The Trouble With Christmas Read online

  “Well, I figured I should smell nice, too.”

  His dimple popped out again. “Does that mean you planned to get close enough that I could smell you?”

  “It means I wasn’t discounting the possibility.” Wow, where did that come from? I had no idea I could be so forward.

  He chuckled and lifted the blanket he’d pulled over his lap, making room for me on the cushion. I took the offered seat, and he covered me up so that we were tucked neatly together. The arrangement didn’t feel intimate, but it did put me close enough to smell his cologne. The delicious scent tickled my nose. I inhaled subtly, trying to pinpoint the brand.

  My undercover sniffing mission distracted me enough that I didn’t notice what Evan was watching. Eventually, I glanced at the screen and saw two people dressed like elves, kissing under a branch of mistletoe—in a stalled elevator. Why there was mistletoe in the elevator is beyond me.

  “So…” I pushed down the bile crawling up my throat. “What are we watching?”

  “Um, I think it’s called The Christmas Elevator. Or maybe Christmas in an Elevator. Something like that.”

  I choked on my spit. “Oh, sounds…interesting.”

  He grinned at me. “Nate said you love cheesy holiday movies. This was the cheesiest one I could find.” I was about to say that Nate had been teasing, but Evan slipped his arm around my shoulders, and I decided I could sit through one lame movie.

  I was so wrong. I tried to relax and enjoy myself, but all I could think about was how stupid the plot was. A thousand questions ran through my mind. How come the emergency response team was ridiculously slow? Did it really take six hours to get an elevator unstuck? Why didn’t they just try crawling out the escape hatch in the top?

  And seriously, what are the chances that two beautiful, single people would get stuck in there together? Alone? There should be a big, hairy sweaty guy trapped with them. Or a mother with three crying children. At the very least, some random delivery guy that won’t stop complaining about his wretched mother-in-law who’s in town for the holidays.

  I was contemplating ways to extricate myself without faking a seizure when the front door flew open. Mom walked over and pulled me off the couch, then wrapped me in a big hug. “Oh, Chrissy! I’m so excited. If you need help with anything, I have a thousand ideas.”

  She held me back, expecting me to say something. But I didn’t know what to say, because I had no clue what she was talking about. I managed to squeak out, “Thanks?”

  Mom pinched my cheek before heading into the kitchen and clanking around in the cupboards. I looked at Evan in confusion. “What was that all about?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I replied.

  Garland strolled down the stairs, stopping a few steps from the bottom. He was rubbing the sleep out of his eye with one hand and scratching his butt with the other. “Sounds like someone’s doing construction. Why is Mom making so much noise?”

  “Who knows?” I shook my head and started to sit down again.

  Mom came back into the living room, waving an empty jar, and said, “I pulled out the big pan for you, but I used up all the molasses yesterday. You’ll need to get more when you go to the store for toppings.”

  “Toppings?”

  “I also left Nana’s gingerbread recipe on the counter.” She scurried back into the kitchen.

  My head was spinning. What in the heck did Mom think I was going to do today? I didn’t bake. That was Nate’s department. I’m a great taste-tester, but I burn anything I touch. I followed behind her. “Slow down, Mom. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She paused to think, and a light bulb went off. Smacking her hand to her cheek, she shook her head. “Silly me. The contest categories won’t be announced until noon.” A devious grin played on her lips. Well, as devious as my mother could get. “Don’t tell anyone I gave you a hint. You aren’t supposed to know this yet, but it might be good to get over to Cooper’s and buy your candy before everyone else does. If you wait too long, all the good stuff will be gone.” She winked at me, then headed toward the front door.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, still very confused.

  “I have to get back to your father’s office. I’m helping him with some last-minute pageant prep.” Mom peered at me over her shoulder and smiled. Her enthusiasm was palpable. “I’m really excited for you, Chrissy.” Suddenly, the tone of her voice changed. It almost sounded duplicitous. “I’m not sure why you decided to sign up this year, but I think you’ll have a lot more fun than you expect.”

