Page 200 of How My Neighbour Stole Christmas
“It was.” I look up at him, resting my chin on his chest. “The sinew in your forearms was popping as you pushed the fabric through. It was really hot.”
“Is that right? Should I sew naked for you later?”
“I would say yes, but aren’t you going to Atlas’s tonight?”
“Oh right…well, when this is all over, I’ll sew naked for you …in this thong you made me wear.”
I laugh, feeling lighter already. I slip my hand down the back of his pants, my hand passing over the thong. “I can’t believe you wore it.”
“Anything for you, Storee. Anything.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Cole
What a shame Storee’s stocking was a shredded fail.
Surely, this can’t be the end of her holiday tale.
It’s not, because there’s something you did not see.
Something tricky, something sneaky, something not so jolly…
“What if,” I say asI shift on my air mattress and look at Max as he snuggles into his pillow on his air mattress, which is lined up beside mine. “What if we don’t make any improvements to the light display tomorrow?”
He pauses and stares at me.
The family is asleep after a fun night of games, cookies, and eggnog, the fire in the fireplace has now died down to embers, and the Christmas lights on the house are sparkling through the curtains.
“Why on earth would you not want to make…” He leans up on one elbow. “Is this because of Storee?”
I groan. “Dude, you should have seen her today. She was devastated.”
“Then maybe she should have performed better.” I quirk a brow at him, and he continues, “And I mean that with respect. But it’s not our fault that you’ve become a master with the sewing machine. Or that yourcard-making skills are unmatched, or that you’re able to wrap a present perfectly in under a minute. We can’t hide ourselves from the light to make someone else burn brighter.”
“Really, Max? You sound like an ass.”
“Because I want to win? Because you dragged me into this out of your own spite, and now that I’m invested, I’m just supposed to turn down the heat? Dude, I sat like a dog in shorts too small for me in front of the whole town. I didn’t just do that for my own enjoyment.”
“I know. I know.” I press my hand to my head, frustrated as I lie on my pillow. “I just, fuck, I hated seeing her like that, and her sister was all upset. I wanted to help her.”
Max is silent, and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. “What if…what if this is all a ploy, and she’s pretending to be upset so you will drop out or something so she can win?”
“Atlas,” I say in a stern voice. “That’s not what she’s doing.”
“I know you want to think that. I’m just, hell, man, I’m just watching out for you, okay?”
“I appreciate that, but Storee wouldn’t hurt me like that, betray me like that. I know her. I’ve felt the way she is around me. I can tell when someone’s using me and when someone’s actually in—well, when someone likes me.”
“Were you going to sayin love?” he asks.
“I don’t know, maybe.” I drag my hands over my face. “Just trust me on this, okay? Storee is not using me. She’s just upset that she’s been struggling the last few competitions, and she’s under a lot of pressure from her aunt and sister.”
“Okay,” Max says skeptically. “But you know Cindy. I think she’d do whatever it takes to win. She’s been desperate for the title. She could be pulling the strings.”
“She’s not going to mess with me—or mess with someone’s heart.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then I say we proceed with lighting up the lawn tomorrow. We want to win this, right?”
