Olivia’s mouth stretches into a small, knowing grin—the kind that always makes my pulse pick up. I love how animated she becomes when she’s being playful. It’s what drew me to her in the first place in middle school. She never lets life bring her down, always finding a way to brighten someone’s day. I needed that in my life back then. I still do.
She makes me want to be better, inspiring me to try to shine that same kind of light.
I move around her and bend over until I’m at the bottom half of Bernie. “Support his top half,” I command, watching her brain process what I am suggesting until she understands and gets into place. I slowly push against the freezing snow, and Bernie starts to slide.
Once he’s about a foot over to our left, I stand up, straighten his red scarf, and cover the tracks with more snow. “There.”
She studies Bernie for a moment, her grin transforming into a bright smile, and then her eyes settle on me. They have a twinkle in them, a spark of life that draws me in, and she opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by the sound of my grandmother hollering, “Come on, you two. It’s time to build gingerbread houses.”
Olivia claps her hands together as she says, “Oh, I’m totally going to win!”
“Wewill win because this is a couple’s competition.”
Chapter Eighteen
Olivia
“Has your girlfriend always been this competitive?” Dave, Sophie’s husband, asks, and a thrill runs through me at the termgirlfriend.
Luke smiles proudly and nods in agreement, “Yup.”
“Don’t let him lie to you. He brought me here mainly so I can whoop all your butts this season,” I add, a smirk tugging on my lips as I perfectly place a red candy on one of my little Christmas trees.
I don’t know what caused me to have a competitive side, but I have this uncontrollable need to win. Maybe it all stems from my childhood. As the youngest of three, I had to fight for attention. Alright, I didn’thaveto fight for attention, but I did have an older brother and sister who loved to beat me at every board or video game that we owned.
I was smaller and younger, so naturally I had something to prove to them, especially when they’d tease me every time I’d lose. That competitive streak only grew when I started mybusiness and felt like I had something to prove to everyone in Covewood. And to myself. Failure isn’t an option for me.
As I place a little marshmallow snowman perfectly in front of my beautiful A-frame gingerbread home, I know Luke and I are going to win. I smile confidently at Jerrica. I have to give it to her and Rebecca, who are working as a team, because their design is beautiful with its rainbow sidewalk made out of skittles, candy cane fencing, and stick-shaped pretzels that give it a log cabin feel. I want to live in the delicious home. However, I refuse to compliment them untilafterLuke and I win.
“What do we even win?” Sophie asks, frowning as Emma squeezes the frosting bag too hard, a white glop landing on top of the roof. “It’s okay we can make it into snow,” she tells her when Emma looks as if she’s about to cry.
“The winner gets a gift basket,” Luke’s grandmother announces.
I instruct Luke to finish placing the candies on the trees when I look up to see what we will be winning. Yes, I am that confident. She’s holding a beautiful brown wicker basket, and inside are two pairs of fuzzy Christmas-themed socks, a candy cane printed blanket, several boxes of candy, and matching Santa face mugs. Do I need any of those items? No. Do I want them for the sake of winning? Yes.
“That’s unfair. Olivia has the upper hand since she decorates cakes and stuff for a living,” Uncle Leo says, frowning down at his house, which has a wall caving in that he’s trying to fix.
“That’s not true. I tried my hand at fondant, but I wasn’t the best at decorating with it. Plus, when I switched to using organic and locally sourced ingredients, I came up with the concept of only decorating with herbs and botanicals,” I say, placing down a round peppermint.
“What’s the name of your business?” Dave asks, no longer participating in the competition and allowing his wife and daughter to take over.
“Olivia’s Goodies,” Luke announces with another prideful smile.
I grin at him. A pleased warmth moves its way up my neck, into my cheeks, and settles in the tips of my ears. I love knowing that he’s proud of me.
“Why that name?” Uncle Leo asks, frowning as he tosses down his bag of icing in defeat.
“What I bake is not only good because it’s delicious, but it’s also good because of the ingredients I use, which is a better alternative because it’s less toxic. And since I source a lot of my ingredients locally, it’s good for the businesses in my small town.”
Jerrica smiles at me, a nod of approval. However, Uncle Leo is studying me with a confused expression. “Why do you care so much about the ingredients? It’s all sugar.”
I set down the bag of candy in my hands and look up at him. “I understand that it’s still sugar and carbs, and both should be consumed cautiously. The ingredients you put into your body matter. I like knowing that when someone eats my organic sweet potato streusel muffins or my lavender-Earl Grey cake, I can give them a less-toxic option in a treat.”
“It’s Olivia’s own special way of taking care of people. She’s always had a big heart for serving others. When she told me the reason why she chose to switch to organic ingredients, I couldn’t have been prouder of her.”
My face swings to Luke, and his words sink into my heart. Luke doesn’t just make me feel seen. He makes me feel valued. As if I hold a place in his life that no one else does. I stare at Luke as a fuzzy feeling spreads through my chest. I wish I could ignore it because it seems too vulnerable, but it’s hard to do when he keeps looking at me like that.
Like I’m someone he cherishes.
