Ding. Ding. Ding.
The bell on my elf hat jingles with every step I take, announcing my ridiculous presence to the entire Christmas tree farm.
Cheyenne spots me first.
“What in theworldare you wearing?” She gasps, leaving her mouth hanging open. Her hand comes up to cover it as she takes in the full glory of my green-and-red-striped tights and pointed shoes.
Mission accomplished. She’s too shocked to look sad.
Genna spots me next, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline before she doubles over in laughter.
I strike a pose, hands on hips, chest puffed out. “I’m Jingle the Elf, sent by Santa himself to help find the perfect Christmastree!” My voice comes out in a ridiculous high pitch that makes Genna snort so hard she has to turn away.
“I can’t believe you.” Cheyenne shakes her head, but there it is—the smile I’ve been looking for. It’s small, but real. “Remind me why we thought soliciting Dylan’s help was a good idea,” she says to Genna, who’s finally recovered enough to speak.
“I didn’t know he’d come dressed like a complete idiot,” Genna protests, wiping tears from her eyes. “That was allhisidea.”
She’s right.
When Genna called asking for help, I immediately thought of the perfect way to distract Cheyenne from her breakup with that jerk. The costume rental place near my house didn’t even question why a professional hockey player was renting a full elf ensemble the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Probably figured it was for a charity event or something.
“Come on, ladies,” I announce, the bells on my shoes jingling as I spin around. “The perfect tree awaits!”
The Christmas tree farm is straight out of a Hallmark movie. There are rows and rows of pines stretching in every direction. Twinkling white lights are strung across the walkway. Holiday music is playing from speakers disguised as rocks. There’s even a little shack selling hot apple cider, which already has my name on it. I breathe in the smell of pine sap mixed with cinnamon.
A few other families wander through the rows, giving me double-takes as I lead Genna and Cheyenne deeper into thefarm. I don’t care how ridiculous I look. Dignity is overrated compared to making someone laugh.
“So.” I clap my hands together, the sound muffled by my ridiculous green mittens. “What kind of tree are we looking for?”
“Something that will actually fit in our apartment,” Cheyenne says, rubbing her hands together against the chill.
“Boring!” I declare, prancing ahead with exaggerated elf steps. “Santa says bigger is better!”
I catch Genna rolling her eyes. “I’m going to check out the wreaths,” she says, veering off toward a display near the entrance. “You two handle the tree selection.”
And I can’t complain about the chance to get Cheyenne smiling again. I’ve known her since we were teenagers, and seeing her heartbroken over that idiot Garrett makes my blood boil. The guy never deserved her anyway.
“What about this one?” I point to a massive tree.
Cheyenne puts her hands on her hips, reminding me of all the times she’s challenged me over the years. “Dylan, our ceilings are eight feet. There’s no way that monstrosity will fit. That’s just basic math.”
“Math was never my strong suit.” I shrug, grinning at her. “That’s why I hit things for a living.”
She snorts and shakes her head. “Hitting things and flirting with everything that moves.”
“Not everything,” I protest, although my reputation suggests otherwise. “Idohave standards.”
“Really? Name one woman you’ve dated for longer than a month.” She raises an eyebrow, and I notice how the colored lights from a nearby tree reflect in her eyes, making them look almost golden.
“We’re not talking about my dating life,” I say quickly, spinning around to examine another enormous tree. “We’re picking out the perfect tree for you to forget what’s-his-name.”
“Garrett,” she says quietly.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve already forgotten him.” I wave dismissively, cringing at the jingling bells on my wrist. Maybe this costume was a bit much, but the slightly annoyed look on her face is still better than the devastated one I saw on Thursday. “What about this one?”
The tree I’m pointing to is a beautiful blue spruce, tall but not ridiculously so.
