Page 48 of A Holly Brown Christmas
“With all his money, and all he spent was twenty bucks?”
“Why would he think that was a good tree? Doesn’t he know the difference between a good tree and a bad tree?”
“My dog has a better tree than that next to his doghouse.”
If Lucas heard the comments, he didn’t say a word, but Holly had enough.
“Okay, can everyone please go back to work?” she said loudly. “There’s still plenty to do without everyone standing here gawking at the tree Lucas graciously bought for us! How about a little gratitude, huh? Instead of mocking what we have, maybe be thankful that he cared enough to go out and find something! Is it a great tree? Maybe, maybe not! But we can make it into something wonderful!”
“Sorry, Holly…”
“Sorry, Mr. Brooks…”
“Yeah, sorry, Lucas…”
No one made eye contact as they apologized and scattered. Even Crystal managed to disappear.
Traitors.
She walked over slowly, glancing between Lucas and the pine-shaped tragedy in front of her. The corner of her mouth twitched, trying hard not to smile. “So, uh…they were out of trees everywhere, huh?”
“They sure were. It was tragic.”
“I see.”
“Before Saturday, I’d never gone shopping for a tree before. I tried to remember everything you said about it, but you really said a lot that day. I couldn’t keep track of it all. Besides, this tree looked like it needed someone to rescue it.”
“Lucas,” she said gently, “was the tree shoplifting? Is that why you had to rescue it?”
He arched a brow. “Hey. It’s got character.”
“It’s got mange.”
Lucas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just thought—I don’t know. Maybe we didn’t need perfect. Maybe we just needed something real. Or at least something to fill the space until the actual trees got here.”
“The…the actual trees?”
“Holly, please. I may not know how to shop for a tree like you do, but even I know this isn’t up to my family’s standards. Or…anyone’s really. It was a token tree; that’s all. I ordered the pre-lit and pre-decorated ones online after the second store because I didn’t want to take any chances. They’re being overnighted here to the office tomorrow.”
“You didn’t have to do that. It must have cost a fortune!”
“It cost less than the shipping on that twenty-foot tree coming to my house,” he said with just a hint of sarcasm. “Anyway, I hate that you’re working so hard and I wanted to help in whatever way I could. We don’t have to do anything with this tree. It was already halfway to the dumpster when I found it.”
Her expression softened. She walked over to the tree, fussing a bit with its sparse branches. Glancing back at him, her voice warmer, she said, “I think it’s kind of sweet,” she says. “In a weird, lopsided, slightly tragic way.”
Lucas tentatively stepped beside her. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I mean… isn’t that kind of the point? It’s not about impressing clients or getting Instagram likes. It’s about warmth. Togetherness. Trying, even if it looks a little sad on the outside.”
He looked at her, really looked at her, and grinned. “You’re kind of amazing, you know that?”
She shrugged. “Only on holidays.”
“No,” he argued lightly. “All the time. You, Holly Brown, are amazing every day of the year.”
It was a sweet and wonderful compliment. And as much as she wanted to lean in and kiss him, there were still too many people around.
Instead, she picked up the string of lights that the tree lot had thrown in and began to carefully wrap them around the tree. “Come on. Let’s make it beautiful.”
