Page 30 of Three Days of Holiday

Sure, we had high mountains to climb, but what couple didn’t? We’d work out the details later. All that mattered was that we’d try.

Holly brought out a medium-size fake Christmas treebox and opened it while her brother arranged the pieces together and fluffed the tree on top of the table. Fake needles fell on the surface but before she cleaned them away, the two of them wrapped the bottom of the tree in yards of black and white buffalo plaid.

It was a classic choice, which likely another competitor would use in their presentation too. We avoided the pattern altogether to create uniqueness in our display.

That wasn’t what worried me the most. Not that she’d used such a staple in her decorating, but that she was already putting out decorations. She’d give too much away to the competitors, and it’d cost her.

It went against my competitive traits, but I wanted to help. Holly’s passion matched my own. She wanted to win this competition as badly as I did. I hated to watch her throw away the chance. Holly trusted too easily. I admired the trait in her, but it would be her ruin now.

Rule number one of any contest was never trust your competitors.

If she thought for two seconds the other contestants wouldn’t walk in, see her plans, and then either work them into their own display or rip off her designs and sabotage them, she was naïve—too caring and honest.

I wasn’t the liar she made me out to be, but I understood human nature. Trust no one.

Diane moved on to another table by crawling across the floor with her measuring tape. She made sure each leg was the proper distance away as I leaned across the one we just moved and watched Holly and her brother as they worked.

Everyone waited until the last day to set up. Itmeant a crazy mad dash before the buzzer hit, but it was the only safe way to guarantee the integrity of your design.

Shawn stepped right into my view of Holly working on their arrangement. “I have to be honest, Will. I think you’re going in the wrong direction on this one.”

He did? I shook my head to clear my thoughts of Holly. “You do?”

Did Diane share she caught me on the street with Holly? I didn’t trust his opinion, but I didn’t know what my cousin heard. He needed to spill so I could stop the gossip before it made it to my father. Shawn would definitely spill everything if he thought it might give him a leg up in taking over the farm from me.

“This diversion from the theme is too daring for this crowd.”

Oh, that’s what he was going on about. I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way back to the original table, picking up my phone from the surface.

“I think they can handle it. Why don’t you leave the planning to me?” I’d led us to victory five times.

This year, I didn’t just have to worry about the other competitors when it came to sabotage. I also had my family. Shawn had as much riding on this competition as I did. If I won, I became the new CEO of Causebay Family Farms, but if I lost, he was still in the running.

As my father’s favorite relative—I was third at best—we both knew any mess-up on my part meant he would usurp me for control. It was the only reason he’d showed up for this year’s competition, something he’d never given a moment of consideration in the past.

I was only the next in line to control the farm becauseI was the only son. My father loved Shawn and would take any excuse to pass the business to him.

“I’m just saying, don’t you think we should have a fire or something to go with the camping theme?” he continued to push as I searched my phone for the contact I needed.

“This theme is winter camping and we are sticking to theme, Shawn.” I chose a more winter wonderland approach, but I’d still have the key elements incorporated. “Everyone will have a campfire. We want more than average for our display.”

Our theme had gone slightly off course after choosing to focus on the stars in the night sky above Maine and a light dusting of snow. It was a slight gamble, but in all the years to make sure we were the best, this was the one. With four competitors at the final, guaranteed three of the four would incorporate a campfire. We were going to be the standout and stand above.

Shawn continued to express his concerns, but I tuned him out and focused on typing a message to Holly.

Will: Just a friendly FYI. The people from Uncle Johnny’s Apple Orchard will steal anything of value you leave on your tables overnight and Maribel Family Farm is known for having “accidents” when bringing things into the room.

I hit send and then watched as Holly pulled her phone from her back pocket and read the text, glanced at me, and then moved her attention from her own table to Johnny’s empty setup right next to her.

From one second to the next, her lips pinched together and her gaze dropped. Her fingers flew over her phone and moments later, mine buzzed.

Holly: I know. We are just measuring.

Before I finished reading the text and considered my reply, she began frantically motioning to her brother to take down the tree and put it back in the box. Fake needles carpeted the fabric as she rolled it into a ball and then placed it on top of the box, directing her brother out of the conference hall.

I saw it as my chance to get her alone and took two steps in her direction, but without looking at me, she slipped out the door, down the hallway and into the women’s restroom.

Fuck it.

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