While the team prepared their tree for transport, she andTucker huddled around one of the big block fire rings to make s’mores.
They took turns roasting the marshmallows and assembling the treats.
“S’mores and hot chocolate is my new favorite way to stay warm in the winter,” she said.
“They are yummy.” He reached forward to sweep a bit of marshmallow from her cheek. “There.”
She moistened her lips, the touch of his hand still catching her breath. “Thank you.”
“Sure.” Someone called out his name from across the way. “Looks like the tree is ready. Let’s go.”
Tucker paid the bill at the checkout while she perused the gift shop. When he went to pull the truck around, she bought a cute Christmas ornament with the tree farm name on it as a souvenir.I hope I never forget this night.
When Tucker pulled up, he got out and helped the guys load the tree, and then they headed back down the mountain.
“That was so much fun. Thank you for letting me help you pick out your tree,” she said. “And those campfire s’mores are sinfully good. I swear I’m going to have one of those built in my backyard.”
“S’mores anywhere are the best, but would a firepit really fit in at your house?”
“There is probably an HOA rule against them,” she said. “Who knew I’d like them so much?”
“Umm. Sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know until we do.”
She pretended to count off the words. “Easy for you to say.”
“You do know,” he said, “if you help pick out the Christmastree, you are officially obligated to assist in decorating it, don’t you?”
“Tonight? I’m beat. Really? Do you have the energy for all of those shenanigans tonight?”
“No. Besides, I have to put the tree in a bucket of water and let it hydrate before the sap gets all sticky where they cut it.”
“But we just cut it down. Do you really have to do that? I thought that only applied to the ones that had been sitting on concrete for a few weeks after being cut months ago and shipped down.”
“Not true. A tree will take on water for about six to eight hours even if we just cut it down, and you always want to be sure your tree is well hydrated and always has an adequate supply of water.”
“This sounds like fire-chief talk.”
“It’s safetyspeak.”
“Whew, so, I’m off the hook for decorating your tree tonight.” She swept the back of her hand across her brow. “That was a close call.”
“You are off the hook, but I do have another idea.” He pulled up and parked right next to her Tesla in Orene’s driveway.
“What’s that?”
“Let me take you for a ride up on the parkway tonight where you can look down over the entire county. It looks so pretty with all the houses lit up. It won’t take thirty minutes, tops.”
“That sounds great. Want to drive the Tesla?”
His eyes widened. “Oh, I do. I happen to be a big fan of horsepower too.”
“I thought so.” She bent down and grabbed the key fob from her purse. “Here you go. Good luck.”
“Good luck? I don’t need luck. You’re coming with me.”
“Oh, I’m definitely coming, but that car has a lot of buttons, bells, and whistles. It’s like playing a video game for the first time.”
“I always was pretty good at video games.”
