The Christmas Tree Farm

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

K ira’s reopening announcement at the tree lighting had clearly paid off. When Bennett pulled up at the farm with Jeanie and Logan, the place was packed. He was riding shotgun in Logan’s truck and Jeanie stuck her head up from the back seat to talk to them.

‘Wow, it looks great!’

‘Crowded,’ Logan grumbled.

‘It’s festive!’ Jeanie said. ‘I love that she strung up all the lights and look at how cute the little cabin is!’

Bennett had to admit it all looked really nice. Even the cabin looked reasonably safe. Kira had set up a rocking chair on the front porch and a wreath on the door, so it looked more like a house than like a customer-service booth.

‘That’s where we get the saws,’ he told the others.

‘No need. Brought my own,’ Logan said, pulling the truck in between two cars that already had trees tied to their roofs.

‘Of course you did.’ Jeanie rolled her eyes, but her adoring smile made it pretty damn obvious how she felt about her fiancé.

Bennett hopped out of the truck as soon as they were parked. Jeanie’s friends, Hazel and Noah, were also meeting them today so they could all pick out trees together. It should be a fun day, but Bennett would be lying if he said he was scanning the crowd for Jeanie’s friends.

There was really only one person he was looking for.

‘Where should we start?’ Logan asked, coming up beside him.

‘We have to wait for everyone to get here,’ Jeanie said. ‘Ooh … but let’s get cocoa while we wait!’

‘You own a café. Does a hot beverage really excite you that much?’ Bennett asked with a laugh as they walked toward the cabin.

‘Of course.’ She nudged him. ‘Isn’t this fun? Aren’t you glad you came to stay?’

‘Yeah, definitely…’ Bennett’s words trailed off as he got a glimpse of Kira striding across the parking lot. She was heading right toward him.

Definitely glad he came.

The woman walking his way was a far cry from the one he’d met on his first day here. For one, she wasn’t wrapped in bedding. She was sporting her new coat with faux-fur-lined boots to match, her long legs in skintight jeans. Her cheeks were pink from the cool air, her dark bangs brushing across her forehead as she moved. And she moved … well … she moved like she owned the place. But the biggest difference was the smile. It transformed her entire face. It transformed the air around her, the very atoms in the air between them. It transformed him .

Holy shit. Kira was gorgeous.

‘Bennett! Hi!’ Her greeting was sweet and friendly and completely unexpected. Who was this woman?

He didn’t realize he was just staring at her in silence until Logan clapped him hard on the back. ‘Good luck, Ben,’ he said with a chuckle as he and Jeanie continued on their quest for hot cocoa. His sister looked back at him over her shoulder, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up and knowing smile, but Logan tugged her along.

‘Uh … hi,’ he managed to finally choke out.

‘Hi,’ she said again, her smile downshifting into something slightly less spectacular but better because this one was just for him.

‘How are things going?’

‘Amazing,’ she breathed like she almost couldn’t believe it. ‘We’ve had customers from all over! One family drove an hour to get here because they wanted a real “New England Christmas experience”. Can you believe that?’

Bennett was grinning now, too. ‘Sure. This place is quintessential Christmas.’ And it really was. All her social-media scrolling had apparently given Kira a real eye for how to sell people an experience: a total ‘Christmas vibe’. Folksy Christmas music played over the speakers as families and couples strolled through the rows of trees. Between the twinkle lights and rustic signs there was no shortage of photo ops, and Kira had even filled the back of a rusted-out pickup truck with holly branches, pine boughs, and ivy. She’d hung a giant red bow on the front, turning trash into something beautiful.

Who was this woman?

He wanted to know everything. Bennett crossed snow off his mental Christmas list. There was only one thing on it now and that was more time with Kira.

‘So, are you here for your free tree?’ she asked.

‘Oh, I’ll pay for it.’

‘No way. I owe you for your heating services.’

Ben laughed. ‘I didn’t really do anything.’

‘You did.’ Kira laughed, a real laugh and the sound nearly brought Bennett to his knees. ‘Well, you tried anyway.’

‘You already bought me some of those funny little waffles.’

