Kristen wrapped her hands around the mug to warm her palms. “Even though they’re our competitors?”
Dorothy shrugged. “Are they really? I mean, people are still going to want real trees, and well, maybe it won’t be such a bad thing if we don’t have a high demand this year…”
Dorothy let her voice trail off, and the tone in her mother’s voice made Kristen’s worry meter go off.
As if on cue, Ethan came in through the back door. “Nice lights out front. Who hung those?”
“Mom did,” Kristen said.
Ethan frowned at his mother. “I wish you had asked me for help.”
Dorothy waved her hand dismissively. “I’m a widow, not helpless. In fact, I’ve got to start doing more things. I called Ida Green, and I’m joining the knitting club over at the Cozy Holly Inn. We meet tonight.” Dorothy glanced over at the corner, in which sat a large canvas tote bag with several skeins of yarn and knitting needles sticking out of the top.
George was quite interested in the bag as well. He dipped a paw in, trying to snag some of the yarn.
Dorothy stood. “No, George, that’s not for you.”
George blinked at her as she picked up the bag and put it on a high shelf.
“Tonight is the big sleigh ride.” Kristen looked at her mother. “Aren’t you going to that?”
Dorothy shook her head. “No, that’s better for younger people and couples. I don’t want to stand around in the cold, and neither does Ida. We older folks would rather be gossiping around a nice warm fire.” Dorothy glanced over at Ethan. “Are you going, Ethan?”
Ethan scowled. “I’d rather sit around with the trees.”
Kristen’s heart pinched. That had been her brother’s mantra since his wife died. Ethan had withdrawn more and more over the years, and Kristen knew it had caused her parents to worry. And now she was worried too. It seemed as if he would never come out of his funk.
“How was the wreath contest?” Ethan asked. “I was worried about the pine boughs. Some of them were a little dried out.”
Kristen shrugged. “They worked fine. We made a lot of wreaths. Nobody said anything about the boughs.” She hadn’t really paid much attention, but now that she thought back, she had noticed some of them were bit brown. “What exactly is the problem with the trees anyway? I can tell it’s more than you’re letting on.”
Dorothy and Ethan exchanged a glance. Clearly, they had been keeping something from her.
“You don’t have to try to protect me. I’m not a baby, and if you want me to run this business, I need to know everything.”
“Sorry,” Dorothy said. “We just didn’t want to put more worries on your plate, and we thought it would be cleared up by now. It’s probably nothing, but the trees have been showing some signs of disease.”
“Disease?” Kristen looked at Ethan.
“Look, this happens. It happened a few years back when Dad was alive, and he adjusted the fertilizer that we gave them. I just need to figure out how to get them healthier. And the problem is it takes a little while to see the results of any changes. Don’t worry. I’ll have everything ready in a week when the rush for Christmas trees starts. Luckily, the blue spruces are in good shape. It’s mostly the balsam firs.” The balsam firs were their best-selling tree.
“I’m not worried.” Kristen wanted to show her brother that she trusted him. “I know you’ve got this covered.”
“And I think George does too.” Dorothy pointed to the cat, who was sitting beside Ethan, looking up at him expectantly. “I think he wants you to pick him up.”
Ethan made a face. “I don’t think so. I’m not really a cat kind of guy. I need to get back to work.”
Ethan left, and Dorothy shook her head. “I wish he would get out more.”
“Maybe he just needs a little gentle nudging. I’ll see if I can get him to socialize a bit more now that I’m home,” Kristen said.
“So what are you wearing to the sleigh ride?” Dorothy sounded excited.
“Wearing? I hadn’t really thought about that. I really only have one winter jacket and I guess my winter boots.”
Kristen took a mental inventory of her closet. Did she have anything that would be better for a sleigh ride? Funny thing, in Chicago, she would have chosen an outfit for a night out very carefully. Brian had insisted she always look a certain way. Apparently, she felt a lot more relaxed about the small-town social scene.
Chapter 12
