Page 34 of Just A Bet

“What?”

“I’m stuck.”

I lean over and…shoot back upright. There’s absolutely nothing to see there. “Can you back out?” I ask, a slight waver in my voice.

“Uh,” I hear her moving around. “No. There’s a branch sticking in my rib.”

“Okay.” This isn’t good. “Try twisting maybe?”

She moves enough to make the tree branches move, but she’s still stuck.

“I hate to say this, but I need some help.” She sounds as reluctant to ask as I am to offer in her current predicament. But I can’t just leave her stuck there.

“Okay, um, I’ll try pulling you out.” I bend down behind her. Then freeze. Where do I put my hands?

“Are you going to do anything?”

“Uh. Yeah.” I can touch her. I’ve done it countless times before. I’ll have to run later, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

I slide up as close as I can get and wrap my hands around her slender hips. I pull.

“Ow,” she grunts.

I drop my hands. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it's fine. Just pull a little harder. I’m getting claustrophobic.”

“Are you sure?” I ask. I don’t want to hurt her. It’s the last thing I ever want to do.

“Yes!” she yells.

I don’t need to be told again. I grab her waist again and yank. All at once, I lose my hold of her, and my balance on the stairs, and I roll down the stairs.

My head hits the wall, then the stair, and the wall again before I come to a stop on the tile. I catch my breath just as Lennox falls on top of me.

“Ow,” she says and I hold in a similar groan.

I can’t move. My back and head hurt, but it's more than that. I don’twantto move. I’ll take a tumble down the stairs any day for a moment like this.

“Are you okay?” she asks and rolls to the side.

“I will be.” I breathe. “In a minute.”

I don’t have a minute, though. Because the next thing I know, the Christmas tree is barreling into us.

Lennox rolls into my side, using me as a shield. Branches scrape up my arms and face.

When it comes to a stop, I don’t want to breathe. Lennox’s hand is on my chest and I don’t care that a fake Christmas tree has gotten the best of me three times now.

Lennox’s head pops up. “I’m sorry. I think you got the worst of it,” she says, tracing a finger along my cheekbone. There’s no sting though, just pure fire.

Her lips are so close. I wonder if they feel as soft as they look.

Footsteps pound into the hallway, followed by a gasp. “Oh my! What happened?”

Lennox and I untangle limbs and branches and slide out from under the devil tree. On second thought, the family room looks better without it.

I offer Ms. B a half-smile. “We got your tree.”

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