Page 18 of Packed for the Holidays

Lily, Ellis, and Dante are the Candy Cane Crew in their red shirts. McQuinn, Nils, and Oz don green shirts with the words Jingle Ballers on them. And Vickie, Harrison, and I make up the final team. TheMistletoe Mavericks.

Mom’s gonna be a floater and help whoever needs help. I think she mostly just wants to take pictures and sit back drinking spiked eggnog for a change.

Team Jingle Ballers takes the dining room table. The Candy Cane Crew is at the kitchen table. And my team sets up at the kitchen island.

“Alright.” Vickie cracks her knuckles before looking over the bags of frosting and cups of candies spread out before us. “I have some ideas. Meggie, you start microplaning the pieces while I mix up the colors. Reds are so tricky and I want to get the chimney perfect. We’re doing a chimney, right?”

“Microplaning?” Harrison plucks up a gummy bear and pops it in his mouth.

“To file and straighten the edges, duh,” Vick sasses him.

“It makes sure the bottom of the walls are straight," I explain. "So the house stands upright and doesn't tilt to the side or fall over.”

He picks up another gummy bear and slips the green candy between my lips. “I didn’t realize quite how serious this was.”

“That’s your first mistake,” Vickie scolds him as she confiscates the bowl of bears and shoots me a disapproving look as I chew the gummy candy. “We’re professionals. Stop eating the key to our victory!”

“Well, ok then. Um, I’ll be back in a minute,” Harrison says. He saunters over to the kitchen table where Oz, Nils, and McQuinn are hard at work on theircreation.

“What do you think they’re planning?” Vickie asks.

“Planning?” I swing my attention back to Harrison and catch him and Nils looking at me. They quickly glance away. Hmmm. “Yeah, they’re definitely up to something.”

I know it can’t be something having to do with the gingerbread house competition, because Harrison wouldn’t gang up with another team. He knows how much Vickie and I want to win this, and I know he wouldn’t do anything to upset me. So, it’s got to be something else. They’ve all been sort of cagey about Christmas.

“Want me to go spy on them?” Vickie asks.

“Nah,” I ruffle her hair, which earns me an eye roll. “Let them have their secrets.”

I’ve got secrets of my own. I can’t wait to see their faces when they see what I got them. I'm an amazing gift giver.

13

Nils

“Ok, we all know Meggie is a terrible gift giver,” Harrison says, reminding us of something ridiculously obvious.

Was this really why he came over here? He’s more anxious about how we’ll all react to Meggie’s terrible presents than he is about his campaign. He’s like my anatomy professor who panics over a lost pen, but can cut open a cadaver without breaking a sweat.

“Who, Meggie?” McQuinn’s voice carries the most dramatic fake shock. “I thought you loved those collectable postage stamps she got you for announcing your campaign.”

“And who doesn’t hope for a new electric toothbrush?” Oz flashes me a massive thumbs up.

When Meggie got me a gift for acing my immunology exam, I was really hoping it was something vibrating or lacy. Well, the toothbrush does vibrate, I guess.

“The gifts aren’t what’s important.” Harrison sounds like he’s about to deliver a speech on the true spirit of the holidays, which is ironic since our pack alpha was just as stressed as we were about finding the perfect present for Meggie.

“We know.” I jump in before he can get monologuing. “Everybody be cool and don’t laugh. Don’t chuckle. Don’t snort.” I repeat what he’s already told us ten times before.

“We say ‘thank you’ and fuck her brains out with our gratitude,” Oz concludes.

“Winning team pleases our girl first.” McQuinn shoots Oz a wink. I love his competitive side, my feisty man.

“Our girl is on my winning team.” Harrison’s smile is slow and cocky as he walks away, making a point by kissing Meggie fiercely when he returns to her.

“And now I’ve got a chubby,” McQuinn quips. “Bastard.”

“Come on, let’s focus on winning,” I look down at the half assembled house in front of me.

---