Page 7 of Daddy’s Little Candy Cane

CHAPTER SEVEN

Diana

The following day, as I waited for Ethan to bring me the Christmas tree I had purchased from him, I felt butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake when I had left the tree lot the night before. I hadn't just purchased my Christmas tree. I had also accepted an invitation to dinner and a movie from Ethan.

In all honesty, the only reason why I was so nervous is because, despite the fact that I was attracted to him, the offer had seemingly come out of nowhere, catching me off guard completely. As soon as I asked if he took debit card payments, he had mentioned that he didn't and was willing to collect payment as soon as he dropped it off the following morning. Once I told him that I would have to go to the bank after agreeing to the payment arrangement, he asked if I had anything else planned for the day, and I had told him that the only thing I had to do was decorate the house for Christmas.

Not only did I plan to decorate the inside of the house for Christmas, but I also planned on trying to put the lights up on the outside of the house just like Father always did whenever I was a kid. Having never done it before, I didn't know how to do it, and I had asked him for tips on how to get the lights up. Without hesitation, he had offered to put the lights up for me in exchange for dinner and a movie. Having originally thought that he meant it as a thank you for your hard work, as I had heard he often did throughout the holiday season, I had immediately agreed, causing him to smile.

"It's a date then," he had replied. "I'll see you tomorrow at nine with your tree. After that, we can decide when we want to go for the date." Completely shocked and not sure what else to say, I had agreed once again and left the tree lot making it home just in time to eat the leftovers that Francine James had brought over for me right as soon as I arrived at the house.

All night, I have been tossing and turning, trying to get over the fact that I was going on a date with Ethan Powell. I had never realized that being asked out on a date could turn out this way, and I wondered if he truly meant it as a date or if he had just been teasing. While part of me wanted it to be the fact that he was teasing me, the other part desperately hoped that he was serious and that it was a date.

As soon as I got up the following morning, I made myself some coffee, not having the stomach for breakfast. As I prepared myself for the day, I went through my daily routine, but, rather than getting into my work uniform as I had grown accustomed to, I simply dressed in plain jeans and one of my favorite sweaters. I was on my third cup of coffee when I heard the knock on the door. As soon as I opened it, I saw Ethan standing there with my Christmas tree.

"Good morning," he said as he smiled down at me. Looking around the living room, he nodded towards the tree in his hands. "Where would you like me to put it?" Realizing that I hadn't even thought of it, I looked around the living room. Seeing the spot where Mother and Father had always put the Christmas tree throughout my entire childhood, I pointed at the exact same spot.

"Right there should be good," I replied with a polite smile. Realizing that I had forgotten to check to see if they had the base for it, I winced. "You wouldn't happen to have the base for the tree, would you?" He laughed as he not in towards his truck, which was parked outside.

"Of course, I do," he replied. "Every year, when people throw out their trees, they bring back the bases, and I pay them twenty dollars so that I can give them away when I sell trees the following year. It keeps me from having to restock every year professionally unless the bases are in need of being replaced." Realizing how smart this was, I couldn't help but smile as he placed the tree against the wall. "Let me go get one, and I can show you how to set it up." Grateful for the extra help, I nodded in agreement and watched as he took off towards the truck.

Over the next couple of hours, not only did he help me set up the tree, but he also helped hang up the decorations in the places where I couldn't reach throughout the house as well as put up the lights outside the house. At first, I felt as though I was taking advantage of his kindness, but, after realizing that he kept insisting on helping me, I realize that it was just something he liked to do throughout the Christmas season. I had heard rumors that he didn't just help by delivering trees but that he did this for everybody he met. Wanting to thank him for his help, I remembered the cookies I had been given whenever Francine James had brought my dinner over the night before. Putting a few on a plate, I poured a cup of coffee and brought it to Ethan.

"I thought you could use a snack break," I said as I offered him the plate and mug. Looking down from the lights that he was putting around the edge of the ceiling in the living room, he smiled and nodded in response.

"Thank you so much," he said as he got down from the step ladder he had been using. Seeing the cookies, he smiled. "Are those some of Francine's famous cookies?" While part of me wanted to impress him and saying that I had made them, I knew that, having been around Francine much longer than I had, he would be able to tell the difference.

"Yes," I admitted, feeling embarrassed as he took the plate and sat down on the couch. "I haven't been able to do much cooking ever since I got here thanks to working so much at the diner. Francine's been bringing over meals so that I didn't have to worry." He nodded as he bit down on one of the cookies, a Santa shaped sugar cookie with colorful icing.

"It's better than nothing," he pointed out with a smile as he chewed the cookie. "Besides, outside of Kara at Moe's Coffee Hut, Francine makes the best cookies in town." Unable to argue with him over that, I nodded in agreement and sat down.

"I was meaning to ask you something," I told him, trying to ease into the subject. "Were you serious about wanting to go to dinner and a movie tonight?" He sipped at his coffee, strange expression on his face as he considered my question.

"I was," he admitted. Putting down the coffee cup, he turned to look at me. "That is if you're comfortable spending time with me tonight." When I didn't respond right away, he tilted his head at me. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it'd be nice to get to know you better." Blushing in embarrassment, I lowered my gaze.

"You don't mind the fact that I'm much younger than you?" I asked. Immediately, he shook his head.

"Of course not," he replied. "In fact, I find it better that you are younger than me." Frowning in confusion, I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why is that?" I asked. He paused for a moment as he stared down at the plate of cookies in his hands.

"Can I admit something a bit personal to you?" he asked as he looked back up at me. When I nodded in response, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I'm what you would consider a Daddy, and I want you to consider being my Little."