Page 21 of A Little Merry

We offered to bring Ethan and Lucas some food, but they both refused, saying they were fine for now, having downed most of the muffins, so we took off.

After officially meeting Lexi Cardinal, a friendly woman in her late twenties and owner of Sweetie Pies, she loaded us up on not only a few savory pockets, but she also threw in two slices of incredible-looking pie, one apple and one cherry for free, to officially welcome me to Cricket.

“Thank you so much,” I told her, and we headed for my apartment. “I can’t believe how nice she is.”

“Lexi’s a sweetheart, and her pies are incredible. She ships them all over the country.”

“Wow. What a great business. And the shop is so cute. Pink’s my favorite color, next to red, of course.”

“Of course,” he said, grinning. This time, it was a genuinely warm grin. I was finally starting to have an effect on him… or was it simply his anticipation of pie?

Once I opened my apartment door, and we walked inside, awkwardness overtook me. Considering I hardly knew him, andwhat I did know, saddened me. Like Lucas and Ethan, although Ethan seemed much happier now, and Lucas was slowly coming around, I knew Connor still wanted nothing to do with Christmas. I was surprised he agreed to accompany me back home, considering our first encounter at his coffeeshop hadn’t gone very well.

“You don’t have a tree up yet?” he said as soon as we walked inside my living room and placed our goody bag down on the kitchen counter. My apartment was more or less two big rooms. The kitchen, dining room, and living room were one area, and the bedroom and bathroom another, with a tiny half-bath off the living room for guests.

“I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had time.” Which was true. Getting to know people took up a lot of free time, especially when building something was involved.

“Miss Merry Christmas doesn’t have time to put up her own tree? I don’t think that’s acceptable behavior. C’mon. We’re going to get you a tree before we sit down for this meal or watch any shows.”

“But you said you wanted to get away from all the Christmas noise outside. How will going back out for a tree help?”

He walked up to me and slipped his hand in mine like we’d been friends for a long time. Then he said, “I know the perfect place to pick up a tree where music is impossible to arrange.”

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, we pulled up to Sammy’s Christmas Tree Farm only a few miles out of town. Rows and rows of trees at various heights lined the hills around us on both sides of the road. There were a few families mulling around, out near some of the taller trees, and absolutely no music to offend Connor’s ears.

Just pure silence, with the occasional child’s laughter wafting through the air. I instantly fell in love with the place, even thesmall barn where everyone paid for their trees, and the workers loaded them up into whatever the buyers were driving. We drove over in a monster black pickup truck that I almost couldn’t get into without help from Connor, who got more and more charming as time went on.

“Wow, this place is amazing,” I told him, once we were walking down the long paths of trees.

“Pick out whatever you want, grab the tag, and when we bring it back up to the barn and pay, somebody will drive out and chop the tree down for you, or we can chop it down ourselves. Whatever you want. These folks are the best.”

“How do you know about this place?” I asked as we walked. “I mean, for a man who hates Christmas, I wouldn’t think you would care to know anything about it.”

“I didn’t always hate this holiday. There was a time when I really liked it. Now, it reminds me of a bad experience I don’t like thinking about.”

I thought I’d play dumb and see if he’d tell me his version. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I’m surprised one of the guys didn’t already tell you.”

“You three seem to have each other’s backs, so spilling something hurtful about one of you, probably isn’t in the cards.”

He nodded, as we kept walking. The sky had turned a deep gray, and the temperature had dropped. I hoped the Art Fair was still doing well. I slipped my knit hat out of my pocket and pulled it on my head. Connor dragged up his hoodie on his jacket.

“I was victim to a runaway bride situation, which in the long run was a good thing. I certainly didn’t want to be married to her if she had any doubts, but I just wish she’d have done the breakup a little differently, instead of in front of the entire town, and on Christmas. Hell, she even started down the aisle. What the hell was that all about? Plus, she really liked Christmas, like you do. Maybe not as much, but enough so she insisted that ourwedding take place on Christmas… and she ran anyway. That was three years ago. You’d think I’d be over it by now, but every time this damn holiday comes around, it rips off the bandage and leaves me raw.”

“I get it. That must’ve been hard to take. I’m so sorry that happened to you,” I told him, meaning every word. I could see the pain that still registered on his face. “But we’re here now… and you’re with me, and not… what was her name?”

“Rachel… Rachel Jones.”

“You’re here with me now, and I’m not going anywhere except home with you and our tree. We should get one for Laughing Goat as well. Or is that too much?”

He stared at me for a moment, smiled, and said, “You drive a hard bargain, Merry Christmas.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Let’s not make it a big deal,” he said, and I reached out and took his hand in mine. He wrapped his big hand around mine, and it felt right… loving.

“Not a big deal at all,” I told him, knowing damn well it was a huge deal.

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