A Christmas Delight

22. Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-two

Joel

M aisie is as excited to get a Christmas tree for me as she was for herself. It’s almost mid-December, so it’s time to get one. Maisie would argue it’s way too late.

She sits in the front with me, while Nina and Andy are in the back, admiring the view of Brindlewood as the truck climbs the road. Nina’s artificial tree has apparently decided to retire, its branches falling off one by one, so she wants to get a fresh one. Which means I have two trees to cut today.

The weather isn’t as gorgeous as it was when Maisie and I came to chop up her tree. It’s cloudy, and a few lazy snowflakes plummet from the sky. I do my best to appear relaxed, but the truth is, I can’t stop thinking about the fact that Catherine is in town. I haven’t run into her since she visited me, and I don’t think Maisie has, either. At least she didn’t tell me anything about it. Nothing is keeping me from being honest with Maisie and tell her about my ex visiting me, and yet, I don’t say anything.

I hate to think that Catherine is out there hiding. What she told me is sticking to me, and doubts keep creeping up my chest. What is Maisie doing with someone like me? A part of me wants to hold on to her, never let her go. Another part wants to tell her she should run away.

I park the truck, breathing out slowly to calm my nerves, and everyone jumps out.

“Wow,” Andy breathes out as he looks at Brindlewood, surrounded by snowy mountains.

Nina stands next to him. “It’s more beautiful than the pictures.”

“Told you,” Maisie says.

I get my tools and tuck them under my arm. “Everyone ready?”

We walk through the woods, Nina marveling at all the trees.

“So, you always come here to cut trees for Randall’s Pine Patch?” she asks.

“Either here or farther up the road.”

Maisie takes my hand, her mitten warming my skin. No matter how cold it is, I can’t stand gloves. Or scarves. I rarely even zip up my jacket. Maisie is the opposite. She can’t wear enough layers, her outfit a colorful mix of reds and greens and whites. I look down at her face. Her beanie covers her forehead, and her dark blonde hair frames her face. Her cheeks are pink, and when a snowflake falls on it, I wipe it away gently, getting a smile from her as a reward.

“How did you all meet?” I ask. I’m not the best at making small talk with people I don’t know, but these are Maisie’s friends, so I do my best.

“We were in elementary school together,” Maisie answers. “Our parents even became friends after we spent so much time together.”

“We always hung out at Nina’s place,” Andy adds.

“Why there?” I ask.

“Because Maisie and I wanted to get away from our parents.”

Maisie laughs. “True. Nina’s parents are chill. It’s too bad, though, because at first Nina and I really wanted to go to Andy’s place. He was the one with the pool, the ranch—”

“The ranch?” I say, surprised.

Andy shrugs awkwardly, giving me a sheepish smile.

“His parents are, like, really rich,” Nina says. “They own a pretty big piece of land with cottages and stuff.” She elbows Andy. “Don’t be embarrassed.”

“Are you guys saying you initially only wanted to hang out with me because I had a pool and horses?”

“Duh,” Nina says before laughing. “Kidding, kidding. Well, maybe. I don’t know. You told us you had horses, and Maisie and I really wanted to see them.”

He pinches his lips. “Nice.”

Maisie chuckles at my side. “Don’t worry, we quickly realized your parents weren’t worth the trouble. But we kept you, anyway.”

“You talk about me like a puppy you adopted.”

Maisie and Nina look at each other and say, “Yeah,” at the same time. They all laugh. I smile too, but their conversation makes me wonder how close Maisie and Andy are. I quickly brush the thought away.

“See any tree you like?” I ask Nina instead.

“Yes, this one.” She points to a small but wide pine.

“Really, that one?” Andy says.

“Yeah.”

“You don’t want something bigger?”

She cocks her head. “Bigger isn’t always better.”

Maisie laughs.

I lay the tarp on the snow next to the tree then turn to Nina. “Wanna try cutting it yourself?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I’ll probably mess it up.”

“I can show you. It’s not that hard.”

“I can do it,” Andy says eagerly. “I mean, if you’re okay with that,” he tells Nina.

She shrugs. “Sure, have at it.”

I tell Andy to kneel down and show him where to place the hand saw. When he begins to work, I help by slightly pulling the tree away from him. This prevents the blade from binding.

Maisie and Nina start to giggle as Andy groans, leaning to the side to see what he’s doing.

“You okay in there, cowboy?” Maisie says.

Andy takes a break, exhaling. “That’s a lot harder than I thought.”

Nina says, “Just let Joel take over—”

“No, I can do it,” Andy cuts her off, then begins to work again.

It takes a moment, but he eventually manages to cut through, and I tilt the tree away from him to make sure it doesn’t fall where it shouldn’t. I put it on the tarp while Andy stands up again, smiling.

“See? Easy.”

“Yeah, right,” Maisie says. “You’re out of breath.”

“Not at all.”

“Mm-hm.”

“I feel fine.”

“Sure.”

Andy bends over and scoops some snow into his gloved hands. He throws the ball at Maisie, but she manages to dodge it, her laugh echoing in the woods. She and Nina team up together to throw snowballs at Andy, and an unwelcome spike of jealousy stings my chest. Once again, I wonder if Maisie and Andy have only ever been friends, if there’s ever been more between them, if Andy has feelings for her, feelings that are stronger than friendship.

Maisie retreats behind me. “I give up! No more.”

Nina and Andy are still laughing, the two of them covered in snow.

“I’ll help you with that,” he says, taking the tarp from my hands.

I don’t argue and let him drag the tree through the snow, Nina at his side. Maisie walks next to me, hooking her arm around mine. She’s smiling, enjoying herself, snowflakes clinging to her beanie, her hair, and her jacket.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she says. “Thank you for bringing us.”

“No problem.” My voice doesn’t sound right, even to my ears.

“Which tree are you gonna get?”

“Whatever. I’m not too picky.”

She stops walking, stopping me at the same time. “Is everything okay?”

“Sure.”

I take another step forward, but she holds me back. “Joel. Tell me. I can tell something is bothering you. I could tell at your dad’s, too.”

I sigh, trying to find the words. I was never really good at communicating my thoughts, my feelings. She doesn’t really need to know about Catherine being in town, right? Also, it’s not because of Catherine that jealousy burns my chest when Maisie smiles at Andy. “It’s just… Has there ever been something between Andy and you?”

Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. “Andy and me? No, never. God, no. He’s like a brother to me. Why do you ask?”

The word brother eases some of my discomfort. “No reason, I guess.”

But there’s no conviction in my voice, and she instantly feels it. “I don’t feel that way about him, never did. I promise. Plus, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed he’s crazy about Nina.”

I frown and glance at them. “What, really?”

“Can’t you see it? The way he follows her around like a puppy, and how he insisted on chopping down her tree for her?” She chuckles. “He’s been in love with her since, like, high school. But he made me promise not to tell her, and it’s killing me that she doesn’t realize it.”

“Huh.”

“So, are we good?”

I reach up and brush the snow off her hair. “Yes. Of course. Sorry about that. I got jealous.”

Maisie hooks her arms around my neck and gazes up at me. “You have no reason, I promise.” She studies me a little longer. “Was there anything else?”

“No.”

“Are you sure? You can tell me anything.”

I bend down and kiss her, her lips soft and warm against mine. “Everything’s fine. Really.”

We resume walking after the others while Maisie is on the lookout for a tree for me. She is so easy to talk to. In less than ten seconds, I felt reassured. I try to relax, but Brent’s words play in a loop in my head, telling me over and over again not to let my insecurities screw this up.