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Brady shakes his head then jumps to the ground. I exit the vehicle and lock the doors.
Not far from the parking lot is a hay wagon that will take us to the barn further on. There are pre-cut trees available, but for a little higher cost, there’s an option of hiking through their tree farm to cut down your own. I know this because I did research on the place before breakfast. All part of Operation-Romance-Layla-Away-From-the-Idiot.
Sadie takes Brady’s hand and leads him toward the waiting hay wagon. Brady glances at me as if to ask for help, but Sadie will be a good influence on him. He needs experience with people outside of books and Dungeons and Dragons.
I turn to ask Layla how she enjoyed the ride in the back of the van and if I’ll get paid in candy canes again, but after our charged moment on the beach, she has been intent on not looking in my general direction.
She and Tori talk as they follow Brady and Sadie. I follow behind and listen in on their conversation.
“I’ve never been to a Christmas tree farm before,” Layla says. “My grandparents bought trees from the guys who sell on city corners.”
Tori sighs. “I have never been to any kind of farm. It’s not my aesthetic.”
Layla laughs. “No, definitely not. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.”
Though I can’t see it, I know Tori rolls her eyes. “Fun? We’re heading toward a horse-drawn carriage filled with hay that I’m supposed to sit on to get to a barn. I can smell the horse poop from here. All I can say is I better not step in any of it. These boots are Jimmy Choo.”
“It’s called a wagon,” Layla whispers. “Not a carriage.”
Her correction is met with another eye roll, this timeaccompanied by a laugh. “See? Proof that this is not where I belong.”
A friendship forming between them is not what I expected, but I think they both need a friend right now.
It’s not as cold today as it has been, and I unbutton my coat and remove my gloves. It’s perfect weather for what I have planned for Layla. I check my watch. We have forty minutes until it begins.
“I love this smell.” Layla holds her arms out as if hugging the world. “Tori, don’t you just love the scent of pine? I want a candle that smells exactly like this.”
“I prefer to keep the smells of nature outside, where they belong.”
Layla laughs. Tori glances over her shoulder at me and cracks a smile.
I love the scent of pine, too. It reminds me of tree hunting with Dad. He loved finding the perfect tree. After he died, Mom stopped buying real trees and stuck with a fake. I haven’t been on a tree lot since. Nostalgia is a powerful, heady feeling. This visit is bittersweet.
Brady slows until the three of us catch up to him. “When our dad was alive, we cut down our own trees. Do you remember, Owen?”
“Yeah, I do. I’m surprised you do. You were young.”
“Not that young.”
Sadie, who has been staring at the horses as we approached the wagon, tugs on her mom’s arm. “Mommy, I want a horse! Can I have a horse for Christmas?”
“Absolutely not.”
The quick response does not deflate Sadie’s enthusiasm in the least. “I’ll name him BB after my favorite cousin!”
Cousin BB blushes. I don’t even mind my demotion.
Layla takes her buzzing phone out of her coat pocket. “I’ll catch up. I need to take this call.” She looks at me for the first time since this morning. “It’s Brock Pine Home.”
My thoughts instantly go to her grandma escaping yesterday. Did it happen again? Layla looks braced for bad news as she answers.
She walks to the left of the path as everyone else continues to the wagon. I wait for her, not trying to overhear her conversation, but I don’t try not to overhear either.
As she listens, her whole body droops.
“I sent the payment on Saturday night. … Oh. Denied. How much do I still owe? … That much. Okay. Can I get it to you on Monday? … Yeah, I’ll have money on Saturday, but with the banks being closed, the soonest I can get it to you is next Monday. … Thank you. I appreciate your understanding.”
Money for her grandmother. Can’t she talk to Spencer today? Why does she have to wait until Saturday?
