“Yeah. Jake and I go way back. He says you got her talking again after a year of hiding behind her mom’s legs.” The faintest tenderness passes through her eyes. “That means something. Do you know how much Jake and his wife worried about that kid making it in this world? Especially, like, this is Coos Bay, you know?NotPortland. Kids don’t have as many opportunities to get dedicated help if they’re falling behind.”
An awkward pause follows, filled with hints of things neither of us should say. She’s Nick’s sister. Nick, who told me my laugh was “a bit much” in public. Nick, who liked me best when I looked tidy and quiet beside him at fundraisers. You know, mouth shut, girdle on, and Heaven forbid my local accent popped out. The man had trained himself to sound “blandly PNW,” lest the denizens of the Willamette Valley discover he grew up redneck adjacent.
I should go. Instead, I say, “You’re good at this.”
“Tree-shopping?”
“Talking to people like it hasn’t been years since you last saw them.”
“Maybe I just pay attention.” She lifts the tree before I can protest. The muscles in her forearms flex, the tattoos shifting until I make out flowers, snakes, and the silhouettes of other women. “Let me help you with this. Consider it an apology for my brother being an idiot.”
“You don’t need to apologize for Nick.”
“No, but someone should. God knows he never does unless it’s to his bosses.” She carries the tree like it weighs nothing. “For what it’s worth, he was wrong.”
“About what?”
“About you being too much.”
My throat tightens. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know Lily thinks you’re a fairy godmother. I know Jake’s wife saw you volunteering at the animal shelter last weekend. I know you stop at Dutch Brothers every Friday morning for what they call coffee and whatever passes for conversation these days.”
Huh? “Have you been stalking me?”
“No. Just noticing. Big difference.” She nods toward the register. “Come on, Ms. Edie. Let me at least help you pay for this humble masterpiece.”
I follow her, not even challenging her offer, because I’m too hung up on something else. “When? When did you notice me again?”
Wren sets the tree down at the register and turns to me. “Last Christmas. Nick brought you to my mom’s dinner. You wore that gold dress and spent half the night helping Mom in the kitchen, even though he kept trying to drag you away to network with his law school buddies.”
I remember that dinner. It was the only time I met the Halls, who were essentially my babysitters growing up, since dating their only son. And Nick had been embarrassed when I chose cooking with his mother over discussing torts with his friends.
“You were there? I don’t remember seeing you.”
“I was in the garage mostly, avoiding Nick’s networking crowd. But I saw you through the kitchen window. You were laughing at something my mom said, washing your hands every few seconds. I guess because they kept getting covered in flour while you made cookies.” Her voice drops lower. “You looked happy.Real happy. Not the polite smile you wore whenever next to my brother.”
The observation is so accurate that it makes my chest tight. “Why didn’t you come inside?”
“Because you were my brother’s girlfriend. And despite what he might’ve told you about me, I do have some boundaries.”
“And now?”
“Now you’re not his girlfriend.” She pulls out her wallet to pay for the tree before I can protest. “Now you’re a beautiful woman buying a Christmas tree alone, and I’m just someone who thinks you deserve better than shopping by yourself.”
“I don’t need rescuing.”
“Didn’t say you did. MaybeIjust need an excuse to keep talking to you.” She hands cash to the attendant, waving off my attempt to pay. “Consider it a kindergarten teacher discount.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“It is now.” She picks up the tree again. “Where’s your car?”
I point to my small Honda, and she chuckles. “This tree is not fitting in there.”
She’s right. I hadn’t thought about transportation, too flustered by seeing Nick’s twin sister to think practically.
“I’ve got rope in my truck. We can tie it to your roof.” She sets the tree down and heads to her vehicle without waiting for a response.
