“We’re getting a Christmas tree,” Chloe cheered, waving her arms in the air.
“Yes, we are and we’re going to cut it down ourselves.” Niko exited the car and went to the back of the SUV, opening the hatchback.
Ronan held the door open while Alice climbed out. She gathered her coat tighter about her body. It was chilly outside and she hopped from one foot to the other on the gravel parking lot, trying to warm up.
“You’re cutting your own tree?”
“Yes, we are.” Niko rested a handsaw against his broad shoulder and cocked his hip, his worn jeans hugging his thighs. He had nice legs, solid and powerful. Chloe skipped in front of Alice’s line of vision, jostling Alice out of her inappropriate inspection.
Niko led the way around the corner of the building, his strides purposeful. She tried not to stare at his butt, equally as nice as his legs. She knew first hand from the video footage she’d yet to delete. Pervert.
“Wow, look at all the trees,” Chloe pointed to rows upon rows of trees laid out as far as the eye could see. She started to run toward them when Hallie caught her by the coat.
“Slow down and wait for me,” she said before she sprinted past her daughter. Giggling, Chloe chased after her, childish laughter floating on the wind.
Alice moved at a more sedate pace. It was early afternoon and the sun was out, a rarity since she’d arrived in Seattle. The sky was so unbelievably bright, it hurt her eyes. Her phone rang with Brooke’s ringtone. She walked away from the rest of the group and stood beneath a copse of trees, clicking the accept button. “Hey, Brooke.”
“I got your text. I’m sorry. Are you alright?” Brooke asked.
“Fine. You were right, he wasn’t the right man for me.” It still didn’t make it easier. She swallowed hard and tried to keep the quiver from her voice. Over the years, Alice had been the adult in the room and it was difficult to share her own pain, even with her sister.
“I’m sorry to do this to you, but I have some more shitty news. We’ve been forced to detour because of the wildfires. We’re all okay but we’ll be delayed a day or so. And I still can’t find any puppies.”
Alice shifted on her feet and rubbed at her aching temples. “Puppies are the least of our worries. We have construction to do. Can we have at least two of the guys fly here to get a head start on the wall and the lights?”
“I tried that angle. All direct flights are booked and any multiple city stops won’t get them there any quicker than us driving. I’d recommend getting someone local.”
“That might be my only option.” Could her day get any shittier? Alice started to pace, exasperation and a sense of hopelessness encompassing her entire body. “Crap, this can’t be happening. I don’t have any room for error.” She loosened her shoulders and willed herself to relax. “Then I guess I’ll have to improvise. Any other bad news? Did my goldfish die?”
“You don’t have a goldfish,” Brooke said.
“I know, I’m being a smartass.” Alice had nothing alive in her apartment. No pets, no fish, no plants. Nothing to tie her down. In many ways, she was like her mother, a woman she’d resented most of her life. Her mother had done one thing right, she’d given birth to two healthy babies. “Thanks for the heads up. We’re Christmas tree hunting right now.”
“Damn, I wish I was there. We never did anything fun like that as kids,” Brooke said.
As kids, they were lucky to have food on the table, let alone something as frivolous as a tree. If it weren’t for her babysitting money, she and Brooke would have gone hungry. “Hey, we had our Charlie Brown tree. Remember the branches you gathered out of the yard?” No matter how bad it got, she and Brooke had found a way to celebrate Christmas. Until she’d lost her Christmas spirit.
Brooke’s light laughter drifted from the phone. “Hey, it worked. Are you getting a tree for Grace’s place?”
“No, I’m here for an interview.” Alice brushed her shoe across a pile of leaves littering the ground. “Niko and his family invited us to come along.”
“Then you’re working?” Brooke said, disappointment in those four words. “I was hoping you were getting into the Christmas spirit. You’ve turned into a Scrooge since you’ve worked for the network.”
“Bah, humbug.” Alice exhaled; her breath frosted in the shade cast by the fragrant trees. “If the weather here gets any colder, we might get that snow Mitchell wants.”
“We can only hope. Go have fun, pick out a tree while you’re at it, and some mistletoe. I need to kiss me some cute guys.” Brooke paused for a brief second, then asked in a more subdued tone, “Alice, are you sure you’re all right? I know this sucks but you’ll pull through, you always do.”
She often forgot Brooke lived the same childhood as she had. At least part of it. Brooke was eight years younger than Alice was, and had been spared the trauma of foster care. Even with the small amount of child support Brooke’s absentee father paid, their mother still had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. She’d left them alone most nights and they’d been forced to be self-sufficient. In some ways, Brooke was wise well-beyond her twenty-three years. “Breaking off my engagement wasn’t the worse thing to ever happen to me.”
“I love you, Sis. I’ll see you when we get to Seattle and we can talk more.”
“I love you too.” Alice tucked the phone into her pocket. The tears that she’d held back welled in her eyes, giving lie to her words. Vision blurry, she spun around, hand flying to her mouth.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you. Are you okay? You look upset.” Niko scanned her face, brow furrowed.
Alice swallowed hard, searching her mind for a plausible explanation. To tell him the truth would bring about questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. “I’m fine. Just more bad news. The wildfires have delayed my crew by a day. No crew, no construction, no set, and no puppies…” her voice broke in spite of her resolve.
He lifted her chin with his finger, eyes gentle and concerned. “I’m not referring to the show.”
