Christmas at Thistlecombe Cottage

Chapter 5

Maya woke up on a soft bed. It took a second for what she remembered of the night before to come flooding back to her mind.

The unexpected Christmas Eve dinner.

Slow dancing with a bottle of wine.

Asher taking the bottle away from her.

Slow dancing with Asher.

Then all the wine she'd drank and the food she'd eaten had come rushing out of her.

Her passing out on the floor.

But nothing of what she remembered explained how she could have ended up on a bed—Asher's bed.

Maya sat up, careful not to make any sudden movements. Asher was nowhere to be found. She tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the living room, where she found Asher fast asleep on the couch. Her couch. He was curled up like a ball, long legs tucked in an attempt to fit his entire frame into the width of the tiny couch.

Maya could only feel sorry for him. First encounter notwithstanding, here was a perfectly nice gentleman who probably just wanted to spend a quiet Christmas away from London to tend to his broken heart. Instead he had ended up with her, a complete and utter mess who was ruining all of his plans and sleeping arrangements.

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. Asher stirred but didn't wake. Maya hurried to the door and found Eudora carrying a jug and a picnic basket.

"Happy Christmas, Ms. Darcy! I thought you and Mr. Crawford might enjoy some bread that I baked, fresh out of the oven, and some hot chocolate. And I also got you some eggs from our coop." Eudora hooked the basket over Maya's arm and handed her the jug. "I don't know if you recall, but you also requested a few grocery items when you first booked the cottage. I bought them from the Asian store in the next town last week. You'll also find them in the basket."

Maya didn't have to look inside to see what Eudora had gotten for her. She remembered clearly what she had requested and what they were for. She felt a lump form in her throat at the memory.

"Thank you so much, Eudora. Asher—Mr. Crawford—is still sleeping, so I'll just share these with him later. The cottage is really lovely, by the way. Thank you so much for letting me stay."

"I'm so glad to hear it, dear. Are you still checking out tomorrow? I can't imagine three days would be enough to explore our village and what it has to offer, especially this time of year. It would do you well to stay a little longer."

"I would love that, really. There's still so much I want to explore. But I did only book the cottage for three days, so I guess I'll have to go back to London tomorrow. Besides, Asher might have already made plans. It's rightfully his until New Year's, after all."

"You two are getting on well, I hope?

"Well enough as accidental roommates, I suppose."

"I'm glad you two were able to make it work."

Was that a twinkle in Eudora's eyes?

"Very well. I shall leave you to it, then. Have a wonderful Christmas, Ms. Darcy, and do send Mr. Crawford my regards."

Eudora was halfway to the gate when she turned around excitedly. "I almost forgot! There is a special Christmas exhibit today at the village museum. It's something of a yearly tradition. Do come visit if you can, and perhaps meet a few of the locals along the way."

Back in the kitchen, Maya took out  the contents of the basket. The eggs were still warm to the touch, as was the bread, which smelled heavenly. She set them on the counter along with the other items Eudora had kindly bought for her.

Expecting she would be engaged by Christmas day, Maya had planned to make Nate the perfect post-proposal breakfast, and since her booking at the cottage included one special service upon request, she had used it to ask for the ingredients for her signature breakfast. But with no engagement ring, nor a boyfriend, there was no need to make the breakfast now. There was no one to share it with anyway. Unless . . .

Her thoughts were interrupted by Asher snoring lightly on the couch. An idea struck.

Maya rolled up her sleeves. It would be such a waste not to use those ingredients. They weren't easy to come by, after all. She was in no way  a chef, nor did she own popular restaurants in London, but she could make a pretty mean breakfast.

***

Maya heard Asher stir just as she was setting the table. He wandered into the kitchen, still a little out of it, barefoot and bundled up in a blanket, hair a mess of waves. For the first time, he didn't look like he'd come straight out of a fashion magazine, which was why Maya couldn't explain how he could still look gorgeous and possibly even the most attractive he'd been since she'd met him.

She quickly rid her mind of such thoughts. "You're up! Merry Christmas. Would you like something to eat? I mean, I'm not a fancy chef or anything." She took a large plate from next to the stove and set it on the table. "But I put together my kind of breakfast."

She looked at the spread before her and couldn't help but smile at what she had prepared. On the large plate was an assortment of meats, the delightful aromas of which filled the room. Caramelized sugar and the distinctly delightful scent of garlic  floated from the sausages she'd known as longganisa growing up. Next to it were pieces of tocino, perfectly cured and sweetened pork belly. Taking up the final space on the plate were thin strips of beef fried to perfection, called tapa. 

The smaller plate next to it had the eggs Eudora had given them, cooked sunny-side up, yolk just the right amount of runny.

But the star of the table and by far the most aromatic of the dishes was a large bowl of fragrant garlic fried rice, Maya's favorite.

On the table was everything she loved about a Filipino breakfast, and the flavors and smells brought back many good memories. It was her childhood in a meal.

Asher was fully awake now, eyes not leaving the table. "Everything smells delicious. Thank you, Maya."

"Don't mention it. This is just me thanking you for dinner last night."

It wasn't a meal from a five-star hotel, but Maya's Filipino breakfast received rave reviews from Asher. She could tell from the way he savored every bite, chewing carefully and thoughtfully, to the way he described the experience excitedly. His passion for food came out with every spoonful of rice, egg, and meat: a party of flavors in one bite.

There was hardly any food left by the time they were done eating, and Maya put it down as a huge success. Asher offered to do the dishes so Maya could get ready for the day. But before she headed for the bathroom, she remembered what Eudora had said.

"There's supposed to be a Christmas exhibit at the village museum today. Would you like to see it later, maybe?" Her heart skipped a beat at how brave she was being. She figured it was pretty safe to assume Asher didn't have any plans for the day, which was great because she very much wanted to spend it with him.

"That would be great."

The four words had Maya inwardly squealing.

"We could see more of the village while we're at it." Asher wiped his hands on his apron before tossing his hair way from his eyes. How could he look so dashing just washing the dishes? It wasn't fair.

Maya tried her very best not to skip in happiness away from the kitchen.