“That’s right, City Girl.” I swing the axe over my shoulder.
“Lead us to the best ones,” I tell Levi, and he takes off.
I hold Oakley’s gloved hand and glance at her with a grin. She waggles her brows, and Levi shakes his head.
“I knew I’d be third-wheeling it.”
Soon we’re in an area full of beautiful evergreens. “You can pick,” I tell Oakley. “Any size you want.”
“This is incredible. I almost feel bad chopping one down. But then I feel bad for the ones that don’t get picked.”
She walks by different ones, holding her hand out to brush it across the needles. Oakley’s like a kid in a candy store and keeps up her pace as Levi and I trail her.
“I forgot to tell you what happened with Aspen,” he says, lowering his voice.
“Oh yeah.” I totally forgot that he and Jessa hauled her ass away the day Oakley came back to me.
“She kept talking shit to Jessa. So you know what your cousin did?”
I shake my head. “I can only imagine.”
“There was duct tape on the back seat of the truck, and she literally took a strip and slapped it over Aspen’s mouth. Then she told her if she dared to rip it off, she would make me pull over and leave her on the side of the road in the snow or she’d stuff her dirty sock in her mouth.”
“Fuck,” I whisper-hiss. “Jessa never told me any of this.”
“She made me swear I’d keep it to myself.” He chuckles. “Whoops.But also pretend you don’t know because she’s scary.”
I laugh. “Apparently.”
“Anyway, Jessa forced me to drop Aspen off at her parents’ house in her bra and panties, and her mother lost her shit. Jessa politely explained Aspen broke into your house and refused to leave.”
My eyes go wide, knowing how strict her parents are, even at her age. “Yikes.”
“Don’t think you’ll be hearing from hereveragain. Not after that. I felt sorry for her, and that’s saying a fuck ton.”
I don’t even know what to say. Aspen’s parents were always very religious, and their daughter lied a lot to appease them. Can’t imagine that went over well at all.
“This is the one,” Oakley announces, looking up at a tree that towers over Levi.
My mouth falls open as I realize how tall it is.
“What?” Oakley places a hand on her hip.
“Nothing, babe. If this is the one…”
“It is. Size matters,” she purrs. “Even when it comes to Christmas trees.”
“Please don’t talk about my best friend’s dick with me right here.”
Oakley snorts at Levi, and I walk over with the axe and get to work. Teenagers on four-wheelers drive around to tag the cut trees. They also pick them up and take them up front.
“Timber,” I say as it falls over with a thud. Oakley interlocks her fingers with mine as one of the teenagers who works on the farm loads it.
“Bennett, right?” he asks me, putting it on a candy-cane-striped tag and plopping it on the back rack of his ride.
I nod. “That’s right.”
“That one’s on me,” Levi tells him, and the kid nods before driving away.