Page 93 of Merry Mayhem
I sigh. But it’s definitely with some relief. What she says makes sense. If people care about Thea and me, they will want us to be happy. And I do believe that these people sitting at the table behind me, and honestly, this entire town, love Thea a lot. Anyone who doesn’t is an idiot.
“So it sounds to me like you’re saying I need a grand gesture for Thea,” I say.
Ellie’s eyes practically sparkle at those words. The Landry family loves nothing more than a grand love gesture.
“What I know is that you are going to be somewhere tomorrow where the entire town is gonna show up, there’s going to be a microphone, and a confetti canon.”
I laugh and feel a huge weight lift from my chest. She has a point. It’s not every day a guy is given a chance to confess his life with a confetti canon.
“Love you, Ellie.”
She gives me a wink. “How could you not?” Then she gets up from the couch, leans over, and kisses me on top of the head and says, “And now I know where I’m gonna be tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 19
THEA
“You don’t looksick to me,” I tell Patty.
She and Muriel are sitting in the front row, right by the ice.
Patty has on a gorgeous white fake fur coat and is sipping from a bedazzled red thermos. It smells like peppermint schnapps with a little hot cocoa added.
She gives a light, very fake cough. “It’s just a tickle.” She takes a dainty sip. “But I don’t want to do anything to make it worse.”
I look from her to Muriel, who is also in fake fur. Hers is Cookie Monster blue. She’s also wearing a yellow bucket hat with a large purple bow.
“You both have a tickle in your throat?”
Muriel coughs hard. “Must be going around,” she says. “You’ll have to team up with Josh again. We can’t possibly play today.”
Andi and I had spent this morning trying to figure out a way to put skis on the ladies’ grocery carts so they could be out on the ice of the hockey rink with us for Peppermint Puck-A-Palooza.
But we couldn’t find the carts. Muriel and Patty have stashed them somewhere.
And then we’d been informed the Coffelt twins were pulling out of today’s events.
They’d also suggested that Josh and I team up again, and Nora had assured me that she and the judges were fine with that.
Uh, huh.
Nora knows about me and Josh.
I think Patty and Muriel suspect.
They’re playing matchmaker and…
I wish it were that easy.
“Come on, Hot Wheels, let’s get you in your cart.” Josh skates up next to me, addressing Muriel with a grin.
Muriel shakes her head and sips from her own sparkly hot pink thermos. “Can’t do it, I’m very sick.”
Josh lifts a skeptical brow and glances at me. I roll my eyes.
“You’re scared of playing a little hockey with plastic candy canes?” he asks Muriel. “What if I tell you that I played hockey in a rec league all through high school and college?” he asks.
Muriel perks up. “Did you now?”
