by Kate Kasch
“22 Oak Street will not make it to auction,” Adrienne repeated, her voice cold and steady.
“Okay, sweetheart. You’ve got a few days – I hope you’ve got a plan.”
“We’re going to win the Christmas Home Decorating Contest, and . . .” But Adrienne was interrupted by the Mayor’s obnoxiously loud laughter.
“Oh, that’s rich,” he continued to laugh. “Good luck with that.” The Mayor then turned to Gabe, “It was nice seeing you Gabe, and meeting you Ms. Harkins. You both have a good day now,” he laughed all the way out the door.
“And don’t call me sweetheart!” Adrienne yelled after him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Walking into 22 Oak Street, Adrienne looked around at the house that was once her home and felt the weight of what was at stake. The burst of positive energy she felt only a few hours earlier was replaced by an overwhelming feeling of despair. The family room was crammed with green and red clear bins which were filled with Christmas decorations. Adrienne couldn’t seem to push the Mayor’s smug smile and wicked laugh out of her head. Are she and Gretchen fooling themselves? Is entering this competition a ridiculous, desperate idea? If they lost the competition, they would lose everything. The pressure of it all sat heavy on Adrienne, and she put her hand on her chest where a deep ache was forming. Her breath was coming in short bursts and sweat formed on her brow.
Unknowingly disrupting Adrienne’s panic attack, Gretchen pranced into the family room carrying a glass of wine and singing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at the top of her lungs. She was swinging her hips and twirling around the boxes of holiday décor. Her long wavy hair hung down her back and she looked so carefree. She looked like Gretchen again. The shock of seeing her sister so cheery and brimming with holiday spirit knocked the anxiety right out of Adrienne’s body. Her own mood then swung like a pendulum, from depressingly low to giddy and laughing. What a rollercoaster of a day it had turned out to be.
At the sound of Adrienne’s laughter, Gretchen whipped around and saw her sister staring at her.
“What, too early for wine?”
“Not at all. Just surprised to see you so . . . cheery,” Adrienne said amidst her giggles.
“It must be this house, you know. I’ve been feeling it since we got to Chestnut Ridge – this feeling that we’re supposed to be here. We’re supposed to be doing this . . . do you know what I mean?”
“I think I do,” Adrienne said, only half-believing it.
“How was the meeting with Gabe?”
“It was great – well, it started off great, and then took a turn. What do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad?”
“Good news first!”
“The good news is that Gabe is going to stop by later and see what he can do to help with the to-do list.”
“Awesome! I don’t know what I’m more excited about – the extra help which we desperately need or getting to look into those beautiful blue eyes again,” Gretchen swooned.
“Oh, my goodness, Gretchen. You have lost your mind!”
“You’re thinking it too; you can’t fool me.” When Adrienne ignored her, she continued, “What’s the bad news?”
“Unfortunately, we have two pieces of bad news. First, it does not look like we have any legal recourse. The town dotted all their ‘i’s and crossed all their ‘t’s, so to speak. And secondly, Mayor Jessup came to Gabe’s office while I was there, and he plans to make an offer on the house when it goes to auction.”
“You mean if it goes to auction. And I’m not going to worry about that, because we are going to win best Christmas house in Chestnut Ridge and everything is going to work out,” Gretchen did another twirl around the family room.
“How much wine have you had?” Adrienne teased her.
“Not nearly enough. Why don’t you grab a glass as well, and we’ll start to dig through these Christmas boxes.”
Pouring a glass of wine, Adrienne turned up the Christmas music, her spirits lifted. Everything was going to work out. It had to.
The girls got deeply involved in taking inventory of their Mom’s Christmas decorations. They created separate piles for outdoor lights, indoor lights, outdoor wreaths and garland, indoor garland, tree ornaments, mantel decorations, the list went on. It seemed as though the boxes would never be emptied as hours went by and the girls sifted and sorted.
“I had no idea Mom had this much Christmas stuff!” Gretchen said.
“Me neither! She really did lose her mind when the house was featured in the home tour. I think she bought every Christmas decoration within twenty-five miles of Chestnut Ridge,” Adrienne laughed.
