In the picturesque town of Winter Grove, the tenacious Alicia Whittaker faces off against her best friend's snobbish brother, Zeke Brighton, when his disapproval of his sister's boyfriend threatens to upend their Christmas.
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Tenacious college stud...
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Alicia
To make dozens of snowmen, you needed lots of space and lots of snow. Winter Grove's town square had neither. The festival grounds still dominated the space, and the thousands of tourists had stomped down and muddied the snow.
So, the Winter Grove Games committee herded the contestants toward the Grove University campus. The campus had gone quiet for the holiday break, the freshly fallen snow undisturbed, making it an ideal location. The town had strung lights between the posts and in the trees to provide enough light for the activity, and the fresh snow sparkled in the low light.
Alicia smiled as she walked across campus alongside the Brightons and Sterling. She was feeling much more optimistic about tonight. Though she only had Zeke's word, she had high hopes that he would stick to it and behave. It appeared the issue had just been motivation. She should have offered him a way out instead of dragging him into all the festivities.
And now that Zeke had one, he seemed happy to comply.
Even now, as he tramped through the fresh snow alongside his mom and dad, he looked distinctly less sullen.
Celeste came up from behind, linking her arm with Alicia's.
"Are you ready to win, partner?" she giggled.
"Of course," Alicia said. "I have high hopes for tonight."
"Same," Celeste agreed, but her bright smile faltered as she looked at her brother. "But maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up too much..."
"I don't know," Alicia said, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "I have a feeling that things will go a lot better tonight."
As she said it, Zeke looked over at them. He even grinned, and his emerald eyes sparkled with his promise. Alicia's smile widened, but she hid it beneath her scarf.
Celeste looked between them, and her brow tensed in confusion. "A feeling, huh? What kind of feeling?"
Alicia just shrugged. "I dunno. It's just a feeling."
By then, they had reached the spot. The town had set up little flags to mark each team's designated place, and little lanterns were stuck into the snow to provide even more light.
"Oh this is going to be fun!" Lydia cheered, clapping her gloved hands. They had all dressed in their warmest in preparation for handling the snow.
"It sure is," Herb agreed. "Now remember, boys. Behave yourselves, or you'll get disqualified again."
"What about the girls?" Zeke asked his dad, eyebrows raised. But his tone was playful.
"Oh, the girls can misbehave as much as they want," Herb said with a mischievous chuckle, shooting a wink at Alicia and Celeste.
