Page 29 of Never Sleigh Never
“Not yet, anyway.” Turning around, I take my place back on the floor.
“I tried calling you like twenty times. I never got an answer, so I thought I’d do a wellness check.”
I wave my hand over the scattered binders around me. “I’ve been drowning in town bylaws.”
Her gaze wanders over my living room floor. “Are you supposed to take those from the town hall?”
“Probably not, but I’ll return them when I’m done.”
“So what’s all this research for?” She takes a seat on the couch to my left.
I flip through pages without glancing at Willa. “His carnival can’t be legal. I’ve scoured all the town’s records, and there’s nothing that shows he pulled any permits, got any required licensing, nothing. There’s no way he can have a carnival in Mount Holly, and I’m going to prove it.”
“Good luck with that, Nancy Drew.”
“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to save her festival.”
“Is it bad to have a little competition?” she asks.
Mid-page flip, I pause to glare at her. She shrugs. “It’s not that I don’t want competition. I’m fine with competition. I just don’t want it to be Logan. It’s ingrained in his DNA. He sees a line and sprints through the ribbon. I’m simply sprinting too.”
Willa tilts her head. “If it were anyone else, I doubt you’d be this frothy. Instead of working against each other, don’t you think you would gain more success working together?”
“Is that what you said when Breakfast To Go tried to open right off the freeway?” I quirk an eyebrow.
“Big difference. That’s a franchise. No one wants a chain restaurant in a small town. People want local charm and ambiance, not rubbery egg patties on barely toasted, unseasoned English muffins. My food is fresh.” She shakes her head. “It’s completely different. Logan’s not franchising a carnival.”
“At this rate, anything is possible. Either way, I need to stop it before it even starts.”
“Alright, well good luck with that. I have to go meet Mason. He needs my help with paint schemes for his bedroom.”
I bite back a grin. “Or it’s just an excuse to hang out with you in his bedroom.”
“We’re not sixteen. No excuses necessary. Either way, we’re best friends. We hang out. Help each other when needed.”
I raise a questioning eyebrow. “I didn’t know best friends also spoon each other while lying down on the couch.”
Pink washes over her cheeks. “We were watching a movie. It got late. I was tired. I got cold, and his body is a natural radiator. Are you jealous? Do you want to cuddle?” She hoists her legs onto the couch, lies down, and pats the cushion in front of her.
A laugh bursts out of me. “Rain check.”
“Don’t say I never offered.” She drops her feet to the floor and sits up. “Now I regret ever mentioning it to you.”
“I’m only pointing out the obvious.” Now I feel like a jerk for not telling her about the almost-kiss. But is it really that important? Logan wants to pretend as if nothing happened anyway, so it’s irrelevant. I drop my gaze to the papers in front of me and continue scanning. “Ah! Found it! Sections forty-five to forty-seven. Special events. City limits allow only one similar event at a time unless permission and a specialty permit were previously acquired. Time for him to pack up his carnival and hightail it out of Mount Holly.” My lips curve into a wide smile. “He’s done none of this.”
Willa laughs. “You’re going to have fun telling him that, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I’m making it this year’s Christmas card.” I tried to be nice for a whole five seconds. Well, you know what? That’s five seconds longer than he actually deserves. If he wants a Christmas war, he’s getting a Christmas war.
Eleven
Mostly Nice. Sometimes Naughty
Logan
Fuck. What did I do last night? Oh, that’s right, I tried to kiss Brie McKenna. In that moment, with her bright brown eyes staring back at mine, I wanted nothing more. I wanted her. Kissing random women wasn’t my goal when I arrived in Mount Holly. But Brie isn’t random. We have decades of… whatever this is. The sharp pain in my temples increases, and I pinch my eyes closed against the throbbing, and, through the fog, I catch a flicker of words—Mostly Nice. Sometimes Naughty. Her keychain. Fuck. Now I’m wondering exactly how much is “sometimes.” Focus, Crawford. I lift my head and wince as pain shoots up my neck. At roughly five a.m., I migrated from the couch to my bed like a wounded moose. Now I’m lying in bed, not feeling any better.
“Daddy!” The patter of feet thump down the hall. Josie bursts through the doorway and jumps onto the end of the bed.
