Mistletoe Motel

9. Mack

Chapter 9

Mack

D espite the heavy snow fall, the town square was bustling with people. The main road had been cleared, but the storm still made it challenging to walk. Mack pulled her scarf tighter around her neck, her breath visible in the frigid air. The town seemed undeterred by the weather, its spirit lively and cheerful.

In the center of the square was a Christmas market, featuring little German-style chalets with vendors that sold food, drinks, and various holiday trinkets. Children ran around, their laughter mingling with the jarring festive music playing in the chalets. The aroma of mulled wine, freshly baked cakes, and roasted chestnuts wafted through the air, tempting passers-by to stop and indulge.

Mack and Holly wandered through the market, taking in the sights. The chalets were decorated with twinkling lights and garlands, each one more charming than the last. She watched as a vendor poured hot cocoa into a mug, the steam rising and dissipating into the frosty air. There was an ice-skating rink, currently closed as it wasn’t safe to skate in the weather, but it looked charming, nevertheless, with its rustic wooden fence adorned with twinkling fairy lights. Red and green garlands intertwined with the lights, and a large Christmas tree stood in the center of the rink, its branches heavy with snow.

“Over there!” Holly’s voice called out, snapping Mack out of her reverie. She gestured to a chalet that said Snowman Competition. Sign up here! “Are you ready to build the winning snowman?”

“You bet!” Mack’s competitive spirit was already kicking in as she eyed up their competition. Both kids and adults had gathered in groups with bags full of props and accessories.

“We should have come prepared,” Holly whispered as they signed up. “They clearly take it very seriously.”

“That’s okay. We can improvise. I?—”

“All right everyone!” a woman interrupted them. “Gather ’round so we can go over the rules. I’m Barbara, your competition leader.”

The group shuffled closer, and Mack could feel the buzz of anticipation.

“The rules are simple,” Barbara said, the jingle bells around her neck tinkling with every movement. “You have forty minutes to build your snowman. You can use up to five props—no more. Props include anything you add to your snowman that isn’t snow. That means buttons, hats, scarves, accessories, and so on. You’ll be judged on creativity, craftsmanship, and overall holiday spirit,” she continued. “Because the spirit of Christmas is just as important as the snowman itself. So put your hearts into it!”

Holly grinned, her eyes meeting Mack’s. “We really have landed in a Hallmark movie.”

“And one last rule,” Barbara added, raising her hand for emphasis. “The cheesiest rule of all. Have fun!”

Mack and Holly headed to their designated area, marked by a sign with their number. The ground was packed with fresh snow, perfect for molding. Mack crouched down and began scooping snow together for the base, and beside her, Holly started with a small snowball, rolling it across the snowy ground to gradually increase its size.

“I’ll shape the legs, if you do the body and the head base,” Mack said, patting down the pile of snow in front of her.

“Got it,” Holly replied, working methodically. “It seems like everyone has a plan, but what are we even making? Santa?”

“Yeah, why not? Let’s keep it simple.” Mack glanced around, her eyes scanning the ground for anything they could use as props. A few feet away, she spotted a broken candy cane half-buried in the snow. She picked it up, dusting off the snow. “We could use this as a pipe. What do you think?”

“Perfect! Holly chuckled, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “The beard will be easy to mold, and I’ll try to find something that could work as a hat.”

They continued building, their hands moving swiftly as they shaped the snowman. Holly formed the midsection and the head, smoothing out the surface while Mack sculpted the legs, making sure they were sturdy enough to keep the body in place.

Mack couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. The simple act of building a snowman—something she hadn’t done since she was a child—filled her with a kind of innocent glee she had long forgotten. She glanced at Holly, who was grinning from ear to ear as she packed out the snowman’s body. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and she looked adorable with her cheeks pink from the cold.

Holly disappeared for a moment and came back with two twigs.

“I found a pair of arms!” she called out, holding them up in triumph.

“Great. They’re beautiful claws,” Mack joked, sticking the left one in while Holly attached Santa’s right. Holly adjusted them so they were symmetrical before they molded Santa’s beard and stuck the pipe into his mouth.

Mack stepped back and admired their work with a smug smile. “Not bad, huh? We just need a hat.”

“I’ll be right back,” Holly said, running off again. She returned with a red tinsel garland and a Santa hat. “I bought this at one of the stalls,” she said, holding up the hat. “And the wind blew the garland into my face like it was meant to be.”

Mack wrapped the tinsel scarf around the snowman’s neck while Holly placed the hat on its head.

“Santa’s got a great butt,” Holly noted as she walked around their snowman. “Very perky. Let’s hope they take that into consideration with the scoring.”

“Oh, are you a butt person?” Mack asked teasingly.

“I do appreciate a nice butt. Yours is great, by the way,” Holly shot back at her.

“So is yours.” Mack playfully slapped Holly’s behind, making her jump and laugh. “I was admiring it when you were looking out the window this morning.”

“Oh yeah? Were you checking me out?”

“Guilty.” Mack shivered at the surge or arousal that coursed through her. This was getting interesting “I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more of it,” she said, hoping she wasn’t taking it too far. “It really is quite something. You know, in an objective, stating-the-facts kind of way.”

Holly rolled her eyes and laughed. “Oh, that again?” She bit her lip as she looked Mack over. “Well, keep up the charm and you might get lucky.”

Mack’s jaw dropped as she stared at her. “You’re going to drive me crazy, you know that?”

“Good,” Holly replied, batting her eyelashes. “I’ve been told I have that effect on people.” For a moment, they simply stood there, facing each other, and Mack’s pulse quickened as fantasies coursed through her mind.

Just then, a countdown began from the crowd. “Ten! Nine! Eight!”

Holly’s eyes widened in a panic. “We forgot the eyes and the nose! How could we forget those?”

Mack snapped out her reverie and started digging in the snow until she found two rocks. “These will have to do,” she said, bursting into stitches of laughter as she pressed them into Santa’s sockets.

In a wild frenzy, Holly ran around, looking for a nose.

“Five! Four! Three!”

“I can’t! This is too stressful.” Failing to find anything suitable, Holly turned to the contents of her purse and pulled out a bright-red lipstick. She rolled it all the way out and jammed it into the middle of their snowman’s face, just in time.

“Two! One! Time’s up!” Barbara screamed.

Mack and Holly stepped back, both crossing their arms over their chests as they surveyed their creation in mock seriousness. The snowman stood at a precarious tilt, its body formed of unevenly packed snowballs that gave it a distinctly lumpy appearance. The rocks they’d used for eyes were hilariously mismatched—one oversized and the other barely more than a pebble—giving it a comically bewildered expression. Holly’s bright-red lipstick, repurposed as a nose, jutted out like a clown’s honker.

“Well, there he is,” Mack said, stifling a laugh.

“Yeah…” Holly shook her head, giggling. “I think we nailed it. He’s got personality, that’s for sure.”