He threw a look at Red, hoping for some backup, but he was more invested in his pretzel, listening as he ate.
“Next is strategic seat placement during the g-bread house assembly,” she continued.
“Strategic…seat?”
She gave Benny the same look he got when he couldn’t figure out a math problem as fast as she could, which was rare but did happen. “Eye contact must be encouraged and, if possible, constant,” she explained.
“Why?” Benny asked.
She sucked in a surprised breath. “Do the words dopamine, adrenaline, cortisol, and endorphins mean nothing to you?”
“Sounds like a law firm I’d never hire,” Red chimed in.
She laughed, her eyes bright as she looked at Benny. “You’re so lucky to have such a funny grandfather.”
“Great-grandfather,” he corrected.
“Well, that’s redundant,” she said, giving Red a sweet smile. “But my point stands. Listen.” She snapped the paper and read, “‘Within seconds of locking eyes with someone attractive, key regions of the brain light up. Ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens release dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter. The amygdala processes emotional salience?—’”
“What’s that?” Benny asked.
“I don’t know, but I think grownups do.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Red mumbled.
“Anyway, it makes them ‘hyperaware’ of each other,” she said. “The nervous system kicks in, and the bonding chemistry goes through the roof with feelings of closeness and—get this—a sense ofmelting.”
“That’s ’cause the temperature is two point three degrees too warm,” Red said, cracking Benny up enough that they had to high-five.
“I get that you two think this is amusing,” Olivia said. “But I, for one, am serious. That means we arrange everything so they are sitting directly across from each other at a prep table. Chairswith no escape routes. Also, music is critical, but slow Christmas songs only on the playlist, which I will handle. Slow jingles equal romance, high-tempo jingles equal chaos.”
Benny curled his lip. “This whole thing is chaos.”
“Now here’s one to consider—adrenaline association. If they experience danger together, they’ll confuse adrenaline with attraction. So I’m thinking we let something burn in one of the ovens, set off the smoke alarm?—”
“No!” Benny and Red spoke at exactly the same time.
“We’ve set off alarms before,” his great-grandfather said.
“I know.” Olivia grinned. “I was there and have the Paws & Pals Winter Camp Talent Contest winning trophy to prove it.” She looked from one to the other. “All right, never let it be said that I can’t compromise. We’ll bag the adrenaline. But not the chocolate and strawberries,” she said.
“I’m kind of afraid to ask what that is,” Benny said, feeling a smile.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. We must get some of your mom’s chocolate on my dad’s strawberries and…let nature do the rest.”
“Do the rest of what?” Benny asked.
“Well, chocolate is made of phenylethylamine, which actually mimics the feeling of…liking someone. Chat calls it infatuation. Strawberries have something to do with vitality and…well, never mind. It works, that’s all you need to know.”
“Works with what?” Benny leaned in to demand. “If I’m going to be part of this nonsense, I need to know.”
“It’s something called an…aphro…something.”
Red shifted uncomfortably. “Let’s wrap this up, Madame Curie. We have to get home.”
“Almost there,” she said. “Chat said synchronized tasks are huge for building mutual attraction and optimal bonding, so we already covered that with the gingerbread house project. Oh,and, of course, mistletoe placement, but that’ll happen the night of the festival, and the last usable suggestion is based on the light frequency theory. When Dad installs the fairy lights on the gingerbread house, we have to make sure they blink at the same rate as a human heartbeat.”
“Eighty beats per minute,” Benny said automatically.