Gretchen held up an ornament in the shape of a Christmas tree and with a wild smile on her face said, “You know what we need to get, don’t you?”
“A Christmas tree? Oh my, I haven’t had one in years! But I guess you’re right, we can’t win a Christmas house decorating competition without a Christmas tree.”
“I need a break from these boxes anyway – let’s go now!”
The two girls jumped up and hurried to grab their coats. And without knowing why, neither of them could stop giggling. Bundled up in puffy coats, pom-pom hats and scarves, they flung the front door open. In her haste, Adrienne smacked right into Gabe Perkins who was about to knock on the front door.
“Oh my goodness – I am so sorry!”
Gabe laughed and puts his hands on both Adrienne’s arms, steadying her. “Where are you two off to?”
“We are going to get a Christmas tree! It’s great to see you, Gabe,” Gretchen leaned in and gave Gabe a quick hug. “You should come with us!”
Gabe looked to Adrienne for her response, and when he didn’t get one, said, “I’m ready to work. I can get started without you two. Where’s that to-do list I heard about?”
“Next item on the to-do list is to get a Christmas tree. I know we’ll need help getting it onto the car. Actually, you have a truck?” Gretchen looked at the shiny new pickup truck in the driveway. “That would be much easier to transport a tree than our little rental car. Right, Adrienne?”
Adrienne, who had been abnormally quiet throughout the whole exchange, suddenly smiled and said, “You should come. We could really use the help.”
Thankfully Gabe’s pickup truck had a backseat. Gretchen quickly hopped in the back. Adrienne shot her a knowing look, but was secretly thrilled to be sitting in the front seat with Gabe.
“This is a big upgrade from your old rusted Chevy,” Adrienne laughed. “How many times were we broken down on the side of some back road in that thing?”
“Hey, don’t knock Larry – he was a great truck. I was so sad to have to get rid of him,” Gabe said. “And to be honest, a lot of those times we ‘broke down’ it was really just me wanting to spend more time with you.”
Adrienne blushed and looked away. Gabe filled the silence with commentary on the town and how it had changed over the years. He pointed out the jewelry store that his sister’s friend opened, and the donut shop that a retired police officer opened. It was as if Adrienne and Gretchen were seeing their hometown through brand new eyes. Once they reached their destination, Gabe pulled the truck into the gravel parking lot at St. Nick’s Tree Lot.
“This place is new, too,” Gretchen commented.
“Yeah, my buddy owns it,” Gabe explained.
“Let’s fan out and see what we can find,” Adrienne was right down to business.
Gretchen headed off to the left and Adrienne went right. It was dark and chilly, but the soft Christmas music, twinkle lights surrounding the lot, and the smell of pine had Adrienne feeling warm inside.
Sneaking up behind Adrienne, Gabe put his arm around her shoulders, “So what’s your favorite tree- Frasier Fir? Blue Spruce?”
Adrienne laughed. “It’s been years since I had a Christmas tree, I’m not even sure anymore.”
“You haven’t had a tree in that long?! It sounds like it’s been a rough few years.”
&
nbsp; Adrienne ran her fingers along a spiky tree branch, “I’ve just been really busy with work I guess.”
“Right. Work. And you like working at Morgan Lynch?”
“It’s okay. If I put the time in, the potential is there for me to make serious money. I’m pretty close to getting a promotion, and with that will come my own office, and the option to rent a bigger apartment.”
“So, you’ll make more money, but then you’ll just spend all that extra money on a bigger apartment?”
Adrienne shrugged.
“Why not work less, make less and just live a simpler life?”
“Ha! Now I see why you never moved to the city. That’s not how things work on Wall Street, Gabe.”
“I’m just saying, what’s the point of it all if you don’t even have time to get a Christmas tree? Or spend time with your family?”
With the mention of the word family, Adrienne’s body tensed up. She stopped in between two blue spruces and turned to face Gabe.
“Family? What family? Last I checked I don’t have any.”
“You have Gretchen. What’s gone on with the two of you these past few years anyway? I can feel there’s something different between you now.”
