Page 89 of A Frosty Flirtation
Drew shakes his head with mock seriousness. “Not a one.”
Reed flips both middle fingers up. “Fuck off, both of you.”
Jordan and Drew laugh at his rude gesture, and I find myself chuckling along with them. I love how close the brothers are and how they mercilessly tease one another. It’s definitely entertaining to watch.
When the cookies have all been frosted and everyone has submitted their best one for the contest, I line them up in a row. I take a minute to look them over carefully. Reed’s snowman is better than I imagined. He gave him a green scarf, a heart tattoo on his chest, and he made him anatomically correct. “As much as it pains me to say this, the winner of the Second Annual Cookie Decorating Contest is… Reed.”
“Yes!” He punches a fist in the air. “Fuck yeah!”
“As disturbing as your snowman is, your attention to detail is impressive.”
Nina studies the cookie through squinted eyes. “Would a snowman be circumcised?”
“Maybe we can change the subject,” Travis suggests, wrapping his arm around Nina.
“What’s my prize?” Reed asks, rubbing his hands together.
I point toward the shelves. “Pick any three items you’d like.”
“Awesome. This will help me finish my Christmas shopping. Will, which color do you like?”
She glares at him. “I already bought a sweatshirt from Ginger, like any supportive friendshoulddo.”
Reed laughs. “Calm down, Will. I’m joking. I got you a bangin’ gift you’re gonna love. I think I outdid myself.”
She rolls her eyes. “Is this something I’ll like or something you like and think I should have?”
He pokes her side, making her jump. “All I’m going to say is I’m positive you’ll love it.” He turns to peruse the merchandise. He removes a cap, pulling it down on his head, then grabs a travel mug.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t wait to find out what this gift is,” Nina says.
I nod. “Me too.” I wander behind the counter and grab boxes for everyone to place their cookies in and then hand them out.
Drew gestures at a platter, which contains some undecorated cookies. “Are these up for grabs?”
“Yes, please take them.”
Reed practically runs over and tries to shove Drew out of the way, but he’s not budging. “What do you eat, cinder blocks?”
Drew chuckles, still adding cookies to his box. “If you’d work out with me, you wouldn’t be having this problem.”
“Dude, don’t be a hog. Didn’t Mom and Dad teach you how to share?”
“Nope,” Jordan chimes in. “He’s the youngest. He got whatever he wanted.”
“You guys are just jealous.” Drew smirks.
“Damn right I am. What’s it like to be the golden child?” Reed asks.
“Does Mom still do your laundry?” Travis asks, jumping in on the fun.
“No, she doesn’t… Well, not much anyway.” He shrugs. “She told me to drop it off anytime.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to,” Jordan says.
“Okay, in the spirit of Christmas Eve, and being kind and giving, maybe you should leave Drew alone,” I say, stepping in.
“We’re working on the giving part—giving him a hard time,” Reed says, laughing at his own joke.
