Page 80 of A Newport Christmess

“I remember the gingerbread house you posted last year. What was it again—a cottage of some sort?”

“Good memory. It was a Cotswold cottage.”

“That’s right. In the reel, you showed blueprints of the design. Did you just come up with those on your own?”

“I watched a few videos on YouTube.”

Rachel laughed. “Of course you did. Do you still have the blueprints you created for your centerpieces?”

“They’re at the house where I’m staying. You’re welcome to look at them sometime.”

Rachel gave a mischievous smile. “How about now?”

“Now?”

Rachel glanced around and shrugged. “My introvert battery is tapped out and needs to be rejuvenated before tomorrow’s activities. So, if you’re ready, I can get us a car.”

I glanced toward Nikki, who was standing next to Julie in the middle of a large group of women. “Let me just grab my dress from Nikki’s room, and I’ll meet you at the front door.”

TWENTY

QUINN

To my relief, the lights were all off when we got to the house, which meant Landon wasn’t home yet. Not that I was worried about him meeting Rachel, it was just that ... Okay. I was a little hesitant to let him see this goddess of a woman his sister had intended to set him up with, especially because she was proving to be every bit the whole package Nikki declared she was.

“Wow. Talk about prime real estate, right next to the bay like this.” Rachel glanced up at the house when we got out of the hired car. “And the house is lovely.”

I led the way inside, flipping on the light switch when we reached the shared stairway. Her gaze roved over the setup, like she was taking it all in.

“There’s an apartment down here with three bedrooms,” I said, gesturing to the door as we passed. “I’m upstairs.”

When I opened the door and turned on the lights, Rachel’s attention went immediately to the replica of Rosecliff on the table. “It looks just like it.” She walked around the table, studying it from different angles. “Look at the detail in the gingerbread. Your icing work on the part you’ve done is incredible, too. It all is. Constructing scaled-down models is no easy task, and you do it with gingerbread. I’m beyond impressed.”

“The blueprints I made are in my room upstairs. I can go grab them, or you’re welcome to come up. The three finished gingerbread houses are up there.”

She shrugged out of her coat and draped it over the back of the chair. “Lead the way.”

I placed my dress and shoes from Sophia in the closet and grabbed the blueprints. As I sifted through the papers, getting them in order, Rachel studied each of the other gingerbread houses. “I recognize this one. It’s Kade’s family home in Boston. How did you get the dimensions?”

I handed her the paper I’d drawn out the plans on. “A combination of pictures, Zillow, and Google Maps. There’s a tool where you can measure things on the aerial view. Once I knew the size of the roof, the other parts weren’t too difficult to calculate. It’s definitely not exact, but it’s close enough to capture the look of it.”

Rachel’s gaze moved across the design. “Honestly, you could teach our interns a thing or two.” Pride swelled in me at her compliment, and she handed it back to me. “Can I see the others?”

I handed her the papers, and she moved to the bed, taking a seat on the corner of it. She nodded, her eyes roving over each one with careful consideration. “If you ever decide baking isn’t for you, you could always look into architecture. You’ve got a talent for it.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and my heart nearly jumped into my throat. I spun to face the hall to find Landon walking toward me.

“Landon.”

He smiled. “I didn’t think you’d be home already, but I saw the lights on. How was the party?”

My gaze shifted to Rachel, sitting on the bed, her legs crossed and the slit in her dress perfectly exposing her thigh. “Good,” I said.

He stepped into the room, and his gaze fell on Rachel. His feet came to a stop and his eyes met mine. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you had ...”

“Landon, this is Rachel.” I gestured to her, forcing the corners of my mouth upward.

“We’ve met.” Rachel glanced up from the papers in her hand, smiling at Landon. Thankfully, neither of them looked at me to witness my confusion. When had the two of them met? “Hello, again, Landon.”