Any Boy but You (North Pole, Minnesota)

by Julie Hammerle

  Trip’s neck was bright red, and Elena shot Oliver a warning look.

  “Come on, you two,” Oliver said. “You used to be friends.”

  “Ha, friends,” Trip said. “You’ve always been jealous of me, Tom. You were jealous of me and Emily. Now you’re jealous my store is doing better than yours—”

  “Your store that’s about to close?” said Tom.

  “By choice. My choice. Your store’s the one that’s about to go under,” Trip said.

  He and Tom were now nose to nose. Oliver took charge. He slid himself between his dad and Elena’s. Then he nudged Trip’s chest and guided his dad toward the front of the store. “We’ll get the ice somewhere else.”

  As he and his dad reached the door, Oliver glanced back at Elena, and their eyes met. He put his hand to his heart and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

  Elena shook her head, and then stared at the door after it had shut behind him.

  “Good riddance.” Her dad raised his jug of milk in salute. “This town will be better off without those Princes.”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  Empty handed, Elena left the store and headed back toward town. She checked her phone. There was a half hour left of Stash Grab. She ducked into the gun store, where Katie Murphy was working. Katie, of course, handed Elena one perfect yellow rose, and her heart sank.

  “You’re so lucky,” said Katie.

  Elena wrinkled her nose. “Why?”

  “Oliver really likes you. He came in here all passionate and disheveled like, ‘I have to get Elena to forgive me.’” She touched the back of her hand to her forehead like she was about to swoon. “The only romance I’ve had lately was kissing Kevin Snow under Harper’s dining room table.”

  Elena rolled her eyes. “I’ve been there.” She examined the rose. Oliver had run all over town last night, leaving roses for her in every store. But the flowers weren’t just from Oliver Prince, the guy she’d been trained to see as the scum of the earth. They were from Stashiuk4Prez, the guy she’d spent the past few weeks opening up to. They were from Oliver, whom she’d run around town with catching Stashes. They were from the person who stepped in and kept their fathers from killing each other.

  She could forget all the good and focus on the bad. She could toss this rose in the garbage with the rest. She could keep holding this grudge, just like her dad and Oliver’s dad had for twenty years.

  Elena glanced outside. The garbage truck was making its way down Main Street. One of the trash collectors hopped off the truck and emptied the can right outside the yoga studio. She caught sight of a yellow rose toppling into the back of the truck and being devoured by the massive, steel teeth. Her heart ached.

  Yes, they were only flowers, but they were hers. They represented what she and Oliver meant to each other, and Elena had just witnessed the metaphor for their romance being chopped up into tiny pieces. She would not let another flower wind up in that truck.

  She dashed out onto the street, waving the flower Katie had given her, and shouted, “Wait!”

  …

  Oliver steered his dad down Main Street, through the Stash Grab crowds and toward Prince’s.

  “We didn’t get the ice,” his dad said, glancing back toward the grocery store.

  “I’ll go back out.” Oliver pushed his dad through the door and into the sporting goods shop. Trip quickly busied himself behind the counter, and Oliver motioned for Regina, who had been setting up chairs in the middle of the floor, to convene with him in the office.

  Oliver checked on his dad one more time—he was counting money in the till—and shut the door behind Regina. “We just ran into Mr. Chestnut in the grocery store.” And Elena, thought Oliver, remembering the distraught look on her face as he pushed his dad through the door. But he’d worry about her later. First he had to work on their parents. “There was…a moment,” Oliver said.

  “A moment?” Regina plopped down onto the desk chair.

  “Yeah.” Oliver paced the length of the office. “A moment where they didn’t hate each other.”

  “Really?”

  “They were talking about Bobbi Moore and how she hated them when they were kids. I saw it. They bonded.” Oliver pointed to the closed door. “Dad got wistful.”

  Regina shrugged. “And?”

  “And, I think we can use that to our advantage. I think it proves there’s hope for a peaceful accord between Dad and the Chestnuts.” He snapped his fingers, then bent down and extracted the infamous photo album from the bottom drawer. He handed it to Regina. “I have a plan…I think.” He glanced at the clock. It was nine now. One hour until the Stash Grab event. He laughed. Plenty of time. “Here’s what I need you to do. I need you to scan all these pictures and make a PowerPoint for the Stash Grab event. We’re going to have a projector set up anyway for the retrospective video.”

