Pull Read Free

stretched to a grin as she pictured him
scraping a finger around the mixing bowl and licking it right off.
Not that she had a mixture for anyone to lick yet. If this was
happening face to face instead of over text, she would already be
anticipating the first kiss, the jolt of electric lust that would
pull them together.
    - You’re distracting me. I need to bake
    - You’re distracting me more like. I’m at work,
remember?
    - Must be a sweet deal if you can spend all night
messaging on Tinder
    - I’ve been on a break but I need to get back. It’s
busy tonight but if you give me your digits, I can distract you
some more later ;-)
    Claire poured a glass of juice and flicked back
through his photos. Why would someone as fit as him would be on
Tinder? Then again, he was hot, twenty-seven years old and probably
wanted to get laid – of course he was on Tinder. She could hardly
begrudge him for that, not when she was doing the exact same thing.
Still, she didn’t respond straight away. Instead, she went back to
focusing on the task at hand. She had a bad batch of cupcakes to
bake.
    Twenty minutes later, she slid the tray holding
cupcake mixture into the oven and closed the door. It had been easy
enough: Mix butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Give Danny your
number. She was pretty sure that wasn’t in the recipe, but she’d
done it anyway.
     

 
Four
     
    ‘One batch of cupcakes, delivered.’ Claire grinned,
wedging the large Tupperware box next to a bag of potatoes on the
side. ‘Don’t blame me if they taste horrific.’
    ‘Did you use salt instead of sugar again?’ Sarah
smiled back, teasing Claire about the time they’d baked with their
dad when they were younger and Claire had mistakenly put salt in a
chocolate sponge cake mixture.
    ‘Of course not,’ Claire replied and stuck her tongue
out as she unwound the scarf from her neck.
    It was like being a kid again, hanging out in the
kitchen with her twin as they cooked. Or, more accurately, as Sarah
cooked. Claire had done her duties and all there was left for her
to do now was eat. Her mouth watered as Sarah took the turkey from
the oven and basted it, sending its aroma around the kitchen. Even
if it weren’t for the contented smile that was permanently fixed to
her face, Sarah looked so happy. The only concession to motherhood
that Claire could ever see on her was the bags under her eyes.
    Claire shrugged her coat off and draped it over the
back of one of the chairs at the dining table. ‘Where’s Mum and
Peter?’
    ‘Ava had an unsettled night so they’ve taken her out
for a bit. They should be back any minute.’
    After years of torturing herself for the mistakes of
her childhood, Sarah had closed the fifteen year gap with her
family and returned to the fold. The enormity of them all preparing
to sit around a dining table at Christmas hadn’t been mentioned,
but the atmosphere was undeniable. It was charged with expectation
and hope that the past year, a year where they’d all gotten closer,
would continue into the next.
    ‘Hey, Claire,’ Adam said, walking into the kitchen,
still dressed in his pyjamas. His brown hair was ruffled and his
eyes looked tired as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
‘Merry Christmas.’
    ‘Merry Christmas to you too, but what time do you
call this?’ Claire raised an eyebrow with a grin and looked down at
her watch.
    ‘I was up all night with Ava while this one slept.’
He nodded at Sarah and rolled his eyes, but his happiness was
clear. It was in stark contrast to the air of rejection he’d had
when Claire first met him last year after he’d split up with
Sarah.
    Claire watched as he kissed the side of Sarah’s head
before making himself a coffee. Looking at them now, it was hard to
believe they’d ever split up at all. They were the vision of the
perfect family and it was only enhanced when their mum and step-dad
returned with baby Ava. After hugging them hello, Claire stretched
her arms out to scoop