Page 10 of Sleighing You
Chapter 4
Chris
“Stop following me!” The old man was running—actually running from me, hobbling around the crowded Christmas shop, perched on his cane to avoid my snow globe sales pitch. He paused at the cookie tray, grabbed three decorated sugar cookies in the shape of snowflakes, and pointed a bony finger in my direction.
“Sir, I assure you, I’m not following you. I haven’t moved from my spot right here. There’s no pressure to buy anything—”
“What is this? I’m being forced to spend my hard-earned money! I thought this was America… land of the free!”
I set the snow globe down on the table beside me and glanced at Avery—her lips pressed together tightly, hand covering the snickering mouth behind it and her eyes sparkled with mischief.Why that little…
She set me up. She knew this old curmudgeon would never buy a pencil, let alone a snow globe.
“No one is forcing you to buy anything,” I lowered my voice, hoping that the crowd of shoppers staring at us would soon mind their business and go back to browsing the hideous sweaters. “I, uh…” I looked around for inspiration. I knew there was no hope of selling that snow globe… at least not today. Right now? I was just trying to save face. In a small town like this, soon the story would spread far and wide about the city boy outsider who came in and screamed at the sweet old man who only wanted some cookies. I was quickly realizing, if I wanted to win Avery over… get her to hear my ideas and implement them, I had to win the town over first.
“Sir, what’s your name?”
“Why? You want to steal my identity too while you’re at it?”
I wanted to laugh, but held it in. Something told me this guy wouldn’t exactly appreciate that. “Not at all… I want to tell you you’re our hundredth customer today.”
His defensive stance softened, and he stood a little taller, pushing his hand into the cane and lengthening his spine. “I am?”
“Youare,” I said, glimpsing at Avery’s narrowed gaze. “And as the hundredth customer, you get a… a…” I glanced around and grabbed an elf sweater that looked close to his size off the rack. “A sweater! For Christmas.”
He took the sweater from me, his face scrunching as he looked down at it. His glasses slipped down his nose, hanging precariously on the edge. “This? It’s ugly as sin!”
“Well, itisugly sweater day.”
His mouth puckered into a disapproving frown. Dammit. This wasn’t working. “But that’s not all,” I said. “You get to assist Santa when he comes to the store as his special Christmas Elf and ride on the float in the parade.”
“Why in the damn hell would I want to do that?” He shouted, but I noticed he still held onto the sweater and shoved another cookie into his mouth. Crumbs spattered down his front, landing on the buttons of his shirt.
“Um… because…”Think, Chris, think!“Cookies!”
“Cookies?”
“Yes. Elves who volunteer get to eat cookiesallday long. And hot chocolate.”
He stared at the sweater thoughtfully. “Cookies, huh?”
“That’s right. Cookies.”All the damn cookies you can eat, old man.
“Okay, then… I’ll do it. But no more chasing me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I stepped back, grabbing the still unsold snow globe and crossing the store back toward Avery.
She stood there behind the counter, tapping her foot at me. “Do you know what you just did? Ed Williams is a sweet man, but he can put down some cookies. I already bake an extra batch just for his visits in the morning. If he’s going to be hanging out here all day, I’ll need at least two dozen more!”
I shrugged.How hard is it to bake an extra two dozen cookies?“So? You cheated. You knew he wouldn’t buy a damn thing from me.”
“I didn’t cheat. I set up rules to which you agreed.”
I set the globe down behind the counter, staring at Santa and Mrs. Claus ice skating inside. “Yeah? Well, two can play at that game. I will sell Ed Williams this globe… and when I do, you need to implement my ideas.”
Her jaw dropped and her hand fell to her hip. “You already lost the bet. You don’t get more time—”
“Nuh-uh,” I said, waggling my finger near her face. “We never gave an expiration time or date on this bet.” I lowered my voice, bringing my mouth near her ear as I whispered. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon, and I hated how my heart rate sped up just a little when I leaned in close to her ear. I hated how I noticed the gooseflesh that rose along the line of her delicate throat. And I hated how badly I wanted to skim my mouth up her neck to her lips.
I cleared my throat.Focus, Chris.
“Those weren’t the grounds of the bet!” she argued.
“You need to learn to specify.” I shrugged, then dropped my voice to a whisper once more. “I have at least a month here in Maple Grove…” Probably more if my dad had anything to say about it. “And you bet your ass, I’m not leaving here until I have Ed fucking William’s twenty-dollar bill in the register and my ideas in queue for this place.”
She glared at me with a hatred so palpable, I could feel the heat emanating off of her. “You really are the Grinch, aren’t you?”
“Maybe… but trust me,nothingon my body is three-sizes too small.”
From behind me, I heard a distinct throat clearing and Avery’s eyes lifted over my shoulder, her face draining of color. “Mayor Dyker.”