  She walked out the door, leaving me in a stupor. Garland finished descending the stairs and went from scratching his butt to scratching his head. He looked at me quizzically. “You actually entered the pageant?”

  “No! Why on earth would I do that?”

  “I don’t know why you do half the things you do.” Evan and I followed Garland into the kitchen. He sat at the desk niche, opened the laptop, and pulled up the town’s official website. After clicking on a few tabs, he pointed at a long list. Right under his finger was my name. And it didn’t say Chrissy. It said Christmas Eve Jensen. Garland snorted. “Looks like you entered the pageant.”

  “What the crap?” I screeched, doing a double take. “Why did you enter me in the pageant?” Garland snickered. “This isn’t funny,” I grumbled before punching him in the arm as hard as I could.

  “Hey!” he whined, leaping out of my reach before I could hit him again. “I didn’t do it.”

  “Well, I sure as heck didn’t do it. And Mom wouldn’t. It seems like a pretty sneaky move for Dad to sign me up without asking first. That means it had to be you.”

  I clenched my fist and raised my arm, ready to take another swing, but Garland held his hands up defensively. “I think you’re forgetting someone here. I recall a certain best friend leaving the house pretty upset last night.”

  “He wouldn’t.” I gasped. But after thinking for a moment, I realized that he totally would. I ground my teeth together as I stomped to the foyer and pulled on my snow boots. I didn’t bother with a coat. My blood was boiling hot enough to keep me warm. “If I’m not back in twenty minutes, it means I’m on my way to Canada, trying to avoid prison.”

  I threw open the door. It banged loudly against the doorstop; the buzzing sound reverberated through the hall. “Don’t kill him!” Garland yelled.

  “I make no promises!” I yelled back and sprinted down the steps, cutting through the deep snow in the front yard toward Nate’s house.

  When I got there, I busted in without knocking. Mrs. Ellison was in the laundry room and poked her head into the hall. “Hey, Chrissy.”

  “Hey, Tina. Where’s Nate?”

  “The lazy sack of bones is still in bed. Why don’t you go wake him up?”

  “Gladly,” I replied, hurdling the stairs two at a time. His bedroom door was open. Some of the wind left my sails because I couldn’t kick it in. I slammed it shut instead.

  “Gah!” He jumped and fell off his bed, all tangled up in the comforter.

  I threw my hands on my hips. “You’re such a jerk! I know you’re mad at me, but this is an all-time low.”

  Nate blinked hard and slow, then rubbed his eyes and scooted onto his bed. “What are you freaking out about?” he asked, snuggling into his pillow.

  There was no way he was going back to sleep. I reached out and swiped the pillow from under his head and threw it against the wall. Then I grabbed his comforter with both hands and yanked it as hard as I could. It came flying off. Nate wasn’t wearing a shirt, so he curled up into a ball, trying to keep his body heat from escaping.

  “Give it back,” he demanded, pointing at the blanket.

  “Why don’t you get up and make me?” I countered with a snarl.

  “Geez, Chrissy, what’s your damage this morning?”

  I squinted hard and quipped sarcastically, “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’m upset because my mom
came dancing into the living room ten minutes ago, waving a gingerbread recipe and an empty bottle of molasses in my face. Then she said I better get to Cooper’s before all the good candy was gone.”

  Nate’s eyes widened, and his face got red. He rubbed the back of his neck, which is something he always did when he knew he was in trouble. “Oh. About that…” He paused to give me a penitent look. The nerve of some people. “I was pretty ticked last night, so I kind of went over and signed your name on the entry list.”

  “Thanks, Sherlock. I figured that out.”

  He frowned. “It’s not a big deal. Just go withdraw from the competition.”

  “It is a big deal!” I huffed. “My mom’s so happy she’s shooting sunshine from her fingertips and farting rainbows.” Nate bit back a smirk. I walked to the bed and thrust my finger into his chest. “It’s not funny. I’m going to break her heart when I back out, and it’ll be all your fault.”

