Chapter 28
“We’re not here to play it safe. We’re here to glitter and win.” ~ Parker
Parker
“A tree trimming contest?” Jeremy asks. “But Christmas is nearly here. Shouldn’t all the trees be trimmed by now?”
“Come on, Scrooge. It won’t hurt you to have some fun.”
“I don’t know. I think I broke my funny bone when you kicked me.”
I glare at him. “It wasn’t my fault.”
He smirks. “The sex made you do it?”
“Whatever. We’re going to be late.”
“We wouldn’t want to be late to a tree trimming contest.”
“For every minute we’re late, we have to drink a shot of moonshine. Do you know how hard it is to balance on a ladder and place a mermaid ornament on a tree after several shots of moonshine?”
He growls. “You are not getting on a ladder after several shots of moonshine.”
I grin. “I guess you’ll be on ladder duty today.”
“You’re sneaky.”
“Duh.” I roll my eyes. “I’m a smuggler. What do you expect?”
He shakes his head. “I’m starting to understand why Eli lives on Smuggler’s Hideaway.”
My heart bangs in my chest. Is he falling in love with the island? Smuggler’s Hideaway is famous for its ability to bewitch men. But considering the way Jeremy is staring at me, maybe I’m the one bewitching him.
My breath gets caught in my throat. What I wouldn’t do to keep Jeremy on the island. I’ve considered kidnapping him but his hand is practically glued to his phone. I’d never get away with it. And, as we’ve established, I am not capable of surviving in jail.
We arrive at the little park off the main drag in Smuggler’s Rest. Usually, the park has a little gazebo and a few benches. Not at Christmas time.
The area now boasts two dozen Christmas trees. Two dozen undecorated Christmas trees, which we are going to spend the next hour decorating.
“What do we get when we win this?” Jeremy asks.
“You’re assuming we’re going to win.”
He shrugs. “You’re obsessed with Christmas, and I’m an engineer. Naturally, we’re going to win.”
I giggle. “You’re a software engineer.”
“The principal’s the same.”
“Developing software is the same as building a bridge?”
He doesn’t have a chance to answer before Eli flags us down. “Over here.”
Jeremy strangles my hand as we walk toward the gazebo where all of the contestants are gathered.
“Are you okay?” I whisper to him.
I’m proud to be with Jeremy. Proud for everyone on the island to know he’s my man. For now. At least. But maybe he doesn’t want people to know. Jeremy is a very private person after all.
“I’m sorry.” His grip on my hand eases.
My brow wrinkles. Why is he apologizing? Was us getting together some kind of joke? A dare? Am I the butt of the joke?
“I knew it!” Paisley squeals as she rushes toward us. “I knew you would be the perfect couple. I’m so glad I matched you.”
“Matched us?”
She waves her hand in dismissal. “I sent Jeremy to you when he needed a place to stay.”
“And now she thinks she’s a matchmaker and we should name our first child after her,” Jeremy mutters.
“I’m not picky. You can name your second child after me.”
Are we seriously discussing children? Jeremy and me having children? We literally decided to try for ‘more’ yesterday and now we’ve moved on to children?
“You’re crazy.”
Paisley rolls her eyes. “I’m not crazy. I’ve been tested.”
Eli strolls our way and throws an arm around her shoulders. “Ignore her. She hasn’t shut up about her new matchmaking business all day.”
“I’m confused. I thought you were a woman of science.”
She grins. “Which means I love to experiment.”
Eli slaps a hand over her mouth. “Ignore her. She’s sleep deprived.”
I wag my finger at her. “You’re lucky you have a baby at home. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be responsible for my reaction.”
“I bet I could smuggle chocolate into jail for you.” Jeremy winks at me.
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Smugglers!” Lana claps her hands to gain everyone’s attention. “Smugglers! It’s time to begin.”
Everyone quiets down to listen to the mayor.
“For those of you who are new,” her gaze settles on Jeremy. “And for those of you who prefer to cheat.” She glares at Eli, who motions to Paisley and mouths, She’s the cheater.
The mayor clears her throat. “Here are the rules. You have one hour to decorate your tree. Every fifteen minutes, you’ll take a shot of Buccaneer’s Holiday Moonshine.
All decorations must come from the committee’s stash.
You’ll be judged on theme cohesion. If our panel of judges can’t guess your theme, you’re out! ”
Jennifer arrives with a tray of shots and begins passing them around. Once everyone has a shot glass, Lana holds up her glass. “Here’s to the smugglers. Masters of the sneaky sips and secret stashes.”
“Thanks for keeping the party alive!” The group responds before everyone downs their shot.
“Holy shit.” Jeremy sputters and coughs.
“You okay there?”
“The cinnamon kick got me.”
Eli grins. “It’s our Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Moonshine. The vanilla and brown sugar are sweet, but the cinnamon gets you every time.”
“And we have to drink one of these every fifteen minutes?”
“Welcome to Smuggler’s Hideaway.”
Jennifer bustles toward us with a clipboard. She indicates two trees next to each other in the front by the road. “Those are your trees.”
I thank the town secretary before leading Jeremy to our tree.
“Why do we have to be next to the road?” he grumbles.
“Because everyone knows we’re going to win.”
“Ha!” Eli shouts. “We’re winning.”
I wag a finger at him. “No cheating this year.”
“How can you possibly cheat at a tree trimming contest?” Jeremy asks.
I sigh. “Landlubbers are silly sometimes.”
“You have five minutes to discuss your theme with your partner,” Lana shouts. “If you put any decorations on your tree, you will be disqualified, Eli Raider.”
