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Sophie jumped out and took Max’s tree and headed for the stairs. He followed close behind with her enormous tree. They squeezed into the elevator and laughed at the trail of pine needles the trees left.
“I’ll clean that up once we get the trees inside,” Sophie said.
“I’m not worried about it. Thank you, though.”
They went into her apartment first and Max leaned her tree against the wall by the big bay window. He picked up his smaller tree. “I have to head out and move my truck, but I’ll be back soon to help you get that into the tree stand.”
“Thank you. I need to find her stand. I’m sure it’s with the other Christmas stuff.”
Max left and Sophie gazed at the huge tree. She couldn’t wait to see how it would look all decorated. She needed to find that tree stand first. Fortunately, it was where she’d hoped it would be, in a closet with two other bags of Christmas decorations.
She brought everything to the living room and organized it, putting all the garlands in one pile, the lights in another and the tree stand ready for the tree. She still had the apartment to herself, as Caroline wasn’t home from her boyfriend’s yet. Sophie had no idea where Tessa was. She thought she might be staying at a friend’s house. She didn’t mind. It was more peaceful when Tessa was elsewhere.
The snow was coming down more heavily now. Sophie stood by the bay window for a moment and watched it fall furiously. It was already getting dark out now too and it wasn’t quite five o’clock. It definitely felt like winter. She shivered and decided to make herself a cup of hot chocolate.
The microwave beeped that her hot chocolate was ready, and a moment later there was a knock on the door. Max was back. She opened the door and he stood there looking adorable with snowflakes in his hair. He stamped his shoes on the rug outside the apartment before stepping inside.
“Do you want some hot chocolate? I just made some.”
“Sure. That sounds really good actually. It’s freezing out there, now.”
“Whipped cream?” Sophie offered.
Max laughed. “But of course.”
She got the can out of the fridge and piled a generous amount of whipped cream on top of his hot chocolate and handed him the mug. She made herself one and added a similar amount of whipped cream.
They took a few sips and got to work. Max helped her to settle the tree into the stand and tightened the side screws to lock it into place. Sophie put on some Christmas music, Michael Buble’s holiday hits, and they started decorating the tree. Max picked up a ceramic ornament with a photo of a young girl of about four. It looked homemade. Sophie smiled when she saw it. She’d made that ornament in pre-school and her aunt had kept it on her tree all these years.
Max grinned when he saw it. “You were cute back then, too.” His eyes held hers for a moment and they were full of warmth. Sophie felt something in the air between them. It was the first time she’d felt the hint of a vibe, of possible interest from Max.
She laughed. “Can you tell I made that? It was my first art project, and I gave it to her as a Christmas gift. She said she loved it.”
“I’m sure she did. She kept it all these years,” Max said.
The mood was festive as they finished decorating the tree. When it was just about done, Sophie picked up the glittery gold star that connected to the tree lights. She handed it to Max, and he had to climb on a chair to reach the top of the tree and plug it into the lights. The final step was a shimmery silver garland. Sophie wrapped it around the tree a few times and then handed the last bit to Max to place it higher near the top. He leaned over her as he reached up high and when he had the garland in place, he turned and was just a few inches away from Sophie. They gazed at each other, and she felt the vibe again, even more strongly. Max smiled and she leaned in a little in anticipation of a kiss. Max’s lips were almost on hers when the apartment door opened suddenly, and they both jumped.
Caroline walked in, holding two shopping bags and an overnight tote. She stopped short when she saw Sophie and Max by the tree. She dropped everything and ran over for a closer look.
“This tree is amazing! I love it.”
Sophie smiled. “Thanks. Max picked it out and helped me get it set up.”
Max leaned over and plugged the lights in, and they all took a step back to admire the tree. It looked beautiful all lit up.
“Do you want us to help with yours?” Sophie asked him.
Max shook his head. “Mine will take two seconds. Thank you, though. I actually have to run. I’m meeting up with one of my college roommates tonight for our quarterly poker get-together.”
“That sounds fun,” Sophie said. “Are you a card shark?” she teased him.
He laughed. “Hardly. It’s just for fun. We sit around and drink bourbon and eat greasy takeout and catch up on what’s going on with our lives.”
“Tomorrow night then forMurders?” Caroline invited him.
“Definitely.” He glanced at Sophie. “Good luck with your open house tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Sophie watched him go and when the door shut behind him, Caroline smiled. “Did I sense a little something there? Maybe my timing wasn’t so good?”