  I was getting good at throwing doors open. But since it wasn’t my house and I still wanted Tina to love me, I didn’t do it hard enough to put a hole in the wall. I could hear Nate calling out as I walked briskly down the stairs. “Wait, Chrissy. Come back. I’m sorry.”

  Tina walked out of the laundry room with a basket of clothes. She took one look at me and smashed her lips together. Her eyebrows bunched into a disapproving scowl. “What did he do now?”

  “Ask him,” I replied curtly. I got to the front door before I turned around and ran over to give Tina a quick peck on the cheek. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be rude.”

  She chuckled. “You’re forgiven.”

  “Thanks.” I forced a smile and hurried home.

  I was still fuming when I made it back to my house. My slamming tirade was over, and I shut the door with a regular amount of force. “Is everything okay?” Evan asked.

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” I replied. I dropped onto the couch next to him. On the outside, I looked much calmer than I had ten minutes ago. Secretly, I wanted to dump a bunch of laxatives into a special batch of cookies just for Nate. “You can assure Garland that I didn’t kill anyone.”

  Evan’s grin was playful. “I’m glad to hear it. Would have sucked if you went to jail. I’d have no one to snuggle with while I finished the movie.” He winked.

  I gave him a faint smile. I didn’t feel like flirting right now. Not even with a guy as hot as Evan. I hated fighting with Nate. Despite the last twelve hours of feuding, we rarely argued. “Garland could find you another girl to snuggle with.”

  “I don’t want another girl,” he responded without missing a beat.

  Garland popped his head out of the kitchen before I could reply. “We’re going down to Main Street in a minute. Gonna stop by the café for a pumpkin spice latte. You want to come?”

  I glanced at Evan. “Yeah, you should come with us,” he insisted. “We can go by the store afterward and help you pick out candy. I bet the challenge is gingerbread houses.” His eyes were twinkling. He looked almost as excited as Mom.

  “I don’t know...” I loved a good pumpkin spice latte, but I refused to set foot in Cooper’s.

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to bail?” Evan pouted. “I was really excited to test your baking skills. I’ve never had gingerbread before.”

  I was about to come up with an excuse, but his statement caught me off guard. “Never?”

  “Never.” He shook his head before giving me the saddest puppy dog eyes. Then he actually fluttered his long, dark beautiful eyelashes. “I want my first experience to be with you.”

  “Oh, really?” My eyebrows crawled up my forehead. Garland rolled his eyes and went back into the kitchen. I wasn’t sure how to take Evan’s comment, since he could make anything sound seductive and sexy, but he looked genuine. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I had no intention of making a gingerbread house. Not for the competition. Not for him. Not ever.

  “Yes, really,” he purred. “I think the whole pageant thing is kind of cool. How awesome would it be if I went back to school and told everyone that I spent my Christmas vacation with a beauty queen?”

  “It’s not a beauty pageant,” I argued weakly. He’d leaned close enough that I could smell his cologne again. All I could focus on was his mouth. It looked very kissable right now.

  He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. “It will be, if you’re in it.”

  Goodness gracious, it was getting hot in here. I almost relented, but I was saved from my weakness when Nate let himself in. He was holding a bag of pretzels in one hand and a Mountain Dew in the other—an obvious peace offering. But his smile faded when he saw Evan all up in my personal space.

  “Did I interrupt something?” Nate asked with a growl.

  I sighed and looked at Evan. “Maybe I’ll catch you guys later.”

  Evan squeezed my knee before he got up and joined Garland. I waited for Nate to come sit by me, but he glanced toward the kitchen and jerked his chin at the stairs. “Oh, brother,” I mumbled under my breath. I got up and led the way to my bedroom.

  Nate entered behind me and closed the door until there was just a small crack. He handed me the pretzels and soda, then collapsed on my bed. “I’m sorry. I was angry and acting like a punk. I’ll walk over to Town Hall right now and tell Kathy I signed you up as a joke. I’m sure she’ll pull your name from the list.”

  “Don’t bother,” I said as I plopped down next to him. “I’ll make the dumb gingerbread house. After the judges see it, I’ll be eliminated anyway. At least then Mom will be happy that I tried, and everyone else can stop bugging me about it.” I conveniently left out the fact that I had the sudden urge to please our handsome houseguest.

