The next morning, Lisa struggled with conflicting thoughts about Kevin. His short temper had been unexpected. He was passionate about his work, but the way he’d come at her about the repairs had been unsettling. Still, she understood where he was coming from. She was passionate about her work and her reputation, too.
Then there’d been the apology, and dancing. The dancing had been totally unexpected. And nice.
Just thinking about it made her insides twirl.
She stood at the door with her coat on her arm and a mug of coffee in her hand, waiting on him. She checked her watch. He should be here any time now. She put her coffee down, put on her coat, and patted her coat pocket where the letter from Santa still lay tucked safely inside.
It was hard to believe that letter had been lost all those years, and then turned up just like that. What were the odds of it being a letter from someone who was working on the store at the time it was found? That seemed like a lot more than a coincidence to her.
She wondered if Kevin would remember writing that letter. She remembered the last letter she mailed to Santa at Daisy’s, word for word.
She needed to tell him about the letter, but after last night, she was a little nervous to do so. It was personal. She wasn’t so sure she’d appreciate someone reading something from her past.
He pulled up in front of the inn.
I’ll tell him today.
She raced out the door with her coffee.
“Good morning,” he said with a smile as she opened the door and got in.
“Good morning.” She buckled her seat belt, and as Kevin backed out of the driveway, she wondered how she might slip that old Santa letter into conversation at some point. It would be a little weird to just blurt it out right now.
Evergreen had been blanketed with fresh snow again overnight, making everything seem fresh and clean. They rode through town and then to the state road that led to the outskirts of town where the roads got hillier and more winding. The limbs drooped over, heavy with snow.
“We made good progress last night,” he said.
“We did. This morning will make all the difference.”
“The merchandise?”
“And the tree,” she said.
“Do you know what kind of tree you like best?”
“Douglas firs,” Lisa said without hesitation. “They’re softer.”
“But they’re sorta big and round. They’re like a potato-shaped tree.”
Clearly not his favorite. Lisa laughed and Kevin joined her. “Okay, so they need more trimming, yes. Granted. But they’re softer. Children can touch a Douglas fir—they’re a good indoor tree.” Would she ever be able to decorate a Douglas fir again without thinking of it looking like a Mr. Potato Head?
“Hmm.”
She eyed him with smug delight. “Well then. What’s your favorite?”
Kevin turned and leveled a stare as if he knew he’d get an argument from her. “Fraser fir.”
“Really?”
“They smell great, and have great needle retention.”
“Mr. Practical.” She puckered her lips. “True. But it won’t be up that long, so needle retention won’t be that big of a deal.”
“Plus, they are sturdy enough to hold ornaments. And I like the bluish-green color.” He raised his shoulders. “It was always my mom’s favorite tree.”
Her heart wrenched as she looked over at him. That was so sweet. She couldn’t imagine losing her mother at such a young age. That had to have been so hard. “Maybe we could have one of each.”
Then, at the risk of starting another argument, she added, “I still say we need a tree indoor and outdoor.”
“And I still say that’s too many trees.” He kept his eyes on the road. “Look, if we get overly ambitious, we run out of time, and one of them just ends up looking sloppy.”
“Sloppy. Mmm.” But he didn’t know how good she was at this. She decorated trees in half the time of anyone else and could still make it look like a million bucks. Pick your battles. “Good point.”
Kevin took a right onto a snowy dirt road. The tires crunched as they followed the ruts along the snow-covered lane that led back to a big, shiny red barn. Kevin glanced up the hill on the right.
Lisa followed his line of sight and her gaze landed on an old farmhouse. He’d probably grown up there.
He veered to the left toward the equipment sheds, an old wooden and concrete dairy barn and a bright red, brand new one. “Nice barn.”
“Dad had it built just a little over a year ago. The town used it for the Christmas Eve festival last year when town hall got flooded at the last minute.”
She shuddered inwardly. “I bet that was a near catastrophe.”
“I wasn’t here, but I heard all about it.”
Kevin whipped the old ’56 Ford around in front of dozens and dozens of Christmas trees lined up against a two-by-four stockade, like frozen soldiers ready for duty.
The barn had sliding doors—the kind with white x’s on them. Above them hung a painted sign that read “Henry’s Christmas Tree Lot” in fun lettering, surrounded by snowflakes and presents.
Lisa pointed at the picturesque metal windmill that stood in the field just beyond the Christmas trees. “I love that.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s been here for longer than I’ve been alive.”
“They are so cool. I just love the way they look.”
“Back in the day they were common as a good pair of jeans. It still works. It fills the stock tank with water, but when dad was a kid that was their water source.”
“Wow. I love that. You know, feeling connected to the past like that.”
“I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it like that.” He nodded toward an old building that had seen better days. “Nothing goes to waste on a farm. That was the original barn. Now Dad uses it as the sales stand for the wreaths and trees, and a place to trim and wrap the trees for transport.”
