12 Gifts for Christmas. Джулия Кеннер

truck.

      “Dec?”

      Softening his glare, he turned around. “Yeah, Aunt Amanda?”

      “I’m running into town to get more lights for the display. Do you need me to pick up anything?”

      He took in everything on the lawn. Other than the irritation factor, the actual damage was minimal. Some paint, a few broken boards. A minor ding to his ego and crack in his heart. No biggie.

      “Nah, we’re okay. It’s mostly cosmetic. I’ll have things back on track by this evening. You’re still gonna win,” he vowed.

      He’d wanted to win when he’d agreed to build the display. He’d really, really wanted to win when he’d bet on the contest’s outcome with Mari. But now? Now he’d do whatever it took to make sure they did.

      “This isn’t your fault, you know,” she said quietly. “Don’t own this obnoxious act, Declan. This isn’t about you, it’s about someone cheating and being mean.”

      “Could be,” he responded, giving her a grateful hug. He didn’t agree, but he didn’t want her worrying, either. “How’d you get so savvy?”

      “Oh, please. I raised Rita Mae. That girl could have given you a run for your money when it came to trouble. And don’t get me started on the things Layla and Alison got up to.”

      Declan laughed, just as she’d intended.

      But as soon as she left, so did his smile. The Cole girls had nothing on him when it came to trouble. Even Rita. But him? Even when he didn’t go searching for it, trouble still followed him.

      Maybe he shouldn’t have accused Mari of sabotaging his display. At first, he’d figured nobody else had anything to gain. But an hour of hauling debris had given him plenty of think-time. Enough to realize that he’d been an ass to assume that Mari was the only person who might have an issue with him. After all, most of the town would probably be happy to see the back of him again. And he’d been even more stupid to believe that Mari would do anything so hurtful.

      For the first time since he’d stormed away from Mari, Declan glanced across the street. She’d added an inflatable holiday globe to the landscape and was now arranging three-foot-tall candy canes along the walkway. He watched her bend over to wiggle one of the sticks into the hard dirt and gave a hum of appreciation at the way her backside swayed with the effort. He was going crazy with wanting her.

      Declan shoved his hands into his pockets and contemplated the situation. He could leave things be and let Mari stay pissed at him. That was probably smarter. Or he could go over and apologize. The words might burn his throat. But for another one of her sweet smiles, it’d be worth it.

      And maybe if he offered to help her hang a few balls, he could finagle a kiss or two.