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“I love the smell of these. I think I’m going to be spoiled after this and want a fresh tree every year.”
I smiled. “Then I’ve done my job.”
She laughed, her head falling back slightly, and it was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. I suspected she was as lonely as I was, even though she lived with her daughter. She needed adult companionship. Maybe we could be friends with no expectations.
I couldn’t let my needs and desires overshadow what my family needed and wanted from me. I could give her a tree, my time, and maybe even friendship, but anything more was out of the question. No matter how much I wanted her.
Chapter 3
Sarah
The air was crisp, but the sun warmed our skin as we made our way through the rows of trees. Knox stayed by my side as Addy ran ahead, yelling over her shoulder, “Too short. Too skinny.”
“I’m worried we’re not going to find anything.”
Knox smiled, and it took my breath away. “She can take as much time as she needs. My brother Heath’s working today.”
I watched his face to gauge his expression. “I can’t help but think this is a huge imposition on your time.”
He gave me a pointed look. “You know, if we’re going to be friends, you’re going to have to stop apologizing for taking up my time.”
I smiled. “I’d like to be friends. There are some amazing perks, like holiday lights and Christmas trees.”
Knox nodded. “I’m an excellent friend.”
“You are.” We smiled at each other for a second until Addy skidded to a stop in front of us. “Are you listening? I found it.”
“What did you find, baby?” I pulled my gaze from Knox’s.
Addy rolled her eyes. “Our tree, silly.”
“Right,” I said, as Knox chuckled. It was his fault I was out of sorts. He threw me off balance. I could have sworn there was interest in his gaze, but he’d said he wasn’t looking for a relationship. Maybe he was only interested in one-night stands or flings, and I wasn’t in the market for one of those.
No matter how many times my sister, Grace, urged me to date, I hadn’t bothered to in a while. I had to think about Addy, and reliable babysitters were hard to find.
Addy grabbed Knox’s hand and pulled him to a tree she’d thrown her red scarf on. “Ta-da!”
“Is this the one?” Knox asked as he walked around the tree, carefully inspecting every inch of it and testing the sturdiness of the branches.
“It’s perfect,” Addy beamed, reminding me why I called her sunshine.
“What do you think?” Knox finally asked me.
“I think it would fit in the living room.” Size was the most important criterion for me. Our house was cute but short on space. This tree had a beautiful blueish tint to it.
Knox winked at Addy. “You can’t have a tree that’s too big.”
“How big is yours?” Addy asked him.
Knox cleared his throat. “I haven’t gotten one yet.”
“Do you usually?” I asked, curious about a man who lived on a Christmas tree farm.
“If there’s time. We get one for the main house, and we always decorate an outside tree. It’s a family tradition.”
“You decorate trees outside?” Addy asked.
“Yeah, our parents would let us hike the property to find the perfect tree to decorate. Then me and my brothers would check on it each morning and fix the ornaments that fell off during the night.”