“Nothing’s ‘gone on’ between us,” Adrienne snapped back defensively. “We are just very different people. We don’t have much in common, and we live very different lives. We just drifted apart after my parents died. They were our common ground. And once they were gone, there didn’t seem any point in trying to make something out of nothing.”
“The point is that she’s your sister. You have to make an effort for family.”
“There’s that word again. It must be nice to have a perfect family – you, your brother, sister and your parents all living close to each other. I bet you have brunch every Friday morning and Sunday dinner every week. We’re not all so lucky, Gabe.”
Pushing Gabe’s arm off her shoulders, Adrienne stomped ahead of him to get lost in the maze of trees.
“Nice job, Gabe,” he said to himself out loud.
Wandering through the sea of green, Gretchen relished in the smell of pine and hot apple cider. She turned a corner, and then stopped short - there it was: the perfect Christmas tree. She walked up to it and leaned in to smell it. It was a great shape, looked to be a perfect height, and was nice and full. She ran her fingers down the branches to make sure not too many needles fell off. Nope. It was perfect. But how much did it cost? She saw a tag on a high branch. As she reached on her tippy toes to grab the tag, a white coat-wearing shopper trying to get by her bumped her from behind. The nudge from the woman was enough to knock Gretchen into the tree. Just as she and the tree were about to crash to the ground, someone on the other side of the tree caught it mid-air, saving both Gretchen and the tree from disaster.
“Whoa, watch it now. We don’t want anyone having to go to the emergency room right before Christmas,” said a scruffy voice, with a hint of laughter.
The stranger pushed the tree back to standing, and Gretchen could then re-plant her feet firmly on the ground. Dusting the pine needles off her jacket, she said to her hero on the other side of the tree, “Well that was unexpected! Thank you so much for catching us, whoever you are.” The stranger walked around to Gretchen’s side of the tree to make sure she had escaped unscathed.
“You might have to wash some sap out of your hair, but otherwise, I think you’ll live,” he said.
Gretchen looked up, and up, at the very tall man before her. He had broad shoulders, shaggy dark blonde hair, hazel eyes and an easy smile. Gretchen couldn’t form any words.
The man held out his hand, “Hi there, I’m Nick. And you are?”
Gretchen reached out and shook his hand slowly, unable to take her eyes off him, “I'm Gretchen. And clumsy,” she giggled. “Thank you again, Nick.”
“Anytime, Gretchen.” The sound of her name coming out of his mouth had Gretchen’s belly doing flips.
“Can I help you with anything?” He asked her.
“I think you already have.”
“I mean, with a tree. Did you find one you like?”
“Oh. Why – do you work here?”
“I do. This is my place.”
“Oh, you’re Saint Nick?”
“That’s me. I did just save you from a tree accident, didn’t I?”
“You did. And since you mention it, I think this is the tree.” She pointed to the tree she just fell on. “The two of us are meant to be after that intimate meeting.”
“You have to trust your gut with these things. Some things are definitely just meant to be.”
Nick and Gretchen continued to stare at each other until they were interrupted.
“Gretchen, there you are,” Adrienne walked over to them. “Did you find a . . .” Adrienne stopped mid-sentence once she noticed the rugged, handsome guy standing with Gretchen.
“Hi. I’m Adrienne,” she smiled and held out her hand for a handshake.
Reluctantly, Nick pried his eyes away from Gretchen and introduced himself.
“Hey, Nick! Good to see you man,” Gabe came up behind Adrienne.
“Gabe – how are you buddy?”
“Good, good. I see you’ve met Gretchen and Adrienne – old friends of mine. Ladies,” Gabe turned to Gretchen and Adrienne, “this is Nick, as in Saint Nick’s Christmas Tree Lot.”
“Ohhh, that Nick,” Adrienne said. “You’ve got quite the place here. How long have you been in business?”
“About four years now, I guess. Wow, time sure flies when you’re having fun,” he said, turning to Gretchen and smiling.
“So Gretch, did you find a tree?”
“I did find a tree, and we’re standing right in front of it,” Gretchen stepped to the side to reveal the tree.
