Being With Him: Seventh Day of Christmas

On the seventh day of Christmas Alex made Mac and Cheese for Zeb. Here's a short snippet from a kitchen scene.

Excerpt: Being With Him

“Can you cook?” Alex asked dubiously.

“Not really,” Zeb admitted. “But I’m pretty sure I can peel or stir if you need help with that.”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Alex said. “But first, how about some coffee and a beignet?”

“I’d love some coffee. What’s the other thing you offered?”

Alex picked up a puff of pastry covered in powdered sugar and plated it.

“What is it?” Zeb asked, peering down at the sugary lump.

“A Southern take on donuts.”

Zeb took a bite, humming with pleasure as he chewed and swallowed.

Alex reached for a kitchen towel and wiped a smudge of powdered sugar off Zeb’s nose. “Want another one?”

“Yes, please.”

Zeb finished the second beignet in three bites and drained the coffee. After wiping his mouth, he cocked his head at Alex, waiting for orders.

“Let’s start you off with a few potatoes and see how it goes,” Alex said, handing over a yellow ceramic bowl filled with spuds.

Zeb picked out a large potato and the sharp paring knife Alex offered and got to work. He stuck his tongue in between his teeth while he concentrated on his task, inadvertently digging in too deep with each pass of the knife. By the time Zeb finished, the big Idaho spud was the size of a golf ball.

“How’s that?” he asked, looking at Alex proudly.

Alex stared at Zeb in amusement. “Haven’t you ever done this before?”

Zeb shook his head.

“What planet did you say you lived on?”

“Shut up,” Zeb said, embarrassed. “I told you I don’t cook.”

“Apparently you don’t do anything in the kitchen but eat,” Alex said, snorting with glee.

“But I do that so well,” Zeb said, joining in the laughter. 

Being With Him is available for pre-order at Dreamspinner Press and Amazon