  Regina scoffed. “Okay, weird.”

  Oliver shook his head. “You want to stay in North Pole?”

  She nodded.

  “Then start PowerPointing. Microsoft Office Suite is our last, best hope.”

  Oliver left her alone at the laptop with her assignment. He shut the door and leaned against it. Now for phase two.

  “Dad.” Oliver pulled on his hat and mittens. “I’m gonna go get that ice.”

  “Great.” Trip was still focused on the money.

  Oliver booked it out of the store and, dodging the crowds of people with their heads down on their phones, ran all the way to Elena’s house without stopping. He stood on the top step of the Chestnuts’ stoop, took off his hat, and smoothed down his hair. Then he rang the bell.

  Mrs. Chestnut, in pajama pants and a robe, answered the door. “Yes?”

  “Hi, Mrs. Chestnut. I’m Oliver Prince.”

  “I know,” she said, pulling her robe tighter.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute? And Mr. Chestnut, too?”

  She glanced behind her. Oliver couldn’t tell if she was looking for a way out of this or making sure her husband hadn’t seen his rival’s son standing on their doorstep.

  “Please,” Oliver said. “It’s about my dad. It’s important.”

  Frowning, Mrs. Chestnut stepped aside and let him in. “Take a seat,” she said, pointing to the living room couch.

  Oliver removed his boots and perched on the edge of the couch cushion, hands folded in his lap. He glanced around the room. There were pictures of Elena all over—in a track and field uniform, dressed up for a dance, making goofy faces with Harper. Oliver’s toes tapped on the floor. This is for her, he thought. This is for us.

  When Mrs. Chestnut returned with her husband, Oliver stood and held out his hand. “Mr. Chestnut, hi.”

  Ignoring Oliver’s outstretched arm, Mr. Chestnut motioned for Oliver to sit, then he sat on one of the arm chairs near the fireplace. Mrs. Chestnut poured coffee for everyone before taking a spot on the other end of the couch from Oliver.

  No one spoke, and Oliver realized that it was up to him to get the conversation started. “Okay,” he said, clearing his throat. “My dad sent me here.” Oliver prayed his lying skills were up to snuff. This was just a video game, essentially. He needed to complete each level before moving onto the next. No big deal. “The whole way home after we ran into you at the grocery store, he kept talking about your conversation and how sad he was that it had turned sour. He wanted me to come here and invite you—in person—to attend the Stash Grab event, which starts in an hour. He wants to make amends.”

  Tom Chestnut furrowed his brow. “Why did he send you? If it meant so much to him, why didn’t he come himself?”

  This was a test. It was only a test. “Because he’s Trip. You know Trip, his showmanship. I think he wants to make a big display out of apologizing to you.”

  Mr. Chestnut nodded, and a weight lifted from Oliver’s chest. But then he said, “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Tom, please,” his wife said.

  “We’re leaving anyway, Emily. What’s the point? I
don’t want anything to do with Trip, and I know he wants nothing to do with me.”

  “Please, Mr. Chestnut—” Oliver said. He had to come, he just had to.

  Mr. Chestnut stood, looming over his wife and Oliver. “I’m sorry. No. I have no interest in making peace with Trip Prince.” He marched out of the room, and Mrs. Chestnut and Oliver stared after him.

  A few moments later, Mrs. Chestnut ushered Oliver to the door. As she handed him his hat, she whispered, “I’ll get him there.”

  Oliver’s eyes met hers. They were brown and determined, just like Elena’s. He nodded. “Thank you.”

  Next Oliver ran back to the grocery store to pick up some ice for real. Then he, panting, jogged back to Prince’s.

  “What took you so long?” asked Trip. “People are going to be here in fifteen minutes, and your sister has locked herself in the office.”

  “She has Stash Grab business to take care of,” said Oliver, pouring the ice into a cooler. “Hey, Dad,” he said. “I ran into Tom Chestnut on Main Street.”

  His dad grumbled.

