Page 35 of Blame It On The Carols

“Oh my gosh!” she shrieked and covered her face. “I cannot go up againstkids! What if I make them cry because they don’t win?”

“It’s happened a time or two,” I admitted, shrugging. “But you came to do a job, so that’s what you need to do. The kids will be fine if they don’t win. They’ll go to the parade tomorrow morning, get all hyped up on candy canes, and drive their parents crazy as they chase them around the mall. They won’t even remember that they lost.”

Makayla’s eyes widened in horror.

“What have I gotten myself into?”

Twenty-Two

Makayla

It still felt weirdto me that there was a caroling competition on a Friday, but now that I knew it was all choirs in Sugarplum Falls, it didn’t surprise me. I’d been reminded that things worked differently in a small town than they did in a big city like LA. People moved at their own pace, and if the town said to shut things down because something was happening, that was exactly what everyone did.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the breakroom at the mall where the competition was taking place. I had been here a few times when I was younger, but they had changed so much and expanded on it over the past few years, making it much larger than I remembered.

I smoothed a hand over the shimmery red glitter dress I was wearing and caught a glimpse of someone behind me.

“You look amazing,” Aiden said, wrapping his arms around my waist and planting a kiss behind my ear.

“Thank you. It feels nice to be dressed up again. I haven’t worn something like this in a while.”

“Well, stay for New Year’s, and we’ll get dressed up and go out to celebrate.”

I turned to face him, cupping his jaw in my hand.

“I would love that.”

He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose, not wanting to smear the red lipstick I’d just applied.

“You’re going to kill it out there,” he said, stepping away and letting his eyes rake over my body one more time. “The other choirs have been great, but you’re going to blow everyone away.”

I inhaled slowly and released it, hoping what he said was true. He waved and left just as my mother walked in.

“You look beautiful, honey,” she said, pulling me in for a quick hug. “The ladies are all ready so we thought we’d see if you were so we can get a group picture before we go on stage.”

“Of course. Show me the way.”

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