Emmie gave him an annoyed look. “I’m fine. Why don’t you go help someone else?”
Sam put down the wrapping paper and pulled two candy canes from his pocket. He held one out to her. “I come in peace.”
She continued to ignore him.
He sighed and put down the candy canes. “Look, I’m really sorry.”
Hearing the sincerity and regret in his voice, Emmie stopped wrapping.
“I should have told you what I was writing about,” Sam said. “I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal.”
Emmie gave him an incredulous look. “You didn’t think writing about me was a big deal?” Annoyed again, Emmie yanked a huge piece of tape off and then fought to get it off her when it stuck to her sleeve.
Sam, without saying anything, pulled the tape off her. “What I meant is, I didn’t think you’d care. This is fiction. You were just the inspiration. That’s all.”
Emmie put down the present she was wrapping, and with her hands on her hips, she stared him down.
“So you’re not writing your next book about a girl whose boyfriend doesn’t show up for Christmas?”
Sam avoided her stare and picked up a toy truck to wrap. “Well, technically, yes,” he finally answered. “That’s the gist of the story, but it’s not about you specifically.”
Frustrated, Emmie grabbed the presents she’d wrapped so far and marched over to a giant Christmas tree that was in one corner of the room. It was where everyone was putting their wrapped gifts. She added hers to the growing pile.
Sam was right on her heels. “I promise you,” he said. “Nothing personal that we talked about will be in the book. That was all just between you and me. I’m just using the general idea of a missing boyfriend at Christmas.”
When Emmie headed back over to her wrapping table and picked up another gift, this time an adorable stuffed teddy bear, Sam followed and also picked up another Christmas gift, a teddy bear identical to the one Emmie was starting to wrap.
Emmie stopped, and without looking at him, took the bear he was holding. “I can do this. I don’t need your help. I don’t want it.”
When Sam reached out and touched her hand, she froze.
“Emmie, I’m sorry . . .”
When Emmie glanced up at him, she saw the genuine concern on his face. She quickly looked away, not liking the way her heart raced. She told herself the racing came from being upset with him, that was it. She took a deep breath. She knew she had to say something and decided just to be honest with him about how she felt.
“I thought you really cared about Christmas,” Emmie said, looking into his eyes. “I thought you really liked doing all the activities—the ice skating and making cookies for Betty. I told you stories about my family. I don’t share that with just anyone.” Emmie’s voice caught in her throat as she felt a rush of emotion.
“Neither do I,” Sam said softly. “I told you about my sister, and I haven’t been able to talk about her with anyone. And I do care about Christmas. You made me remember how much I loved Christmas. How special it is and what really matters most.”
Emmie let her guard down a little and handed him back the teddy bear and the gold roll of wrapping paper. Side by side, they both started wrapping their bears in silence.
Emmie didn’t know what to say or how she felt. Right now she just knew that wrapping the teddy bear made her feel better.
After a few more moments of silence, Sam looked over to her. “Look, I didn’t handle it right. I should have said something to you, but the idea hit me so fast and then Grant was here and . . .” Sam took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me? ’Tis the season.”
Emmie was finding it really hard to stay mad at him. She told herself it was the season for forgiveness, and she never wanted to stay angry with anyone—it took too much energy.
When she finished wrapping the bear, she put it aside and looked over at Sam. She couldn’t help but notice his bear was also expertly wrapped. He had put extra ribbon on his that made it look even more festive.
At that moment, she made a decision that she was tired of being upset. Upset with Sam, upset with Grant. It was Christmas. She wanted to embrace the joy and not keep feeling like a Scrooge.
She looked over at Sam and held out her hand. “Where’s my candy cane?”
Sam, looking relieved, quickly grabbed the candy cane and handed it to her.
Emmie unwrapped the clear plastic covering and put the end of the candy cane in her mouth. She shut her eyes for a moment and savored the taste, then opened her eyes and picked up another gift that needed wrapping, the board game Candy Land. She took Sam’s gold wrapping paper from him.
