“That’s why I’m here,” Kristen said. “I’m taking over where my father left off.”
Irene frowned. “Taking over?”
“Yes. I’m moving back to town to run the tree farm, and I’m going to do all the things my dad used to do. All the town events as well as decorating the skating pond. That’s actually why I dropped in to see you. I know he decorated the pond every year, but I’m not sure of the specifics. I found his old plans at home, and I was wondering when I should start. I know the skating party is not that far away.”
“Oh. Umm. I had no idea you were planning on doing that. No one did it last year, and I just assumed we needed to do something else, so when another party expressed interest…” Irene fidgeted in her chair, pressing her lips together. “I know. We’ll have a contest.”
“A contest?” What in the world was she talking about?
Irene nodded, the idea appearing to grow on her. “Yes. You see, I didn’t know that anyone from the Woodward Farm would be decorating it, and as you know, the skating party is very important to the town. Brings in a lot of tourists.”
“Yes, I know. And it’s a fun event.” Kristen was trying to seem bubbly and upbeat, but she had a bad feeling.
“Right. So when this other party expressed interest, naturally, I thought it would be a great idea to meet them and hear them out. But now that you are interested too, the only fair way is to have a contest.”
Kristen wasn’t too sure she liked that idea. Who was this other party? And what would this contest consist of? But before she could open her mouth to ask, a knock sounded on the door.
Irene glanced at her watch. “That must be him now. Come in!”
The door opened, and a man poked his head in. He was about Kristen’s age and tall with broad shoulders. He was not too bad looking, either, with a strong jaw and wide-set gray eyes. He seemed kind of familiar. Maybe he was someone she had gone to grade school with who had moved away before high school?
“Am I interrupting?” the man asked.
“Not at all.” Irene stood, motioning him in. “Have you two met? You must have by now; you’re neighbors.”
Neighbors? Kristen’s heart dropped. It was the guy from across the street! He was the other party that wanted to decorate the skating pond? Visions of horrible artificial trees strewn about in the beautiful area near the pond flooded her brain. Oh, no, her father would not have liked that at all.
“Hi. I’m Mason Hale.” His smile was charming, but Kristen was not to be fooled. He held out his hand, leaving her no choice but to take it.
She plastered a smile on her own face and gave him the firmest handshake she could. She didn’t want to show weakness to the enemy.
“I’m Kristen Woodward. Nice to meet you.” Not really, not when he owned a store that competed with her family’s business, and certainly not when he wanted to take away her opportunity to decorate the biggest holiday event in Pinecone Falls. An event that her family had been in charge of decorating for as long as she could remember.
Irene shoved aside the branches dangling from a spider plant and pulled a molded plastic chair over beside the one that had been in front of her desk. She gestured for them both to sit. “Have a seat, and we’ll talk about the contest.”
Kristen eyed Mason warily. Images of his decorated porch bubbled up, and she pictured how that would translate to the skating pond. As her brain conjured up images of what his design might look like, she felt much better. Irene wouldn’t want a lot of fake wreaths and trees around the pond, and Kristen had years of plans from her father. Mason probably had no idea how to even decorate a skating pond. It wasn’t exactly a skill one learned anywhere else.
She settled back in her seat, feeling much better. This contest was going to be no problem. All she needed to do was put together the best of the best from her father’s designs, and she would beat Mason easily.
Mason hadn’t expected someone else to be in Irene Sanders’s office. When he’d talked to her on the phone, she hadn’t mentioned anything about a discussion. In fact, he’d gotten the impression that decorating the pond was wide open. He glanced at Kristen and wondered if she and Irene were up to something. He couldn’t imagine what that could be, but he’d encountered all types of obstacles in his job, and he could handle whatever these two intended to throw at him.
“You live at the Christmas tree farm?” Mason had heard the owner had died two years ago, and it was just the widow and her son. So who was this? The son’s girlfriend, maybe.
Whoever she was, she was cute with her long, wavy chestnut hair and sky-blue eyes. But what was with the stiff smile and handshake that felt like she wanted to break his hand? For a tiny woman, she had a strong grip. He’d be smart not to underestimate her.
“I grew up there, then I moved away, but now I’m back.”
Not the son’s girlfriend, the daughter.
Mason sensed a challenge in her tone. But why? He glanced at Irene. Then it hit him. His appointment with Irene was to talk about the skating pond. He’d been puzzled when Irene had invited them both to sit. Hadn’t his father said the people that owned the tree farm usually decorated the skating pond?
Well now, this was awkward. He got the impression that his offer to decorate the skating pond wasn’t entirely welcome by Kristen. And if her family had decorated it for years, maybe he should bow out.
But his father was so happy now that he had the new store. The extra advertising from decorating the skating pond would really help him get up and running, and it was a perfect venue to show off their stock. He couldn’t let his father down.
“I was just talking to Kristen about decorating the skating pond,” Irene said. “And since you expressed interest too, I thought it might be fun to have a contest.”
Mason was about to protest, to tell her that Kristen should carry on her father’s tradition. But then he glanced over at her. She was looking at him, her chin tilted up, eyes slightly narrowed. She didn’t look as welcoming as she had when they shook hands. Now she looked defiant, with a gleam of challenge in her eyes. If there was one thing Mason couldn’t back down from, it was a challenge.
