Trapped Under the Christmas Tree (Christmas Tree, PA Sweet Romcom #1)

Chapter 7

Jake

Tessa’s hot chocolate is the best hot chocolate in the world. I know I haven’t been everywhere in the world, but I’m still confident in my opinion. I’ve never tasted anything better, and everyone who comes to our town agrees that it’s the best.

It’s funny that I had to get trapped under a tree to finally share a mug of it with her. She is...quiet, but there is a competence about her that I definitely admire. I suppose my chatty nature and her reticent nature would probably jive pretty nicely together.

I don’t know why that thought creeps into my brain. Maybe I’m just trying to think of things that will distract me.

“You’re getting wet,” I say. I don’t want her to catch a cold or worse because she’s trying to help me.

“I’m crawling under as soon as I get this tent out of the package.”

“I hate that you had to raid your Christmas gifts in order to help me. I’ll pay you back.”

“Don’t worry about it. This is for my niece, and she loves you. Your reindeer make her day, and she could watch them all day long. She’ll be thrilled that her tent helped save your life.”

“That might be a little bit dramatic.” I hope it is. I don’t feel like I’m about to die, but I do feel cold. No doubt about it.

“I don’t know. I guess I feel like we can be dramatic. This is kind of unprecedented.”

“It’s ridiculous. I don’t want to be on the front page of the paper and in the town social media posts.”

“Jake Bilmer, the man who was trapped under the Christmas tree last night.”

“The reason the town has to buy a new Christmas tree,” I say with a chuckle. “I almost stopped you from calling 911. I...want to get out of here but as quietly as possible.”

She slides in behind me, and immediately I feel her warmth especially through my jeans. They’re not insulated, and I wish that I would have grabbed a pair of my insulated ones.

The backs of my legs are going to be nice and toasty with hers cradled up against them.

“I’m pulling the tent over,” she says.

She shakes out the extra blanket and puts it under our heads. That makes it a lot more comfortable for me. Because of the way my foot is trapped, I can’t adjust so that I’m not awkwardly lying on my side. And honestly, the blanket under my hip is helping a lot too. Not only to keep out the cold, but it’s keeping my body from screaming in protest.

She has the tent adjusted, and the freezing rain makes an enjoyable sound that I would love listening to if I wasn’t lying on the ground underneath the tree.

Of course, with Tessa beside me it isn’t so bad. She makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay. Not that I was exactly worried about it, but I suppose there is a certain panic that grips a person when they can’t move.

“I really appreciate all that you’ve done. I hate not being able to move.”

“That would be terrible. Worse than the rain or the cold. To me anyway,” she says softly.

We’re quiet for a bit, but maybe I just want to talk to pass the time, or maybe I want to try to stay awake. Isn’t it dangerous to fall asleep when you’re in danger of hypothermia?

“I’m nice and warm with you pressed against me. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she says, although she stumbles a bit at the beginning of the word, almost as though she were going to say...“my pleasure.”

For some reason, that makes me wonder about her, and without thinking, I ask, “What is your boyfriend going to say?”