He shook his head. ‘Challenge accepted. Now stop laughing so we can get to work.’
Chapter 5
A few days later, Piper dragged herself out of Connie and through the front door of the house she shared with Emmett. It hadn’t taken long for the simple act of walking in, dropping her keys in the bowl on the side table by the door and hanging her bag on the wall hook next to Emmett’s to feel natural. She glanced around the tidy but basic lounge area with its long couch, oversized television and coffee table. Emmett had made it clear that he was in the middle of renovations when she’d moved in, but she was also picking up on his minimalistic personality shining through in his decorating. Although he did have an eye for detail if those ceiling cornices were anything to go by. Still, the furniture she could fill this place with and the colour she would splash on the panelling. Hello, Hamptons styling with a hint of green.
‘Do you ever get sick of so much white on the walls?’ Piper said as she caught sight of him in the kitchen. ‘It’s really bright and … clinical.’
‘Spoken like someone who just finished night shift.’
‘Guilty,’ she confirmed, sliding onto the stool across from him. ‘What are you doing?’
The intense gaze of his hazel eyes flicked up to her from the two pieces of gingerbread he was holding at a right angle, icing slathered between them. His long hair was tied out of his face in a bun and his tongue was poking out the corner of his mouth. She swallowed hard. Damn, he was good looking. Her cheeks heated. She needed to get some sleep.
‘I have nineteen days to finish this gingerbread house to a standard that won’t embarrass me—or you, for nominating me for this—and trust me, it’s harder than it looks.’ His head jerked towards the bin, where Piper spotted a package sporting the words ‘Gingerbread House Kit’ against a bright red background. There was another one on the bench next to Emmett’s elbow.
‘Isn’t it cheating if you don’t bake the gingerbread?’ she asked, drumming her fingers on the benchtop.
‘You should’ve read the fine print before writing my name on the list.’ The tip of his tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he let the sides go. They leaned precariously too far left and he snatched at them again. ‘This ridiculous contest is being judged on the decorating, not the baking.’
‘Well, I hope you’re right because I wouldn’t want to have the wrath of Gloria come down on you if you’re not.’
A smile spread across Emmett’s face, lighting his eyes up when they connected with hers. ‘I can take Gloria, I’ve got broad shoulders. There’s a breakfast wrap in the sandwich press for you.’
Piper brought a hand to her chest. ‘A breakfast wrap? For me? Thank you.’
‘I was making one, so it wasn’t a big stretch to make two.’
She frowned. Itwasa big stretch for Heath. He was the king of making a meal for one and then blaming confusion over their conflicting rosters.Stop being petty and put Heath in the past already.She took a bite and groaned at the explosion of egg, bacon, cheese and some sort of amazing sauce.
‘Are you right?’ Emmett asked. ‘It could be a bit hot.’
‘It’s so good,’ she said before stuffing another big bite in and spinning around. His hands were hovering near the two sides of the gingerbread house that were now standing semi-straight. ‘Double thank you. This is just what I need before I crash out.’
Emmett slathered more icing onto the ends of two more pieces of gingerbread. He was on day shift, which meant Piper would be able to sleep in quiet. As long as his annoying neighbour didn’t mow for the third time this week.
‘Why won’t these stupid things stick?’ Emmett exploded when all four sides of his house fell down at once.
Piper couldn’t stop the giggle.
‘You think this is funny?’
His raised brow made her giggle louder. ‘At least you’ve got nineteen days to figure it out.’
He tipped his head back and groaned loudly, which was sexier than it should have been. God, she really needed to sleep.
A ringing came from the pocket of her scrubs, and she fished out her phone. ‘Hey, Mum.’
‘Piper, I just got off the phone with Carter and he said you weren’t coming home for Christmas. Something about working shifts that are too close together? I said you could come down on Christmas Eve, we could do breakfast and then you could fly home in time for work again. It’s not ideal to be on a plane twice within twenty-four hours but we can make it work.’
‘Oh, Mum, no. Please don’t get your heart set on this. I can’t come home for Christmas this year. I have a night shift ending on Christmas Eve morning then Emmett signed me up to sing in the choir at the Christmas Eve Bonanza, but don’t worry, two can play at this game. I signed him up for the gingerbread house decorating competition.’
Emmett sent her a withering glare that she smiled at.
Maree’s woeful sigh echoed down the phone. ‘You’re not coming home at all?’
Piper walked away from the bench, her smile slipping. ‘I’m sorry, Mum. You know how it is when you start a new job, especially at Christmas time. There’s always a wait list for leave and the new girl isn’t going to be at the top of it. I need to pay my dues before I can expect things like holidays over Christmas.’
‘I know, but we’re always together at Christmas. When you had a shift, we worked around it to have a family meal. Even Carter would make sure he was there.’
