Page 21 of Another Christmas from Hell

“Because we decided in the fourth grade that if I suddenly went missing that you probably had something to do with it?” Cayley said as she found herself thinking about yesterday, the way that he’d taken care of her, glared at Sean anytime his brother tried to torment her, and then…

Nothing.

Not one single word as he drove her home last night. He simply threw her over his shoulder so that she didn’t have to walk outside in her socks and carried her to her door, where he glared at her until she opened her door and walked inside.

Shrugging it off, Bryce said, “Fair enough,” as he headed towards the apartment building, only to frown as he watched her walk past the walkway and kept going. “Where are you going?”

“To get a Christmas tree,” Cayley said, zipping up her coat before she pulled her gloves on and told herself that this was a good idea.

There was a heavy sigh, and then Bryce said, “Get in,” making her frown.

“Get in where?” Cayley couldn’t help but wonder as she watched Bryce make his way back down the walkway towards his truck.

“It’s too cold to walk tonight. Get in and I’ll drive you,” Bryce said, gesturing towards his truck. When she hesitated, he asked, “How are you planning on getting the tree back here?”

“With good intentions?” Cayley said, deciding that she probably shouldn’t mention that she’d planned on dragging it back here when she saw his expression. When he continued standing there, glaring at her, she decided that she should probably rethink that plan.

“Look, I’ll give you a ride into town and we’ll talk about what we’re going to do about the Dawson Project,” Bryce suggested, really making it difficult to say no. Granted, she wanted to say no because she honestly wasn’t sure that this was a good idea, but she really didn’t have a choice.

This was her job and she needed to do it.

Clearing her throat, Cayley murmured, “A ride would be lovely, thank you,” as she turned around and made her way to his truck. He opened her door for her and waited for her to climb in before he closed it. Cayley watched as he made his way around the truck while she sat there trying to figure out how she was going to work with a man that hated her.

When he climbed into the truck with a heavy sigh and didn’t bother glancing at her, Cayley realized that she wouldn’t be able to do it. At least not the way that Rory and Connor were expecting, but thankfully, technology had come a long way over the years and they could probably get most of this done through email.

A few minutes later, they were pulling into a parking lot behind the old church as Cayley took in all the beautiful Christmas trees that were going to be difficult to choose from, the venders selling wreaths, tree stands, hot cocoa, popcorn, and cookie buckets. With a heartfelt sigh, she climbed out of the truck as she tried to figure out where to begin.

“So many choices…” Cayley murmured as she glanced from the evergreen Christmas trees to the-

“How about this one?” Bryce said, drawing her attention to find him pointing at something behind her.

“I think that’s just a pile of trimmed branches,” Cayley said, frowning at the large pile that had been thrown in the corner of the large parking lot.

“Fine,” Bryce said, gesturing absently to the saddest Christmas tree that she’d ever seen, “how about that one?”

“That’s not how this is done,” Cayley said, wondering why he was being so difficult about this.

“I didn’t know that there were rules to buying a Christmas tree,” Bryce said, rubbing the back of his neck as he took in everything around them.

“There are and they’re important,” Cayley assured him with a firm nod as she grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him towards the hot cocoa stand, deciding that was the best place to start.

“And manhandling me is part of the experience?” he asked, sounding amused.

“It enhances the experience,” she promised him with a satisfied sigh as they stepped in line.

“It definitely put me in the Christmas spirit,” Bryce drawled, making her lips twitch as she ordered two hot cocoas and a bucket of sugar cookies as she promised herself that she’d start that diet tomorrow. Before she could pull her money out of her pocket, Bryce was paying the friendly-looking elf manning the concession stand.

“Thank you,” Cayley murmured, suddenly feeling awkward. She’d known Bryce her whole life, but at that moment, she had no idea what she was supposed to say to him. She wasn’t used to this Bryce, the kind, considerate one that teased her, and made her want to smile. She was used to the Bryce that glared at her even while he barely acknowledged her existence.

“You’re welcome,” Bryce murmured as he stood there, looking just as lost as she was.

She’d talked to him more in the past week than she had in the past twenty-five years combined. She’d never had a problem talking to any of his brothers, never felt this awkward around them. It didn’t help that she’d found herself thinking about him and how much she liked it when he-

“Oh…God…no…” Cayley found herself mumbling weakly as she watched the woman that made her life a living hell last year make her way to the tinsel table.

“What’s wrong?” Bryce asked, following her gaze only to frown in confusion as Cayley stood there, swallowing hard as she tried not to panic, but God, was it difficult knowing exactly what that woman was capable of.

She just…

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