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“I don’t know. We’re still in a fight about the ball.”

He’d been in the car with us that night. He’d heard it all firsthand. Maybe he didn’t think I should still be mad at Fiona, but I couldn’t help myself even though it was more misplaced blame.

Kind of like how I’d been blaming Marcus for tattling on me the other night when really it was all my fault. I sank down onto my desk chair, and picked at a hangnail on my thumb.

Marcus cleared his throat. “What you said to Momma about losing the race…”

“I know. It was not my finest moment.”

“Yeah, not by far. But outside of that, I think our moms overreacted.”

My eyes darted to his. “What?”

“I think they were wrong in how they acted when they found out about you and Ryan. I can see why you didn’t tell them in the first place.”

“You can?”

“Yes. But give them a minute. They’ll come around. It’s a new thought to them.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “I don’t even think there’s anything for them to come around to. Someone in Ryan’s household actually took the snow globe. And I fought with Ryan about it.”

“Yeah, I heard you through my window. He was pretty convinced nobody in his family took it.”

“And you believe him?”

“Why would they take it?”

“I don’t know … the lawsuit? They’re tired of our decorations?”

“You honestly think they’re the ones suing?”

I let out a long breath. “Probably not. Maybe it wasn’t about the lawsuit. Maybe Ryan was mad I ruined the ball.”

“Was he?”

My mind went back to that night. “No … he was mad I left, didn’t have his back.”

“So he stole our snow globe?”

I took a breath, the angry eyes of Phillip suddenly jumping into my brain.

Before I had the chance to process that thought, Harris yelled up the stairs. “There’s reindeer! Real reindeer!”

“What is he talking about?” Marcus asked, standing.

I knew exactly what Harris was talking about. The Morenos had gone ahead with their reindeer, of course. They were still super invested in the competition of it all. They had to have stolen our snow globe. It was in their shed! I rolled my eyes and turned back toward my canvas.

Marcus was walking out the door. “Are you coming?”

“No. I’m not.”

But after five minutes our house was quiet. Everyone must’ve gone outside. I stood and twisted my blinds open, trying to get a view of Ryan’s front yard. I couldn’t see anything, though. I grunted, pulled on a cardigan, and walked downstairs.

Out our front window, I could see Harris and Marcus and Mom standing in our yard watching two real live reindeer being unloaded from a trailer. Mrs. O’Leary was outside the Morenos’ house, arguing with Ryan’s mom. She had that stupid red flyer in her hand and was waving it in her face. It almost made me laugh.

Another truck pulled up, and three guys unloaded a large sled from the bed. Did this mean Santa was going to be sitting in that tomorrow night?

They were going to win. And I guessed they deserved to.