AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Keene follows after him and calls. “Well, that’s a lie.”
I know my family doesn’t love Seth. Do I love Seth? I don’t think so, but he feels safe. He is boring, but I was thinking boring might be good. Maybe a boring nerd is more trustworthy? I don’t know. I just think my family is being too hard on him. Coming into the Sterling family is a lot. They have to know that.
“What is happening?” Seth says as he walks up behind me.
“Oh, just that stupid lumberjack competition. Do you want to help me ice some cookies while they do the qualifying heats?” I ask.
He looks confused. “Qualifying heats?”
“Come on. I’ll explain it to you in the kitchen.”
Seth and I ice sugar cookies with Brooklyn and Elizabeth. We get him caught up on the lumberjack competition that the guys do every Christmas.
“It’s really just a ridiculous ploy for attention,” I say as I flood the icing onto the snowflake I’m decorating.
“I don’t hate it,” Elizabeth says, the corner of her mouth turning up. She’s adding eyes to an angel cookie.
Brooklyn sets down her finished cookie, a striped ornament, and says, “Me neither.”
I roll my eyes and say to Seth. “They are brainwashed.”
“The best kind of brainwashing,” Elizabeth whispers. Brooklyn nods her head in agreement.
Keene burst into the kitchen, his cheeks flush from the cold, and grabs two cookies. “I can eat these, right?”
Brooklyn nods. “Go ahead. They only took me thirty minutes, but sure.”
Keene stuffs one in his mouth and then says, “It’s time. The grand finale awaits. You think this year is my year?”
All of us laugh but Seth.
“No,” I say as I follow him out. Keene always loses the lumberjack competition, but somehow he’s the biggest trash talker. “You’re all talk and no game.”
He pretends he’s been stabbed. “Ouch. Juno, you got me right in the heart.”
We get bundled up and follow him outside. All of the men minus Seth are standing by their woodcutting stations, axes in hand. None of them are wearing a shirt. I’m trying so hard not to look at Bode, but it’s impossible. My eyes refuse to look anywhere else. He’s just casually leaning on his ax. Oh, fuck him. Why does he have to look so sexy right now?
I wrap my arm around Seth’s waist, so I don’t forget he exists. Declan motions to me. “Juno, are you coming or what?”
Oh, right. I’m the timer. I’m always the timer.
“Yeah. I’m coming.” I give Seth a little squeeze and say, “Be back in a minute.”
I stand on a tree stump and get out my phone.
“What’s the order?” I ask.
Declan says, pointing, “Eli, me, Kip, Ethan, Bode, Will, James, and then Keene.”
I pout. “Oh. What happened, Keene?”
“Shut up,” he calls. “Be prepared for the most amazing comeback of all time.”
“You say that every year,” Declan mutters.
“Okay, you know the drill. It’s a staggered start. Whoever chops the most logs wins,” I call.
Everyone nods. I hold up my phone. “On your mark, get, set...go, Eli.”
