Page 13 of Bad Boy Bachelor Christmas
“Why?”
He looked at me like he wanted to saybecause I said so, but instead said, “Because you’re not in Portland anymore, and wide open spaces like this without a human for miles can be dangerous and easy to get lost in.”
Fair enough.
He pulled away and zoomed off through the trees, pausing to look over his shoulder as I climbed the steps and went inside. I listened to the engine hum until it was too far away and retreated into the warmth of my cozy little cabin. It didn’t feel nearly as welcoming as it had yesterday.
I decided to call my lifeline.
Mom and Dad.
They answered on speakerphone, as always, both enthusiastic.
“How was your first day?” Dad asked.
“Tell us everything!” Mom cried.
I did just that. I told them everything—all about the trees and the real deal as to why I was there. They listened, Dad making the occasional thoughtful sound in the back of his throat that he always did, until I was all the way through my story. Then they met me with nothing but silence.
“So?” I pressed. “What should I do?”
“What do you mean, sweetheart?” my mother asked.
“I’m considering bailing,” I said. “This isn’t what I was led to believe it would be. I thought I was coming out here for a once in a lifetime internship experience that was going to advance my career. If the conditions had been transparent from the start, I would have turned it down and I’d be home with you guys right now drinking eggnog and getting ready to put up the tree the day after tomorrow.”
“Honey,” Dad said, “it’s not the same without you here, so don’t get me wrong when I say this, but you can’t throw in the towel yet. You have no idea where this could lead. Sometimes the most unexpected things are what bring us the most blessings. What if this is your moment?”
“Trees, Dad? Decorating trees is my moment?”
He chuckled. “You never know. I met your mother because I took a terrible job selling vacuums door to door. If not for that job, I’d never have knocked on her father’s door, and I’d never have seen her inside reading the Great Gatsby and had the chance to plan my happenstance meeting with her the next day.”
“It’s true,” my mother agreed. “Everything happens for a reason. We wish you were here, but we trust that you’re where you’re supposed to be. Lean into it, Winter. What if you’re right where you’re supposed to be?”
“And what if I’m thousands of miles away?” I asked.
“Give it two weeks,” my dad said. “If you make it halfway through the month and you still hate it, come home. We’ll make sure your room is ready. You owe this tree farmer nothing. Give it your best shot for your own sake, see what happens, and get out of there if it’s terrible. Deal?”
I sighed and collapsed on the sofa. “I guess so.”
Mom’s laugh filled the line. “Chin up, honey. How bad can it be?”
“Well, it’s not decorating hotel lobbies or ballrooms, so bad.”
“Oh the drama.” Dad chuckled.
Mom scolded him, and I listened to them giggle like high school kids on the other end. They managed to make me smile, and I felt a bit better about things when we ended the call. Not great but better.
Maybe I would have clarity with what I wanted to do come sunrise.
CHAPTER7
NORTH
Nimble and quiet, like an elf, I gripped the porch railing of the cabin and leaned all the way forward, using my height and long arms to reach me all the way to the door mat in front of the door that read “Sleigh Bells Ring” with a little reindeer underneath. Marge’s doing, I assumed. I set the breakfast platter down that Maurice had sent me off with this morning, careful the silver lid didn’t slip and clatter on the porch boards, and pulled myself back up, again careful I didn’t move too quickly to make the old wooden structure creak or groan.
Luckily, it did not. The beams held my weight and let me straighten up. Just as quietly as I’d approached, I backed away from the cabin like I was retreating from the territory of a rabid dog.
What I was really trying to avoid was another chit-chatty morning with Winter. After our ride yesterday, I knew she’d have a lot on her mind this morning. To quit or not to quit? Personally, I couldn’t help but think she’d be a fool to quit.
