Page 80 of The Duke Who Saved Christmas
“That’s my cue.” Ryan darted away from us and disappeared down the hallway before I could tell him to get his arse back here, his nan’s orders or not.
“You little shit!” I yelled after him.
Thomas shook his head. “I told him we needed to bring the big ones in because you wouldn’t be happy about doing it.”
“I’m not happy about doing it. Would you make your other customers do this?”
“You’re not the customer, technically speaking. Julian is.”
I opened my mouth, then quickly snapped it shut again and glared at him. “You’re such a dick.”
“Come on. I’ll buy you dinner afterwards.” He nodded his head in the direction of the doors and stared walking.
I followed him, making sure to grump my whole way outside into the snow. “No. I just turned Ryan down and told him it’s not because of you. That’ll make me look like a liar.”
“I’m not asking you on a date.”
“Good, because I’d say no either way.”
“I was trying to bribe you with food. I thought that might be more successful than asking you out.” He peered over the bed of the truck at me. “Am I right?”
I sniffed. “I take offense at you thinking you can bribe me with food, but you’re wrong. I just said I’d say no to you.”
“Would you, though?”
“A thousand times in every life.”
He tugged on a tree trunk and pulled it out of the bed. “You take the light end. If you drop this end and break your foot, your sister will kill me.”
“I’ll kill you, and I’d have crutches, so I’d even have a weapon on hand.” I huffed and took the freezing cold end of the tree. “How am I supposed to carry this? For God’s sake, this isn’t in my job description.”
Thomas burst out laughing. “Rest it on your shoulder, preferably, but under your arm would work.”
I glanced back at him with another little huff that was visible thanks to how cold it was and hauled the tree on my shoulder. “Okay, I think I’ve got it.”
“You sure?”
“No, so let’s move before I drop it.”
The tree shook as he laughed, and I pouted my way into the building. It was the first of the nine-footers, so we put it at the very back of the room where two of the biggest trees would frame the arch Hazel and Julian would be married under.
We made the trip a few more times, bringing the trees in one by one, and we stopped just long enough at the door for Thomas to pull away the door wedge so it would swing shut.
And thank God for that.
I was absolutely freezing.
“I think we’ve brought half the snow in with us.” Thomas eyed the slushy, wet mess that had been traipsed through the hall numerous times with all our trips back and forth. “Do you have a mop or anything?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ll have to bring one in tomorrow and sort it out.”
He glanced towards the window. “That’s bold. Have you seen that weather?”
“Of course, I’ve seen it. I might be a bit spoilt by the warmer temperatures down south, but I took my driving test in the snow. I can still drive in it. It’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? I was going to suggest we come back and set the trees up in a couple of days.”
“Don’t they need to be put in water immediately?”
