Dreaming of His Pen Pal's Kiss - Jessie Gussman Page 0,37

titters going through the crowd.

Journee leaned over to him, and he bowed his head down. “Mrs. Wynn is something of a packrat. They probably have enough decorations in their attic, their basement, and their garage to supply one hundred competitions like this.”

He nodded, thinking that it was sweet that at least Mr. Wynn and Mrs. Wynn had enough in common that they enjoyed going to those sales together. If something that they did together resulted in an excess, at least they were doing something smart with it.

They listened a little more as the stands around them filled and a crowd formed along the yellow tape line.

By the time Mr. Albright was done and said the competition would start in ten minutes, Dante couldn’t believe how many people had gathered.

“I don’t think this is going to be too hard,” Dante said as he looked around at their competitors. “At least, I don’t think we’ll come in last.” He lifted his brows and looked at Journee, wanting her to confirm his optimistic statement.

“Well, when he told us that we had to go cut down our own Christmas tree and the woods is down there,” she nodded her head at a copse of trees a mile away, “I kinda figured that unless we really mess something else up, we’re going to be good. Because I don’t think there’s another set of competitors who can beat us down and back. Of course, getting it done fast isn’t the only thing that matters, but it is one thing.” Her voice ended on a hopeful note, and he nodded to encourage her.

“We’re definitely the favorites for that one.” He looked over at the elderly couple beside them. And then at the two kids who looked like they were maybe twelve. Even the middle-aged couple probably wouldn’t be able to beat them to that.

“If our goal is to simply keep from getting pies thrown at us, I think we’re good.” He tried to infuse confidence in his voice, because there was just a nagging feeling about this competition, something he couldn’t quite define, that made him think that maybe they weren’t going to do as well as what he was hoping. He tried to shove that feeling aside.

In his experience, when he played a game, how he thought he was going to do was often how he did. He needed to think that they were going to win. And shove the doubt aside.

“Any strategies or tips I should be aware of?” he asked.

“They changed everything around this year. Which they often do. It’s never been the same two years in a row. I think that’s part of what keeps it so popular. But the whole cutting the Christmas tree down and the upside-down gingerbread house...I have no idea how to do that. How are we going to get it to stand up?”

“Why can’t we make a gingerbread house right side up and then just turn it upside down when we’re finished?” That seemed logical to him.

“That makes sense,” she said, the tone of her voice implying that she should have thought about that herself. “I mean, that makes a lot more sense than building it upside down to begin with. But how can we get it to stand up?”

He thought for a second. Design wasn’t necessarily his thing, at least not physical design. “Chimneys?”

She started nodding immediately. “Great thought. I think we can do that. Pretty easily.”

Even while he agreed with her, he was still almost overcome with that odd feeling that something was going to go wrong.

“Okay, everyone. You see the stations where you make the gingerbread house and the Christmas tree. Obviously, you can see the chimneys. That table is where you get your gift-wrapping assignment. And right there on that far table are the hand saws to go cut yourselves down a Christmas tree. Anything that wasn’t gone over in the rules is fair game.” Mr. Albright winked. At least, it looked like a wink.

Dante’s nose wrinkled, and he looked down at Journee, wondering if she had seen the same thing he did.

She turned her head and met his gaze, the same questions in her eyes that he felt in his, but she shrugged. Almost like she was saying she had no clue what was going on with that.

Then as her eyes moved back forward, she got a big smile on her face and waved.

Dante followed her gaze and saw, standing over on the edge, Blakely and her friend Martin. He nodded at Martin,