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“I’m a workaholic who knows the night clerk at my local convenience store more than my own neighbors. My last boyfriend and I broke up… like, five years ago now. Hint, if you ever become an attorney. Donotdate someone you might end up in court against, no matter how cute they look in a suit.”
“Duly noted,” Ethan said as they pulled up to the trailer. “Okay, let’s get those feet looked at.”
Laura didn’t mean to, but she whimpered as soon as her left foot touched the ground, and Ethan was immediately at her side, picking her up. “You?—”
“You’re hurt, I’m not.” He carried her to the steps and helped her into the trailer. Once inside, he put his lunch, a couple of Hot Pockets, in the small microwave he kept for just that purpose, and turned to Laura. “Okay, take off the boots, both of ’em. I’ll get the first aid kit.”
Her feet were a mess. Actually, Ethan thought, her feet were beautiful, with cute little toes that clearly at one point had pearlescent pink nail polish applied on them. It had suffered, but that was nothing compared to the mess that was the blisters on her left foot. Both her big toe and her middle toe had big blisters right on the knuckle, and her heel was an already popped mess.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked as he opened the first aid kit and got the hydrogen peroxide and gauze. “This is going to sting.”
“I know, I… gah fudgey monkeys!” she hissed as he applied the peroxide to her heel. He looked at her in surprise, and she blushed, a very cute blush at that. “Pawpaw hated when I cursed. Said it wasn’t right for the trees.”
Ethan snorted, and carefully cleaned the popped blister before applying antiseptic cream.
“For now, let that dry, you don’t need to put your sock or boot back on for a good bit yet,” he said. “In fact if you want, you can stay behind the desk, ring up sales for a few hours.”
“That sounds nice.” Laura sighed. “Just seems to keep coming back. Last night, I even washed up the dishes exactly as Paw-Paw taught me, and loaded the dishwasher just as he wanted me to.”
Ethan chuckled. “Yeah, I bet. I debated for a full year before getting that little mini-chainsaw that we used today, because that wasn’t how Mr.Bennett did things. Don’t worry, I still have customers use a hand saw on the live lot, or I cut it myself if they can’t or don’t want to. Still… shame about today.”
“How so?” Laura asked, sighing as Ethan massaged her foot. “What are you doing?”
“You clearly wore non broke-in boots,” Ethan said. “I’m not being weird, I promise. But you need this. As for about today, those trees today, they’re not going to be their best by the time Christmas comes. Sure, the market’s going to spray them down with chemicals, preservatives that’ll keep them green, but they won’t be as pretty as they could be. It’s like… you’ve seen the big tree in Rockefeller Plaza, right?”
“Of course.”
“That tree’s cut down sixweeksbefore Christmas, hauled down the highway, and put up in New York. Now sure, I bet with fifty thousand lights on it it looks beautiful, but thetreeis… what?” Ethan asked as Laura sighed. “What is it?”
“I heard similar stories from Paw-Paw,” Laura said. “I told him back then, it’s just a tree, you know? Sure, people like green ones, but if the people don’t care, then why should you worry once it’s off the lot? I mean, I’m sure it’d be nice to have a line of cars out of the parking lot every night for the two weeks before Christmas, but that’s not the way the world works any more. In cities it never has.”
Ethan sighed, and set her foot down. “You don’t care about the trees, do you?”
“I care that they provided a life for me and my grandfather for all the years that they have,” Laura said matter-of-factly. “I’m glad that people got something out of them enough to keep coming back year after year. But if you mean, I care individually as to just how green someone’s tree is when they open theirpresents this Christmas? I couldn’t care less. It’s just another day.”
He stared at her in open shock, not even getting up when the microwave dinged.
“You don’t mean that.”
“What?”
“That Christmas is just another day,” he said. “Christmas is special. Even if you’re not a religious person, Christmas, the season, it’s important.”
“No more important than any of a dozen other big holidays, we just attach more sentimental meaning to it,” Laura said bitterly. Seeing Ethan’s expression, she held back a laugh. “You don’t believe me? Try reading theTimesthe day after Christmas. Not the front page, although you might find it there, too. But read the crime blotter. There, it’s same stuff, different day. Cops still need to work on Christmas, fire fighters and ambulance drivers and hospitals still need to work on Christmas. You want me to think that a day is special? Show me a day where people don’t care about money, or sports, or social media, or any of that. Show me that, Ethan, and I’ll say Christmas is special. Until then… it’s just a day.”
Ethan swallowed, and stood up. Going over to the microwave, he got his Hot Pockets out, and put them in his jacket pocket. “Excuse me,” he said. “I think I’ll eat lunch outside. I need to get ready for customers anyway.”
He left, and outside the bright afternoon sunshine didn’t help warm the pit in his stomach. He was certain, after such a good dinner the other night and seeing her work this morning, that Laura would come around. He’d hoped that maybe there was a chance he could get her to save the farm, and see that the joy it brought people, especially the people of the Rockaways. He’d hope she would see it was more important than immediately becoming a partner in a law firm.
Now, he wasn’t so sure.
CHAPTER 5
LAURA
“H
ey.”
