Chapter 20
Hayden
The Christmas tree was a disaster waiting to happen.
I’d been staring at it for twenty minutes, trying to figure out how we were going to get it through the diner’s front door. The massive pine towered over both Diego and me, easily nine feet tall and almost as wide, with branches stretching out like it was trying to hug the entire state of Texas.
“You sure this is the one Dolly wanted?” I asked, my breath visible in the cold December air.
Diego circled the tree, his hand rubbing at the scruff on his jaw as he assessed our predicament. “It’s the one her friend pointed us to. Said she specifically requested the biggest one on his lot.”
“Of course she did,” I muttered, pulling my coat tighter around me.
When Dolly had sent us on this quick little errand, I’d had a feeling she was up to something.
The knowing wink she’d given Diego hadn’t escaped my notice.
Three days of avoiding him, of lying awake at night remembering the feel of his hands on my skin, and suddenly we were thrust together on a Christmas tree mission.
And, to make things worse, the weather had taken a turn.
Subtle, Aunt Dolly. Real subtle.
“Well,” Diego said, clapping his hands together, “no use standin’ here freezin’ our asses off. Let’s get this monster inside the diner.”
He moved toward the tree with determination, and I couldn’t help but watch the way his shoulders flexed beneath his jacket as he positioned himself at the trunk.
The memory of those shoulders above me, his body pressed against mine in that hotel room, sent heat rushing through me despite the December chill.
“You gonna help me, Freckles, or just stand there lookin’ pretty?” Diego called over his shoulder, that infuriating smirk playing at his lips.
I rolled my eyes but moved to help him, grabbing the other side of the trunk. “Don’t call me that,” I snapped, though he knew better. Truth was, I’d missed hearing that ridiculous nickname.
“Whatever you say,” he replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
Between the two of us, we managed to wrestle the tree off the bed of Diego’s truck. By the time we’d turned it around and dragged it to the entrance of the diner, my ears were cold, and my hair was full of pine needles.
“You’ve got a little...” Diego reached out, plucking a needle from my hair. His fingers lingered longer than necessary, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Thanks,” I murmured, taking a step back. The air between us felt charged, filled with all the things we weren’t saying. I glanced back at the door. “Getting this thing inside is gonna be like giving birth.”
Diego laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that made my stomach do somersaults.
“What the hell would you know about that?” he teased, lifting his end of the tree trunk again. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I sighed, bracing myself as we maneuvered the massive pine toward the diner’s entrance.
The first attempt was a complete failure. We tried twisting it as we pushed, branches scraping against the doorframe like fingernails on a chalkboard. Several needles showered down on us, and I swear I heard the tree laughing at our efforts, along with many of the customers in the diner.
“This isn’t working,” I grunted, setting my end down. “Maybe we should trim some of the branches?”
Diego looked horrified. “And ruin this perfect specimen? Dolly would skin us alive.”
“Then what do you suggest, tree whisperer?”
He studied the doorway for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “The back entrance. It’s wider, and there’s no second door to deal with.”
“The back entrance?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Of course you’d suggest that.”
Diego just laughed. “We could lube it up if you think that would work.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, the back entrance is fine…”
I had to admit it was a good idea. We dragged the tree around to the alley behind the diner, leaving a trail of pine needles in our wake. The service entrance was indeed wider, and with some creative maneuvering, and a lot of cursing on my part, we finally got the tree inside.
“See?” Diego grinned triumphantly, his cheeks flushed from exertion. “Nothin’ to it.”
I brushed pine needles off my coat, trying not to notice how good he looked with his hair slightly mussed and his eyes bright with victory. “Yeah, nothing except nearly breaking our backs and destroying half the branches.”
The kitchen staff watched with amusement as we dragged the tree through to the main dining area. Dolly had cleared a space in the corner by the front window, complete with a tree stand that looked woefully inadequate for the behemoth we’d brought.
“That thing is massive,” I muttered as we positioned it over the stand.
“That’s what he said,” Diego replied with a wink.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Real mature.”
Getting the tree secure in the stand was another ordeal entirely.
Diego held it upright while I lay on my stomach underneath, trying to tighten the screws without getting a face full of pine needles.
