Page 32 of Never Sleigh Never
Her jaw ticks. “Are you laughing at the bylaws of Mount Holly? You can take it up with the mayor, but it’ll take weeks, if not months, to get anything settled, and Christmas will be long gone by then.”
“You see that fence post?” I point to my right, about fifty yards away. Her gaze follows the imaginary line. “That is the town boundary line. And if you can’t tell, my carnival is just north of that line, which means I am not within Mount Holly’s city limits.”
She frowns.
“Sorry, actually, not sorry to burst your holiday bubble.” I give her a smile that used to drive opposing defensemen nuts. “The carnival is staying.”
A vein throbs in her forehead, which is slightly adorable, but more so if it wasn’t directed at me. She pivots and stomps back to her SUV. I lift my hand in a little wave as she backs up and returns to the road. The taillights disappear over the crest of a hill. Maybe she’s a little mad I pretended not to remember the almost-kiss or she really wants the carnival gone. Either way, I don’t think that will be the last I see of her, and I can’t pretend I’m disappointed.
Twelve
Game on, Logan fucking Crawford
Brie
Of course his field is on the other side of the town’s limits. I have never hated a fence post before, but congratulations to that splintered little jerk across from Reindeer Ridge—you’re my villain origin story. When I’m back at town hall, I triple-check the town’s boundary line and, sure enough, a fence post is the marker. Now I’ve shown Logan all my cards. This was supposed to be my surefire way to stop his carnival. Nope, Logan Crawford thought of everything. Because why wouldn’t he? Mr. Perfect. He already knew I have no jurisdiction to end his carnival, so Plan A is out of the question. Now it’s time for Plan B. Which would be so much easier if I had one. Another thing Logan ruined is my morning routine. My bottom lip juts out. I never got my coffee this morning.
Instead of finalizing contracts, I tap a pen against the keyboard, willing carnival demise ideas to come to me, but nothing worthwhile comes to mind. After fifteen minutes ticked by all I got were:
Burn it to the ground. But some people consider that arson. Even though it would certainly get rid of my problem.
A Road Closed sign placed on both ends of the road so people can’t get there. Unfortunately, with Reindeer Ridge across the street that would also impact Henry.
Start rumors about tainted hot chocolate?
Or unleash all of Henry’s farm on the carnival grounds?
“Brie, come to my office!” Mrs. Kingsley calls from down the hall.
We have an intercom. I don’t know why she doesn’t use it. I step into Mrs. Kingsley’s office. A young woman in a blazer bright enough to guide ships to shore sits across from her, vibrating with enthusiasm.
“Brie, come in. Take a seat.” Mrs. Kingsley waves me in. I smile at the young woman as I sit down next to her. “This is Lauren. She’ll be your assistant for the rest of the year while you finish planning and executing the Holly Jolly Festival.”
Lauren bounces in her seat. “I’m so excited to get started. I love planning and organizing.”
She’s certainly bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Just like me when I first started. Not a care in the world. Thinking you’ll turn the job into a career. She doesn’t know it yet, but they’ll dangle that promotion in front of you like a carrot and threaten to offer it to an outside agency.
“Great.” I smile. “Much of the planning is already done. We’re just working on the execution phase.”
“Fantastic,” she beams. “I love executing.”
At least she’s enthusiastic. “Awesome.”
“Why don’t you show Lauren around and fill her in on everything that’s happening at the moment?” Mrs. Kingsley adds.
“Yes. Of course.” I rise from the chair, and Lauren follows suit.
“Also, Brie?” Mrs. Kingsley nails tick on the desk as she taps her fingers. “Where are we with booking the reindeer?”
I nod. Reindeer. Oh. Oh! What if Logan doesn’t have any reindeer for his carnival? “I’ll call Henry right now to confirm.”
“Fantastic. Carry on.” Mrs. Kingsley turns her attention to her computer screen, dismissing us.
It’ll be hard to run a successful carnival when there are no Christmas things for the townspeople to enjoy like reindeer. I hightail it out of Mrs. Kingsley’s office and throw myself into my desk chair. Lauren trails behind me. Immediately, I pick up the phone and dial.
“Reindeer Ridge. How can I help you?”
“Hi Henry, it’s Brie.”
