Page 13 of Booked for the Holidays
“I’ve always admired your lack of filter, Chan.” My phone dings, and I dive toward the counter, opening my inbox. “It’s here!”
To:Bridget Boylston
From:City of Park Cove
Date:November 7
Subject:Travel Living Holiday Contest Pairing
Good afternoon, Bridget,
Thank you for your participation in theTravel Livingholiday contest! In the following weeks you will have the opportunity to transform your store into a festive space demonstrating your decorating skills. In addition to your creations, the owners from each pair of stores will be interviewed and photographed for a spread in the special-edition late December issue of the publication. Upon completion of the contest, the winners will be featured in a full-length article in the January issue.
Guidelines and Rules:
Both stores must be decorated, and will be judged cumulatively for the final score.
There is no budget or spending limit. All purchased items and display pieces must not be offensive, derogatory, or vulgar.
You may include any and all holidays in your designs.
Switching partners will result in disqualification.
The stores must showcase what the holiday season means to them.
The stores must have decorations, whether handcrafted or store bought.
The stores must be accessible and functional for patrons during business hours and a judging walk-through on December 22nd.
Decorations are not to block your retail space.
Day-to-day operations must not cease at the hands of the competition.
Bullying, lobbying for votes, or harassing judges and city officials will not be tolerated. Blatant misbehavior violating the Park Cove Code of Ethics will be documented and result in immediate disqualification.
Your pairing is:
A Likely Story and Gardner’s Hardware
For any additional questions, please reach out to Jamie Mulligan by phone or email. Winners will be announced on December 24th.
Sincerely,
Council of Park Cove andTravel Living
* * *
“What’s wrong? You look pale.”Chandler pries the phone from my hand and reads the message for herself. “Wait, what?Theo? I thought you said he wasn’t going to participate.”
“Guess he had a change of heart and now we’re the ones who get to work with the man who grimaced–Chan, he literally acted like he drank sour milk–when he heard what the competition entailed.”
I rub my temples and sigh. All weekend I eagerly wondered who our partner might be, brainstorming ways to deck the store out in holiday glitz and glamor. What color lights would be best on the awning outside? Should we put a snowman in the window, or would a reindeer make more sense?
The prize money is an incredible perk, yeah, and I’m sure that for most of the entrants it's the driving force behind tossing their name in the ring. The other components of the contest excite me, too. Spending time with new people. Laughing as we wipe sweat off our brows, trying to find the perfect Frasier fir at a Christmas tree farm. Wearing Santa hats as we carol, off-key, down the avenue, having a blast.
I can’t imagine Theo Gardner, the man with a hundred and one tattoos up and down his arms and a scowl that probably gives small children nightmares, in a Santa hat. I giggle at the thought of him muttering under his breath as I shove a red cap on his head.
“What’s so funny?” Chandler asks.
