by Hunter, Lara
It took a minute for Anna to register what was happening. So old Scrooge is now on a roll of suggesting Christmas activities, she thought happily. “I’m glad to hear you’re aware of the most basic Christmas tradition there is,” she grinned, despite the quick pang of sadness she felt as she thought about her own family decorating their tree.
Jason responded with sincerity. “Okay… Well if it’s the most basic, why don’t we do it? We are going all out for a proper Christmas, right?”
Anna raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you mean you want to chop down a tree?”
Jason took Anna’s hand and led her outside. “It’s an essential skill, chopping down wood. You never know when you’ll be stranded in the wild somewhere,” he said.
“Um…wait,” Anna said, shivering. “Before we do that, don’t you want to warm up a bit? I was thinking hot chocolate…”
“Hot chocolate?” he laughed.
“Hot chocolate is not a frivolous matter—it’s at least as essential as chopping up wood, if not more so,” Anna said seriously.
Two cups of hot chocolate later, they were back out the door, axe at hand.
“The first thing about tree-cutting,” Jason explained, as they headed back up the mountain, through the pine forest, “is working out which way the tree will fall. And that can be influenced by the direction of the wind, and any natural tilt the tree already has.”
Anna pointed to a tree up ahead. “How about we go for this one? It’s the perfect size.”
Having agreed on their chosen target, Jason continued with Tree Felling 101. “Next step is to make a V-shaped notch,” he said, then began sloughing off slivers of wood.
Once one-half of the “V” was completed, Jason walked over to where Anna was standing and handed her the axe. “So just do the exact same thing, but on the other side,” he instructed.
“Alright,” she said skeptically. She did as she was told, but progress was decidedly slow.
“Wait,” Jason said patiently. “Try adjusting your form,” he said, coming over. Anna braced herself for a pottery class moment, thinking of the scene from Ghost, but Jason merely tweaked her grip on the axe. Nonetheless, she felt her face become hot.
“Try it now,” he said.
Miraculously, Anna’s new form improved matters greatly. Eventually, with a final groan, the tree surrendered to gravity.
“Wow,” Anna said, satisfied. “We did it!”
“Good job,” Jason grinned. “Now you have the skills to be slightly less useless in the wild.”
“Hey, whoever said I was useless?” Anna protested playfully, as they hauled the tree back down towards the cabin.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
After learning how to chop down a tree and having taken part in another impromptu skiing lesson, Anna felt like it was her turn to teach Jason something—namely, how to decorate a tree without any traditional decorations.
“I’m guessing you don’t have any ornaments to hand, but we can get creative,” Anna said confidently. “Like your box of junk—there might be stuff in there.”
From the box they managed to procure: mismatched socks, a cowboy hat, an old scarf, a slinky, a soda tab, and tiny toy figures which would be light enough to balance on the branches.
“First the punk snowman, now this garage sale-aesthetic Christmas tree… We’re on a roll, I tell you,” Anna said, laughing. Truly, she’d been finding herself laughing a lot more than she’d expected.
The question of what would have the honor of topping the tree eluded them. Nothing in the junk box seemed suitable.
A light bulb went off in Jason’s head. “Wait, I know something,” he said. “It’s not exactly garage sale…but I think it’s worthy of the spot,” he said, leaving to fetch the mystery item. He came back carrying a stepladder in one hand and a gold broach in the other. “It was my mother’s,” he said, trailing off. He handed the jewelry to Anna as he set up the ladder.
“Oh, no,” she said, handing it back to Jason, her hands glancing against his momentarily. “I’ve topped off the tree plenty of times. You should do it,” she smiled.
“Oh…okay,” he said, taking the broach back carefully. He climbed up the ladder and gingerly placed it on top.
Anna clapped. “It’s magnificent.”
Jason got down from the ladder and admired their creation. “I would have to agree.”
Anna had continued her Christmas quest by using their collected materials to decorate the rest of the cabin while Jason prepared a meal for them.
“So, what have you cooked up this time?” Anna said, as she loaded up her fork.
“It’s lemongrass tofu curry,” Jason said. “Bon appétit.”
She smiled. “You know you said that all you do is eat, hunt, and drink up here? I’m starting to think that might not be such a bad thing, with such good food to choose from.”
“Yeah. I guess I take solace in cooking,” he replied softly.
They followed up the meal with wine, moving through to the living room. Jason surveyed the area, nodding in approval at the additions Anna had made. “I’ve got to say, you’ve really livened up the space, Anna.” He reached out to touch a well-placed pine cone. “And with such limited resources, too.”
“Hey, well, I try,” she smiled.
“And this greenery here. It’s beautiful. What is it?” he asked, gesturing to a sprig of mistletoe.
