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Everly (Ten months later)
How many Christmas trees are too many?
Two?
Five?
Nine?
Some might say that owning nine Christmas trees was a tad… excessive, but for me, it was the perfect number.
I adjusted one of the stars on the miniature tree (number five) sitting on my coffee table and stepped back to admire its sparkly gold ornaments.
Perfect.
Indie placed the obligatory tray of carrot and cucumber sticks on our dining table, next to my porcelain tree (number four). She always put out a plate of veggies, despite knowing everyone would ignore them and focus instead on the real star of the night: Joy’s cinnamon buns. When Joy messaged knitting club earlier this week to say that she’d perfected the recipe, I’d insisted she bring a batch to our meeting.
“Looks good, Ev.”
I shot Indie a grateful look. That she didn’t make a fuss about our house already looking like a craft store vomited all of its Christmas decorations inside when it was still only October made her one of my favorite people.
Indie and I had been best friends ever since we were roommates in freshman year. She knew everything about me, including my favorite color (pink), my shoe size (same as hers), how I took my coffee in the morning (ninety percent oat milk with a splash of coffee), and why I currently owned nine Christmas trees (my ex-boyfriend).
After breaking up with Lukas, I deleted my social media accounts, avoided gossip websites like the plague, and completely ignored the magazines at the checkout line. But last week, when I caved and flipped through a magazine to read an article about my favorite musician, I spottedhim: Lukas Alexander.
My no-good, lying, cheating, pain-in-the-you-know-what ex.
It was a half-page spread of celebrities photographed at movie premieres, and there he was, front and center, getting all cozy with some up-and-coming model. It had been almost a year since we broke up, and I was definitely over him. Still, that didn’t mean that seeing him again didn’t send my heart through the shredder and my feet straight to the nearest craft store.
And that’s how I ended up with Christmas trees six, seven, eight, and nine.
As Indie placed four identical white pillar candles on the table, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” she trilled. “That’ll be Quinn and Joy.”
I adjusted the garland above the fireplace before making my way over to the fridge to pull out the white wine. Our knitting club consisted of four gals who met weekly to knit or, in my case, sew. Indie officially started the club six months ago. As an avid knitter, she always got excited whenever she noticed fellow enthusiasts “knitting in the wild.” So when she saw Quinn working on a blanket in a café, she invited her over to hang out. And when I found out that my brother’s tenant, a single mom named Joy, enjoyed knitting as well, I invited her to join us.
“The place looks amazing.” Joy curled me into her arms and gave me a hug. “I have to bring Jasper and Leo over some time. They love everything Christmas.”
I took a long sniff and smiled. Joy always smelled delicious.
“Actually, on second thought,” she said, “perhaps I shouldn’t bring them over. They’d probably destroy this place within minutes.”
She wasn’t exaggerating. I’d babysat her six-year-old twins a few times, and although they were the sweetest, it did feel as if they were constantly on the verge of breaking something.
“Thanks for hosting tonight.” Quinn straightened her cream blouse and gazed around the living room. She was already tall, but in her heels and with her hair tied up in a high ponytail, she towered over Indie and me. Quinn ran her hand over the mural of pink peonies I’d painted on the entryway walls. “This is gorgeous. It looks like expensive wallpaper.”
“Thanks.” Her compliment made me glow inside. I loved flowers, and peonies—with their showy, romantic blooms—were my favorite.
“Would you be interested in painting something for the shop?” Joy asked, standing next to Quinn to admire my work. She owned a plant store in Mermaid Cove, a town just south of Sunnyvale. “It’s always nice to change things up a bit. Plus, it’ll bring people inside for Instagram shots alone.”
“Sure, I’m free most nights,” I said.
That’s my Ev. She’s such a homebody.
I shook my head, attempting to dislodge Lukas’s digs from my thoughts. Was that why he’d cheated on me? Because I wasn’t as exciting as Seline?
“Perfect. Let’s do it sometime after Thanksgiving, then. That’ll give me some time to figure out what I want.” Joy set her bag on the dining table and pulled out a plate of swirly sweet treats. “Who’s ready for some cinnamon rolls? They should still be warm since I pulled them out of the oven just before coming over.”
I followed the tantalizing aroma, picked up a bun, and took a bite. It was delicious—sweet with icing and gooey warm.
