Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Max
Narrator: Both down on their luck but for vastly different reasons.
Betty’s trying to find her worth, while our dear friend Max is trying to keep his.
And unlucky for him, it seems like his parents aren’t interested in hearing from him, which is not helpful, because this puts Max all on his own.
But I think Max has a plan brewing, something he’s been thinking about all day.
Something that if done correctly could possibly win this battle of wits.
And not only will it help him keep the family farm, but it will also best Dwight.
And truly, who is rooting for Dwight in this situation? Raise your hand.
That’s what I thought. Not a single soul.
A man as sniveling as him deserves to be put in his place, don’t you think?
“I agree. He does need to be put in his place. Because going after Evergreen Farm like he is, that’s bold.”
Narrator: Some might call him the antagonist of the story.
*Raises hand* “I would.”
Narrator: And some might say you’re the hero.
“Well, if that doesn’t puff my chest out and reinvigorate me, I don’t know what does. Give me a hint. Does the good guy win in the end?”
Narrator: You will just have to wait and see.
“Fair, but one more question. Cole said something about a narrator a few years ago, and I thought he was losing his mind. Are you the same one?”
Narrator: That would be correct.
“Cool. I don’t know what he was talking about. You’re pretty nice, other than this whole Evergreen-Farm-thing-going-out-of-business, but I’m going to trust the process.”
Narrator: And that is why you’re my favorite. On with the story.
“Thank you all for being here today,” I say somberly as I dab my mouth with my napkin.
When I arrived at Cole and Storee’s house, I told them that I didn’t want to talk business until after dinner.
Cole rolled his eyes, but Storee patted me on the shoulder.
When Taran and Guy, Storee’s sister and her boyfriend, arrived, I caught up with them.
Taran has been working as a nurse in town, and honestly, I couldn’t really tell you what Guy does.
“Almost feel like he’s just part of this story so people don’t ask about any love interests for Taran, but I could be wrong. He truly adds no value.”
Narrator: Ahem . . . please don’t critique the story.
“Right, sorry.”
Anyhoo, he did tell me about this book he’s been reading, Nobody’s Angel.
I tuned him out when he mentioned the book, just did the whole fake-smile-and-nod-my-head thing.
Then I chose to sit as far away from him as possible at the table.
He cornered Storee and Taran’s aunt Cindy, who lives next door, and bless her, because she listened to the entire plot and even asked questions.
She has better manners than I do, that’s for sure.
“Storee, dinner was delicious, and thank you for hosting. I have some things I need to speak to you about, and since I don’t trust my brothers not to run their mouths, I’d really like to keep this to the inner circle of this table.”
Cole leans in. “Dude, you’re not going to be dramatic about this, are you?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m not. This is serious.” I lean back in my chair and let out a breath. “Dwight Yokel is on a warpath to put Evergreen Farm out of business, and so far, I can’t see how he could fail.”
“What are you talking about?” Aunt Cindy asks. “Evergreen Farm has been around forever. There’s no way it will go out of business, not to mention Dwight Yokel has no business in being . . . well . . . in business.”
“I share your sentiment, Aunt Cindy,” I say.
“But here are the facts. The empty lot next to Evergreen Farm, it belongs to him. It’s just outside the town limits, meaning he can do whatever he wants with the land, even a competing Christmas farm.
He’s hired his niece to take over the responsibilities, and she’s done enough snooping around my farm to have a general understanding of how we work.
Not to mention they’re not targeting townies, who’d support Evergreen.
They’re targeting visitors. And since their property is before ours on the way to Kringle, there’s a great chance they can succeed. ”
“Feels like a real You’ve Got Mail situation,” Guy says from the other end of the table.
“That’s what I said,” I say, pointing to my chest. Okay, maybe this guy isn’t so bad.
“Atlas, you can’t possibly think within a few weeks, they’ll put your farm out of business,” Storee says in a calm voice.
“Honestly, I think they would do anything they can to make it happen. Even by planting people to say negative things to customers. Just today, this lady complained about the temperature of the hot cocoa and made a big deal about it. People crowded around as she showed off her tongue.”
“Hey, she came into the doctor’s office today complaining about her tongue,” Taran says.
“Seriously?” I ask.
Taran nods. “She asked if she could file a lawsuit, but we told her it wasn’t worth her time because the words on the cup were Caution: hot.”
