A Unity Falls Holiday Story
It’s the insider tradition nobody talks about. But every resident of Unity Falls knows it’s coming.
The lights go down.The lines are drawn.
For one night, everyone has to choose a side.
Welcome to the coziest sabotage of the year!
Previously in Decoration Games:
Ben followed Riley into Soapy’s, the town’s unofficial man-cave, only to find it packed with women, tools, a suspicious amount of planning, and an air of gleeful war.
Chapter 3
Ben saw Dylan Oliver sitting against the wall working on something. He looked up, gave Ben a nod, rolled his eyes as if Ben was in on some joke, then got back to working on whatever it was he was doing. Ben returned the nod, but Dylan probably never saw.
Joe from Joe’s Donuts was part of the actively planning men. He stood with Ruth and Maude Bennet who ran the local garage and tow-truck business with her nephew, Dylan. Maude had come into the cafe a few times. She seemed gruff and brusque, but she enjoyed the matcha and Ben enjoyed her forthright nature. Seeing that gleam in her eye didn’t surprise Ben. Seeing that same gleam in Ruth, who seemed like the epitome of soft and gentle was a bit of a shock.
Joe was a bit of a revelation as well. The man never said anything to Ben except a brief hello if a simple nod wouldn’t do. But with Maude and Ruth, he was animated, had a twinkle in his eye and was actually smiling! Riley said that Joe was the ladies’ man of his generation. He hadn’t believed it. He assumed the donut shop’s popularity was simply due to lack of options and that Joe’s curt nature was due to feeling a certain way about competition. Another rethink was in order.
As if noticing that Ben was staring, Joe turned, and his grizzled face had a half smile on one side of his face. And he gave Ben a nod, then returned to his conversation with the two women.
Ben wasn’t sure if he was welcome in this conversation or not, and he decided that he would let Riley signal if he should join or if he should hang back.
Then he noticed Kei and Dani making their way to him. Dani also had an unholy glint in her eyes that made him wary. He’d learned this was a common facial expression for Dani. He’d also learned to regard it with caution. Kei looked calm and amused, so he figured he probably wasn’t about to get pranked. He reconsidered when the women each hooked their arms around his and escorted him to Dylan.
Dylan looked up from his task with resigned amusement.
“How’s Juniper?” he asked.
Dylan’s face took on an expression of satisfaction that made Ben jealous. “At home with Bea. She wanted to come but decided it’s too cold for the baby. I wanted to stay home, too, but she made me come out. I have orders to give her a full report.”
Ben tilted his head. “Report?”
“On the real Decoration Games,” Dani answered. “You’ve seen the official rules, right?”
Ben had to think about it and was surprised by his answer. “Rules? I don’t think so. It’s a decoration contest. Winner gets two hundred dollars. What other kind of rules do you need?”
Kei took a yellowed paper off the wall from its position half-hidden by a similarly aged poster of a model from the 70s selling a band saw. She shook a bit of the dust off and handed it to him.
Decoration Games Rules
- The decoration theme must be new and not the same as previous years. It’s allowed to re-use pieces as long as it’s not recreating the same theme with pieces in different locations.
- The decorations must not be put up before December 13th. Entrants have one week before the contest judging on the night of the 20th.
- The judges will drive through the town on the night of the 20th, and the decoration lights must be turned on to be considered as an entry.
- There is no entry fee but as an acknowledgement of community involvement, the best design turned on at the time the judges drive-through will win $200 from the local community group and be featured in the Calgary Post.
Ben read the rules and gave a low whistle. “These are some serious rules. But what about Ruth’s B&B? She’s had lights up since Halloween ended.”
Dani snorted. “Doesn’t count. Too early. Plus, bare minimum. It’s just lights along the eaves.”
Ben wanted to defend Ruth but was struck speechless when Dani grabbed the list from him and pinned it to the wall.
She turned to give him a fixed stare. “You’ve seen the official rules, Kei and I are going to tell you what’s really going on.”/
Want to see how Riley and Ben got together?
Their story begins in Riley and the Love Jinx → link
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About the author:
Cleo Croft writes sweet contemporary romance set in the fictional town of Unity Falls. → About Cleo