The girl stared at him for a second. Then she pointed at the giant tree. "Did you see how big it is?"
Thane nodded solemnly. "I did. It's very impressive."
The little girl seemed satisfied with that answer and ran off.
When Thane stood again, I was still looking at him. "What?"
I shook my head. "Nothing."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You were judging me."
"I was appreciating your ability to have serious conversations about Christmas trees with six-year-olds."
"I contain multitudes."
The laughter stayed with me as we wandered deeper into the fair, following a path lined with Christmas trees and vendor booths.
A tall man in a red-and-black flannel was helping a family load a tree onto the roof of their SUV. He looked exactly like somebody who belonged on a Christmas tree farm. Broad shoulders. Work-worn hands. Easy confidence. Every few minutes, somebody stopped to wave or call his name.
"Busy day?" Thane asked as we approached.
The man laughed and secured the final strap around the tree. "Busy month."
He turned toward us and offered his hand. "Levi Kincaid."
Thane shook it first. "Thane Hale."
Recognition flashed across Levi's face almost immediately. "The hockey player."
"Depends who's asking."
Levi laughed. "My husband, Aiden, would kill me if I didn't recognize one of the Seattle Orcas."
Then his attention shifted to me. "And you are?"
"Kieran."
Levi shook my hand just as warmly. "Nice to meet you, Kieran."
“Same.”
Levi spent another minute pointing out a few of the attractions scattered around the farm. Apparently, the giant tree served as the unofficial meeting point whenever people got separated, which happened often enough that he sounded very familiar with the problem.
"Food is over that way," he said, gesturing toward a cluster of booths where the scent of cinnamon and roasted nuts driftedthrough the air. "Craft vendors are on the east side. And if you hear somebody threatening customers into buying stuffed animals, that's probably my sister, Paige."
Thane laughed. "Threatening customers?"
"She's very passionate about her business."
Levi's expression suggested he was speaking from years of personal experience.
We thanked him and continued along the pathway. The farther we walked, the more there seemed to be. Every few minutes, something new caught my attention, whether it was handmade ornaments, wooden toys, or jars of homemade preserves stacked in neat rows.
The entire place felt less like a Christmas market and more like a community gathering that happened to be wrapped in lights and garland.
Then I heard a woman's voice. "If you're going to stand there admiring them, you should at least say hello."
I turned toward the sound.