Anna was shocked at Jason’s ignorance. I knew he’s never celebrated Christmas properly, but …no knowledge of the mistletoe?
“You’re kidding? You really don’t know? Haven’t you ever seen a Christmas movie?” Anna asked incredulously, even though she knew what the answer would be.
Jason stared at her blankly.
“Okay, well,” Anna started, “It’s a sprig of mistletoe. Basically, the tradition goes, if you are standing with someone underneath it, you have to kiss the person next to you,” she explained.
Jason raised an eyebrow. “That all sounds a little convenient. You’re not making this up as an excuse to kiss me, are you?” he chuckled.
Anna felt her cheeks go red. “No—it’s a real thing! You can look it up. Well, when you’re back in civilization, at least…” she said, flustered.
Anna was starting to regret having said anything on the matter, but then Jason said, “Alright.” He leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. Anna felt the warmth rush to her face, despite a slight sense of disappointment that it hadn’t been her lips.
***
A few hours later, having decided against sleeping in the living room for another night, Anna was settling into the guest bedroom. “There are some spare pajamas in the drawer there,” Jason said, just before heading off to his room.
“You have guest pajamas? Wow, that’s prepared,” she said.
“Well…I mean, I’ve never actually offered them to anyone. Same with the guest bedroom, come to think of it.
“Ah. I’m the lucky first.”
“That, you are. Goodnight, Anna, and thanks for a wonderful day,” he said, shutting the door gently behind him.
“No, thank you, Jason,” Anna said softly.
The previous evening, Anna had fallen asleep in the midst of conversation. Now, with her mind clear from the fog of whiskey, she had time to overanalyze her situation.
She shut off the lights and settled into the large, luxurious bed. Anna considered the possibility that maybe she hadn’t just put the mistletoe there because it was tradition—maybe she actually wanted to kiss Jason. As in, a real kiss. She knew her feelings for Jason were developing rapidly, beyond simply thinking he was cute. I’m falling for him as a person. The idea scared her.
She sighed. What’s going to happen if I go down that road? If, presuming I’m not just imagining that he likes me back, Jason and I get together? Would we have to keep it a secret? Would it be more like a fling, or would we end up making it official? she wondered. She rolled over, tugging fretfully at her covers. What would people say? Anna sighed, she a
lready knew the answer to that question—they’d say she was using her body to advance her career. The thought of people gossiping about her and undermining her credibility sent her into a panic. I’ve felt so isolated for so long… All of those budding work friendships would be gone in a flash. She hugged her pillow.
No, I’m simply not going to pursue it. It would complicate works matters too much.
Even after her resolution, Anna had trouble falling asleep. Her mind drifted to thinking about Jason, sleeping just a room away from her. She imagined waking up next to him, breathing in his scent, and pulling close to him for a long, deep, kiss…
CHAPTER TWENTY
Anna once again woke up disoriented; wondering, for a split-second, where Jason had gone. As she pieced together what had her so confused, a feeling of embarrassment rapidly rose up inside of her. Why do I have to have inappropriate dreams about my boss?!
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. What day is it, anyway? I drove here two days ago… Oh my God, she realized with a start. It’s Christmas Eve!
Anna stumbled into the kitchen, bleary-eyed. “Happy Christmas Eve,” she said to Jason, before yawning. Why must you be so cute? she lamented. Why can’t I have woken up next to you, for real?
“Hey there, sleepy,” Jason said. “I made coffee.”
“Perfect.”
He handed her a cup. “I’m really sorry, Anna, it looks like the snow hasn’t gone anywhere,” he said. “I feel so bad about keeping you away from your family,” he sighed.
“Oh,” she said, waving off his apology. “They’ll understand. They know where I am and that I’m safe. And besides…they’ll be excited to hear about the alternative Christmas Eve we’ll be having,” she said, her holiday-scheming hat back on.
Jason perked up. “And what’s on the menu for this alternative Christmas Eve?”
“Funny that you use the word menu… because we’re going to be practicing the biggest Christmas tradition there is: eating.”
They set to work preparing a mammoth dinner that two single people couldn’t possibly finish on their own. Jason’s eyes grew wide as Anna listed all of the courses they would be making for the evening’s feast.
“…Roasted squash, creamed spinach, coq au vin, herb-crusted roast beef, cauliflower soup, glazed ham, white wine risotto, scalloped potatoes, creamed onion gratin…and figgy pudding, to top it all off,” she finished.
Jason’s mouth was open. “You actually want to make…all that?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
“That’s right,” Anna said. “This is how my family does it, and as this is your first proper Christmas, it’s imperative that we go all out.”
“How’s the brisket doing?” Anna asked, as she chopped the squash.