The position gave me an excellent view of Diego’s boots and the way his jeans hugged his thighs, which was both distracting and frustrating.
“Little more to the left,” I called up, trying to focus on the task at hand.
“My left or your left?”
“Your left. No, too far! Back a bit.”
After what felt like an eternity, we finally got the tree standing relatively straight.
I crawled out from underneath, pine needles stuck to my sweater and probably in my hair too.
Diego offered me his hand, helping me to my feet.
He ruffled my hair, knocking all the pine needles free before placing his old hat back on my head.
“There,” he grinned. “Right as rain.”
“Thank god we’re done with that…” I sighed. “Never again.”
Suddenly Dolly appeared next to us, dropping a large plastic storage tub on the table next to us. “Looks good boys!” she smiled, a gleam in her eye that made me just the tiniest bit suspicious. “The rest of the decorations are out in the shed with the ladder. Get to work.”
I stared at Dolly in disbelief. “You want us to decorate it too? Tonight?”
“Well, it ain’t gonna decorate itself, sugar,” she replied, patting my cheek. “And I’ve got the Christmas Eve party tomorrow. Can’t have a naked tree greeting my customers.”
“But—” I started to protest, but Dolly was already walking away, humming Jingle Bells under her breath.
Diego chuckled beside me. “Looks like we’re stuck with each other a while longer, Freckles.”
I shot him a look that I hoped conveyed my exasperation, but I couldn’t deny the little flutter in my chest at the prospect of spending more time with him. Three days of avoiding him hadn’t done anything to diminish the effect he had on me.
“Fine,” I sighed dramatically. “Let’s go get the rest of the decorations.”
The storage shed behind the diner was packed with Christmas paraphernalia collected over what must have been decades. Boxes of ornaments, tangled strands of lights, and various holiday knick-knacks filled every available space.
“Jesus,” I muttered as Diego pulled the string on the bare bulb overhead. “It’s like Santa’s workshop exploded in here.”
“Or like Dolly’s been waiting for the right Christmas to use all this stuff,” Diego said, lifting a dusty box labeled Ornaments 1997. “Some of these haven’t been touched in years.”
“Well, she’s got a nephew and a cowboy to exploit now,” I grumbled, though there wasn’t any real annoyance behind it. I’d actually been enjoying helping Dolly with Christmas decorations. It had been a tradition my parents stopped doing after I’d started middle school.
Diego grabbed the aluminum ladder leaning against the wall while I loaded my arms with boxes of ornaments. The scent of fake cinnamon and pine followed us as we made our way back to the diner, where customers were now openly watching our Christmas tree adventure with amusement.
“Y’all need any help?” asked an elderly man I recognized as a regular.
“We’ve got it, Mr. Parsons,” I assured him, setting the boxes down near the tree. “But thanks.”
Diego set up the ladder next to the tree, testing its stability with a skeptical look. “This thing looks about as sturdy as a newborn calf,” he muttered. “Maybe you should be the one to go up. I can steady it for you.”
“Trying to get rid of me?” I chuckled, climbing onto the bottom rung.
“Not in a million years,” he grinned back. “But you’re lighter than me and more nimble. I’m a klutz.” He patted me on the back. “Just be careful, alright?”
I couldn’t help but notice the gentle concern in his voice. It was the same tone he’d used in the hotel when he’d asked if I was okay after we’d... I pushed the thought away, focusing on the task at hand. I didn’t want to get a boner in front of the entire restaurant.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, climbing higher. “Just hold it steady.”
The ladder wobbled slightly as I reached the middle rungs, but Diego’s strong hands kept it stable. I glanced down at him, finding his eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my breath catch.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said, a small smile playing at his lips. “Just making sure you don’t fall.”
We started with the lights, which thankfully, were not already tangled in the box.
I wrapped them around the upper branches while he handled the lower ones, our hands occasionally brushing when we met in the middle.
Each touch sent electricity through me, memories of Amarillo flashing unbidden through my mind.
“So,” Diego said casually as I stretched to reach a particularly stubborn branch, “had any thoughts about what you’re doin’ after New Year’s?”
The question caught me off guard, and I almost lost my balance on the ladder. His hands quickly steadied me, warm and strong against the back of my legs.
“Easy there,” he murmured, his grip tightening slightly.