Page 102 of Can't Get Over You
“I do?” When Jude nodded, Cody wriggled free and took off into the woods.
“Stay close, buddy,” Jude called as they trudged along.
“That night when your friends called you, did you know what they’d done?” Finlay asked.
“No, I didn’t ask. All I knew was they needed a ride, and the police were after them.” He watched Cody dart from one row to another and then back, never quite running out of sight.
“Would you make a different choice today?” she asked.
“Probably.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But back then, I felt I owed it to them.”
“I get it. They were your friends when no one else would be.” She reached for his hand. “Well, that’s two down.”
“Two what?”
“Of the ten people who remember what you did as a child.”
Only Finlay could pull him out of his dark headspace. “Yeah? So I only have to go through this shit eight more times?”
“Exactly. But it’ll be worth it.” She tipped her chin to the little boy who was gazing up at a tree as if it were Santa himself.
“Is that the one?” Jude called, but the boy shook his head and moved on. “What’s he looking for?”
“I don’t know,” Finlay said. “But you have to admire his determination.”
“Yeah, he’s a good kid.” He watched the boy gazing up at the treetops. “Doesn’t seem like the old man ruined his day.”
“I think that’s because of the way you handled it. It was a scary encounter, but you didn’t get aggressive or physical, so it showed him he was safe. Thatyou’resafe. You kept your cool, and you stated your truth.”
“This one,” Cody called, standing before a giant Nordic fir.
Somehow, they’d wound up in a whole other field. “You good with that?” he asked Finlay.
“I love it. But will it fit in my living room?”
“We’ll make it fit.” He dropped to his knees in the crunchy snow. “You ready to help me cut it down?” he asked Cody.
Finlay parted the branches at the base, and the two of them crawled under the tree. Jude did the initial sawing while Cody watched intently. When the cut was deep enough, he gave Cody a turn. Covering the little boy’s hands with his own, they sawed the rest of the way.
“Good job.” They scrambled out and stood. “Now, we push it over. On the count of three, we’re all going to say,Timber. You ready?”
Cody nodded enthusiastically as all three of them reached for the trunk.
“One, two, three…” he said, and they all gave it a shove. “Timber.”
With a crack, the tree crashed to the ground, landing with a bounce.
“Is it mine?” Cody asked. “Is thismyChristmas tree?”
“It sure is,” Finlay said.
With his gloved hands, Jude lifted it by the freshly cut base and dragged it back to the road. “Let’s take it home.”
As they waited for the tractor, Finlay reached into the white wax bag and pulled out a doughnut for each of them. “We need sustenance after all that work.”
Together, they waited, breathing in the cold air and chewing on their apple cider snacks.
“What are we gonna put on the tree?” Cody asked.
