“Okay, well, good luck with that. We’re heading to the tree lot, so be careful, okay?”
“Yes, go do it the easy way,” she muttered, but I knew her mood was not directed at me.
I really wished I had a camera because it would make a pretty funny Christmas card.
I slipped into the truck and sighed happily.
“What was that all about?” Blake looked over at me, curious about what I witnessed.
“Shannan.” I pulled my seatbelt across my chest and clicked it in place.
“Oh,” he chuckled, “what is our sassy little neighbor up to today?”
“Seems she and Kim are in their annual argument on what tree to get. Kim hates going out into the woods, and Shannan hates the tree lots. So now she’s trying to give herself a hernia dragging a ‘real’ tree up across their property to prove her point that she can do it all.”
“Have I ever mentioned how much I love that couple?”
“They truly are entertaining, aren’t they?”
“Indeed.” He reached for my hand and kissed the diamond he had given me just under a year ago. I wanted a summer wedding, and he wanted to wait until his brother Henry returned home from his year-long trip to Italy. I understood where he was coming from, but I wanted to be his, like, yesterday. I pushed that thought from my head and focused on the fact that we were together, here, healthy, and the rest could wait.
The roads weren’t the best today, but it was only two days until Christmas, and we still didn’t have a tree. We were, after all, hosting Christmas Eve dinner for my aunt and uncle—and, of course, our beloved crazy neighbors Kim and Shannan—so a tree, a big tree, was definitely needed.
“Looks like there’s still some good ones left.” Blake nodded at that and pulled into the tree lot where we quickly spotted my Uncle G, who also happened to be Blake’s sergeant at the police department here in town.
“Hey.” He pulled me into one of his famous bear hugs that always made me feel like I was six again. They were my favorite, and no matter what age I was, I would always treasure those hugs.
“Sorry we’re late,” I whispered over his shoulder.
“Don’t be. Lisa is still at the market getting something for the pies.” He rolled his eyes. My Aunt Lisa loved to be late for everything. “But she promised she’d join us as soon as she was finished.” He turned his attention to my fiancé. “Blake.” G shook his hand like they always did. I didn’t know if it was because they worked so closely together or what, but the handshake seemed to serve as their version of a hug.
Rows and rows of trees stood tall and proud, each one hoping to be chosen to be in a window, beautifully decorated for all to see. A couple of young boys were constantly giving each one a shake to remove the softly falling snow from their branches so the customers could see their shape. I had to smile at their efforts. It was a losing battle, and I loved the way the snow looked on them, anyway.
“You’re writing in your head again, aren’t you?” Blake teased, and I smiled with a shrug.
“That obvious?”
“It’s your face. You get this happy, content smile.”
“Sorry. I can’t turn it off even if I wanted to.” The curse of a writer’s head. It never stopped and always made us look at things just a little differently than the average person. I imagined it was something like Blakes’s head, but I saw the beauty where he saw the flaws.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s kind of sexy.”
“Oh, yeah?” I beamed up at him.
“Don’t look at me like that.” He leaned down and quickly kissed my lips. “After this morning, I can barely keep my hands off of you.”
“What about this one?” G broke up our dirty play, and I hurried over to see what he had chosen.
“Seriously?”
“What?”
“This makes Charlie Brown’s tree look positively bushy.”
“Bushy?” He quirked an eye at my comment.
“I was hoping maybe we could pick one that would actually hold up an ornament. Not one that could possibly burst into flames the moment we put a light on it.”
“Fine.” He pronounced the word slowly. “What about that one?” He pointed to another sick- looking tree.
“That alley-cat looking tree?”
“Every year, Spence, every year we go around and around until you spot your perfect tree. And every year, I bet money that it will be one of the very first trees you saw when we came in.”
“It’s not my fault. I want the perfect tree.”
“Good luck.” G smacked Blake on the shoulder as I scowled at both of them.
I opened my mouth to make a scathing retort as my phone caught my attention. I held it up and removed myself momentarily from our annual bickering. I really enjoyed all the fun and games over the tree selection with Uncle G. Of course, I knew he was right. I usually spotted the one I wanted almost right away, but where was the fun in that? I dragged the whole experience out because it was so much fun stressing out my uncle over it, especially because I knew he truly enjoyed it, too.
“Hey, Jaci.” I giggled into the phone. “What’s up?”
“First, I wanted to know why you didn’t return my call last night.”
“Sorry, but Blake came home early, and, well, I came shortly after that.” I laughed so hard I hiccupped into the phone.
“Nice,” she drawled sarcastically. “Also, I hate your love life.”
“Mm, I know.”
“Whatever, I’ll just live vicariously through your books.”
“Atta girl.” I shot Blake a dirty smile.
“Second, I’m officially inviting myself to Christmas Eve dinner.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes. My best friend was a trip.
“I switched my shifts. Now I’m working New Year’s but have both Christmas Eve and Day off. The boyfriend was supposed to do the same, but somehow, he managed to be working the opposite shifts, and I will not be left alone like a sad, pathetic loser, so I’m coming to party with you.”
“Well, when you say it like that, sure.” My phone buzzed, and I saw it was Aunt Lisa calling. “Jaci, can you hold on for a moment?”
“Yup.”
“Hey, Lisa. Will you be joining us soon?”
“What, to watch you and G argue over a tree? Oh, I’m missing so much.” She laughed, dripping in sarcasm.