Chapter 2
Chapter Two
HUNTER
AN AX TO GRIND
“Which tree do you want?”
“Aren’t they all the same?” the little boy with a wide-toothed smile asks.
“They aren’t.” I kneel down next to him and point to two different trees. “That one is taller, and that one right there has more needles. Very different.”
“They look the same to me.”
“Well, whichever one you want, you’ll need to make sure it fits in your house. You wouldn’t want to cut your tree in half.”
He shakes his head, pointing to the fuller tree. “I want that one then.”
His mom smiles and nods behind him.
“Then stand back.”
Making sure the area is clear, I line up my trusty ax and take a mighty swing.
Thwack.
It cracks right into the trunk of the tree at a perfect angle. The vibrations ripple through my arms as I cut into it before it falls to the ground with a soft thud.
“Wow! I want to learn to do that!”
“Maybe when you’re older.” I smile at him before directing my attention to his mom. “We’ll get this taken out to your car and tied down for you.”
“Great.”
“There’s some hot cocoa at the main barn or a train if you want to ride through the fields.”
“Can we, Mom? Please?” the little boy asks, pulling on her coat sleeve.
“Let’s go.”
They wave at me as they head off into the snow-covered rows of trees toward the main barn of Naughty Pine Tree Farm.
I whistle as I make quick work of pulling the Scotch pine tree onto the sled to get wrapped in netting.
It’s just the distraction I need to keep from worrying about Ollie and whatever problem he might have. Normally he would have texted me by now to tell me what it is. Seeing as how he’s my best friend—and I’m his—he’ll usually tell me before the other guys.
Does that means something could really be wrong? No. He wouldn’t have texted that. He would have called.
God love my best friend, but he is still someone that prefers a phone call over texting. It’s only because it’s him that I take his call. Checking my phone one more time, I see nothing.
At least I can head to the Tinsel Tavern once I’m done with this tree. Perks of being the owner. I can play hooky when I need to.
Not that I make a habit of doing it, but a few hours in the middle of busy season is about all I can manage.
For Ollie? I’d give him the whole day if needed.
By the time I finish up, I’m running a few minutes behind as I hop into my truck and head into town.
I blast one of my favorite Christmas songs—“All I Want For Christmas Is You”— because who doesn’t love it? I don’t go around advertising that. I have to keep up my grumpy lumberjack facade with my friends.
The Tinsel Tavern is packed. Circling the block a few times, it takes me a while to find a parking spot. As I’m getting out, my phone buzzes in my pocket.
Mom
Cindy has a single son
Any interest?
Hunter
Are we back on this again?
I know you said you weren’t dating, but he’s handsome
I told you
I’m fine on my own
Please
It’s okay to admit you want someone
I’m in no rush to settle down
Fine
Pass up this handsome man
I’ll die alone with no son-in-law
Bye, Mom
Shaking my head, I stuff my phone into my jeans pocket and head inside. Of course my mom is trying to set me up. It’s the last thing I want. I love my life exactly how it is.
After moving away from Moose Falls after college with my boyfriend, I thought I had everything figured out.
Life was good. I thought the two of us were going to get married.
I was head over heels in love until the rug was pulled out from under me.
Turns out, I wasn’t the only one he was in love with.
Whenever it comes to relationships? I turn into a bear.
The thought of them makes me do a complete one-eighty. My mom trying to hook me up? I can’t help being standoffish.
When I moved back here, I swore off relationships.
Trees? I like my trees. And my friends.
Relationships?
I don’t do them. I like playing the field. It’s fun. There’s nothing wrong with casual sex. It works for me.
Something I don’t really tell my mom, so I go with reminding her I’m not ready to settle down.
Besides, my schedule is chaotic at best during the holidays. I don’t want to have someone waiting on me when I won’t be home until all hours of the night.
“Look who finally decided to show up,” Brooks says, fingers balancing three drinks as he weaves his way through the crowd when I step inside.
“Some of us had to work today.”
“If I could flip you off, I would.”
I grin back at him. “I know.”
“Forgot all the hard work I did for you today.”
My grin gets bigger. “While I’ve been chopping down trees.”
“Because you won’t let me near the ax.”
“For good reason.”
I love Brooks, mainly because it’s so easy to give him shit. He’s been good for Charlie this last year, and I’ve loved seeing the two of them grow together as a couple.
Not something I want anymore because I’m perfectly happy on my own, but they seem to be doing just fine.
“What’s this big emergency?” I ask, grabbing a beer from Brooks and sliding into the round booth at the back of the bar with Griffin, Theo, and Ollie. Christmas lights are twinkling as holiday songs play from the jukebox.