Kevin pulled the truck up next to the smaller building. Across the way, a man got off an old blue Ford tractor that produced a loud throaty clatter even at idle. He pulled off his work gloves as he made his way toward them.
They got out of the truck. The smell of diesel hung in the air.
“Hey, Dad,” Kevin said. “This is Lisa.”
“Lisa!” Henry smiled and threw his arms wide. “A town this small, you can’t keep anything very quiet. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Miller.”
“Call me Henry.”
“Okay. Henry.” She pushed her hands into the pockets of her puffy coat. “Well, Henry, you have a gorgeous new barn.”
“Why thank you.” He turned and walked toward the tree building. “My wife Ruth and I use to run the whole farm singlehandedly from this table right here in this old barn.”
“Yeah?” That must have been neat. That explained why the old building was still being used, too.
Kevin hung back. As they got to the sales counter, Lisa noticed something sitting on the table between an old-style metal cash box and a basket of fruit. “Oh, look at this old Underwood typewriter.”
Henry let out a hearty laugh. “Kevin used to pound away on this thing when he was just a kid. Despite it not working properly.”
Kevin walked over and tapped on the keys. “These old typewriters make such great noise.” He pushed the platen to the end, making the bell ding.
“Yeah.” Maybe this would be a good segue to mention the letter to Santa. But Kevin seemed quiet—almost shy or nervous around his dad. The timing seemed wrong. She’d have to wait. “Okay, Henry, we need a Fraser fir.”
Kevin turned to her with satisfaction on his face. She returned the smile.
“You’re in luck.” Henry pulled on his gloves. “I ordered too many of those. Come right this way.”
They walked down the lot toward the long rows of trees.
“So, you’re busy putting Daisy’s shop back together?”
“Your son here is doing all the work. I just stand around looking bossy. You should stop by sometime.”
“Ah, yeah.” Henry glanced at Kevin, then waved a hand toward the farm. “I’m pretty busy here, and umm…”
Kevin looked over at his dad, who paused, a quiet moment hanging between them. Strands of lights with those old Edison bulbs were strung from one end of the lot to the other. They cast an interesting glow in the grey morning.
Henry dipped his head and turned and walked away. “The trees are right over here.” His smile was tight.
Awkwardly, Kevin cleared his throat, then shrugged his shoulders in mock resignation. She wondered if things had always been so tense between the two of them.
“You coming?” Henry called out from behind the building.
“Yes.” Lisa and Kevin hurried to catch up.
Lisa eyed the Douglas firs as they passed by them, but when Henry pointed out the Fraser he had in mind for Daisy’s, she knew it was perfect. It was tall and wide and the fragrance hit her when she got close. “I love it.”
“Are you sure?” Kevin didn’t seem to agree.
“Yes. It’ll fit perfectly outside the store.”
A couple of young guys untied the tree from the boards and carried it over to the truck. Henry lifted the big tree over the back of the tailgate. With Kevin on the passenger rail and her on the driver’s, she watched Kevin lay the tree down.
“It’s perfect,” she said. “Thank you.”
“I don’t know about perfect,” Kevin said. “It has a bare spot on one side.”
“Some of them do.” Henry’s words were clipped. “That’s just how trees are. You just put the bald spot in the corner.”
Kevin put a red strap across the tree and handed the other end to Lisa, who ran the end of the strap through the side rail and passed the strap back over to Kevin.
“There is no corner,” Kevin said. “We’re putting it in front of—”
“We can just put it up against a wall,” she offered.
Henry shook his head, a little stern.
“Son, you have the best eye of anyone I know. Makes you a great contractor. But sometimes, you’ve just got to slow down.”
Lisa frowned. What was that about?
Kevin looked at the tree with a grimace. “It’s fine.” She could tell he just wanted out of this conversation.
It was awkward watching this unfold between the two men. She wished there was something she could do or say to make things better. But she knew there wasn’t. Whatever was simmering between these two had been brewing for a long time.
For a long, painful moment, she stood there, and then finally stepped down from the truck sideboard, walked around to the passenger side, and got in.
She watched Kevin go and settle up with his dad, and then she pretended to be checking emails on her phone when he got back. Why had he insisted on coming here to his dad’s lot if it was going to be so uncomfortable? Families could be so complicated.
“All set,” he said, with a tap on the steering wheel. “Let’s get this tree back to Daisy’s.”
She was relieved when he turned on the radio, even if it was a scratchy AM station. At least the Christmas music would dull the silence. They drove back to Daisy’s and unloaded the tree.
Kevin steadied it on its base. “Where do you want it?”
Lisa turned, a finger to her lips, and eyed the front of the store. “Let’s put it on the righthand side of the porch. Right in the center of the corner beam there.”
With a grunt he lifted the tree and moved in that direction.
“I can help carry it,” she said, running alongside him.
“I’ve got it. You want to go get the tree stand?”