“Jesus fuck,” I whisper as I push my hand through my hair. “See, this is what I’m talking about. I swear, my parents leave for a month, and it feels like everything’s falling apart. They’ll do anything to take me down, so I need an action plan. And I think I have one.”
“Is it having a civil conversation with Dwight and the girl—”
“Betty,” I interrupt Cole. “Her name is Betty.”
“Wait, is that the new girl that I met the other day at the farm?” Storee asks. “She was really nice. You can’t possibly be talking about her.”
“Blond hair, bright blue eyes?” I ask.
“Yeah, that’s her,” Storee says, looking defeated.
“Uh, I was saying,” Cole continues. “Have you thought about having a civil conversation with Betty and Dwight? Maybe tell them that whatever beef there is between all of you, maybe you could work it out?”
“Ha!” I guffaw and then cross my arms at my chest. “You don’t think I thought about that? When Dwight attacked me in the parking lot—”
“Attacked you?” Cole raises his brow. “You’re, like, thirty pounds heavier than he is. There is no way he attacked you.”
“You didn’t let me finish,” I say. “When he attacked me with his poking finger and words—”
Cole rolls his eyes, but I continue.
“—there was no reasoning with him. And Betty, oh boy, she’s even more stubborn. Trust me, if this was talkable, I’d sit down, buy them a meal, and hash it out. But unfortunately, that is not an option for me. Therefore, we have to form a plan.”
“I like plans,” Aunt Cindy says, looking interested in the prospect of being involved.
“Feels like we’re about to be part of a mystery novel or something,” Guy says, adjusting his glasses on his nose.
Okay, dweeb, the excitement is a little much.
“What do you have in mind?” Storee asks. “Turn the town against them?”
I shake my head. “They don’t care about that.
Any other normal human living in a small town would probably hate being the object of everyone’s hate, which is not the case here.
Which is why they don’t care about pleasing the townspeople.
It’s not like it will hurt Dwight’s business, because he’s the only Realtor in town and will own that title until he decides to retire, because as the town ordinance states, only one person in a single job within the town. So . . . that screws us.”
“Okay, so what’s your plan?” Cole asks.
I’m so glad he asked.
I place my hands on the table, and on a deep breath, I say, “We make her fall in love with me.”
“Jesus Christ,” Cole mutters.
“Dear God.” Taran shakes her head.
“That . . . is an interesting idea,” Storee says, looking anything other than supportive.
“Well . . . I don’t know what to say to that,” Aunt Cindy says, her smile wavering.
And Guy, over at the end of the table, avoids eye contact and sips his water. And here I thought he might support me.
Blowing out a heavy breath, I get ready to convince this table that I’m not only onto something but that this idea has merit. “I’m serious.”
“We can tell,” Cole says and then presses his fingers to his temple in annoyance. “Dude, you can’t make someone fall in love with you, and also, how will that stop her?”
“I’m glad you asked,” I say. I stand, grab a rolled-up piece of paper and white spatula from my jacket, and bring them over to the table. “Please make room.”
Grumbling occurs, but plates and drinks are moved, clearing enough space for me to unroll my plan, which I drew up earlier with some crayons I found in the tree shack. I pin the edges down with a few glasses of water and then slap my spatula on the table, using it as a pointer.
“Jesus, was that necessary?” Taran asks, her hand placed over her heart.
“Yes,” I say. “Now pay attention closely, because this is vitally important to follow.” I point to a picture of a sad stick figure with blond hair and the name Betty written above her.
“This is Betty. Notice how sad and lonely she looks. And this is me.” I point to a buff stick figure with an axe and my name.
“Notice how proud I am to be standing next to this tree, a tree that has been a part of my family—”
“Spare us, please. Just get on with the plan,” Cole groans.
“Fine. There was a whole backstory that would have really added to the plan, offering sympathy for me and hate for her, but whatever.” I clear my throat and move the spatula down to a picture of me handing Betty flowers.
“This is the target. Enemy number one, the single human who has turned the life of your faithful friend, the one and only Atlas Maxheimer, upside down. We despise her and hope for her to trip and fall into a snowbank . . . gloveless.”
“Gloveless.” Aunt Cindy tsks. “That’s quite harsh, Atlas.”
I nod. “I know, I know, but that’s how much we don’t like her. She is on a mission to put lovable me out of business, and the only way to change her vision is to woo her. To make her fall head over heels in love with me.”