Page 18 of If You Give a Grump a Christmas Tree Farm
“Like what? I don’t want to change the name.”
“I’m not suggesting we change the name. Just a new logo. I haven’t figured it out yet. I was thinking of doing some research. There are some design programs on my computer, but I need Wi-Fi. I thought I might find a place in town to work. Maybe the coffee shop.”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“I’ve tried to come up with some money-making ideas, like the wreath-making classes and the gift shop. I was thinking we could talk to merchants in town and see if we could make a trade.”
“For what?”
“I was thinking we could trade them a Christmas tree and, in exchange, we could ask them to put up one of our sandwich boards advertising this place.”
“We have sandwich board signs?”
“Well, not yet, but I planned to get some. I want it to convey that getting a tree is more than about the tree; it's about making family memories and traditions.”
“I’m beginning to see how important this is to you.” He strokes his chin. “I can make a sign, and I have an idea for something for that Instagram spot.”
“Like what?”
“Let me see if I can make it happen before I tell you.” He pulls out his phone and shoots off a text, then turns to me. “You ready to go to town?”
“Let me grab my jacket and laptop. I’ll just be a minute.” I stand, and his eyes sweep over me. I’m dressed in jeans and a cute fall sweater. Nothing fancy, but I notice his gaze stop on my chest before quickly turning away.
When I walk outside a few minutes later, the black dog is in the drive again, wagging its tail, and JJ is scratching its ears. “Is that the farmer’s dog from across the road?”
“I guess so. Go on now,” he says, shooing it away. He’s pulled the company truck out of the barn. “I thought we’d take this. It needs to be driven.”
“Great.” I climb into the passenger seat, and JJ slides behind the wheel. I lean to check the dash. “There’s gas, right?”
“About a quarter of a tank. I’ll gas up while we’re in town.”
We bounce along the rutted gravel drive, and JJ turns onto the paved road.
“Maybe we should do something about that driveway,” I suggest.
“We don’t have the funds for that. We’d have to have it graded. As long as that drive is, it’d cost a fortune.”
“That’s too bad.”
“It’ll do for this season.”
“What shape is the parking area in?”
“I haven’t checked. I’ll do that later.”
When we hit town, I point at the local coffee shop, The Cozy Cup. “Before we grocery shop, let’s stop there. Maybe they have free internet.”
“Sure.” He pulls into one of the diagonal spots. It’s still early enough in the day that it's not crowded.
JJ holds the door for me, and we walk inside. Like the name suggests, it’s a cozy place with great coffee shop vibes, and I’m instantly in love with it.
We find a small wooden table in the corner.
“Have you ever been here before?” I ask.
“Nope. Looks like we have to order at the counter. You know what you want? I’ll go order.”
“I’ll have a—”