‘That wasn’t enough! You’re getting a free tree, now stop arguing.’ Kira’s mouth was set in a stubborn line and Bennett smiled. ‘But just you. Not your whole family or whoever you brought with you.’ Kira gestured to where Jeanie and Logan had been joined by Noah and Hazel.

Bennett laughed. ‘Okay, got it. Just one free tree.’

Kira nodded, that private smile still playing around her lips and Bennett suddenly didn’t want to pick out a tree. He wanted to drag Kira back to the house and personally warm her up with his lips and his hands and his body.

He cleared his throat.

‘Uh, come on. I’ll introduce you.’ He led the way to his sister before his thoughts could take any more distracting turns.

‘Kira, this is my sister Jeanie and her fiancé, Logan, and their friends, Noah and Hazel. Everyone, this is Kira, owner of The Christmas Tree Farm.’

‘Hi, everyone,’ Kira said with a little wave. ‘Thanks for coming out.’

‘Of course!’ Jeanie looked like she was itching to hug the woman, but Bennett sent her a warning look and she stayed put. ‘It’s so beautiful! You did a great job.’

‘It really is,’ said Hazel. ‘I used to come here with my parents, but it had gotten pretty run down at that time. You really revived it.’

‘Thanks.’ Kira’s cheeks flushed a deeper pink and Bennett had to look away. He’d known she was beautiful before, but today it was blinding, like he’d been wearing sunglasses and without them he was about to drive off the damn road.

‘So, where should we start?’ Noah asked, rubbing his hands together. ‘I’m ready to chop down a tree.’

‘You don’t chop it, you saw it,’ Logan corrected.

‘Right. Saw. Either way, I’m ready.’ The fisherman grinned and Hazel leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder. There was no way Bennett could spend too much time with this foursome without feeling like a lonely and pathetic fifth wheel. Who was he kidding that he was swearing off women? During the holidays? That was the worst time to be alone. People wrote songs about it.

‘The Douglas firs are down this row,’ Kira said, pointing straight ahead. ‘Blue spruces are to the left. But if you prefer a Fraser fir, those are a bit of a further walk. You need to head up the hill.’

‘A Fraser for sure,’ Logan said.

‘You just want to make us walk farther,’ Hazel argued. ‘These close ones look fine.’

‘I just want one that smells good,’ Jeanie added.

‘They all smell the same,’ Hazel said.

Noah shook his head and laughed. ‘Just let me cut something down!’

Bennett tuned out the rest of the tree argument and turned back to Kira. ‘I’m really happy it’s working out.’

‘Thanks. Me, too.’

‘Hey, Kira,’ Iris peeked her head out of the cabin window, ‘we’re out of cocoa again.’

‘Okay, be right there.’ She looked apologetic when she faced him. ‘Sorry that I can’t help you pick out your perfect tree.’

‘That’s all right. You’re busy. Which is a good thing.’

She nodded, but maybe she was hesitant to go? Maybe she wanted more time with him, too? ‘A very good thing.’ She traced an arc in the dirt with the toe of her boot.

He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her he wanted to see her again, alone. Just the two of them. He wanted to suggest they spend the month together. Naked. He wanted to propose all sorts of crazy and impulsive and objectively bad ideas to her. He wanted to confess that all he wanted for Christmas was her.

But they were in the middle of a crowded parking lot.

And she was working.

And they just met a week ago.

And he was leaving in a month.

And up until five minutes ago, he was fairly sure she hated him.

And this wasn’t a Christmas movie or a sappy holiday song.

This was real life, and in real life people didn’t lay out all their romantically misguided thoughts in the middle of a Christmas-tree farm even if it was, objectively, the cutest Christmas-tree farm on the planet.

So, he didn’t say any of that. But he was sure he’d spend the rest of his time in Dream Harbor thinking about it.

‘I should take care of that,’ Kira said, pointing to the cabin and the empty cocoa carafe inside it.

‘Right, of course.’

‘But make sure you say goodbye before you leave. And I’ll tell Iris your tree is on the house.’ She gave him one last smile before leaving him with his sister and her friends, still arguing about spruces versus firs.

Bennett watched her walk away, knowing that any rational reasons he had for not pursuing Kira were as futile as this Christmas-tree argument. In the end, he wanted her and if there was an inkling of a chance that she wanted him, too, he was damn well going to take it.