“Sorry enough to stop this silly rivalry?” Charlie asked.
“Hey, Walker,” hollered Andi, from Danny’s shoulders. “We win. You lose. Suck it.”
Jazzy arched her eyebrows. “Tell her that.”
Charlie shook his head and put the peas to his nose again.
“Hey, Walker, what say you go against me in the cowboy cookie challenge? Let me thrash you again?” Andi tweaked Danny’s ear to get him to turn toward the bulletin board beside the bar where the locals posted flyers announcing babysitting services, puppies for sale, and events in town.
Andi plucked the baking contest flyer off the board and waved that along with the banner. “I’ll win this year’s Christmas baking contest again. I’d just love if you’d enter so I could give you another thrashing.”
“Sheissuper annoying,” Charlie said. “How was it again that she stole Danny away from you?”
“I’m too happy, remember?”
“You don’t look very happy right now.”
Touché.
“There is absolutely no competition in this one-horse town,” Andi complained. “You’re all so lame.”
Danny, red-faced and huffing, stopped so Andi could slide from his shoulders to the ground right in front of Jazzy and Charlie.
Do not rise to the bait. Do not!Jazzy coached herself.Do not enter that contest.
“There’s Roan Sullivan,” Charlie pointed out. “He’s won a national baking championship. I’d say he could provide you with stiff competition.”
“That guy? He’s old as dirt and a single father,” Andi scoffed. “No way that dude would enter our cookie contest. Besides, he cooks campfire food. I’m the reigning cookie queen! I could take him.”
“Someone should dethrone you. If I could bake, I’d do it,” Charlie said.
Andi rolled her eyes and tossed over her shoulder as she walked away, “As if!”
“Okay,” Charlie said to Jazzy. “I see why you’re so hung up on beating her. She’s begging to be taken down a peg or two.”
“I guess you didn’t see the theme for this year’s contest?” Jazzy called to Andi, speaking when she shouldn’t have.
“What?” Andi whipped her head around.
Charlie stretched his lean body long and snatched the flyer from Andi’s hand. “Look closer.It’s campfire baking. They’re holding the event at the marina pavilion.”
“Oh.” Eyes widening, Andi blinked. “Well, no matter. I’ll still win.”
“You know,” Jazzy mused. “I just might enter this year.”
“You?” Andi hooted. “Don’t be ridiculous. I was only joshing. You don’t know how to bake. How do you suppose you’d win? Face it, Walker, in competing againstme, you’ll always come up second best and I really hate trouncing you, it’s so embarrassing. Wait, what am I talking about? Ilovetrouncing you. Do it. Enter.”
“The point isn’t to win,” Jazzy said. “The entry fees go to charity. That’s why I would enter. To raise money for Holly’s House.”
“Not about winning?” Andi said. “Yeah, that’s what all the losers say.” Rubbing salt into the wound, Andi made the letterLwith her hand and held it against her forehead.
Behind Jazzy, Charlie growled.
Jazzy smiled. “So, you’re familiar with campfire baking?”
Andi fluffed her hair. “No, but I’ll still win. I do my best work under pressure and I’m a quick study.”
“I admire your belief in your own greatness,” Jazzy said, meaning every word. Andi’s self-confidence had been the draw when Jazzy walked into Miss Avery’s third grade class and spied Andi sitting cocksure in the front row. They’d been friends back then. “It’s inspiring.”