He was actually excited about a North Pole Christmas event. It was like he’d wandered into a new dimension.
“What are you doing for the showstopper?” he whispered across the counter to Elda.
Her eyes went wide, and she blushed. She opened her mouth to say something, but Holly kicked her under the table. As if remembering herself, Elda put a finger to her lips and pointed to the mayor, who was still talking. Danny turned to watch, even though he knew all this already.
“All materials must be edible, though they may be store bought,” Mayor Sandoval was saying. “The structures must stand upright on their own. You may work in teams of no more than two this year.”
Danny grinned at the girls. “I don’t need a partner.” He was always good for some trash talk.
“Neither does Elda. I’m just the eye candy.” Holly licked a bit of whipped cream off her straw. She’d ordered the special drink Danny’s mom had created for this event—a ginger apple cider. She’d ordered it as advertised, not asking for special non-sugar sugar or unsweetened whipped cream, which Danny respected. This girl could probably wrap herself in literal garbage and he’d find it hot, simply because it made her an “individual.” He’d compared her to Star before, but other than the whole “looking at Danny with disdain” thing, Holly and Star were polar opposites. Holly didn’t seem to care what other people thought, which was certainly not the case for Star.
He leaned across the counter, making sure to speak directly to Elda, even though he hoped Holly understood this was meant for her, too. “If you ladies want to get together to practice your piping work, you know where to find me.” That sounded dirtier than he meant it to. His good knee buckled when Danny realized what he’d just said. He straightened up, pretending not to have noticed the double entendre.
Elda had noticed. She blushed.
“You just want to spy on our showstopper.” Holly raised a thick, perfectly arched eyebrow.
“That’s absolutely why.” He couldn’t suppress the smile. He tried, and he failed.
“At least you’re honest about it,” Holly said with a very slight grin, almost as if she didn’t totally despise him.
And that was the best thing to happen to Danny all day.
“Maybe we should exchange numbers.” He directed that at Holly. Logically, he should be setting his sights on Elda, but apparently he was a glutton for punishment.
Holly held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”
He unlocked it and handed it over, watching as she typed her info into his contacts like a total boss. Holly’s hands weren’t pristinely manicured like Elda’s or Star’s. She had short, uneven fingernails. Why? Did she not bother doing her nails because she worked with her hands? Was she in between manicures? Whatever the reason, Danny wanted to know. He needed all the info. He’d opened the book of Holly, and he couldn’t put it down.
She handed the phone back, and Danny checked his contacts under “P” for Page. He found an entry for Elda. Not Holly. Elda. Danny’s heart sank, but he forced an enthusiastic smile. Even Holly herself was telling him to forget about her and go after Elda. Maybe he should listen.
He grinned at Elda. “I’ll text you later.”
Again, her face went bright red, and she said nothing. It was like someone had glued her lips shut.
Once the mayor ended his spiel, Danny was back on duty making drinks. Their last customer finally left after nine-fifteen, leaving only Danny, Brian, their mom, and Jamison in the shop to close up.
“I saw you talking to the Page girls,” Brian said. He was restocking the fridge while their mom did the receipts and Jamison cleaned the front of the shop. Danny remained on his stool, wiping down the espresso machine and making sure to prep everything for tomorrow. Having a broken leg sucked for many, many reasons, but at least it got him out of sweeping, mopping, and taking out the garbage.
“They seem nice,” Danny’s mom said.
“They are nice.” All the blood in his body rushed to his cheeks. He wasn’t sure he’d call Holly “nice,” but she was definitely something.
Brian squeezed Danny’s shoulder. “And one of them is maybe the hottest girl ever to set foot in North Pole.”
Yes, she was.
“You say that about a different girl every season, Brian.” Jamison swept some garbage into a dustbin. “Who was it last summer?”
“The gymnast,” Danny said.
Their mom looked up from counting fives. “Gymnast? Didn’t you like Sam’s friend? That Jane girl?”
“Jane and the gymnast were cute,” Brian said, “but the Page girl is hot. What’s her name, Dan?”
Danny started to say “Holly,” but Jamison cut him off. “Which one?” She leaned on her broom, challenging Brian. Jamison and Brian had always bickered like siblings, ever since she started working at the store. “There are two Page girls.”
Brian rolled his eyes. “You know which one. Don’t be dense.”
“I only want you to recognize how big a dick you’re being.” Jamison glanced at the boys’ mother. “Sorry, Maggie.”
Maggie Garland shook her head. “I’m on your side. Girls are more than their appearances, boys.”
“I know, Mom,” Danny said. Holly was hot, yes, but she was more than that.
“All I’m saying is,” Jamison said, “don’t go after Elda just because you think she’s pretty.”
“Elda?” Danny asked. Who was talking about Elda?
“Yeah.” Jamison said. “I mean, you dated Star.”
“And?” Danny had wandered into a completely different conversation from the one he’d thought he was having.
Jamison shrugged. “And Star was—is—gorgeous, but she took you for granted, Danny, and she wasn’t very nice. I don’t want to see you make the same mistake again.”
“I don’t either.” Though that was exactly what he was doing with Holly. She didn’t like him. She’d made that clear both by looking at him like she couldn’t possibly be more unimpressed and by physically typing her cousin’s number into his phone. She’d basically handed him off to another girl, so she obviously didn’t want him.
“I’m just saying.” Jamison tied up a garbage bag. “Picking the quote-unquote hot Page over the other one, maybe that’s just you picking style over substance again.”
Brian tossed a wadded-up paper towel at her. “Now you’re jumping to conclusions. Just because someone’s not hot doesn’t mean they’re automatically a good, interesting person. And vice versa.”
“True, but I’m just saying maybe Danny should get to know these girls before jumping into anything—”
“And I’m just saying maybe he should do whatever the hell he wants because he’s single for the first time ever, and also it’s a free country.”
Danny hopped up from his stool, and Brian handed him his crutches.