A Spy Racers Christmas

Chapter 4

"Okay, so you said cinnamon pancakes, right?" Tony asked.

"Right," Layla confirmed. They'd been walking for about 15 minutes and had now stumbled upon Bryant Park's Winter Village, which was a collection of small shops and food vendors, along with a christmas tree and ice skating rink that were slightly smaller than what the Rockefeller Center boasted. The set-up was festive and cozy, and they were lucky to have found it since not many other stores or restaurants were still open this late on Christmas Eve.

"Check it out," Tony said, pointing to one of the food stands. The sign said they served crepes, and one of the flavors was cinnamon sugar. "It's not pancakes, but what do you say we try one?"

"Sure," Layla shrugged. "I've never had a crepe before."

"Seriously? You've been missing out."

They reached the stand and the woman running it greeted them with a cheery smile.

"Hiya! What can I get for you kids?"

"Uh, how much for a cinnamon sugar crepe?" Tony asked.
"Seven dollars."

"Just get one," Layla said to Tony. "We can share."

Tony ordered and paid for the crepe, and two minutes later the lady handed them the freshly made treat. It was still warm from the pan and smelled delicious. They said thank you and wished the vendor a merry Christmas, and then continued walking through Winter Village as they tried the crepe.

Layla tore off a piece and as soon as she put it in her mouth, her eyes lit up.

"Okay, you were right- I have been missing out," she confirmed, passing the crepe back to Tony so he could try it too.

"Almost as good as the cinnamon pancakes?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Almost," Layla smiled and bumped his shoulder. "Thanks, Toretto."

"No problem," he said, returning the smile. "So, I was thinking..."

"Yeah?"

"You know the money Miss Nowhere always gives us for food on missions?"

"What about it?"

"Well," Tony began, pulling out a wad of bills from his pocket. "I've been saving my leftover cash for the past few months, and I thought it'd be cool to get the whole team something for Christmas."

"Always thinking about your family," Layla said teasingly, but she looked at him with admiration. "Okay, let's do it. What'd you have in mind?"

"I don't know exactly. Maybe we can just look around for a bit? There's a ton of shops here, I bet we can find something."

"Or, we could make it interesting," Layla suggested. "We split up and both look for a gift. After 10 minutes, we'll meet back here and decide who found the best one."

"I like the way you think," Tony replied with a sly smile. "But don't expect to get a second win tonight. This one's all mine."

"Whatever you say, Toretto."

And with that, the two teens went their separate ways, making rounds of all the different kiosks in the Winter Village. There was just about every kind of gift you could think of- clothing, jewelry, artwork and art supplies, dishes, books, keychains, and other trinkets. You name it, the Winter Village had it. In addition to the shops, there were also more food vendors, including tacos, funnel cakes, ice cream, kebabs, mini burgers, baked goods, and a hot cocoa bar.

One shop in particular caught Layla's eye. The walls of the tiny space were covered with all kinds of signs- road signs, neon signs, vintage bar signs, etc. There were even some license plates here and there. In the back corner, there was a collection of old racing posters that would be perfect to put up in the garage back in LA.

"Could I see that poster?" She asked the vendor, pointing to one. The man nodded and took it off the wall. It was a vintage poster from the 1948 Monaco Grand Prix, selling for $50. Layla had heard the crew talk about wanting to go to a grand prix many times, and Monaco was probably the most famous one. If only the poster was signed by a driver- that would've made it ten times cooler. Then again, it would probably also be ten times more expensive.

"You a big racing fan?" The vendor asked, checking out the poster as he brought it over to her.

"You could say that," Layla replied with a smile. She placed a stack of cash on the counter. "I'll take it."

After wishing the vendor a Merry Christmas, Layla found Tony at a vintage clothing shop. He was looking at a couple of old varsity jackets.

"Hey, Toretto," she said, coming up behind him.

He looked away from the jackets and smiled when he saw her. Then his gaze fell to the poster and his eyes widened.

"No way! Is that from the Monaco Grand prix?"

"Yup," Layla said proudly, handing it to him so he could get a closer look. "1948."

"Awesome," Tony marveled at the old poster, shaking his head. "And I thought my gift was cool."

"What did you get?"

"I was gonna get these old letterman jackets," He held one up so Layla could see. The back was embroidered to say LA Racers. "The seller said he got them from a friend in LA who was the athletic director at an old high school that closed a few years back. Their mascot was the Racers- pretty fitting for us, huh?"

Layla let out a laugh in disbelief. Only Tony would be able to find something this perfect for the team in a tiny little shop in New York.

"All we need is a line below it that says family," she joked. "For real, though, these are cool. I didn't use all my money for the poster- why don't we just get both gifts?"

"Woah, you're willing to forfeit winning our little competition?"

"Like you and I would've been able to agree on a winner anyway."

"True. Guess we'll just have to see which one the team likes better."

"Don't get your hopes up, Toretto."

"Oh, I don't need to hope," Tony smirked. "I'm confident I'll get a win tonight."

"Just shut up and pay for the jackets already," Layla replied, poking his chest. "We gotta get back- I have 3 missed calls from Nowhere."