  “He felt bad about how your conversation in the grocery store ended. He told me he wanted to stop by the event today, to publicly apologize for hurting you.”

  “Hmph,” said Trip. “Doesn’t sound like him.”

  “I know,” said Oliver. “But I think you really got through to him today.”

  Trip rolled his eyes and started rearranging the chairs Regina had only just set up in the middle of Prince’s.

  Oliver made sure everything was ready at the refreshments table, which reminded him of the time he had helped Elena set up the food at her Stash Grab Dash event. He smacked himself on the forehead. The cheeseless pizza. She had seen him grab a slice. He bet that was when she knew he and Stashiuk4Prez were one in the same. If today ended better than that night did, Oliver’s plan would be a success.

  At ten o’clock sharp, Oliver knocked on the office door. “Time for the party,” he told Regina.

  He threw open the front entrance, and scores of North Pole residents flooded in. Oliver greeted Craig and Dinesh, who were first in line. He saw Danny, Star, Kevin, Brian, and Marley, plus Dolores Page and Frank from the hardware store, Sam and Maurice from the video store, Mr. Patrick, Mrs. Ra, Mr. Wong, Bobbi Moore, and Sheriff Parsons. Bringing up the rear, Harper tottered in on the arm of Jamison, the Santabucks barista.

  Oliver peered past her, looking for stragglers.

  Harper patted his shoulder. “I haven’t seen her.”

  Oliver took his spot on the makeshift stage, between his dad and Stan Stashiuk. Oliver’s dad was keeping an eye on the front door as well.

  As the mayor stepped up to the podium, the office door flew open and Regina, carrying the laptop, ran onto the stage and plugged the machine into the projector that had been set up for the Stash Grab retrospective video. She flopped onto the seat next to Stash. “Just in time,” she said.

  Mayor Sandoval stepped to the microphone. “Welcome, everyone, to the first ever Stash Grab results extravaganza! Thank you all for participating in this game. I’ve never seen so much cooperation and excitement in this town—at least not during the months of January and February. The spirit of North Pole extends far beyond December. The Prince twins have put together a video of some of our favorite Stash Grab memories.” He stepped aside as Regina pressed play.

  On the screen and accompanied by the song “One Shining Moment,” like at the end of the NCAA basketball tournament, photos danced by in quick succession—Craig and Dinesh wrestling some high school soccer players over a Stash, Jimmy Shaw showing off his frostbitten fingers, Dolores Page jamming her tongue down Frank the hardware store owner’s throat, and more. Oliver kept an eye on the front door, but the Chestnuts never came in. When the last picture had been star-wiped away, Regina pressed stop.

  The mayor resumed his place in front of the microphone. “Now is the time we’ve all been waiting for.”

  Stan Stashiuk stood just off to the mayor’s left, holding a comically large facsimile of an airline ticket.

  “We’re here to announce the winner of the first ever North Pole Stash Grab competition. First prize, of course, gets the airline tickets provided by Bronze Air.”

  “Go for the Bronze,” muttered Stash.

  “First prize also gets two hundred dollars to spend at Prince’s, as well as a signed Stan Stashiuk hockey sweater.”

  Regina handed the mayor an envelope, and then sat back down. She leaned across the empty chair between herself and Oliver. “How’s your plan going?”

  He shook his head furiously, willing the door to open.

  Mayor Sandoval opened the envelope and said, “Third prize, winning fifty dollars to Prince’s, goes to…drumroll, please.”

  The crowd began a makeshift drumroll.

  “Third prize goes to…Dolores Page!”

  Dolores Page strutted to the front of the store, arms raised in victory.

  As he handed her the prize envelope, the mayor asked, “What will you buy with the money?”

  “I might buy something my grandchildren will enjoy when they visit me here.”

  The crowd released a collective, “Aww!”

  “Or maybe I’ll put it toward a new surfboard for when I go see my son in California.”

  “I hope you have good insurance,” the mayor said as Dolores headed back to her seat next to Frank. “The second place finisher gets a one hundred dollar gift card to Prince’s. The winner is…Dinesh Chauhan!”

  Dinesh high-fived Craig before climbing the dais and claiming his prize.

