Page 51 of Wish You Faith

“They vary in prices, but yes, bonsais are always pricier than regular potted trees that we also have.” Rosie escorted a few who wanted to see the collection.

She was surprised that Evan went along.

“I want to see the bonsai trees too,” he said.

Rosie wondered if that was his only reason. She felt relieved that he had come to her rescue back there, but he really didn’t have to follow her around. She had her phone now and could call for help. Besides, the public was here. She wouldn’t be alone the rest of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo would take care of Travis. If needed, he’d call the police to throw Travis out.

Rosie reminded herself to never go anywhere alone in the tree farm from here on out until Travis dropped his pursuit for good.

Rosie took them to a covered porch on the other side of the greenhouse. It was rustic, with pine floorboards, and potted plants interspersed with rattan furniture in the sitting areas for guests. She could smell the cloves and cinnamon from the hot apple cider brewing in a slow cooker at a table by the wall.

Customers milled about the wide porch. Sitting down, stepping off. Coming and going.

“Every plant on this porch is for sale,” Rosie said.

“You break it, you buy.” Someone laughed.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Rosie showed them a section of the porch where bonsai were.

“I thought they should be indoors,” a customer remarked.

“These are pine bonsai trees, and they need to be outdoors but in the shade, like this porch.”

As the customers snapped photos of the bonsai, Rosie explained that they have a contact with a local bonsai expert. “Chevy and his wife have been growing bonsai for forty years. Some of these trees have lived that long.”

“How many of these are sold every year?” someone asked.

“As you can see, we only display five every year. By Christmas, at least three—if not all—of these will be gone. No two bonsai are the same and next year, there will be new ones.”

Evan was eyeing a bonsai in a blue willow porcelain pot. The dwarf pine was about two feet tall.

“You like that one?” Rosie asked.

Evan barely nodded. “How old is this?”

He didn’t ask how much. That surprised Rosie.

“This tree is thirty years old.” Rosie pointed to a note card on the table. “Chevy wrote something on the card about this tree. He started growing it when his son was a baby. The son is married now, and his wife is expecting.”

“So it’s a special generational tree.”

“It’s also at least a hundred grand,” Rosie said softly.

Evan didn’t flinch. “My mother would love this bonsai.”

“There’s no employee discount on any of the bonsai because Christmastown didn’t grow them. Chevy works at the SSLR greenhouse, and he knows Amy and Cyrus. They let him display his bonsai here. Some of Chevy’s other bonsai are on loan to botanical gardens in the region.”

“That so?” Evan picked up the card. “How do I buy this tree?”

“You find a cart and take it away. Checkout is over there.” Rosie pointed to the checkout counter where Christmastown workers were busy. Two lines had formed. Rosie decided she’d go check on them in a minute.

“Or you can scan the QR code on the card and pay from your phone.” Rosie picked up the card beside the bonsai and pointed to the QR code on it.

Evan scanned the QR code with his phone, surprising Rosie.

They had known each other for two weeks, but Rosie hadn’t thought of Evan as more than a seasonal worker. They hadn’t talked about money, and Evan dressed normally like Rosie did, with no name brands. Well, Rosie liked Eddie Bauer and LL Bean clothes, and she wore a pair of Keen hiking boots to work, but other than that, she didn’t own any designer items. Evan didn’t seem to either.

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