“Still roasting,” Jason reported.
All throughout their massive operation, Anna felt tense. It wasn’t anxiety over how the food would turn out—on that front, she felt pretty good—but over her feelings about Jason. She was in the midst of an inner battle between spilling the beans or staying mum. She couldn't believe that after three days with her boss—the boss she had so resented during her late nights at the office—she was entertaining the thought of confessing her feelings for him. But, the fact was, her rush of feelings for Jason had left her a little crazy. She felt like she needed to voice that crazy or she might burst.
I should say something.
No! Don’t be so foolish. Do you want to throw your career down the drain?
Anna was glad they had their massive preparations to focus on. But still, every so often she would find herself opening her mouth to speak, only to shut it a few seconds later. In contrast to Anna’s loud, inner turmoil, their conversation segued into stilted silence.
Jason paused his stirring of the soup and looked at her questioningly. “Is everything… alright?”
“What? Ah…yes, of course,” Anna said quickly. Inside, she felt like a deer caught in headlights. He knows, and he disapproves, she thought worriedly.
Jason frowned. Anna sensed he was feeling hurt. But why would he be hurt if he didn’t feel the same way?
The smell of their dinner coming together wafted through the air, but Anna was too stuck in her head to look forward to eating it.
Hours of fervent preparations later, the feast was finally complete.
When they sat down before their beautiful, extravagant dinner, the first words out of Jason’s mouth were, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry…?” Anna asked, snapping out of her brooding thought-loop.
“I get it; you’re upset at being stuck here with me instead of being with your family, and rightfully so. And it’s all because of my stupid inability to be with other people during Christmas.”
Anna was alarmed to see tears forming in his eyes. Oh my God. This is such a huge misunderstanding. Now I’m causing him pain because I don’t want to admit that I like him. Enough is enough, I have to stop being a wuss and tell him.
“No, Jason, it’s not that,” she said, looking at him sincerely. “Actually…I have something to tell you,” she said, forcing herself to say the words. Jason looked at her quizzically.
Just as she willed herself to say, I have feelings for you, three booming knocks rang out at the door. “Mountain Rescue!” bellowed a voice.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The interruption had knocked Anna’s confidence. She felt like she was being jolted awake to something. I guess that something would be…reality, she thought.
“You have a couple of minutes to grab your essential items, and then we have to move,” said the driver from the doorway, glancing at the cobbled-together Christmas tree in the corner.
Jason frowned. “Are you sure you can’t wait just a little bit longer? We just finished making dinner,” he said, gesturing to the table. “You’re welcome to join us, if you want,” he offered.
“I’m sorry,” the rescue worker said, his cheeks appearing flushed in the light of the cabin. “You may not have heard but there’s another storm on its way. If you don’t leave now, there’s no telling when you’ll be able to get out of here.”
Anna hastily put away the food and collected her few belongings. Jason grabbed his coat and a briefcase, and within moments they were out the door.
Standing at the side of the truck, Jason and Anna locked eyes, unsure of what to say. “Go ahead,” Jason finally said, gesturing for her to take shotgun. She smiled quickly, hopping in.
After the doors were shut, the driver began to make his way slowly down the mountain. Anna glanced back at the cabin in the side mirror, watching it disappear out of view.
Attempting to break the awkward silence, Anna started on small talk. “So…working Christmas Eve? That must be rough,” she said, sympathetically.
“It’s not great, but at least I get extra pay out of it,” the dark-haired man replied. “And it’s satisfying to help folks out of a pickle, especially this time of year.”
Anna nodded. “Yeah, I can imagine,” she said.
“Although, you two didn’t exactly seem like you were in a pickle,” he chuckled.
Anna smiled politely, glancing at Jason in the rear-view mirror. Having worked herself up to telling him the truth, she wanted more than anything just to spit it out and get it over with. But now it seemed like she’d missed her opportunity.
“So…what are your holiday plans?” the driver asked.
Anna replied, “Oh, you know, dinner with my family. They live over in Westmount.”
“Oh yeah? I don’t live too far from there. I live in Piney.”
“Small world,” Anna smiled.
“And what about yourself, sir?” he asked Jason.
“Oh,” Jason cleared his throat. “I live in Seattle, same as Anna.”
“Ah, you two are city folk,” he said.
“Born and raised…” Jason said, trailing off. He caught Anna’s eye in the mirror.
I wish I could tell him right now, she thought. But how can I confess my feelings to him when we
’re hurtling down a mountain?
“So…What do you guys do for a living?”
“We both work in real estate,” Anna said.
“Oh. Nice. Real estate…”
The three of them braved the small talk for the rest of the ride, aside from a brief interruption when the rescue worker attached Anna’s stranded car to the back of the truck.