Page 34 of Never Sleigh Never
Maybe Lauren can kidnap Logan, and problem solved. My brows raise at the idea. Images of him tied up in her basement flit through my mind. On second thought, I don’t have time for police questioning. I nudge Lauren with my elbow, and finally, she retracts her claws.
Logan backpedals a full step. “I’ll see you later.” He hits me with a wink before retreating to the opposite side of Sip and Sleigh.
“Oh my god. It’s Logan Crawford.” She’s practically levitating with happiness. “We should invite him to the Holly Jolly Festival. He’d draw a crowd the size of Minnesota.”
Sloane stifles a laugh.
I clear my throat. “No, Lauren. Logan is the enemy.”
She blinks. “The… enemy?”
“He’s organizing a Christmas carnival to sabotage the Holly Jolly Festival.”
“Well,” Sloane interrupts, “it’s not sabotage per se, but it has put a burnt-out bulb in Brie’s string of Christmas lights.”
“That’s putting it mildly.” I direct my attention back to Lauren. “He and his carnival are the enemy, and we will not fraternize with the enemy.”
I had a lapse of judgment for a moment. I don’t know what I was thinking. Clearly, I wasn’t. It won’t happen again. After we finish the festival tour, we make plans to meet at the office tomorrow morning and part ways.
The bell above the door chimes as I push my way into Holly Hammer Hardware, my parents’ store, after work. “Hey Mom.”
She looks up from a Christmas magazine. “Oh, hey Brie.”
“Where’s Dad?” I come to a stop at the counter across from her.
“He’s tinkering with the snow shovel display. Trying to determine the optimal position to encourage snow shovel sales.”
I nod along. “That sounds like Dad.”
“Precisely.” Mom turns to the next page.
“Hi Brie! I thought I heard your voice.” My dad appears from around the corner. “Here, come check this out. Let me know what you think.”
“Is this about your snow shovel display?”
“It needs a woman’s touch.”
“Mom’s right there.” I hike my thumb behind me.
“Apparently, I’m not the target market for snow shovels,” Mom says.
I shrug. “Doesn’t everyone need a snow shovel?”
“That’s what I said,” Mom replies.
I follow him past a row of shelves to a pyramid display of six different shovels. He puffs out his chest. “What do you think? I have them tiered from good—they’ll get the job done but maybe not to your satisfaction. Better—it’ll clear the snow with minimal back pain afterward. And best—your neighbors will weep with envy.”
“Oh wow. You can’t go wrong with that type of marketing. I think it looks great, Dad.”
He beams at his handiwork. “Thanks. These babies will fly off the display in no time.” He turns his focus to me. “So what brings you in today?”
“I need a Christmas tree stand.”
“Didn’t you just buy a new one last year?”
“I did. But I’ve gained three additional trees.”
He squints. “So instead of a cat lady, you’re a tree lady now?”
