This December she wasn’t going to Tahoe. She was spending the holiday season working at a Christmas tree farm, where she’d serve countless cups of hot chocolate and coffee to cheerful people similar to Mia.
“Maybe you can tell him,just kidding, Enrique. I’m obsessed with camping,” Mia said, interrupting Natalie’s internal thoughts.
She slid a look at her friend. “Camping? In December?”
“Okay, then maybe you’re going skiing?” she suggested next.
“Then why do I always go in April?”
“Camping and skiing. A person can have more than one hobby.”
“It’s no use. My uncle is not going to be any more receptive to me saying,Oh, by the way. I’ve been lying to the whole family all these years and I’m actually a huge outdoor activity aficionado. And the reason I lied is because I’m embarrassed of my walking sticks. What kind of sense does that make? Besides, lying is probably going to put me in the same position in the eyes of my uncle, so I might as well keep my mouth shut and work the truck. I’m not going to be happy, but I can do this.”
“Do you want to borrow my Christmas sweater? It has a reindeer on it with ornaments hanging off his antlers. It’s really cute.”
“No, thanks. But if you find a Christmas sweater with something like holiday spiders, I’ll consider it.”
Mia laughed. “Okay, I’ll keep my eyes open.”
They took the recommended exit and drove a couple miles off the highway, following the large green signs advertising Motherlode Nursery. While the weather was getting colder, the lack of snow and the surplus of evergreen trees kept the area looking quite green. With some decent precipitation, it was only a matter of time before the area became a winter wonderland.
“I thought we were going to Poinsettia Paradise,” Mia said.
“Motherlode is the nursery part. Poinsettia Paradise is what they call the Christmas tree section, at least according to my uncle. It’s all on the same property.”
When Mia pulled past the wooden fence line, there was a small shop to the left called Motherlode Nursery with the same color green sign. Behind the shop were two large greenhouses and a farmhouse in the distance. To the right was a large lean-to with a blue banner readingPoinsettia Paradiseand it included the days and hours of operation. Mia parked the red truck in one of the designated spots belonging to the nursery and the women walked toward the lean-to.
Mason, dressed in a gray flannel work shirt, boots, and a navy-blue knitted beanie, was bent over, helping another man position a wooden post. At the sound of crunching gravel, he turned his head, standing to his full height and removing work gloves. He patted the other man, saying something before walking toward them.
“You guys find the place okay?” An easy smile spread across his face, but the expression wasn’t limited to his mouth. Every emotion the guy had went straight to those hazel eyes. When his gaze fixed on hers, her heart reacted with a funny tiny hop. A slight jab in Natalie’s side snapped her back.
“Hi,” Mia piped in, reaching a hand toward him. “I’m Mia, Natalie’s friend. We didn’t have any trouble finding you. You guys have a lovely farm here. I’d love to come take pictures here someday. Oh, and I like your hat.”
Mason shook Mia’s hand. He pulled off his hat, and nervously twisted it in his hands before he returned it to his head. “Thanks. My mom is a big knitter. I keep telling her she should make things to sell for our little holiday marketplace, but she says that would only remove any joy she gets from the hobby.”
“Yeah, I get that. My mom was a big quilter and would have probably said the same thing,” she replied with a light laugh, showing off her single dimple. “Hobbies are only fun when they’re not a job, right? Luckily for me, being a business marketing consultant isn’t a hobby and is in fact my job… In case you’re looking to update any images on your website or social media or whatever.”
“Oh, yeah, maybe. I’ll have to talk to my dad.” He snuck a glance at Natalie who had yet to say a single word.
She was currently planning how to sneakily let it be known that Mia was married. This was a simple favor to Mason because it wasn’t right for him to be fooled into thinking her friend was flirting. She wasn’t—this was how Mia befriended everyone, (and got new freelancing jobs). Natalie could clear her throat and point an obvious finger at Mia’s left hand. Or Natalie could attempt to beat Mia at her own sparkle. Except, when she opened her mouth, instead of sparkle, all that came out was: “I’m here for a tree,” which did a great job of turning the light interaction into something more awkward. That’s when she realized her brand of straightforwardness would never sparkle.
“Yeah. Yeah, sure,” he responded. “I’m, uh, just going to grab a saw and then I can take you through the farm.”
“You don’t have any pre-cut trees?” She knew the farm offered people the option of choose-and-cut, but she expected there to also be the option of a grab-and-go Christmas tree, which was what she preferred.
He ran a hand along his neck. “Uh, no, sorry. It’s still a little early in the season. We don’t like to offer harvested trees until Thanksgiving weekend. But, trust me, picking your own tree is part of the fun.”
“Great,” Natalie said.
“Well, I can’t wait to see more of the farm,” Mia said, her dimple returning, and Mason left to retrieve whatever tools he needed.
Natalie gave her best friend a light pinch in her upper arm. “Knock it off, M.”
“Ow! What?”
“He probably thinks you’re flirting. I’m already getting the tree for free. I don’t need you to charm your way into extra discounts or anything.”
Mia’s mouth dropped, clearly offended. “Because I said I liked his hat? I do like his hat. I wasn’t flirting.”
