Chapter 13
Thirteen
It was after two and there was no sign of Lucas, Lennon, or any Christmas trees. Holly was beginning to worry, but was trying not to let it show.
“Oh my God…if you don’t stop pacing, we’re going to need a new carpet out here,” Crystal said with amusement. “What are you freaking out about? It’s like Santa’s workshop around here and people are loving you for it!”
“Only because I’ve let them take extended time away from their desks and ordered Starbucks for everyone.”
Crystal grinned mischievously. “Yeah, that was a nice perk. I can’t believe you got Jacie to cover that as an office expense.”
“Technically, we’re all working to decorate the office. Something Mrs. Brooks would have paid a fortune for. So really, we’re saving the company money.”
“I don’t know. I ordered a very expensive drink.”
Holly shot her friend a look. “I know. And a scone.”
“Hey, you didn’t say we couldn’t have more than one thing. All you said was to give Jacie our Starbucks order, so I did.”
“It was implied, Crystal!”
“You can be as offended as you want, but I saw you eating a chocolate cake pop and drinking out of a Starbucks cup, so…”
“Okay, fine. I ordered a cake pop too. They’re delicious! Sue me!”
They kept joking back and forth as they strung pine garland around the lobby area, but Holly was still wondering what was taking Lucas so darn long.
Thirty minutes later, the elevator doors whooshed open.
Lennon stepped out and gave Holly an apologetic look and immediately stepped aside as Lucas trudged in, a gangly live Christmas tree under one arm and snowflakes clinging stubbornly to his coat.
The tree looked like it had been in the discard pile—thin, uneven branches, a bald spot near the top, and one side leaning awkwardly like it was trying to bow out of the whole situation.
Several of the office staff paused mid-decorating, blinking at the tree. She heard one intern whisper, “Is that even alive?” Someone else stifled a laugh.
Lucas plunked the tree down in the center of the lobby with an awkward sort of pride.
“Ta-da!” he announced. “Do you know that Thanksgiving weekend is the biggest weekend for buying Christmas trees, artificial and live? Lennon and I hit four different stores and then hit the tree lots. It was slim pickings, let me tell you.”
“Was someone throwing that out?” Crystal murmured for Holly’s ears only.
“Shush,” she hissed, turning her attention back to Lucas.
“Anyway, the last lot we were at, the guy said they were getting a new shipment of trees this weekend. But I saw this one standing all alone in the back of the lot and figured…why not? Twenty bucks and the guy threw in a string of lights. Crazy, right?”
“Um…that’s one way to describe it,” she said, forcing a smile. “And you want to put this…?”
“Right here in the lobby! This way, when anyone comes in, they can see it!”
The sad part was that he was being completely serious.
Lennon stepped forward and gave Holly’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I tried to stop him, I swear. But I couldn’t change his mind. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”
Silently, she watched him walk away and wished everyone else would get back to work, but they were still cracking jokes about the tree.
“I thought he was supposed to get a good tree!”
“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.”
Lucas grabbed the nearest box of ornaments, and together, they worked to turn a forgotten tree into a glowing centerpiece—imperfect, but full of heart.
Perfectly imperfect.
And really, wasn’t that what they all were?
After work, Holly went home to get Shmoop while Lucas went home to order dinner. They were going to spend the night at his place—the guesthouse—and he had a few things he needed to take care of before she arrived.
When he and Lennon were shopping earlier, he wanted to pick up some holiday decorations for himself.
He wasn’t going to go overboard, but he thought a few things might make the space feel a little more festive.
His buddy had poked fun at him for even considering it, but Lucas didn’t listen.
He knew what he wanted to do and he was going to do it no matter what.
Once he got home, he went into the main house and up to the attic.
When he and Holly went up there last week, there was one box of Christmas decorations that he didn’t remember ever seeing on the family tree, but they were ones that he and his sisters made while they were in school when they were younger.
The box actually had three boxes in it—one for each of them—so he knew the ones he was taking were actually made by him.
And it wasn’t until he took them out and looked at them that he even remembered them.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” he murmured.
Racing back to the guesthouse, he did his best to get everything set up while he waited for Holly to arrive.
And their food.
He checked the app and saw the driver should arrive in the next seven minutes and, with any luck, Holly would arrive around the same time. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she walked in the door!
He was organizing boxes when his phone dinged with an incoming text.
Anna: Hey! Are we still good for tomorrow?
It was a group text between the two of them and Kat.
Lucas: I cleared my schedule, but only for two hours. Hopefully, we can get everything worked out during that time.
Kat: I’m good for tomorrow too! And I have some ideas!
Anna: Well, don’t tell us now! Save it for the call!
Anna: Although now I’m wildly curious!
Lucas: I’m only semi-curious, but I’ve got a date and can’t talk about this now.
Kat: YOU HAVE A DATE???
Kat: WHO IS SHE??
Kat: IS IT SERIOUS??
Kat: OMG! I’M SO EXCITED!
Anna: Then why are you yelling at him in all caps? Lol!
Kat: I’m not yelling. I’m just excited.
Anna: It looks like yelling.
Lucas: Yeah, it felt like yelling too.
Kat: And? Are you going to answer any of my questions?
Lucas: Her name is Holly, we work together, and it’s all new. And that’s all I’m going to say.
Kat: Wait…Holly from the office? Do I know her? Have I met her?
Anna: She’s the cute and perky girl from payroll. Super enthusiastic every year about the party.
Lucas rolled his eyes because it made her sound weird.
Kat: Oh, right! Yes! She’s adorable! I always liked her!
Kat: But do you like her? Like…a lot? Do you see this getting serious?
Anna: What did he just say?