Page 33 of Blame It On The Reindeer

“That’s fine. I’ll go sleep in my truck. But you’re the one who is going to have to live with the thought that they allowed someone to freeze to death in their truck because you were a bit cranky.” He rocked back on his heels and smirked at me.

“Ugh. You’re the worst. And if anyone is cranky—it’s you.”

“Actually, I’ve been in a good mood the past few days. So not so much anymore.”

I rolled my eyes and walked back to the living room, ignoring him. I needed to pretend he wasn’t here, in my space. I turned on the TV, went straight to my Spotify account, and put on some Christmas music. Then I opened the app on my phone and ordered two large pizzas. A plain pepperoni pizza and meat lovers seemed like good choices since I had no idea what he liked but wasn’t willing to ask him.

While waiting for the food to come, I started grabbing the bags from the island and carried them over to the floor in front of the couch. I’d already pushed the coffee table off to the side so it wasn’t in the way since I would need a lot of room to work.

“What do you need help with?” Brody asked, staring down at me with his arms folded.

“Nothing. I’ve got it, but thank you. The food should be here in thirty to forty-five minutes.”

“I have nothing else to do, and it looks like you need as much help as you can get. So why don’t you stop being so stubborn and just let me help you.”

“Fine. Since you won’t seem to takenofor an answer, you can help me put together the raffle baskets.”

“Raffle baskets?” he questioned as he sat on the floor beside me.

“Yes,raffle baskets,” I repeated in a mocking tone. “Local companies donate items for a basket and then we set them up at the mall in display cases with attached boxes for people to bid on them. All of the money raised goes to a different cause each year. Last year, the money went to the local schools to upgrade the playground equipment and to purchase new computers for the high school. The year before that, the funds went to the animal shelter. They were able to do some repairs and expand the facility.”

“Wow. That’s really cool.”

I felt my cheeks heat as I blushed at his genuine compliment. Maybe being stuck together again wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

Twenty

Brody

“Do you have more ribbon?” I asked, lifting the box I was holding and looking beneath it.

“I think we’re out, but I can grab more at the store tomorrow.” She looked around the floor, moving baskets out of the way.

I didn’t want to tell her that she had a bow stuck to her head—mainly because it was so adorable I wanted to enjoy looking at it a little longer.

“Nope. We’re out.” She sighed heavily and leaned back against the couch as we stared at the pile of gift baskets scattered between us on the floor. We had both devoured the pizzas when they came, and I found myself indulging in a glass of sweet wine afterward. She had calmed down and didn’t seem as hostile toward me anymore, which was welcoming. I hated to intrude, but it seemed fate had other plans for us tonight.

“Other than the ribbon for this one, I think we’re done,” I said, setting the basket down beside the others.

She nodded and looked around.

“Thank you again for your help, Brody. I wouldn’t even be done with half of these if I had worked on them by myself. I appreciate it.”

“Not a problem. It’s the least I could do for you letting me stay here tonight.”

She smiled, and I felt my heart flutter when I noticed how this one reached her eyes. It was like she was genuinely happy with me.

“What else did you need to work on?” I asked, ready to jump into the next project. Normally, this would have felt like work. Butworkingwith Jasmin didn’t feel like work at all. It felt nice, and I hated that it was something I might want to get used to in the future.

“That’s all I have for Frosty Fest tonight. The rest of the stuff is still in my office, which I’ll bring home tomorrow night to work on. It never ends.”

“Do you get a break at all during this whole Frosty Fest thing?”

She shook her head but didn’t look sad.

“No. Things stay pretty busy for me from Thanksgiving until the festival is over. There’s a lot of planning that goes into the event each year, and then the actual execution to make it all happen. But it’s the best time of year, and our town loves it. That’s what makes it all worth it.”

“You really love Christmas, don’t you?”

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