think they’re all the best parts.”
“Not true. One thing definitely wins first place, and we’ll have the best view of it from right over there.”
She pointed a ways further down the path to a small hill under a clearing of the trees. I followed her up to the perch which turned out to be overlooking one massive tree centered in the valley below. Everyone started singing and gathering around it, while Mr. Malone himself prepared to plug it in and light it up.
“There’s no better tree lighting ceremony in the world,” she sighed, looking down over the scene. “Not even the big unveiling at Palmers has this beat. The wide open woods all around, the winter air, and that big beautiful moon in the sky.”
Suddenly I realized I wasn’t watching the tree or the people at all. My vision had drifted over to her and the glistening in her eyes, so filled with wonder and happiness. She gasped like a child when the tree finally lit up and everyone started to sing louder, holding hands and circling around it.
“Isn’t it one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen?”
With my eyes still glued to her, I whispered, “Yeah. Sure is.”
She turned towards me all of a sudden, looking shy. Her eyes dropped to the ground between us, then met mine again.
What happened next was like some kind of gravitational pull, beyond our control. I inched closer, brushing my hand to her cheek, watching her eyes softly shut and her lips part. I instinctively fell in, pressing my lips to hers. Her kiss was plump and petal soft, tasting like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. It wasn’t until she let out a soft moan that I fully realized what was happening and came to my senses enough to pull away.
By the time she opened her eyes again, she looked surprised and somewhat terrified. I could only imagine my face looked the same. We both laughed awkwardly and put a good foot between us, turning our attention back to the big tree in the valley down below.
“We should just pretend like that didn’t happen. Right?” she asked nervously.
“Definitely,” I nodded, sliding my hands into my pockets. But I was just as confused as she was.
While trying to get me to fall for Christmas, she may have been making me fall for her instead.
11
Hazel
On the cab ride home, I kept my butt firmly planted on the opposite end of the backseat from Chris. My hands were clenched in my lap and my eyes were glued on the window. But it did nothing to curb the crackling energy between us that started sparking the moment we got too close at the tree farm. More than just too close...We kissed! We actually kissed. I kissed Chris Palmer. Ooops….
Blaring sirens were still going off in my brain, making it hard to think or do much of anything other than keep a safe distance to ensure it didn’t happen again. Because that would be bad, right?
Finally, I cleared my throat and dared to speak. Something, anything to break the heavy painful silence that was even louder than my pounding heart.
“So, do you love Christmas yet?” I asked sheepishly, leaving off the rest I wanted to say...Because the sooner you do, the sooner we can be done with each other and get on with our lives without worrying about accidental kisses under Christmas trees.
“Not quite,” he admitted. “But I’m starting to understand why you do, I think.”
“Oh? And why is that...you think?”
I could feel his eyes burning into me, but I couldn’t look back for longer than a split second at a time or else I felt like I might combust.
“It’s more of a feeling than something I can explain,” he shrugged. The deep sexy rasp of his voice was striking more chords than I could count inside my body.
Desperate to cool things down, I blurted, “Tell me more about this big Christmas ball your family has every year. The deeper we dive into your personal history with the holidays, the sooner I can have you cured from your scroogedom.”
He was quiet for a moment, until the cab pulled up in front of my apartment. “I have a better idea. I’ll show you exactly what it’s like.”
“Show me?”
“Yeah. It’s this weekend, and I’m inviting you to be my plus one. You know, for research purposes.”
He said it so calmly and casually, even though nothing felt calm or casual about the implications of me attending his family Christmas party with