Page 28 of Wish You Faith

“So the decorations change yearly?”

Rosie nodded. “No two years are exactly alike.”

“Oh.”

“Hey Rosie, thanks for helping us today,” someone said. “Otherwise, we’d be shorthanded with two people out sick with colds.”

“It’s going around. Wash your hands.” Rosie laughed. “Seriously, I’m glad to help. Takes me out of the tree farm from time to time, you know?”

Evan had counted more than nine people working at Christmastown Tree Farm. Seven were here this afternoon. That left Lorenzo and one employee back at base.

He had only seen nine employees plus a bevy of volunteers at the tree farm. Turned out that the rest of them were at client sites, installing outdoor decorations such as this motion-activated Christmas caroling.

“On that note, we’re done for the day. Are we tired yet?” Rosie asked.

They all nodded.

“It’s only Monday, so we have a whole week left to go. Good job, everyone.” Rosie clapped. “If you’re staying for dinner at the cafeteria, no vouchers are needed. Pay at the door on your way in. No, it will not be reimbursed because it’s after hours and our work for the day is done here.”

No one complained.

Evan thought this was a good group of people.

“Those of you coming back to see the garden at night and to roast marshmallows, remember to be back here in the garden at six o’clock. That’s roughly forty minutes after the sun sets.”

Evan wondered if Rosie was eating at the SSLR cafeteria. He didn’t get a chance to ask until they had finished putting away their tools and started putting charcoal in the fire pit.

“Let me call Mom first.” Rosie waited for Mom to pick up the phone. “Mom, you sure you don’t want to come to SSLR tonight? Roasting s’mores.”

“Nah. You enjoy yourself. Is Evan with you?”

Rosie hesitated. Then: “He’s here. We’ve been working. Why?”

“How about asking Evan to give you a ride home?”

Evan chuckled when he heard Sonya speaking loudly enough for him to hear, but he tried to remain calm. It seemed to him that Sonya didn’t disapprove of him the way she had rejected the other suitor. He might have broken the love triangle.

Happy!

“He’s driving the Christmastown truck, Mom. We’re all going back to the tree farm. I left my car there.” Rosie’s voice was all businesslike, and it made Evan worry a bit. “Don’t stay up, Mom. Get plenty of sleep. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

Rosie hung up, but didn’t look at Evan. He wondered what he was doing hanging around Rosie. He didn’t want to overstay his welcome— even though he was working today and had every right to be there.

He moved away from Rosie, and got busy helping the crew clean up and pack up.

There were two Christmastown trucks parked outside of the SSLR buildings. One of them came from the warehouse in Pooler, and the other was what Evan had driven around for the tree farm. It was a good thing that he’d been assigned to the tree farm in the first place—which had been why Bellina had taken him there as a part of his training as a driver.

So he could say that he hadn’t planned all this. As a part of his work, he would’ve met Rosie anyway. Then again, perhaps Christmastown had rules about manager-employee relationships. That could be a problem because he was clearly interested in Rosie Hamilton.

What if she became Rosie Cavanaugh?

Oh banish the thought.

Mom would never approve. She had her eye on the daughter of an Asian billionaire as her future daughter-in-law. What Mom didn’t know was that the thirty-year-old heiress was a hard-partying spendthrift who behaved like she was still in college.

Evan preferred a woman who was more mature.

Like Rosie Hamilton.

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