A Curvy Carol (A Curvy Girl Christmas #2)

10. Whit

10

WHIT

W hile we sat and sipped our drinks together, the judges continued making their rounds outside.

We shed our wet gloves, and Carolynn held on to her hot mug with pink fingers, still shivering a little. Hopefully, the cider would warm her up from the inside out.

“Your nose is as red as Rudolph’s,” I quipped.

Her smile sent a bolt of warmth straight to my chest. She was even cuter when she brought her fingers to her nose like she could warm it up before I remembered it was red.

For a second, I thought about wrapping my arms around her. I thought about being that close to her, and my hands itched to touch her. I set them in my lap and looked away. Carolynn wouldn’t want some guy she just met making a move.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” I replied quickly. “You know, I think we’re going to win,” I went on, changing the subject.

Carolynn turned her gaze back to the window. “I don’t know. A lot of people take this contest really seriously. We kind of entered on a whim.”

She seemed thoughtful, like something was on her mind.

“Do you miss spending time with your parents this Christmas?” I asked, setting down my own mug of hot cocoa. I hoped she would continue spending time with me, but I’d understand if she was missing her time with them.

She shrugged. “I know I should, but I don’t really. I didn’t like it, being the only child and all. It was like being pulled in two directions every year.”

She paused, seeming to reflect for a moment. “The holidays stopped being fun, honestly. They just reminded me of the breakup instead.”

Hearing the hint of hurt in her made me feel an ache deep in my chest. It must have been hard for her to go through that. I couldn’t imagine my parents splitting up.

Right when I was about to respond, though, someone came in through the door. The little bells on the door jingled as they did.

It was some kid who looked like he was in elementary school. He spotted Carolynn. “The judging is done! Carolynn, come and see. I saw them talking about your snowman for a while.”

Then he ran back out, the door slamming shut behind him.

Carolynn turned to me, seeing if I was ready.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go,” I said, a hopeful feeling making me light again. Could our snowman have won the whole thing?

We scooted out of the booth, leaving our mugs behind, and made our way back to the competition.

The judges were announcing the winners to a large crowd with a microphone. First through third place would receive a trophy (and some serious street cred, according to Carolynn).

“This year’s third place winner is…,” one of the judges began.

“He’s one of the Garland city council members,” Carolynn whispered.

The judge paused to read from a clipboard in his hands. “Or winners, I should say. Carolynn Hansley and Whittaker Atwood!”

Carolynn’s mouth fell open. Meanwhile, the crowd began clapping and cheering.

“We’ve gotta go up there,” I said, grabbing her hand and leading the way. I loved the way she squeezed my fingers in return.

We got another round of applause as we accepted the trophy.

“Highly creative design,” the judge told us. “Well done.”

We thanked him, posed for a picture for the local paper, and made our way back.

Carolynn studied the trophy for a minute before handing it to me. “I really can’t believe we placed.”

“Eh,” I replied. “We were robbed.”

“Robbed?”

“Obviously we deserved first place,” I tossed back jokingly. “Between the design and that last minute run to the store, we earned it.”

That made her laugh, which I liked. I almost wanted to tell a joke just to hear the sound again, to watch the way her eyes crinkled with her smile.

Trying not to stare at her, I studied the trophy too, which featured a golden snowman. “Do you want the top half or bottom half?” I teased.

“It’s okay,” she told me. “You can keep it. To remember your first Christmas in Garland and all.”

I locked my gaze on hers, smiling.

It wouldn’t just be a souvenir from my first Christmas in Garland.

It’d serve as my reminder of my first Christmas with her.