“Oh no,” I say, and start to walk away.
Judd latches on to my hand and pulls me back. “This is going to be so fun!”
Charlie sees us and starts clapping and cheering our names.
The music starts up, and I stare at the small screen. Maybe if I keep my eyes glued there instead of on the crowd, this will be okay.
Just when I think this can’t get any worse, the title of the song flashes across the screen.
“We’re singing ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’?” I ask in a horrified voice.
“Yes!” He points to his sweater. “It’s perfect!”
The song starts and we sing along. At some point I manage to look up and see Wes. He’s leaning back on the couch and I’m pretty sure he’s crying from laughter. I look at Olivia, and she’s not any better.
“At the scene of the attack…”we sing.
Then Judd gets louder.“She had hoofprints on her forehead and incriminating Claus marks on her back.”
I drop the mic and look at Judd. “This is really the worst song ever.”
He gives me a confused look. “Really? You think so?”
I hand Judd my mic and walk back to the couch while he continues to sing.
The song draws to a close just as Mrs. Brown, the party’s host, walks in the room, clapping to get everyone’s attention. She’s a cute, bubbly woman and she’s got that strong south Louisiana accent that makes some words unrecognizable.
“Time for the games!” she yells over the music.
I turn to Judd. “What games?” I ask.
His grin tells me I should be scared. “Fun games,” he says, then pulls me to the center of the room.
“Okay, it’s the young versus the old,” Mrs. Brown says. “I need two lines—the young on my left, the old geezers on my right, boy—girl—boy—girl.”
I watch as the room divides into the two groups. Judd steps in line next to me and seems super pumped up about this game. Wes is behind me with Laurel.
Mrs. Brown stands in the front of the room holding two really big oranges, one in each hand. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll put an orange under the chin of the first person in each line, then you have to turn and pass it to the person behind you, but you can’t use your hands!”
Oh. God.
Someone cranks up the music while Mrs. Brown puts the oranges in place. Of course Charlie is at the front of our line and he wiggles his eyebrows at Izzy.
I’m going to have to get the orange from Judd, then give it to Wes. I guess it doesn’t matter that my hands are sweating,since I can’t use them!
Mrs. Brown calls “Go!” and Charlie throws himself at Izzy. There’s no way to pass the orange without being extremely close to the person you’re trying to give it to. The adults drop theirs and have to start over. They’ve all been hitting the eggnog pretty hard and can’t stop laughing long enough to move the orange.
Before I know it, Judd’s got the orange and turns to me.
“I’m coming in, Sophie!” he says, then pulls me close. I turn my head to the side and try to get my chin close to the orange. Judd is a big guy and with all the stuff on my sweater and his sweater, it’s hard to get close. I finally bring my chin down on the orange. Judd pulls away slowly and I spin toward Wes.
And then I hesitate.
His eyebrows shoot up and his head cocks to the side, almost daring me. Why am I nervous about getting close to Wes? I’ve known him forever.
Charlie is chanting my name, and I just go for it. My arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him close as I tilt my head. His arms go around me and we’re pressed against each other. I feel Wes grip the orange and I start to pull away. But it’s too soon. The orange comes loose. Wes presses against me, stopping the orange just below my collarbone, where it’s wedged between a red glitter bow and a Santa ornament.
“Well, this is awkward,” he says. He’s looking up at me, holding the orange against me with his cheek.