  “Where’s Tom?” Trip whispered to Oliver.

  “I don’t know,” he hissed, his heart in his throat. This wasn’t going to work. He’d miscalculated. He’d completed every single task, but he still failed the mission.

  “And the big winner is…” The mayor leaned in close to the mic, as Danny rose from his seat. “Our own Craig Cooper!”

  Danny flopped back into his seat and crossed his arms, frowning. Star patted his shoulder.

  Craig pumped his fists and ran a lap before finally making his way to the stage. The mayor handed him his envelope full of prizes, and Craig launched into his victory speech.

  “I want to thank you all for this great honor,” said Craig. “I promise to respect the title and not besmirch the crown.”

  “There’s no crown,” the mayor whispered.

  Craig kept going. “I love North Pole more than anything. This town represents all that is good and pure in the world. It is truly the greatest place on the planet. Also, if any of you beautiful ladies are free tonight, Dinesh and I are looking—”

  The mayor tried to box Craig out of the way as the door to Prince’s opened. Everyone swung around to see who had entered. There, framed in the doorway, were the silhouettes of two people—Mr. and Mrs. Chestnut.

  Oliver peered past them, searching for Elena, but she wasn’t with her parents. They had come alone. “Press play,” Oliver whispered to his sister.

  Regina leaned over and began her PowerPoint presentation. The first photos up on screen were of the original Prince and Chestnut’s, which had been opened fifty years ago by Tom and Trip’s fathers.

  The audience stared at the picture for a moment, but quickly started murmuring when there was no sound to accompany the slideshow.

  “Say something,” Regina hissed.

  Oliver, who didn’t like to get involved, and who usually tried to blend in with the walls at school, stood and took the microphone from the mayor. “Hi,” he said. “My sister and I put together this little presentation to honor the two sporting goods stores that have served this town for the past fifty years.” Oohs and awws sounded from the audience as the pictures rolled by, photos of his dad and Tom Chestnut as young boys. “I don’t know if everybody knows this, but both stores will be shuttering their doors soon. We Princes are moving back to Florida and the Chestnuts are going to Wisconsin.”

  The mumbling in the audience went from amu
sed to concerned.

  “What?” yelled Frank from the hardware store. “You can’t do that.”

  “Where will I buy my Sex Wax?” asked Dolores Page. “What?” she said, glancing around at shocked faces. “For my surfboard.”

  Oliver kept talking. “I’ve only been here for a few months, but already North Pole feels like home. I’m going to miss it.”

  “Boo!” sang a chorus from the audience.

  Trip stood behind Oliver and leaned into the microphone. “We can’t survive here. Neither store is doing well.”

  “We need a fresh start,” shouted Tom Chestnut from the back of the store.

  Oliver glanced back at the PowerPoint presentation happening behind him. It was the photo of his dad hugging Mrs. Chestnut with Mr. Chestnut smiling in the background.

  The mayor noticed it, too, and stepped up to the mic. “Tom and Trip, you guys always said you’d bring the stores back together when you were in charge.”

  “Circumstances have changed.” Tom folded his arms.

  “He stole my fiancée,” Trip said.

  “He kissed my wife,” Tom said.

  “Bah, bah, bah.” Mags from the diner stood up, though she was so tiny, her head barely cleared the rest of the crowd.

  “Come on up here, Mags,” said the mayor.

  Oliver stepped aside as Mags took the microphone. “You two were thick as thieves growing up. I remember. We all do.” She gestured to the picture behind her of Trip and Tom tossing their caps after their high school graduation. “And neither of you has been the same since you stopped being friends.” She pointed to Tom near the door. “You have thrown yourself into the store. You’re good with ideas, less good with business. You’ve been searching for a buddy this whole time, at the barbershop or playing ball in the park, but no one could hold a candle to Trip. And you,” she spun around and glared at Trip, “you’re the money man, but you’re stuck in your own ways. Plus, you’ve been searching so hard for a friend since you’ve been back, you turned to Tom’s wife, of all people. Can’t you two guys see you’re made for each other?”

  “No,” Trip and Tom shouted at the same time as Mags wandered back to the audience.