“That’s exactly how it works at this tree farm.”
I don’t let go. Neither does she. Jesus. This could take a while.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
Her eyes widen slightly. “Why?”
“Because I need to know what to call you when I tell Earl about the woman trying to steal my Christmas tree.”
Her jaw sets. “I’m not stealing anything. And what I’m called is none of your business.”
“It became my business the second you put your hands on my tree,” I say.
“Mytree.”
We’re locked there, both gripping the trunk, close enough that I can smell cinnamon on her, and fuck if it doesn’t throw me off completely.
“Let me guess,” she says, narrowing those green eyes at me. “You’re one of those mountain men who thinks everything in a fifty-mile radius belongs to him.”
“Just the things with my ribbon on them.”
Earl’s voice cuts through our bickering. “Everything alright over here?”
I glance over my shoulder. Earl’s hurrying towards us, looking concerned. Behind him, a few customers have stopped to watch the show.
Great.
“This is my tree. The one I picked out this morning,” I say, even though I realize I sound like a disgruntled toddler instead of an adult man.
Earl winces. “Yeah, about that… Jason might’ve gotten confused with the color coding of the ribbons.”
“You told me there was only one red ribbon. This one,” I say.
“I know, I know.” Earl runs a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ll cut you another tree. On the house. Any one you want.”
“I want this one.”
“Thorne, come on, man,” he begs.
“I spent forty minutes picking out this exact tree, Earl. You know how I am about these things.”
The woman makes a small noise that might be a laugh or a scoff. “You spent forty minutes picking out a tree?”
“It’s important,” I say, feeling defensive.
“It’s a tree.”
“It’sthetree.”
She rolls her eyes, but I catch the corner of her mouth twitching.
Earl clears his throat. “How about this? Thorne, you pick another tree. I’ll cut it fresh, no charge. And…” He looks at the woman. “I’ll refund your sixty dollars for the inconvenience.”
“No,” we both say at the same time.
Earl blinks. “No?”
The woman’s grip on the tree tightens. “I don’t want another tree. I want this one.”
