“Well, I’m glad you asked,” Dolly said from behind us, startling us both. I had no idea how long she’d been there. “I’m gonna need both of you to go, actually.”
I shot Hayden a look before turning back to her. “Oh? Where are we goin’?”
“To a friend of mine outside of town,” she smiled, those eyes sparkling with mischievously. “He’s got a Christmas tree for the diner.” She gave us a small wink. “And I need y’all to decorate it for me too.”
Chapter 20
Hayden
The Christmas tree was a disaster waiting to happen.
I’d been staring at it for twenty minutes, trying to figure out how we were going to get it through the diner’s front door. The massive pine towered over both Diego and me, easily nine feet tall and almost as wide, with branches stretching out like it was trying to hug the entire state of Texas.
“You sure this is the one Dolly wanted?” I asked, my breath visible in the cold December air.
Diego circled the tree, his hand rubbing at the scruff on his jaw as he assessed our predicament. “It’s the one her friend pointed us to. Said she specifically requested the biggest one on his lot.”
“Of course she did,” I muttered, pulling my coat tighter around me.
When Dolly had sent us on thisquick little errand, I’d had a feeling she was up to something. The knowing wink she’d given Diego hadn’t escaped my notice. Three days of avoiding him, of lying awake at night remembering the feel of his hands on my skin, and suddenly we were thrust together on a Christmas tree mission. And, to make things worse, the weather had taken a turn.
Subtle, Aunt Dolly. Real subtle.
“Well,” Diego said, clapping his hands together, “no use standin’ here freezin’ our asses off. Let’s get this monster inside the diner.”
He moved toward the tree with determination, and I couldn’t help but watch the way his shoulders flexed beneath his jacket as he positioned himself at the trunk. The memory of those shoulders above me, his body pressed against mine in that hotel room, sent heat rushing through me despite the December chill.
“You gonna help me, Freckles, or just stand there lookin’ pretty?” Diego called over his shoulder, that infuriating smirk playing at his lips.
I rolled my eyes but moved to help him, grabbing the other side of the trunk. “Don’t call me that,” I snapped, though he knew better. Truth was, I’d missed hearing that ridiculous nickname.
“Whatever you say,” he replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
Between the two of us, we managed to wrestle the tree off the bed of Diego’s truck. By the time we’d turned it around and dragged it to the entrance of the diner, my ears were cold, and my hair was full of pine needles.
“You’ve got a little...” Diego reached out, plucking a needle from my hair. His fingers lingered longer than necessary, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Thanks,” I murmured, taking a step back. The air between us felt charged, filled with all the things we weren’t saying. I glanced back at the door. “Getting this thing inside is gonna be like giving birth.”
Diego laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that made my stomach do somersaults.
“What the hell would you know about that?” he teased, lifting his end of the tree trunk again. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I sighed, bracing myself as we maneuvered the massive pine toward the diner’s entrance.
The first attempt was a complete failure. We triedtwisting it as we pushed, branches scraping against the doorframe like fingernails on a chalkboard. Several needles showered down on us, and I swear I heard the tree laughing at our efforts, along with many of the customers in the diner.
“This isn’t working,” I grunted, setting my end down. “Maybe we should trim some of the branches?”
Diego looked horrified. “And ruin this perfect specimen? Dolly would skin us alive.”
“Then what do you suggest, tree whisperer?”
He studied the doorway for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “The back entrance. It’s wider, and there’s no second door to deal with.”
“The back entrance?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Ofcourseyou’d suggest that.”
Diego just laughed. “We could lube it up if you think that would work.”
