Chapters (48)
- 1. One
- 2. Two
- 3. Three
- 4. Four
- 5. Five
- 6. Six
- 7. Seven
- 8. Eight
- 9. Nine
- 10. Ten
- 11. Eleven
- 12. Twelve
- 13. Thirteen
- 14. Fourteen
- 15. Fifteen
- 16. Sixteen
- 17. Seventeen
- 18. Eighteen
- 19. Nineteen
- 20. Twenty
- 21. Twenty-One
- 22. Twenty-Two
- 23. Twenty-Three
- 24. Twenty-Four
- 25. Twenty-Five
- 26. Twenty-Six
- 27. Twenty-Seven
- 28. Twenty-Eight
- 29. Twenty-Nine
- 30. Thirty
- 31. Thirty-One
- 32. Thirty-Two
- 33. Thirty-three
- 34. Thirty-Four
- 35. Thirty-Five
- 36. Thirty-Six
- 37. Thirty-Seven
- 38. Thirty-Eight
- 39. Thirty-Nine
- 40. Forty
- 41. Forty-One
- 42. Forty-Two
- 43. Forty-three
- 44. Epilogue
- Afterword
- Also by
- Acknowledgments
- About Author
“Olive, why don’t you pick the tree out?” Dad suggested from behind us. “Since you’re not in town often.”
Finn leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Oh, see this is the part where the Whos invite the Grinch to dinner.”
I let out a tiny snort but zipped my lips closed quickly.
“Yeah, I can,” I told Dad and walked through the small selection of trees with Finn by my side. None of them called to me like they used to when I was a kid. I used to come here and be so excited for every tree we walked past. It was the highlight of my week, and since we usually went before Thanksgiving, it always put me in the Christmas mood.
I walked down the row and nothing stood out; it was one scrawny tree after another. I was about to pick a random one and call it a day when there it was. The most perfect tree ever. It was around the corner tucked away where no one could see it. I paused in my tracks and admired the beauty. For a split second, I felt like Clark Griswold, and this was the tree we would rip right out of the ground. It was probably ten feet tall, with a full round bottom that tapered up to a high point. A light came down from the heavens and I could practically hear angels singing. It was the Beyoncé of trees, and I had to have it. But I didn’t want to seem too excited. I felt the need to keep my emotions at bay—stay neutral. I had a reputation to uphold here.
I was about to say something aloof and dispassionate like, “This one’s fine, I guess.” Or, “I don’t know, I guess we can do this one.”
But Finn spoke up and said exactly what I was thinking instead. “You love this one don’t you, Grinchy?” He smiled down at me.
I shrugged. “I mean, it’s nice enough.” Did I answer too fast? Was it obvious that this tree and I had a special bond like I was a Navi member and this was the tree of souls? That might be an exaggeration, but it was a good time for an Avatar reference.
Finn turned to the bearded salesman who was patiently walking behind the rest of my family. “Is this one taken?”
“No, sir. This here is a Fraser fir. It will make your whole house smell good and the branches are really strong too.” I held in my smile.
“Let’s get this one then.” Finn looked down at me and gave me that flirty, bright-toothed smile.