Page 30 of Wrap Me Up

“Let’s open them.”

Tinsel nods, and he opens the gift bag, eyes lighting up. “Is this the color I think it is?” He pulls out a bottle of nail polish. Neon yellow. He said he never could find it. “Thank you! You now.”

I gasp when I pull the book out. “You didn’t.” The Magical History of the North Pole Volume 2.

Tinsel bounces on his toes. “I remembered I had a copy from my grandpa before he moved to Ireland. It’s been collecting dust in my closet and I figured you’d be a much better caretaker of it than I.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yep. Stamp of approval from gramps too, so no worries.” His grin gets broken by a yawn. “Sorry.” His eyes slide to half mast and he rubs his throat.

“Come on, let’s get you into something comfortable and right into bed.”

“Good idea.” He yawns again and shuffles over to the small dresser by the bed. “You can sleep in something of mine.” He grabs us pajamas to change into. “Take the bathroom. I’ll change out here.”

I don’t argue with him. By the time I’m out of the bathroom, he’s sitting on the edge of the bed yawning again. He gives me the softest smile and draws down the blankets. After seeing Dylan’s massively tall bed, I’m glad I’m not Snow and don’t have to deal with step stools everywhere just to reach anything. I’m glad Tinsel and I are about the same height.

I cuddle close to him and wrap my arms around his waist. “Sleep Tinsel. I’ll be right here in the morning.”

I don’t even know if he heard me, but it doesn’t matter.

Chapter 17

Tinsel

Something about Noel staying the night and us not getting frisky really helped revive me. Must have been all the cuddles. My brain doesn’t feel like it’s spinning anymore, which is a relief. I haven’t even started the work for the day, trying to reflect on how I can handle myself better when I get stressed about the custom orders. We have plenty of time, like Snickerdoodle says. I know this.

I think I’ll work on the competition entry. We’re over halfway through and it’s looking amazing. Each of us works to our strengths rather than rely on one person to do everything. Teamwork. That’s why this piece is going to win. I just know it.

But I told myself I can not get too distracted and caught up today because tonight is the Christmas tree lighting and I’m taking Noel like I promised.

The huge piece of leather is in a private workroom, so no one sees it by accident. Not that the entries have to be kept secret, I just want ours to be. It’s the one secret I can keep. As I go about gathering my supplies, Snickerdoodle and Snowflake show up.

“So, how are you doing this morning?” Snickerdoodle asks.

Concern laces Snowflake’s eyes. “We were worried about you.”

“I’m doing good. Great actually. I’m excited about the tree lighting. So don’t let me miss it, okay?”

“Not a chance.” Snickerdoodle squeezes my shoulder. “We’ll drag you out of here if we have to. No one misses the tree lighting ceremony.”

“Thanks. Either of you wanna work in here with me today?”

“I will,” Jolly says from behind the pair. I hadn’t heard her come in.

“Sounds great.” We get situated and everyone goes to work. Mistletoe and Peppermint show up a little later.

Today’s music choice is techno. I stop to have a dance break every few songs and it keeps me from spiraling. Truthfully, we’ve all gone hard on the custom orders and we’re down to about fifty left, which we’ll get done by the end of the week. We have until Christmas eve to get the competition entry done. Then it’s displayed for Christmas for all to see, and the day after Christmas we have a ceremony to announce the winners. It’s a nerve-racking few days.

“This is nice,” Jolly says as she dances with me to a techno version of Jingle Bells.

“It really is. I’m so glad everyone helped get me out of my funk. I really need to chill some times.”

Jolly shrugs. “You’re passionate about what you do and want to make a good impression. But you gotta take care of yourself.”

“And ninety percent of the time, I do a pretty good job.”

“You do. But you really need to learn to ask for more help.”

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