“Hmmm, I like it,” Adrienne nodded her head as she looked the tree over. “I like the color, it smells great, and is a perfect size. Nice job, Gretchen.”
“Well, let’s get it wrapped up and in the car then,” Gabe said. “Nick, you got us covered?”
“I sure do. What car is yours? I’ll have one of my guys bring it over.”
“It’s my truck – you know it, right?” Gabe said.
Nick nodded and instructed one of the young guys working the lot to prepare the tree and take it to the truck. Adrienne, Gretchen and Gabe followed Nick inside the little gift shop attached to the tree lot. As Nick rung up the tree at the register, Adrienne peppered him with questions.
“What do you do the rest of the year? You know, when you’re not selling Christmas trees?”
“I own a construction company. A few years ago, it was a slow winter for construction work, and I had always thought about having a tree lot here in Chestnut Ridge, or as I like to call it, “Christmas Ridge.” Have you ever seen a town go so over the top for Christmas?”
“No, I haven’t. This place is definitely one-of-a-kind.”
“It sure is. I love it here. Anyway, I saw the need for a local tree lot, and made it happen. It’s been a fun side-business during the holidays. Really gets you in the holiday spirit,” his eyes twinkled when he spoke.
“I just had a great idea,” Gabe said from across the store. “Nick is in construction, which makes him really handy at fixing things . . ..”
“Oh, my goodness – you’re right!” Adrienne said to Gabe, and then turned to Nick, “We need your help.”
Nick walked Adrienne, Gretchen and Gabe out to Gabe’s truck as the sisters talked excitedly about the house and all the work that needed to be done to it. They left with an initial plan for Nick to come over the next morning to see what he could help with. Now doubling their numbers with four people as part of the Christmas Home Competition, Adrienne and Gretchen had double the amount of hope that they just might be able to pull this off. Christmas was the season for miracles, after all.
On the car ride home, Adrienne peeked at her cell phone and saw a couple of missed texts. One was rom Elaina and the other from Jason. So as not t
o spoil her joyful mood, Adrienne shut her phone off without even reading them. She wanted to savor this escape from reality as long as possible.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Pulling his pick-up truck into the driveway of his Craftsman-style home, Gabe sat for a moment trying to make sense of the events of the day. Of course, he had been driving by 22 Oak Street for years watching it slowly decline into the state it was in now. On many occasions he thought about trying to reach out to Adrienne and let her know what was happening, not only with the house, but the town too. But whenever he would pick up the phone to call her, he would remember showing up to her house that day four years ago and finding it empty. Adrienne was gone without a word – no good-bye, no explanation, just gone. Filled with anger and heartache, he would put the phone away, bury his feelings deep down and focus on his work.
And now, just as his business is beginning to take off, and he was asked to work with the Mayor on a big real estate development deal, Adrienne reappeared and turned his world upside down. She seemed to have that effect on him. When she turned around today outside of Peas & Pickles, he could have sworn he felt his heart stop, and then once it started beating again it was thumping so loudly he was afraid she might hear it. It was like seeing a ghost. Adrienne Harkins.
Being in that house felt like reliving a bad dream – everything looked eerily the same, but nothing was the same. Once a house filled with joy and life and happy memories there was now only sadness and thoughts of what could have been. Walking into his own house where he typically enjoyed the peace and solitude, right now felt too quiet. Jittery energy had him pacing around the house not quite sure what to do with his hands that needed to be busy. His stomach felt tight and he knew he wouldn’t be able to eat right now. There was only one place to go: his workshop.
The smell of timber, a layer of sawdust that blanketed every flat surface, and a variety of wood in all shapes, sizes, and finishes were strewn about in Gabe’s garage. Just after Adrienne left, Gabe’s sister, Laura, suggested he find himself a hobby – something to keep his hands moving and his mind focused on a task. Gabe thought she was being dramatic, that he was fine dealing with things his way. However, when he stumbled upon a cabinetmaker that needed legal advice, the woodworking process quickly consumed him. By chance, a woman was selling a bunch of woodworking tools and he set up a shop in his garage and started learning to make furniture. Between the furniture making, law school and then setting up his law practice, Gabe had done a great job of staying busy these last few years.