Page 99 of A Chef's Kiss for Christmas

“I mean it, Josh!” Selena bellowed as she pulled her boots on in the doorway. “Now I have to come out to get you, and you’ve made me very cross.”

“She’s going to be even more cross when she’s got a face full of snow,” Warren muttered, pulling his arm back. He waited until Selena stepped outside to launch his freezing weapon.

Focused on Josh, Selena didn’t even see the snowball coming. It struck her on the side of the head, making her stop dead and gasp loudly.

Anna held her breath as she waited for Selena’s reaction. Behind her, Tamara had her hand over her mouth to hide her glee, while Josh’s amusement came out in peals of childish laughter.

“I can’t believe you just did that!” Selena said, her icy glare aimed at Warren.

“And I can’t believe you won’t let your kid play in the snow.”

Selena seemed to consider her next move before she reached down and gathered a snowball of her own.

“How do you feel about being a human shield?” Warren asked Josh.

“What’s that?” he asked, sitting up.

“It’s where you help your uncle out!” He picked Josh up and held him at his chest as he took steps backwards and away from Selena.

“You wouldn’t seriously use your nephew as a shield,” Selena called, ready and armed with a perfect ball of snow.

“I won’t need to,” Warren said. “Because I don’t think you’ll really throw snow at your child.”

Anna hopped up and moved out of the firing line while Josh continued to giggle at the fun.

“You’re so annoying!” Selena grumbled, then fired the snowball straight at Warren and Josh.

At the last moment, Warren swung around so it missed Josh and hit him squarely on the back.

“You threw a snowball directly at your child’s face!” Warren said, laughing as he set Josh down.

“I knew you’d move,” Selena said, a smile cracking over her face.

“Can I build a snowman with Anna?” Josh asked, skipping over to his mum.

“Let the kid have some fun,” Warren said, dusting snow from his jeans.

“You can’t stay out for too long,” she told Josh. “And I’m going to get Tamara to bring your snow trousers. You need to put them on.”

“I need a carrot for the nose,” Josh said, ignoring her instructions. “Can you bring us one, Mummy?”

She huffed out a sigh and cast Warren a mock scowl before retreating inside.

“We need to make one big ball of snow,” Josh said, looking at Anna. “And one small one. Do you know how to do that?”

“I do,” Anna told him. “Warren can make the big one, and we’ll make the small one.”

Apparently, the conversation about their kiss was being put on hold.

But they were definitely coming back to it later.

Warren’s fingers had gone numb inside his gloves, and he wanted to suggest going inside, but Anna and Josh were having such a good time building a family of snowmen that he didn’t feel he could suggest it. Since the three icy figures of varying sizes had all their facial features in place, they were now foraging for sticks to use as arms.

Warren stamped his feet on the patio and blew into his cupped hands to warm his fingers. The door opened behind him, and his sister stepped out. He only cast her a quick glance, then shifted his gaze back to Anna and Josh, who were tramping in the snow by the garden wall.

“I like her,” Selena said, taking him by surprise when she stood close beside him.

“What?”