  Nate was lying with his arms behind his neck. He turned his head and gave me a sidelong glance. “You don’t have to. Nobody will think less of you for backing out.”

  “No, I do. You didn’t see my mom. I’m telling you, sunshine and freaking rainbows…”

  Nate chuckled. He spread out his arm and wedged it between my neck and the bed. The move forced me onto my side and pulled me against his chest. I sniffed, not bothering with subtlety around him. His mom made her own laundry soap. It smelled ten times better than any of the stuff you could buy at the store.

  “Have a little faith in yourself,” he said. “You’ve never tried making a gingerbread house before. Maybe you’re a gingerbread prodigy.”

  “Hmpfh,” I grunted. “Do you remember that project in sixth grade where we had to make a tower out of uncooked spaghetti and marshmallows?”

  “You were twelve.” Nate laughed.

  “Yes, but I don’t think my engineering skills have improved since then.”

  His chest rumbled and bounced in amusement. “Would you like some help?”

  I propped myself up on my elbow so I could look him in the eye. “Do you want the house to stand?” I asked, dead serious.

  He replied with a straight face, “If it falls, you could just tell everyone it’s a fixer-upper.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh. “Dork.” I stood and pulled him to his feet.

  He looked at the clock on my nightstand. “Cooper’s opens in ten minutes. Your mom was right about getting your candy before the good stuff is gone. We should head over now. I’ll even pay, since I’m the one who got you into this.”

  I walked to my closet and pulled out a puffy vest to go over my thermal. Then I grabbed my beanie and mittens off my dresser. “No worries. Mom left her debit card on the counter with a sticky note that said go wild.” Nate’s eyes grew huge, like a kid in a candy store…literally.

  Cooper’s was an old-fashioned drug emporium and soda shop. It’d been in Rudolph longer than my parents had been alive. Among other random things, they had dozens of bins containing bulk candy. We walked in a few minutes after they opened and headed straight to the back.

  Old Mrs. Cooper gave us a suspicious look when we started scooping a wide variety of candy into bags. She was on the holida
y planning committee, and it dawned on me that she might be privy to the same pageant info we weren’t supposed to have yet. My hunch was confirmed when I noticed that all the bins had been stocked to the very top.

  We walked up to the register with everything you could think of: red and green Sno-Caps, gumdrops, licorice rope, swirly peppermints, candy canes, and at least a dozen other selections. It was basically all the stuff you’d never eat but would look perfect on a gingerbread house.

  “That’s a lot of candy. What do you plan to do with it?” she asked, the accusation clear.

  I was about to say something snarky, but Nate replied, “We plan to eat it, of course.”

  “Sure you do.” She drew the words out in her ancient, warbly voice.

  We left Cooper’s in a fit of giggles and headed to the grocery store. One perk of living in a small town is that you can walk everywhere. It was particularly advantageous today since the streets were covered in a thick sheet of ice. At the store, we grabbed more molasses and all the things we needed to make icing.

  “Are you sure this is a good recipe?” I asked Nate, who was staring at his phone and reading the items off a list.

  “No.” He used his finger to scroll back to the top of the page. “But the reviews say it’s better than glue and strong enough to withstand an earthquake.”

  “Sounds gross.” I wrinkled my nose.

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t have to taste good. It just has to look pretty.”

  “Let’s hope you’re right.”

  We dropped all our contraband back home before heading to the town square for the pageant kick-off. It was a beautiful day; still cold, but the sun was out and shimmering off the snow. The grass opposite Santa’s Village had been shoveled to make room for a small stage. Hundreds of people milled about, excitedly speculating what this year’s challenges would be. They changed annually so nobody could get an early start.

  My eyes scanned the crowd until they found Garland. I started to head in his direction when he stepped sideways, revealing that Evan was engaged in an animated conversation with Grace Milburn. She was giggling. Her grabby paws were all over him. He wasn’t touching her back, but he didn’t look too uncomfortable, either.