“Yes. I’m on it.” She ran inside the store, frantically trying to remember where she’d last seen it. Finally, she found it on the floor of the stock room and went back outside. “I’ve got it,” she said, holding it over her head. She squatted and placed it right where she wanted it.
Kevin set the tree in the stand, and Lisa tightened the screws. “It should stand on its own now. Do you want to see if it’s straight?”
He let go, and the tree stood. He walked out to the street and closed one eye, checking it against the straight line of the front post. “It’s dead on.”
“Awesome!” She gave each of the screws one extra twist for good measure.
“It’ll need lots of water the first few days.”
“No problem. I’ve got a watering can I was going to use for decoration. Now it can earn its keep. I’ll get some water and the rest of the magnolia flowers.” She raised her hands like a director might block a scene. “We’ll just tuck them sporadically in the branches of the tree. It’ll tie the garland, storefront and tree all together. It’s going to be great.” She thought of the bare spot on the tree. No one would ever see it against the wall. Perfect enough. Just enough off-kilter. That thought satisfied her.
She walked inside to get some water. Kevin followed her. “I’ll get the step stool.”
“Okay.” She gave him a smile. As he walked back by, she tossed him the near-empty box of magnolias and pine cones that were left over from putting up the garland. He caught it with one hand and a winning smile, then went back outside.
After she watered the tree, she walked back inside to go through the stockpile of ornaments in the back room. She found some that would work perfectly with her design scheme, and even came across some things to spruce up the inside of the store. There were a few Santas and seven different wreaths, including a grapevine wreath with holly berries and pinecones, and one made out of cottonseed pods. Behind the wreaths there were three large boxes labelled “Nutcrackers,” “Stockings,” “Sleighs.” If those were really the contents, she was in good shape. She carefully pulled the tape back on the first one. Just as it said on the box in bold magic marker, it was a box full of different nutcrackers.
Tucked in the side of the box was a long string of lights. She quickly plugged them in to see if they worked. To her delight, they lit up and sparkled. She tugged them out of the box and wrapped the long strand around her arm in a loop.
Yes. Things are starting to come together.
With a box of ornaments in her arms, she grabbed an extension cord on the way outside to see how Kevin was doing with the tree.
Kevin had already placed the pinecones and magnolia flowers on the tree, and they were perfectly haphazard. Just the way she liked them.
“We’re in luck,” she said. “I found these in the back with the ornaments.” She carried the long strand of tiny white tree lights over to Kevin. “Here you go.” He took them, and she stood there for a second. “I’ve got more work to do inside unless you need me to—”
“No, no. I’ve got this. We’re going to be pressed for time as it is.”
Time. Always worried about time. She wished he’d lighten up.
“I just hope these work,” he grumbled.
She took the end and plugged it into the extension cord. “Watch this.” They all lit up. “Ta-da. Magic.”
He smiled wide. “Nicely done.”
She unplugged the lights, laughing. “Here. Let me help you with this. It can get a little tricky.” They wrapped the lights around the tree, handing the loop of wire back and forth between them. It somehow felt natural to work with him, despite the friction between them other day. Everyone had conflicts sometimes.
“So…your dad,” she ventured.
“Yeah.” He looked a little embarrassed. “We, uh…I spent a lot of time not coming home for Christmas. It’s just never been the same without my mom. For either one of us. We avoided it for a long time, but…my dad’s getting older. So for the past couple of years I’ve been trying to come home. Trying to be here.” He handed the light strand back to her.
“And how’s that been coming along?”
A nervous laugh escaped. “We can get…father and son about things, you know. I was just gone for so long, and we each have this idea of who the other one is, y’know?”
“Yeah. I do know.” Lisa nodded. “Everyone keeps telling me they wish I’d put down some roots. That’s all I ever hear. But we moved around a lot when I was a kid. I guess that’s really what I’m used to.”
He became animated. “Plus, it’s great to travel for work.”
“Right,” Lisa said, happy to know she wasn’t the only one who loved that.
“New cities. New people.”
Lisa waved her hands in the air. “Yeah, you get to try out all the best burgers in any given town.”
“Right! I do that all the time,” he said.
“You too?” It was funny how many things they had in common.
“Oops.” Kevin tugged on the lights. “We have a snag.”
She gently lifted the lights to free them from where they’d tangled between the branches of the tree. “There you go.” She arranged them on her side and then handed them back to him around the back of the tree.
“Hang on. I’ve got another snag.” He pulled on the strand, then stretched the end toward her. “Grab this.”
“I’ve got it on this side.” She closed her hand expecting the lights and getting his hand, which gave her butterflies like crazy. She sucked in a breath. When she leaned back to look, Kevin was smiling at their hands. He felt it too.
“Thanks.” She moved the lights into place trying to slow down her pounding heart. Something just shifted in their relationship. She could tell by the look in his eyes.