Page 23 of Lakehouse Mistletoe
She opened the door to see Oliver standing there with a large fir tree in his hands. She looked over his shoulder and spotted another tree on the ground.
He grinned. “Kacey asked if I could deliver these to you. Something came up, and Carolina couldn’t make it. She said she and Rebecca planned to come over tonight to help you decorate them.”
She clasped her hands together. “Perfect. I think I saw two tree stands in the shed. I’ll go grab them. Go on in and help yourself to some cookies.” She quickly slipped her coat on and headed toward the shed.
When she walked back in the kitchen, Oliver was sitting at the kitchen table with his eyes closed, slowly chewing.
She shut the door, and he opened his eyes. “Helen, these cookies are wonderful.”
Helen grinned. “Thanks for the compliment. I’m hoping to make a different batch of cookies every day in December. The snickerdoodle recipe was my first one to make. I’m hoping the guests will like them as much as you do.”
Oliver nodded his head and stood. “They will love them. Trust me.”
Helen laughed. “Glad to hear that. I found the tree stands.” She held them up in her hands.
Oliver reached for them. “Kacey said one tree goes outside on the porch and one will go in the living room. She said you would let me know where you want them placed.”
Helen nodded. “I want the one in the living room in front of the large window. I’ll move the chairs around to make room. And I’ll show you where the one on the porch goes.”
He nodded. “Great. I’ll grab a tree and meet you around front.”
Helen headed to the front door and stepped out on the front porch. Oliver walked up the steps with the fir tree already in the tree stand.
“Where do you want it?” Oliver steadied the tree with one hand and propped his other hand on his hip.
Helen studied the layout of the porch. “Since everyone will see the tree from the living room window, let’s put this tree at the other end of the porch.” She walked down and rearranged some furniture to make room. After tugging some furniture out of the way and rearranging it, she stepped back and pointed. “Set the tree right here.”
He moved the tree to the end and set it up. “Looks like we’re in luck. There is an outlet on the outside wall so you can plug your Christmas lights in there. In fact, if you know where the lights are, I can get them out and help you string up the tree.”
Helen hesitated but then nodded. ‘That would be great. They are in the shed in the green box.” She’d already found the tree lights after her and Carolina had decorated the porch. Thankfully, Rebecca and Kacey had marked each box. They had even separated the tree lights from the front porch lights to be used for the garland.
Helen was impressed with how organized the two young women were.
Oliver appeared with two boxes. “I went ahead and got the lights for the living room tree as well.” He set the boxes down and pried the lid off. “This looks like multicolored lights.”
Helen smiled. ‘Yes, that reminds me of my childhood before everyone started using white lights.”
Oliver removed the other lid. “These are white lights.”
She nodded. “And clearly marked for the inside tree. Kacey and Rebecca want those used for the living room tree.”
Oliver shrugged. “Yes, but you are the caretaker. I’m pretty sure they trust your opinion. Besides, what could be better than multicolored lights on the living room tree? You can put the white lights on this tree outside. It will match the white lights on the garland.”
Helen bit her lip. “I agree. I personally think the multicolored lights would look better inside. Like an old-fashioned Christmas.”
Oliver pulled out a string of white lights and held them up in the air. “White it is.”
They worked together as a unit, stringing the lights together and draping them along the tree branches. By the time they were finished, they were chilled to the bone.
“How does it look?” Oliver asked, crouched down at the outlet. He had plugged in the lights and was waiting on her opinion. “We didn’t get many ornaments on it.”
She stepped back in the snow and squinted her eyes. “I think I want the outside tree to be sparsely decorated. I think it’s going to look great at night. I can get a better look tonight when it’s dark.”
Oliver stood and picked up the other box. “Great. I’ll take these inside for you. I’ve got to head over to the restaurant. But I can help you decorate the living room tree when I get off.”
Helen shook her head. “You’ve done enough, Oliver. Besides, I have a step ladder in the laundry room I can use to reach the top of the tree.”
He frowned. “Are you sure? It doesn’t sound very safe.”
