‘Bit late in the year, so we only have these left,’ Jerry said, taking them into the land and through the trees. ‘Who is it for?’
‘Hermione,’ Ivy replied.
‘Ah.’
‘Your sister?’ Quinn asked, knowing Jerry couldn’t be related to Noah’s father.
‘That’s right. Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit the talents for the screen like she did.’
It was hard to tell if they looked alike at all, but as Quinn was trying to work it out, he noticed Jerry had Noah’s nose, and the same eyes, and his hair was even…
Stop it.
Why did Ivy bring him here, with Jerry, of all places? Was there not another Christmas tree farm somewhere else? Maybe they should have crossed the border to England instead, where the world expanded and everyone didn’t know one another.
They observed the last remaining trees, with Ivy and Jerry commenting on the firmness, the curvature, or the length. As Jerry spoke about the girth, Quinn wondered if they were still talking about trees. When Ivy finally picked one out, he was relieved, hoping they could leave the farm and never see Jerry again.
As he looked around at the other shoppers – couples holding hands, old partners – he experienced a pang in his chest, his stomach heavy as lead. He realised he’d never felt so alone during Christmas. All he wanted was to have someone by his side, especially at this time of year, when so much was changing. This was a time for family and loved ones, happiness and joy. Quinn had none of that.
‘Do you like Christmas?’ Jerry asked Quinn. He realised, with terror, that Ivy had flitted away to do who knew what, leaving Quinn with Uncle Jerry.
‘Yeah, it’s my favourite time of the year,’ Quinn said honestly.
‘Is it?’
‘Not yours?’
‘I prefer autumn, myself,’ Jerry said. ‘The transforming of the leaves. We do pumpkin picking here too, and it’s very busy.’
Quinn imagined the landscape in bursts of red and orange, and admitted that the view would be spectacular. ‘Christmas is surely busier?’
‘It has been. Past two years have picked up. I think because people are more environmentally conscious these days and want real trees instead of plastic.’
‘So, they cut down actual trees. Makes sense.’
Jerry laughed, and for god’s sake, he had Noah’s smile. Was he only his uncle? Not, say, his long-lost older brother?
And a hot one at that.
Stop it.
‘Whatever action you do has consequences,’ Jerry said.
‘Deep.’
I like going deep.
Noah.
Stop it.
‘I hear your shop is facing closure. Read it in the paper.’ Jerry seemed to want to fill the silence. He crossed his arms, looking at Quinn like he could read him.
Quinn thought he needed to match the stance, so he leaned against the tree and almost slipped off and faceplanted in the bark. He righted himself by simply standing with his hands in his pockets. You couldn’t go wrong like that. Unless someone ran up behind you and pushed you. Then you’d faceplant into the floor.
‘We’re trying our best.’
‘They tried to take this from me once.’ Jerry surveyed his land. ‘Developers. A few years ago. Said this was prime land for development.’
