I look over at Annalise, and she ducks her head, staring at the snow. She was staring. Again. The thought that she’s stared at me like that twice has me hoping it might be a little easier to wear her down.
I finish cutting the tree down, and we get it situated on the tarp and wrap some rope around it before I start dragging it through the forest and back towards the house. Annalise follows beside me, her excitement still palpable. She’s practically bouncing out of her boots.
When we get back, she heads inside to grab the tree stand and get it set up while I finish getting the tree ready outside and then carry it inside. Annalise has every box of Christmas decorations out and ready to go, and I know that by the time we go to bed tonight, the entire place will be decked out like a Hallmark movie.
NINE
ANNALISE
I’m giddy, like full-on body shaking because I can’t contain my excitement giddy. When I decided to make the trip up here, I never thought I’d get to put up a tree like this and decorate it. As unhappy as I was when Sebastian showed up, I’m starting to wonder if it really was a blessing in disguise. He’s taken so many things off my plate already, made me the best s’more I’ve had in my life, and now he’s cut down and dragged a tree all the way back to the cabin.
Tim never would have dragged a tree through the forest all so I could decorate it. I’m not even sure if he’d have had the strength to cut it down.
I shake the thoughts of my ex away as I watch Sebastian bring in the tree and set it up in the tree stand. I shimmy on my stomach under the tree and secure it, inhaling the scent, and hold in my squeal. I haven’t had a real tree since the last time we were here for Christmas, and I missed it.
Pushing out from under the tree, I stand and take her in. She’s perfect. She’s not one of those ones you’d find at a tree farm in the city, where they’re practically uniform. This one has character. It’s not fully even, showing what side has been able to prosper more than the other. The top leans a little, but it canbe trimmed enough to fit the star on straight, and that’s all that matters.
“What’s first?” Sebastian asks, and I beam up at him.
“Lights!”
He nods and holds his hand out for the first strand, and the thought of doing this together has my excitement ramping up. I’ve always loved decorating the tree with my family and thought I’d do it with my partner, but Tim was never interested. Sebastian isn’t my partner, but he was my friend at one point, so he’ll do for now.
He starts wrapping the lights around the bottom of the tree, making his way around it as he works up it. When he finishes with the first strand, he easily moves on to the next until he gets to the top. When he’s done, he takes a step back and stares at the tree before turning to me and asking, “Okay, how do you want me to fix it?”
I cock my head, and he grins at me.
“Lise, the tree must be perfect in your eyes, which usually means you readjusting things. So, how do you want me to fix the lights?”
I gnaw my lip. Damn, he has me pegged. I’ve always paid special attention to the tree, making sure there aren’t ornaments clumped together and the lights are positioned in such a way that the entire tree looks lit and the light can reflect off the ornaments.
He nudges me, and I reach in to adjust a few sections of lights, moving some further back towards the tree trunk and others closer to the ends of the branches. When I turn to face Sebastian, he’s smiling at me. Not a judgmental smile, but one of affection. It has warmth filling my belly the same way it did as a teenager. I spin, looking for the bins of decorations, needing to avoid his gaze.
I grab the first set of ornaments I find and start placing them on the tree. Sebastian plays some Christmas music on his phone and joins me, working on the top of the tree where I can’t reach and helping make sure that even the back of the tree is decorated. I hum and sing softly to the music, absorbing the joy of the holiday. I smile as I move to the music, falling into another memory of our past.
Dad finally said we could go pick out a tree. Walker didn’t want to come this morning, but as we were getting ready, he changed his mind and him and Sebastian are now whispering behind Dad and me as we examine the trees we walk past, trying to find the perfect one for this year.
Dad’s talking about something, but I’m so zoned into looking for the perfect tree that I don’t catch any of what he’s saying.
After a few minutes, Sebastian walks up beside me and nudges me with his elbow. He tips his head towards our left, and I turn to follow his gaze, finding the most perfect tree.
“Dad!” I call, and he stops, facing me. I point at it, and I follow as he makes his way towards the tree to examine it.
“It’s not exactly straight, Lise.”
“So?” I ask.
“Do you really want this one?” Dad asks, and I nod.
“Can we just cut the tree and head back to the cabin?” Walker complains, and I roll my eyes.
Walker has never been as big on Christmas as me. It’s been my favourite holiday since I was young. Starting Decemberfirst every year, I watch Christmas movies every day. I convinced my parents to let me decorate my room. I joined caroling groups and dragged Mom along with me. I don’t know why Walker seems so anti-Christmas this year, though.
“I want this one,” I declare, and Dad nods, getting to work on cutting the tree down and finally getting Walker to help after a few minutes.
Sebastian nudges me with his hip, and I turn to look at him.
“You didn’t pick the prettiest one,” he muses. His voice is light, almost teasing, but there’s a hint of curiosity in it, too.