“Technically, I was not the one that called it an emergency,” Ollie clarifies, adjusting his glasses. Having known him my entire life—our mothers met in the hospital and became best friends—I know this is his nervous tic.
“I, well…” he starts and stops.
I sip on my drink, letting him take all the time he needs to gather his thoughts. I grab a pretzel from the bowl Charlie brought over and pop it into my mouth.
“You’re worrying me,” Griffin says.
“I need a boyfriend.”
Coughing, my pretzel gets lodged in my throat. Charlie pats me on the back as I swig down my drink to try and clear it.
“I’m sorry, what? A boyfriend?”
“Yes.” His cheeks turn cherry red.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him turn this color before.
“Why do you need a boyfriend?” Theo asks.
“It’s a long story.”
“We have plenty of time.” Griffin rests his arm on the back of the booth, looking at him.
Ollie picks at his beer bottle. “I kind of told my coworkers I was dating someone.”
“You kind of told them or you did tell them?” Brooks asks. “Just for clarification here.”
“I told them I was dating someone.” Ollie sighs, then gulps down a large swig of beer and nearly chokes on it.
“You need a boyfriend,” Charlie reiterates. “What for?”
“The company Christmas party is this Friday and significant others are invited.”
“I thought they were banned?” I question. “Didn’t someone get drunk and start a fire?”
“Someone started a fire?” Theo asks. “I don’t know if I’ve heard that story.”
“No, there was no fire,” Ollie interjects. “Someone got drunk and thought it would be a good idea to rip a paper towel dispenser off the wall.”
“Why’d you tell them you were dating someone if you’re not? I mean, it seems pretty easy to just say you’re single,” Griffin adds.
“They wouldn’t stop pestering me about dating someone, so one day I snapped and told them I was seeing someone so they’d drop it.”
“Ahh.” I nod my head. That sounds about right. “With the party coming up, you need to take someone so it doesn’t look like you were lying.”
“Correct.”
“Could you try a dating app?” Theo asks. “I mean, Trey and I met that way.”
Griffin snorts. “I still can’t believe you’re dating someone named Trey.”
“At least I’m dating someone.” Theo throws a knowing look toward his best friend.
“Ouch. Tell me how you really feel.”
“I’m only saying you could meet someone if you wanted to.”
Griffin shakes his head. “I’m fine playing the field.”
“I don’t think that’s what Ollie wants to do, right?” I ask, interrupting the two of them before they really get going.
“N-no,” he mutters. “I don’t think that would give us enough time to get to know one another to make it believable that we’re in a relationship together. Besides, what would I say? ‘Wanted—one fake boyfriend for the holiday to fake out his coworkers’?”
“You need someone who knows you,” Charlie says, tapping his chin. “Why don’t you take one of those guys?”
He points to the three of us sitting next to him.
“Don’t look at me,” Theo says. “I am happy in my relationship and don’t want to explain to Trey why I’m going on a date with someone else.”
“Fake date,” Ollie corrects. “It would only be one night.”
“Which leaves one of you two,” Brooks says, looking between Griffin and me.
“I think I’m free Friday,” Griffin states.
“You are?” Ollie swings his gaze to him, studying him. Like he’s seriously considering taking this man to his holiday party.
Which leads me to what I say next.
“I’ll do it.”
Every set of eyes bores into me.
“You will?”
“I just offered,” Griffin says. “What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing. I’m free. I’ll do it,” I repeat.
“Apparently I’m chopped liver,” Griffin says to Theo.
“I still love you.” Theo pecks him on the cheek.
“You’d really do it?” Ollie asks. “I feel bad for even asking. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
I give him an easy smile. “It’s not a big deal. Besides, if there’s someone that is going to be a good fake boyfriend, it’s going to be me. I know you better than I know myself some days.”
“This is true,” Griffin states, like it’s a balm to him not being picked.
“It’s only for one night,” Ollie points out. “Nothing else.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I can do one night. Having to hang with my friend? Not the end of the world.”
Hell, it’ll probably be a better night than I had planned. Working late at the farm then home and a beer before crashing?
Yeah, much better.
Given how busy I am this time of year, it’ll be nice to get out for once.
“Why don’t you come over tomorrow and we can go over all the details?” Ollie asks, once again adjusting his glasses.
“Sounds good.”
I shoot a wink his direction before downing the rest of my beer and heading to the bar to order another round.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Charlie asks, following behind me to help.
“It’s one night. What could possibly happen in one night that will change things?”
“Just making sure,” he says.
“Thanks, but we’re good.”
We’re Hunter and Ollie. Nothing is going to change that.
Not even one night as boyfriends.
Fake boyfriends. I can’t forget that part.
One night as fake boyfriends won’t change anything.