Page 64 of Time to Shine

“You do love food,” Casey agreed. “And you were totally invited. I explained this. I just forgot to pass the invitation on to you. Anyway, the whole team goes, basically. We do shifts. And we can do some shopping while we’re there.”

Landon kept frowning at him.

“Come on. I’ll buy you a coffee on the way.”

“Fine. But if it feels even a little bit like I’m not wanted there, I’m going to the food court until you’re done.”

When they got to the mall, Landon was surprised to learn that he was, in fact, wanted at the event. He was enthusiastically greeted by the event organizer—a woman from the food bank—and she even raved about the game he’d played against Detroit.

So now he was trying to wrap a jigsaw puzzle. It wasn’t going well.

“How the hell,” he grumbled, “do you do the ends?”

“Dude, don’t look at me,” Casey said cheerfully. He was standing beside him, making a mess of whatever he’d been asked to wrap.

“You just, like, tuck them,” offered Clint. He was doing a decent job of wrapping a large square box. “Make a little triangle.”

Landon had no idea what he meant by that. He taped down the ends of the gift as best he could, but the paper was pretty lumpy.

“Oh man,” Casey said, laughing, “that’s rough. Maybe slap a bow on there.”

“It’s fine,” said the woman who had brought the gift. “My friend will love it. She’s a big fan.”

“Of puzzles?” Landon asked.

“Of you! She lives in Saskatoon, and she’s thrilled that you’re getting your shot here. She definitely misses you there, though.”

“Oh. Cool. Well, tell her thanks.” He did stick a bow to the present, and then signed one of the special gift tags that had been printed for the event. They had a festive illustrated border that incorporated the logos of both the Outlaws and the food bank, and they said Wrapped with love by above a space for the player’s autograph.

“Thank you so much!” the woman said when Landon handed her the horrible-looking gift. “It was so nice meeting you. Good luck this season.”

“You too,” Landon said. “I mean, it was nice meeting you. Um. Have a nice day.”

After she left, Casey nudged him. “See? Told you you’d have fans here.”

“Look at this!” Clint bellowed as he held up his finished present. “A work of art.”

“Damn, Nosey,” said Casey, “how’d you get the corners so tight?”

“I’ve got kids! And I love Christmas! I wrap a lot of damn presents.” The Santa hat he was wearing, paired with his dark beard, did make him look like a rugged Christmas elf.

Landon was wearing a Santa hat too—they all were—but his was kind of fucked and the pompom kept falling in his face. He blamed his narrow head.

The next person who approached Landon had a hockey stick. “Oh. No,” Landon said. “How the hell?”

Casey laughed. “Oh man. Good luck.”

“Give it here,” Clint said, “I accept all challenges.”

It turned out that a lot of people made a game of bringing the most awkwardly shaped items they could find. A few minutes after Landon had dodged having to wrap the hockey stick, he was handed a soccer ball. Casey was laughing at him the whole time he tried to wrap it, even though Casey was simultaneously doing a shit job of the frying pan he was wrapping.

“I’m so sorry,” Landon said as he handed the wrapped soccer ball back to the grinning man who’d brought it. The gift looked like a mangled lump of paper and tape.

“This is exactly what I was hoping for, honestly,” the man said.

“See?” Casey said. “Terrible wrapping jobs are part of the fun.” He stuck a bow to the wrapped frying pan, which somehow looked worse than the soccer ball.

For their next items, Casey got a book, and Landon got a rolled-up yoga mat.

---