Page 118 of A Very Merry Mistake

I shake my head. “Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t get your name, but also I’m not sure what you’re referencin’.”

“It’s fine,” she says, not explaining herself. “You can call me Mary Jo.”

“Okay, Mary Jo.” I shoot her a wink.

Before leaving, she asks a random person if they’ll take a picture of the two of us together and hands them her cell phone. She’s a foot and a half shorter than me, and I tower over her, but I pose for the camera.

“Thank you, dear. My granddaughters are gonna think I’m the coolest grandma now.”

I laugh, even though I’m utterly confused. I’ve learned when people act delusional, sometimes it’s better not to ask questions. It’s also way too early in the morning for all of that.

“So would you like to handpick a tree, or do ya want a pre-cut?”

“Let’s cut one.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be right back to pick ya up.” I slide the keys off a hook in the payment booth, then hop on the cart and pull it around for her. She climbs on, and then I drive her around the farm.

“How tall would you like it to be?”

“Lumberjack height.” She winks.

All I can do is chuckle as she chooses a random one and pulls out her phone to record me standing next to it to prove it’s the same height as me. Then I grab my saw from the back and start whittling away at it.

I can hear her talking as she holds it up. “Look. JJ is cuttin’ my tree down for me. Now he’s loadin’ it up. And we’re headin’ back to go pay.” She blows kisses at the camera as I wave, then I drop her off.

When I return, Hudson is standing by the payment shack, and down the sidewalk, there is a line of women that goes as far as the eye can see. As soon as I come into view, they scream.

“What is goin’ on?” I ask him.

He holds out his hand. “They’re all waitin’ for you to chop their trees.”

“What?” I say, alarm written all over my face. “Why? You know I can’t possibly do that. That’s too many people. I’d need to clone myself.”

A smirk touches his lips. “Oh, you’re gonna love this.” Hudson turns his phone around, and there’s a picture of Claire with her sister, who looks exactly like her. Under that picture, there’s a long post she wrote to her fifteen million social media followers. I quickly scan over it.

See this woman right here? This is my older sister Claire, but her friends call her CeCe. There are a lot of rumors being said about this brave woman in the media right now. Many of you have messaged me awful things that I wouldn’t say to any of my enemies. However, she deserves praise, because she chose love. You see, she’s gone through life dating pieces of shit and getting used by people, including my father. And then she met a lumberjack of a man who picked her up when she was stranded in the middle of nowhere in Texas. This man offered her a ride, a place to stay, and his heart.

Talk about a lumbersnack! And yes, I’ve seen pictures. He looks like a Hemsworth, and I’m told his brothers do, too.

Anyway, the details regarding Manchester Holdings and Jolly Christmas Tree Farm aren’t important. There is no deal. My faithful followers know I don’t involve myself in family business for a reason, but leave my sister alone.

While she can be a Grinch in public, she’s kind. And if you’re in Texas, you all should go buy a tree from Jolly Christmas Tree Farm this season and put them on the map. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll meet the infamous JJ. But back off, ladies. His heart is taken.

XO Emma

P.S. I might have to visit and have a sit on Santa’s lap. Also, I heard his brothers are single.

I swallow hard, feeling a lump in my throat as I look into Hudson’s eyes. “Can I disappear, please?”

He grins widely. “You were searching for a Christmas miracle to save the farm. Well, I think this is it.”

I pull him to the side of the shack because there are over fifty pairs of eyes staring. Then I hand him the receipt I stuffed in my pocket this morning.

He takes it. “What’s this?”

“I was going to tell you over lunch.”

He carefully reads every word and then looks at me with wide eyes. “Paid in full? How? What did you do?” He searches my face, a smile not touching his lips.

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