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“Yeah, between the tree for the big house, the trees for our houses, and one for Bree’s shop…” Jon chuckled. “It’s going to be a bit much here soon.” He sped by us to catch up to where Bree was stopped by a huge tree.
“They’re just trying to outdo each other. This is why I never volunteer to go shopping with any of them. They’ll walk your feet off.”
“Don’t let your mother hear you say that, son, or next time she won’t ask for volunteers,” Pops chortled.
“Yeah, don’t plan on it, Pops.”
We walked around, separating from the others after a while. I needed to find that hot cocoa stand and warm myself up.
I wanted to enjoy the smell of so many trees, but as I took in the coolness in the air, my nose protested. It was all but frozen at this point.
I enjoyed walking around, holding Danny’s hand though. I made my way toward the side of the tree lot where the homemade, fresh garland and wreaths were. That’s when it happened. I saw the most perfect little tree I’d ever seen. It would look great in Atticus’ nursery. I must have made some kind of noise when I saw it because Danny spun, looking for danger. I tugged his hand and pointed.
“Look at those little trees. Atti’s room needs one.”
“Dang, woman, you had me ready to fight someone.” He chuckled, pulling me to him, and walked me over to the long tables of small potted trees, wreaths the size of my car, and then the yards and yards of garland. It was a gorgeous sight.
“Mrs. Angie, what kind of tree is this?” he asked the small, white-haired woman. She was one of the sweetest ladies in town. And her family has been running this tree farm for the last sixty odd years. The woman knew her trees.
“Douglas Fir, it's just a sapling yet. It can be used as decoration then planted in the yard. Just make sure you give it a space with plenty of room to grow. They can get quite tall.”
I ran a fingertip over the needles on the branches. Atticus would love having his own tree; the twinkling lights would be a nice way to drift off to sleep.
“We’ll take it,” Danny offered, pulling out his wallet.
I tried to shove it back into his pocket. “I’ve got it. My kid, my tree.”
He chuckled and looked down at me, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Aw, you’re cute.” He pulled out some money and handed it to her. “I’ve got this. No arguing with me.”
I opened my mouth to protest but was interrupted.
“Oh, that’s rich. That Cannon charm will get you almost anything, huh?” someone said from behind us.
I turned to see Felicity Chapman coming our way, her hand latched onto Jeff Morrison’s arm. He looked less than pleased to be dragged around like a dog on a leash, but hey, he deserved her. They were both total assholes. The worst kind of people. I’m surprised they could walk in church on Sunday without being set on fire.
“Ignore her, I do,” Danny said, taking his change from Mrs. Angie.
There was something in his tone that had me looking back at him. He never looked back, never gave any of that group a second thought. I sighed and turned to pick up the potted tree. Danny then took it from me with a smirk before slipping his hand into mine. We walked away, leaving them where they stood without a second glance.
That, however, did us no favors—oh no, the stupid heifer had to follow after us. Finally, I’d had enough. I let go of Danny’s hand and turned.
“Stalking is illegal in all fifty states.”
“I heard you came back to town with a baby.” She pretended to look thoughtful. “Poor little thing.”
“You know nothing of me or my son, so button your mouth or I’ll do it for you.”
“Babe, come on, ignore her. It’s not worth the headache.”
“Shame, really,” Felicity continued like we hadn’t spoken. “Word is you don’t know the father. Probably some dupe you thought you could snag. Guess he got all he wanted from you.”
Those words hit a nerve. My anger was all-consuming. She had no idea what she was talking about. I’d been assaulted, hurt, and she was making something out of it? I moved a step closer, Danny’s tug on my arm the only thing stopping me from slapping some sense into her.
“Stop. She’s just mad because you are with me. I turned her down, and she can't handle it.”
His words had my head whipping back. He looked utterly disgusted by the thought of her. I didn’t know what came over me, but I cracked up. A loud guffaw left me in a rush. I had to put my hand over my mouth.
“Oh. My. God.” I laughed again. Danny looked amused; Felicity looked disgusted. I loved it. “Well, sorry, you tiny brained she-demon. You don’t deserve the likes of Danny. You’re with what you deserve.”
