tower of tins down on the counter and started to unwind her scarf. “Wow Rob! Cookies?” Nick immediately stood, reaching for the tins, though pausing long enough to smack a peck on Robin’s flushed cheek. “I love you!”
“Ilsa didn’t tell you?” She asked.
“She did not.” He jokingly glared at his wife, who grinned back at him over her glass of wine. “Surprise!”
“The top one is for Cormoran specifically, but the rest are for us to share,” Robin untied the ribbon holding them all together and passed the gold tin on top across the table to Cormoran, who looked intrigued.
“Shall I open it now?” he asked.
“Sure.”
As he pried the tin open she picked up the wine bottle on the table and poured herself a healthy measure, taking a nervous sip as she watched his face closely.
Sitting inside the tin were two gingerbread people, standing on either side of a gingerbread door she had decorated to look like their office door.
One of the gingerbread people was very obviously female, wearing an acid green dress made of royal icing with orange sherbet colored hair, the eyes blue, the tiny lips pink.
The other was a gingerbread man who was dressed in royal icing slacks and a black blazer with a white shirt peeking out. The hair on this one was slightly curly and black, the eyes dark green and tiny pinpoints of black icing picked out what was meant to be stubble.
“Robin…” Cormoran was staring at the obvious representations of himself and Robin with something akin to awe on his face.
“Do you like them?” she asked quietly.
He finally raised his eyes to meet hers. “They’re incredible. So detailed.” He set the tin down, where it was snatched up immediately by Ilsa, who peered into the tin and exhaled an almost inaudible, “Aww.” Before passing it to Nick, who shared a knowing glance with her.
Neither Robin nor Cormoran paid any attention to their friends as Cormoran stood and crossed to Robin.
“I love them,” he said softly, taking in the flush rising up her neck to bloom in her cheeks.
“Oh good!” she replied. “They’re pretty tasty too.”
“First time I’ve ever said this about a biscuit…I don’t want to eat them.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
He bent slowly toward her, one of his hands wrapping softly around her waist, drawing her to him. “Thank you,” he whispered, as he pressed his lips to her cheek, just in front of her ear, before rubbing his cheek against hers in what was an unmistakable caress.
“You gonna kiss her now Oggy?” Nick’s mouth was full of gingerbread, he and Ilsa both watching them avidly.
“Should I?” Cormoran asked them before looking at Robin, who was once again red faced. He lifted an eyebrow, silently inquiring.
She moved her head in a tiny, disbelieving nod, eyes wide with shock.
He wasted no time in swooping down and capturing her mouth with his, dragging her closer so that they fit together from chest to thigh. His free hand delved into her hair, tugging her head back to allow him deeper access to her mouth.
So wrapped up here they in the feel of each other that they both jumped, startled, when Nick started applauding as Ilsa squealed with delight, “Merry Christmas Robin!!!”
Giggling, blushing and already wondering how soon she could manage to get his mouth on hers again, Robin grinned up at Cormoran, whose eyes twinkled with mirth. “Happy Christmas Cormoran.”
“And you!” he said, as he tugged her against him again.