“Does this mean I’m forgiven?” Sam asked hopefully.
“I’m thinking about it,” Emmie said. When she turned and locked eyes with him, she was all business. “You promise me nothing of my personal life will be in your book. Especially none of the stories I told you about my parents.”
Sam gave her a sincere look. “I promise. I would never do that.”
Emmie nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he asked eagerly.
She nodded. “Okay.” She then handed him another present to wrap. It was a pair of snowshoes. “Good luck with this one.”
They shared a smile, and Emmie felt better.
As Sam started trying to figure out the best way to wrap the snowshoes, he looked around the room. “So where’s Grant?”
Emmie looked around, too. “I’m not sure.”
“He’s missing again?” Sam asked in a joking voice.
When Emmie glared at him, he held up his hand in defense. “Too soon?” he asked.
“Way too soon,” Emmie answered.
Sam fought back a laugh.
“He went to get us something to drink,” Emmie said. “Let’s just say wrapping presents isn’t really Grant’s thing.”
Sam held up the beautifully wrapped snowshoes. She saw he’d been smart and had put them in a gift bag and had added a big bow.
Emmie was impressed. “Nice job.”
Sam smiled. “Thank you. They don’t call me the Christmas-gift-wrapping king for nothing, you know.”
“You were serious about that?” Emmie asked.
“Oh yeah,” Sam said. “You should see my crown.”
Emmie stuck a big bow on top of Sam’s head. “Well, for now this will have to do.”
When Sam laughed loudly, Emmie couldn’t help but laugh, too. She wiggled her fingers. “I think my fingers are going numb.”
Sam nodded and wiggled his, too. “I’m feeling your pain. But we’re almost done.”
Emmie nodded. She couldn’t believe it. They were almost done. She gave Sam an appreciative look. “Thanks for the help. We could really use your wrapping skills where I work.”
Sam laughed. “Where do you work? The North Pole?”
“Ha-ha,” Emmie said. “At the community center I work at, we partner with Transitions, the family shelter, and help make sure all the kids there get a present for Christmas.”
Sam smiled back at her. “That’s awesome and explains why on the scavenger hunt you had me drop off a tree at the shelter.”
Emmie nodded. “We donate a tree to them every year. They do a lot of really great work helping families get back on their feet again. We all need to help each other at this time of year more than ever.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Sam said.
Emmie looked at the time on her phone and frowned. “I can’t believe it’s getting so late. Where in the world did Grant go?” She gave Sam a warning look.
He held up his hand in mock defense. “I wasn’t going to say anything, I swear.”
Emmie laughed a little. “I was just making sure.”
“You said he went to get coffee?”
Emmie nodded, looking around the room some more. “But I didn’t think he meant he was going all the way to Colombia to get it.”
Sam laughed.
Emmie gave him a
nother warning look. “Don’t even think about saying it.”
Sam grinned back at her and pretended to be zipping his mouth shut.
Emmie laughed. “You’re impossible.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Emmie and Sam were finishing putting their wrapped presents underneath the Christmas tree when Emmie’s referee whistle alert went off on her phone.
“So now what’s on your schedule?” Sam asked.
Checking out her app and the time, Emmie looked concerned. “I’m supposed to go with Grant to get a Christmas tree, but he just texted that he had to go back to the inn so he could get better cell reception to call his boss.” Emmie shook her head, frustrated. “He said he was going to focus on us, but he can’t say no to his boss, even when he’s supposed to be on vacation.”
“Sorry,” Sam said as he tucked a little present into the tree branches.
Emmie sighed. “You know we’re all busy, right? We all have deadlines and things that matter. I think Grant just really needs to find some balance. I was hoping this trip would help him with that, or at least give us some time together to celebrate the holidays.”
Sam looked at her phone. “I thought that app you guys use was supposed to help?”
