“Yeah, friends.” He smiles, and although I should be happy that we’ve finally cleared the air between us, I can’t help the twinge of disappointment at his ready agreement.
Shaking it off, I gesture out the front window. “Shall we?”
For a small village or town—I’m not exactly sure how to classify Charnwell—this is a pretty big place. As well as the do-it-yourself Christmas trees a bit further back, there are a whole lot of pre-cut ones grouped by type and size. Surely there can’t be that many people around here who need trees?
As if sensing my thoughts, Sean leans back against his car. “This is the best Christmas tree farm around here. People are prepared to drive a good distance to pick a good tree at a decent price.”
I nod. “Fair enough.” A lot of the trees are still enclosed in netting, but there’s also a fair amount that aren’t, and I head over to the section in front of us. The sign above it labels them as Nordman Fir and over five feet tall.
Perfect.
I’ve taken two steps towards it when Sean grabs my arm. When I glance over at him, he smirks.
“Not those,” he says, steering me around them. “I thought we were picking our own?”
I point at the trees lying on top of one another. “That’s what I was going to do.”
He tsks but doesn’t let go of me as we walk past the wrapping stations. “What better way to see how a tree looks than when it’s still in the ground?”
He has a point. “Okay, so how does this work?” I’ve only ever picked a tree that was already cut.
“First, we need to pick up a saw.” He drops my arm as we approach the large wooden shed-type place that appears to be doubling as a paying station and saw pick-up point.
“All right, Sean.” The guy manning it is tall, broad, and looks like he could carry a tree in each hand and not break a sweat. I grudgingly admit that he’s hot in a rugged sort of way. He greets Sean with a smile and a warmth in his expression that immediately makes me bristle, which is ridiculous. What do I care if this guy and Sean have orhada thing?
“Pete.” Sean grins back. “We need a saw.”
At the wordwe, Pete’s gaze swings to me, and he gives me a swift once over. He doesn’t seem bothered by my being here, so either he doesn’t have any interest in Sean or he doesn’t see me as a threat.
Probably the latter.
He collects a saw and smirks at Sean. “I take it you know how to use it?”
Pretty sure I’m not imagining the suggestive tone.
Sean laughs and shakes his head. “Just give me the damn thing.”
Pete hands it over, gaze still flicking between the two of us. “Let me know if you need a hand.”
“Will do.” Sean sets off towards the rows and rows of trees and I dutifully follow.
My curiosity is piqued, and I’m dying to ask how well they know each other but bite my tongue because it’s none of my business. I’m so busy repeating that in my head that I almost walk into the back of Sean when he comes to an abrupt halt.
As it is, my hands end up on his shoulders.
His very firm and muscular shoulders.
I drop my hands and take a hasty step back.
He rests the saw on the ground and glances back at me. “How big do you want it?”
Of course, my mind instantly drops to the gutter. “Err...”
“The tree,” he adds, like I need clarification, and all the blood rushes to my cheeks.
I make a show of rubbing my hands and shivering, hoping he’ll attribute my sudden flush to the cold air. His grin implies I’m just making an arse of myself.
Wonderful.
