Chapter 74

I poked around the various serving plates. He’d made beef root and squash Wellingtons, a Florentine quiche, red cabbage and port, all kinds of buttered veggies, from baby carrots to parsnips, and his famous curried lentil soup. Derek was a master at vegetarian menus.

The place was spotless. He’d outdone himself again. But where was my Christmas elf?

“Der?” I checked the hallway. “The place looks amazing.”

“Thank you!” he called out from behind the bathroom door. “Be right there.”

I stepped away from the door, going back to the kitchen. I really needed a shower but didn’t want to rush him. I quietly lifted the edge of the tin foil off one of the baking pans and peeked under there. Cardamom rolls. Nice. I slipped one out and ate it slowly, leaning back against the sink.