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’s first mission hits a snag when two unexpected figures nearly derail the plan.
Chapter 8
While Ben and Dani had been discussing the possibility of “paid actors” in the Decoration Games, Kei and the girls had been deep in their own discussion and Ben had missed it.
He tuned back in when Kei said, “I see we’re in a little bit of a dilemma. Are you going to let us pass?”
“Yeah, do we have to pay you, too?” Dani joked.
But the girls exchanged looks and the atmosphere changed.
“Seriously?” Dani muttered.
Marley said, “Well, we can’t physically stop you, but we could definitely let people know you’re coming.” She held up a walkie-talkie radio.
“We’re just out for an evening walk!” Dani protested.
The girls snorted in disbelief. Then they turned to Kei.
“Actually, Ms. Nakamura, we have a suggestion for you,” Marley said.
The girls looked at each other with some unspoken message between them.
Ben noticed that a lot of the females in Unity Falls did this silent communication thing. Women everywhere did it, but it really seemed to be a thing in this town. He guessed that’s what growing up in the same place and knowing all the history did for you. You developed a shorthand where long conversations happened in a glance.
Kei didn’t say anything but tilted her head, gesturing them to continue. The message was clear. Dangerous ground. Go ahead at your own risk.
Now that they were to the point, their confidence was a bit shaken. “We could pretend that we didn’t see you if Ms. Nakamura agrees to hear us out when we get back to school. We have a proposition.”
Kei frowned. “You can just come and talk to me anyway. You don’t need to blackmail me.”
At the word blackmail, the girls truly looked shaken.
Marley blanched. “No! It’s not blackmail. It’s just…”
“Complicated,” Katie finished. The girls looked at each other again, one of those long, glances. “It’s complicated, Ms. Nakamura. And normally we think you’d say no, but we want you to hear us out.”
“I’m not going to do anything illegal, girls. And I’m a mandated reporter so…”
They rushed to assure her it was just something they needed help with.
Kei gave them long measuring looks. “Okay, as long as it’s nothing illegal, I’ll hear you out.”
“And just to be clear,” Dani said, “you’re going to let us go and you’re not going to tell anybody that you saw us.”
The two teens mimed zipping their mouth shut.
And Dani laughed. “Good girls.”
“Do you know if anybody else is coming out this way?” Marley asked.
“We’d rather go hang out someplace warm,” Katie added.
The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Where are you going to go?” Kei asked. “If you go inside, they’ll know that something happened.”
“Oh, we’re not going home,” Katie said. The two walked off giggling and pushing each other playfully.
Dani laughed. Kei looked disturbed.
“You know, I think I find those two young women fairly terrifying,” Ben said with admiration.
Kei laughed. “Oh, yeah. They’ll go far if they ever get out of Unity Falls. They’re audacious and wickedly smart. I’m curious what they have planned. But I’m a little worried why they felt that they couldn’t tell anybody.”
Ben noted the odd tone in her voice when she said, “get out of Unity Falls.” It hinted at some dissatisfaction he’d never noticed in her before. Almost a bitterness. And he’d have guessed she was the most into this small-town life. Dani either didn’t notice or ignored it. He wanted to ask about it but decided on a more neutral subject. “I’m also curious about what they’re going to do. Keep me updated if it doesn’t violate any privacy stuff.”
“If I can,” Kei said. “It will be up to the girls.”
“To think,” Dani said, “that tonight’s plans were almost upset by bumping into two smart girls.”
Want to see how Riley and Ben got together?
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About the author:
Cleo Croft writes sweet contemporary romance set in the fictional town of Unity Falls. → About Cleo