“Me too,” Emmie said. “But we have to actually be together if we’re going to do stuff together.”
Sam nodded.
“This is the only time I had scheduled for us to get a tree,” Emmie said. “The rest of our time is all booked up. And pretty soon it will be dark and we’ll have lost our chance.”
“You’re cutting one down?” Sam asked. He looked impressed.
Emmie laughed. “Of course,” she said. “That’s the best part about being up here, getting a permit to cut down your own Christmas tree.”
“I one hundred percent agree,” Sam said. “You know my story and that’s what I always do.”
“When you’re not cutting down your neighbor’s bushes,” Emmie finished for him.
Sam laughed. “Hey, that was a long time ago.”
Emmie laughed.
“And you’re saying you and Grant are going to cut down a tree?” Sam asked, giving her a skeptical look.
“What’s that look for?” Emmie asked.
“Nothing,” Sam said. “I guess I just can’t envision Grant cutting down a tree . . . in his Gucci loafers.”
“Well then, it’s a good thing you loaned him some boots, right?” Emmie asked.
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. I just guess Grant seems more like the kind of guy who buys a tree. One of those perfectly trimmed trees, like a blue spruce.”
Emmie caught her breath. Sam had nailed it, but she refused to let on that this was exactly what Grant usually did, if he even got a tree at all. “Well, that was the plan, to get our own tree, at least before he had to work again.”
“You know, I can help you get a tree if you want,” Sam offered.
Emmie gave him a doubtful look and laughed a little. “Uh, I’m not so sure that would be a good idea with your past.”
Sam laughed. “I promise I won’t chop down anything in a neighbor’s yard. This way Grant can finish up his work and we can go get a tree so you guys can still decorate it.”
Emmie checked the time on her phone.
“So what’s it going to be?” Sam asked. “Do you want to go get a tree?”
Emmie looked at Grant’s text again and sent him a text that said: Going to get our tree. See you back at the inn.
She looked back at Sam. “Let’s go.”
A HALF HOUR later, after a breathtaking hike through the forest just outside of town, where everything looked like a winter wonderland, Emmie and Sam were staring up at a beautiful eight-foot Douglas fir tree. All of its branches were covered with a fresh dusting of snow, making it even more magical looking.
“This is the one,” Emmie said with complete confidence.
“It’s a beauty, all right,” Sam agreed. He handed her the metal bow saw. “Do you want to do the honors?”
Emmie gave the saw a nervous look. “I’m not exactly sure how. My dad always did the heavy lifting and chopped the tree down. My job was just to find it.”
Sam laughed. “You can do it. It’s easy, and I’ll make sure the tree doesn’t fall on you.”
“What?” Emmie gave him a startled look. “That could happen?”
“Not with me here,” Sam said and held up some of the lower branches of the tree so she could see the tree’s trunk. “Now get in there, and let’s see what kind of skills you’ve got.”
Emmie looked nervous as she got down and scooted closer to the tree, holding on to the trunk to steady herself. That’s when a big pile of snow came crashing down on her, with some of it getting inside her coat and sliding down her neck. It was an icy cold shock.
“Brrr!” she cried out loudly as she jumped up and started brushing off the snow, causing even more to slide down her neck. She gave Sam an accusing look.
He was laughing so hard he couldn’t say anything for a second. Finally he found his words. “I swear I didn’t do it!” He pointed at the branches he was still holding. They were covered with snow. “Occupational hazard, I’m afraid.”
Emmie’s eyes narrowed. “Oh yeah? Well, what about this for an occupational hazard?” She picked up a pile of snow and dropped it on the back of his neck so it slid down into his coat, too.
“Oh, wow!” Sam immediately dropped the branches and started thrashing around trying to get the snow out of his coat.
Now it was Emmie’s turn to watch and laugh. “Doesn’t feel so great, does it?” Emmie asked smugly.
