Page 15 of The Humbug Holiday

She nodded as she skirted the counter to ring up Cameron’s purchase and somehow talked him into buying fresh garland and a wreath while giving him a general breakdown of the life and times ofmoi.

“I’ve known Joe forever,” Lena blabbed. “We went to kindergarten together and all the way through high school. A group of us worked here at the tree farm when we were teenagers. We were the ones making the wreaths and tying mistletoe back then. We had so much fun, drinking spiked hot cocoa and dancing around to goofy holiday music. Remember that, Joe?”

“Yeah.”

Lena didn’t seem to be in tune with my ‘let’s wrap this up’ vibe. I stifled a sigh as she launched into a story about the time I’d dared my friends to sled Bonsai Hill shirtless in the middle of a snowstorm.

“He didn’t get any takers, so he went on his own,” she said. “We’re hearty folks here, but it was ten degrees and snowing so hard you could barely see your hand in front of your face. Joe didn’t care. He took his coat off, pulled off his sweater and his hat, hopped on the toboggan and went tearing down the hill. Total nut bar! If Billy’s mom hadn’t been waiting at the bottom of the hill with a blanket and warm cider, you’d probably still be an ice cube.”

“Yeah, well…”

“Billy was telling our son, Caden, that story the other day as a tale of caution. He’s only seven, but he’s a bit of a daredevil…just like this guy.”

“I was a stupid teenager, Lena. Things change.” I hooked the wreath around my arm and grabbed the tree while Cameron took his receipt and slipped his wallet into his pocket. “Well, it was nice to see—”

“So you’ve lived here your whole life,” Cameron commented, ignoring my attempt to escape.

“Yep,” Lena proudly pronounced. “Born and raised in Fallbrook. And at this farm. Well, I wasn’t born at the farm, but I liked it so much I married the boss’s son so I could work here every year.”

He made a show of casting an appreciative glance at the expanse of trees and fairy lights overhead, and turned to gaze at the red barn and the stately home in the distance. I didn’t know this man well, but I had a feeling he was sizing things up and taking notes for future reference. We’d all end up in his book one way or another.

“It’s a lovely area. I can see why,” he gushed.

Lena nodded. “It’s home. Billy and I went to college in Burlington and talked about moving to Albany years ago, but we wanted to raise our kids here. Most of our friends did the same thing. We all headed off to the big city and boomeranged back to Fallbrook. Even Joe.”

My plastic smile was in danger of cracking in half. I loved Lena like a sister, but this was officially excruciating. I tugged Cameron’s sleeve before he could ask a billion questions Lena would have been more than happy to answer.

“We have to get going. See you soon, Lena.”

“That better be true, Joey. Don’t be a stranger.” She hurried around the counter to hug me and squeezed Cameron’s bicep. “Nice to meet you, Cam. Happy Holidays.”

“Thank you.”

I declined her offer to have one of the teenage employees help schlep our purchases to my truck with an indignant snort that made her laugh. And just like that, the years melted away. We were fifteen-year-olds, hanging out with our buddies at our cushy afterschool gig. We had a whole life in front of us—no drama, no wrong turns, no regrets. I hadn’t known how good I’d had it till it was gone.

I hadn’t “boomeranged” home on purpose. I’d come to lick my wounds and stayed. At first, I’d told myself it was a temporary reprieve, but I didn’t have any plans to move on. I could claim to be worried about my mom’s health, but she was doing well. I could claim I needed to make a living, but that wasn’t really true.

Something kept me here. I couldn’t break the connection or shake the idea that I was here for a reason…like a quest I had yet to figure out.

Thankfully, Cameron’s endless stream of questions staved off mindless introspection. Was everyone as friendly as Lena? Mostly. Was I still close to my old buddies? Yep. Did people seem to meet their partners in other towns and settle down or had they married each other like Lena and Billy? Uh…a little of each.

Oh, and just to throw me off guard, he asked if I still rode toboggans shirtless.

I chuckled, wiping wet flurries from my eyelashes. I cranked the screws on the base of the tree, then shook excess snow from the branches while Cameron unlocked the front door.

“Not if I can help it. I can’t remember the last time I was on a sled at all. Can you?”

He left the fresh garland and the wreath on the porch, stomped his boots on the mat, and held the door open for me. “I’m a Californian, Joe. I don’t sled.”

“You could. I’ve heard there are mountains with great skiing in Cali.” I carried the tree into the foyer and scanned the area. “Where do you want this?”

Cameron frowned as he shrugged his arms out of his coat. “I don’t know. It’s probably best to put it in one of the front rooms so it’ll be easy to get rid of. I suppose we could leave it here in the entry next to the staircase or…in the living room.”

“It’ll be in the way here and unless you spend any time in the living room, you’ll forget about it till July when it’s nothing more than a dead trunk surrounded by brown needles.”

“True.”

“How about your office?”