Immediately, we set to work, finding candy canes hanging from the Christmas tree, scattered among the presents, hanging from Christmas lights, and underneath the table. Each of them has a letter on it, and we spread them out on the table.
“They must spell something,” I say, dropping to one of the chairs at the little table. I move them around, trying different combinations of letters to make a word.
Coop reaches over me, adjusting letters, and Todd and his team stand behind me, trying to unscramble the words out loud.
“Child.”
“Holly, nope, that would be holy.”
“Uh, here, hero, lair, day.”
“Holiday!” I blurt, arranging the letters in the first word.
“Cheer,” Coop says, figuring out the next word before I can.
“Holiday cheer,” Todd says. “What’s the best way to spread Christmas cheer?” he asks.
“Singing loud for all to cheer!” one of his friends says.
We all look at Todd’s friend. “It’shear, notcheer,” Todd says. “You can’t rhyme a word with itself.” Todd looks disgusted, and his friend looks red-faced with shame.
“It’s okay,” Coop says, clapping the guy’s back and earning a smile.
“What are we supposed to sing?” I ask.
“Or where?” Coop says.
We look at each other and both yell. “Mistletoe!”
We all dart for the mistletoe hanging from one of the beams. “What song do they sing in the movie?” Todd asks.
Coop starts singing the first line from “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and soon we’re all singing under the mistletoe.
But nothing happens.
“What is it?” I ask. “Why isn’t anything happening?”
“Read the last line,” the only other woman on the team says.
“‘Then underneath the mistletoe, you’ll be kissing,’” Todd says. “We need to kiss!?”
He tries to grab the girl, but she stiff-arms him in the face.
“NOPE,” she says.
“Come on, Candace! It’s for a clue!” Todd says.
“Not happening,” Candace says.
“Liesel?” Todd says, trying to grab me next, but Coop blocks him and puts his arm behind my back, like he’s about to sweep me into a dip.
“I got this,” he says, as my pulse triples.
“No,” I say.
“So youarechicken,” Coop says with an impish quirk of his lips.
“I’ll do it!” Candace says to Coop, looking a little too starry-eyed for my liking.