Sam laughed and took a step back from her and the tree. “Okay, truce. Why don’t I stand way over here and you can cut down the tree yourself.”
Emmie’s smile faded a bit as she looked at the tree. When she tried to hold up the branches and get down low enough to cut the tree at the same time, all she managed to do was get even more snow all over her. Still under the tree, she looked over at Sam.
“Okay, I need your help,” she said.
Sam smiled as he walked over to her. “I thought you might.”
Emmie gave him a look. “Stop gloating and just hold these branches up for me, please.”
“You got it,” Sam said and held the branches. He was still laughing.
Emmie put the saw blade against the tree trunk and then hesitated.
“Just make a level cut parallel to the ground,” Sam offered.
She nodded. “Okay.”
“When you start sawing, and it starts to feel stuck, don’t worry, that’s just the tree pinching the blade. Just let me know, and I can move the tree around a little to relieve the pressure on the cut and then you can continue to saw.”
Emmie looked up at him, impressed. “You sound like you actually know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course I do,” Sam said. “Go for it.”
Emmie took a deep breath and started sawing. “It’s working!”
Sam laughed. “Of course it is. Great job. Just keep going. It won’t take long.”
When she looked over at him, she felt like she had conquered the world. They shared a smile, and then she went back to sawing the trunk with her newfound confidence.
WHEN EMMIE AND Sam came out of the woods, they were both dragging their own freshly cut trees behind them.
“I can’t believe how late it is,” Emmie said as she adjusted the grip on her tree.
Sam nodded. “That’s because you insisted on finding another tree, and no tree was good enough.”
Emmie looked back at the tree she was dragging. “Now we have an extra tree we can give to the community center in case someone needs it. I’ll have you know, picking the right Christmas tree is a very big decision. You gotta get it right!”
Sam laughed. “So you’ve said, over and over and over again. You remind me of my sister. She used to take forever to pick out her trees, too.”
“Then I know I would have liked your sister,” Em
mie said.
“And I know she would have liked you, too,” Sam said as he looked into her eyes and smiled.
They walked the next few moments in silence.
When Emmie looked over at Sam, she could see he was far away, lost in a memory, but he didn’t look sad. Instead, he had a small smile on his face. That made her happy.
“Thanks for coming with me,” she said, still looking over at him.
When his eyes met hers, he smiled back. “Thank you for bringing me. It’s nice to have someone to share these kinds of Christmas things with again.”
Emmie nodded and then turned her attention to the snow-capped mountains on the horizon. “Yes, it is.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
When they got back to the inn, Emmie and Sam both agreed that the first stop they needed to make was the kitchen to try to find something warm to drink.
Emmie felt like her hands and feet had gone numb. When she’d been searching for trees, she’d been having so much fun, she’d completely forgotten about the cold. But now that she was back at the inn and starting to thaw out, she realized her fingers and toes were frozen.
They were both laughing when they found Ruby frosting some Christmas cookies in the kitchen.
Emmie laughed when she saw Sam’s eyes light up with anticipation as he headed straight for the cookies.
He gave Ruby a pleading look.
Ruby laughed. “Go ahead, Sam. Have a cookie.”
“Thank you!” Sam eagerly grabbed one and offered it to Emmie. “Want one?”
Emmie laughed. “No, you go ahead.”
Sam happily took a big bite of the cookie, then smiled even more. “Hey, these are Emmie’s Gingerbread Snowball cookies.”
Emmie joined them and smiled when she saw Ruby was indeed frosting her cookies.
“I had some at Betty’s,” Ruby said and gave Emmie an impressed look. “These are really good, and they’re so much easier and quicker to make than gingerbread boys. I’m going to start serving them here, too.”
“I love that.” Emmie smiled back at her. “So would my parents.”
“Just be sure to use the cream cheese frosting,” Sam added. “That was her dad’s favorite.”
Emmie was surprised and touched that Sam had remembered.
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