Page 106 of Holly Jolly July

She hesitates, a smile spreading on her face. “Why are we at a Christmas tree farm?”

“You said you wouldn’t settle for anything less than a real tree for Christmas. So, I thought, why don’t we get one?”

“But you hate Christmas!” she blurts.

“I do. I did. But I want you to have the full Christmas experience, since I know it means so much to you. We have all the decorations anyway, and I never really decorated one before, so—”

Ellie slams into me, her lips ravaging mine in a hungry kiss. I wrap my arms around her and pull her close as I tilt my headfor a better angle, matching her intensity. Ellie’s hands hold the sides of my face, then one runs up the back of my neck and grips my hair at my scalp, making me moan into her mouth. I let my hand wander down to her ass and give it a squeeze, and—

Someone clears their throat.

We stop, dazed and blinking at the sound.

A kindly old white man with white hair is standing a few yards away with a chainsaw in his hands, trying his very best to be polite and not gawk at us as we make out in his tree field.

I move to step away, but Ellie grabs me by the hand to keep me close. I try not to let the butterflies in my stomach explode out of my chest.

“You two here for a Christmas tree? In July?” He’s a good sport despite how ridiculous my request is.

“Yes, sir!” Ellie squeezes my hand so tightly I’m worried my knuckles will pop.

“Okay. You have a size in mind?” He starts walking, and we follow him.

“Just a small one,” I say. “We don’t have much room.”

He nods, leading us to the right. We walk hand in hand, the scent of pine wafting through the air tickling my throat, continuing past the tall trees to the smaller saplings.

The gentleman gestures toward them and we wander through the neat rows to find our new friend. Ellie’s eye catches on one almost immediately, and I don’t have to be a Christmas expert for this thing to give me Charlie Brown vibes.

“That one!”

“You sure?” the old man asks, scratching his white hair.

Ellie nods. “It’s perfect.”

He shrugs, then asks us to step back and cover our ears while he revs his chainsaw, taking one quick slice to cut it down. He easily carries it back to the car, strapping it to the top with a bit of twine.

“How much do I owe you? Do you take cards?” I ask, pulling my wallet from my purse in the back seat.

He lifts a hand, declining my offer. “It’s all good. I was going to have to thin that scraggly little guy out, anyway. I’m glad he gets to have his Christmas, even though it’s July.”

Ellie grabs him in a quick, surprising hug. He chuckles, patting her back awkwardly. Once she releases him, she skips to the passenger seat, buckling in, and I join her up front. She’s so fucking radiant, shining like she’s made of a hundred stars, and when she smiles at me in that heartbreaking way, my heart squeezes so tightly it takes my breath away.

And that’s when I know for sure.

I love her.

Interstitial

Int. Jenna’s Apartment - Night

Annie enters Jenna’s dark apartment, closes the door and leans against it. Lights turn on, surprising her.

JENNA

There she is. Were you over at that

guy’s place across the hall again?

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