“What if I put decorations on our tree?” Paisley asks.
“I’ll tell everyone here about the time you were interviewed by the FBI for—”
“I get it!” Paisley shouts.
“Hold on. I wanted to hear about this,” Eli says.
She rolls her eyes. “Liar. You were there. You know exactly what happened.”
He shrugs. “Maybe I wanted the town to know.”
“Good.” I rub my hands together. “If they’re busy bickering, they’ll be distracted and won’t win.”
“You really want to win this thing. What’s the prize?” Jeremy asks.
“The honor of knowing you’re the best tree decorator on Smuggler’s Hideaway. And free admission to Barnacles & Barnyards for two for an entire year.”
“What’s Barnacles & Barnyards?” He holds up his hand. “Never mind. Let’s win this. We need a theme. I’m assuming you want to do something mermaid related.”
“Nope. Everyone does mermaids or shipwrecks or smugglers. I have a better idea.”
“Are you going to tell me your idea?”
I scan the area. “Nope. Too many ears. You just follow my orders and we’ll be fine.”
He growls. “I prefer to give the orders.”
I bounce on my toes. “Not tonight, you don’t.”
His eyes darken. “You’re going to pay for this later.”
I smirk. “I hope so.”
“Do not be cute and sexy. I am not climbing a ladder after three shots of moonshine with a hard-on.”
“But after two shots is okay?”
He tweaks my nose. “You’re trouble, Princess.”
“I’m a smuggler. What did you expect?”
“I didn’t expect you,” he whispers as he leans close.
“You may begin now!” Lana shouts before his lips can meet mine.
“Hold that thought.” I run toward the table with the approved decorations from the committee. They have exactly what I want to fit my theme. I pile Jeremy’s arms full before rushing back to our tree.
“This is so much fun.”
“I’m confused.”
I slap Jeremy’s shoulder. “Wait until my vision comes together.”
Fifteen minutes later, Jennifer arrives with another round of moonshine. “Go ahead,” she nods to the shot when Jeremy hesitates.
“The second shot is better.” I raise my glass. “To smugglers, bootleggers, rumrunners, and the mermaids who loved them!”
“To the smugglers!” Several people shout back.
Jeremy grimaces but he downs his shot. “Is everyone on the island drunk all the time?”
“Of course not.” I huff. “We don’t drink and swim in the ocean. We’re not stupid. Although, some people.” I nod to Paisley. “Drink and ride roller coasters until they throw up on their fellow merrymakers.”
“I thought Eli married a nerd.”
“I’m a chemistry geek,” Paisley corrects him.
I push him toward the tree. “Less talking, more decorating.”
I wave to Jennifer when she arrives with the next round of shots. Jeremy groans behind me. “How many shots is this now?”
I study him. Despite how chilly it is, his face is flushed, and he’s sweating.
“Do you want me to drink your shot?”
He grunts.
“It’s okay. It’s not against the rules. Paisley, the chemistry geek, read the rules.” I lean close to whisper, “She is kind of a nerd.”
“You’re not drinking my shot,” Jeremy grumbles before downing the moonshine.
There are only fifteen minutes left, so I skip the toast. It’s crunch time.
“I think I’m finally starting to understand your theme,” Jeremy says as he places our last tentacle.
“It’s awesome, isn’t it?”
He throws an arm over my shoulders. “If you think it’s awesome, it is.”
“Fifteen seconds, contestants!” Lana shouts.
I study our tree. It’s perfect. This is my year.
We’re going to win. I glance over at Paisley and Eli’s tree.
I roll my eyes. They went with a classic theme.
Mini liquor bottles are spread out over their tree.
Guessing by the way Eli is swaying, some of those liquor bottles weren’t empty but they are now.
“Five!” Lana begins the countdown and everyone joins in. “Four! Three! Two! One!”
“Come on.” I lead Jeremy to the gazebo. “We’ll have our last shot while the judges do their thing.”
Jeremy stomps his shoes. “It’s getting cold out here.”
“You obviously haven’t had enough moonshine.”
We gather next to Eli and Paisley as we drink our shots and wait for the judges to announce the winners.
“I bet our tree wins,” Eli goads Jeremy.
Jeremy shrugs. “It was my first time. I’ve heard it gets better after the first time.”
I bark out a laugh. “Do you always revert to schoolboy humor around Eli?”
“Yes.” Paisley fiddles with her glasses. “They do.”
“We have a winner!” Lana shouts.
“That was quick,” Jeremy says.
“If they figure out a theme super fast, that tree will win.”
“Parker Shaw, come on down! Your Kraken Christmas tree is a winner.”
“Hey! I helped,” Jeremy complains.
Lana snorts. “This tree has Parker written all over it. Who else would fill a tree with tentacles?”
“No fair,” Paisley says. “Our tree…”
Eli drags her away. “We’ll see you at the Masquerade Ball!”
I wave to them. “How should we celebrate our win?”
“I vote for somewhere inside where it isn’t snowing.”
“It’s snowing?” I glance up at the sky and sure enough, white flakes are falling down. “I love snow.”
“I’m starting to understand the appeal,” Jeremy says but he isn’t gazing into the sky. He’s staring at me.
My breath hitches. Does he mean me? Is he falling for me the way I’m falling for him? Dare I hope this relationship won’t end in disaster? Dare I—
Nope. I cut those thoughts off. I agreed to try for more with Jeremy. I’m not going to second guess every single thought I have. I’m going to enjoy our time together.
“Me too,” I whisper to him. I’m definitely not referring to the snow.