Magnolia to help with the family business, burst into the gallery earlier and told Carrie that her dad was having chest pains, of course Carrie had offered to help with ringing up customers at the tree stand so Lucy could take Phil to the hospital.
She wasn’t alone. A couple teenagers who worked part-time at the hardware store had also been recruited. The boys did most of the heavy lifting, leaving Carrie to help customers select the perfect tree and then take payment for the purchases.
Unfortunately, the weather hadn’t cooperated most of the afternoon. After almost an hour of drizzle, it was finally starting to clear up. Despite the rain they’d had a steady stream of customers thanks to a new shipment of trees and the impending countdown to the holiday.
Now Carrie understood why she’d seen Lily in heavy jackets, leather work gloves and layers of warmth since the lot opened. The temperature was only in the low fifties, but standing outside in the dampness had chilled Carrie right through her puffer coat. She smelled like sap, and her hands were covered in scratches from helping people move trees around.
She lifted her chapped hands to her mouth and blew on them in a feeble attempt to warm herself.
“Another side hustle?” a deep voice asked from behind her.
The butterflies in her stomach took flight once again as she turned to find Dylan staring at her, one corner of his mouth curved up in amusement.
Carrie resisted the urge to groan out loud. Of course, he looked like the picture of alpha male hotness with the black sweater and leather jacket that covered his broad shoulders. His blue eyes looked even more magnetic against the dark green of the pine tree background.
On the other hand, she felt like a drowned rat. She’d pulled her hair into a low ponytail that she’d tucked into the back of her jacket. One of the boys had given her a hardware-store baseball cap to shield her face from the drizzle. She was cold, tired and slightly mortified at her current situation. Dylan’s belief that she did too much for the town was unflagging, and schlepping Christmas trees on a dreary afternoon confirmed exactly what he thought about her. All things considered, this wasn’t her best moment.
“I’m helping a friend.” She adjusted the brim of her cap. “Don’t judge.”
“No judgment,” he assured her then leaned in closer. “Although I’m wondering why you’re nice to everyone in town except me.”
“I’m nice to you.”
“You’ve been ghosting me all week.” His tone teased, but she had to look away when a sliver of vulnerability flashed in his gaze.
She sniffed. “How do you even know the word ghosting?”
“Sam explained it. Even he felt bad for me.”
Guilt stabbed at her chest. “I’m not trying to blow you off. Things are busy and being with you is...” She broke off, searching for the right word.
“Amazing?” Dylan suggested.
“Complicated.”
“I’m guessing you’re going to tell me your life is already complicated enough.”
“In so many ways.”
His eyes clouded over in a way that matched the sky above them. He opened his mouth, but Carrie was left wondering whether he’d planned to argue with her or say farewell because Sam appeared through a gap in the aisle of trees.
“I found one,” he announced before his gaze tracked to Carrie. “Oh, hey, Carrie. I didn’t know you worked here, too. You have more jobs than anyone I know.”
She pasted on a bright smile and turned to the boy. “I’m helping a friend.”
Sam nodded. “You’re a solid friend to stand out in the wet and cold.”
“The best,” Dylan murmured under his breath so only she could hear him.
“You’ve found the perfect tree?” she asked the teenager. “I thought you guys didn’t want to deal with shedding pine needles.”
“We’re getting into the Christmas spirit,” Dylan said, moving nearer to her to let another couple pass. She almost swayed into him just to be enveloped in his heat but forced herself to remain still.
Sam gave Dylan a funny look then grinned at Carrie. “He made me go tour the old textile mill with some tool architect my dad used to work with, and now he feels bad because the guy was such a total butt head.”
“Can you ever give me a break?” Dylan asked Sam with a sigh.
“Doubtful. Come and see the tree before someone else picks it. Carrie can give her opinion, too. I know she’ll side with me.”
“I’m sure,” Dylan agreed, placing a hand on Carrie’s back to guide her forward. “There’s