trees through a tree baler. “Yeah, that’s Jon.”
Jon waved them over as they walked past and said, “Hey, Quincy. Great to see you.”
“You too, Jon. This is my girlfriend, Roni. Roni, this is Jon Butterscotch.”
Jon lifted his brows and grinned. “Ah yes, the hundred-point kisser.”
Roni blushed. “That’s me. I saw you at the bachelor auction a few months ago.”
“That figures,” the blonde uttered as she shoved a tree through the baler.
“Aw, don’t get jealous, Tater Tot,” Jon said flirtatiously. “Next year you can try to win fifty shades of sweetness.”
The blonde rolled her eyes and moved a netted tree to the side with the others.
“Quincy, do you know Tater?” Jon asked. “We go way back to when she was just a sweet young thing.”
The blonde narrowed her eyes and said, “Call me that again, and you’re next in the baler.” She turned a warm smile to Quincy and Roni and said, “I’m Tatum Helms. Nice to meet you both.”
“Hi. I’m Quincy, and this is Roni.”
“Do you own the tree farm?” Roni asked, eyes dancing with excitement.
“My family does,” Tatum said. “I’m in town helping out for a little while.”
“I was just arranging for her to deliver my tree to me Friday night.” Jon winked at Quincy.
Tatum put another tree through the baler and said, “Not happening, Butterscotch.”
Quincy chuckled.
“I’ve been dying to come here for years,” Roni said. “Your family makes it so special. We’ve done almost everything and bought nearly every ornament you have.” She waved to the bags in Quincy’s hand. “It must have been amazing growing up around all these festivities every year.”
“Not for this Scrooge,” Jon said. “Tater hates Christmas.”
Jon had big ones to keep calling her that with the visual daggers she was sending his way.
“Really? Why?” Roni said empathetically.
“I don’t hate Christmas.” Tatum glanced at Jon with narrow eyes and said, “Let’s just say some bad memories have soured it for me.”
“Aw, come on. You love me,” Jon said jovially.
Tatum scoffed. “As much as I love stepping in a steaming pile of—”
“Got it,” Quincy interrupted. “Good luck, Butterscotch. Nice to meet you, Tatum.”
As they walked away, Roni said, “He’s pushy.”
“That’s Jon. He’s a good guy. He’s just full of himself.” He hugged her against him and said, “If I ever act like that, smack me, will you?”
“You bet I will. It’s getting dark. Maybe we should get going.”
“Not quite yet, beautiful. I haven’t had a chance to kiss you beneath the stars while we ride in a horse-drawn wagon.”
“And here I was thinking today couldn’t get any better.”
Chapter Twenty
AFTER LEAVING THE tree farm, they stopped for pizza and then headed to Quincy’s apartment to set up the tree. They moved the orange chair to the other side of the room and set up the tree stand they’d bought at the farm in front of the balcony doors. Quincy thought Roni was going to jump out of her skin the way she was bouncing on her toes as he finished putting up the tree.
The second he was done, she said, “It’s perfect!”
“You’ve got a good eye, babe. I think it’ll just fit once we put the star we bought on top.”
She slid her arm around his waist, snuggling against him, and said, “I can’t wait to decorate it.”
“Aw, hell. We forgot to buy lights for the tree.” He chided himself for the stupid mistake and said, “I’ll run out and get some.”
She stepped in front of him, grinning up at him, and said, “Stay right here. I have a little surprise for you.” She went to the bedroom and came out a minute later carrying four enormous shopping bags. “I picked up a few things while you were working this weekend. Lights for the tree and some to go around the headboard of our bed.”
Our bed. He loved that.
She put the bags on the couch and said, “I got decorations for the walls, garland for the bookshelves, stockings, and there’s another bag in the bedroom with Christmas throw pillows for the couch. I even got Christmas cookie cutters so we could bake cookies together.”
He drew her into his arms. “You could have done anything on your weekend off, and you chose to do all of this for us?”
“I got a little carried away, didn’t I?”
“No, babe. It’s awesome. You’re awesome. I’ve never had a real Christmas like this. I didn’t even know what to get, and you…” He pressed his lips to hers. “Thank you.”
“I definitely went a little overboard,” she said as they started unpacking