Page 4 of The Christmas Plan
“Right. But you manage both.” Rose eyed them.
Nodding, Drew lowered themself to Rose’s ear. “Only after a decade of floundering. Besides, it’s a client party which means there’ll be a bunch of agents hunting for talent.”
Rose considered it for a moment before groaning and throwing her arms around Drew’s neck. “Stop being right, and kiss me instead.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Drew laughed as they brought their lips to hers. From the corner of their eyes, the Christmas tree twinkled on the other side of the loft. Rose's place was far too small for a tree, so instead she had insisted Drew get one for their place and Rose would help decorate it.
Drew couldn’t lie: it was the coziest the loft had ever been. But it had created one problem: they never wanted to leave this bed with Rose. And that might be a problem with an incredibly rushed holiday party looming.
3
MACKENZIE
The needles prickedher hands as Mac grabbed the trunk of a modest Balsam Fir. “What about this one?”
Whipping around from the other trees, Taylor pursed her lips. “Hm. I like it, but I’m not crazy about it.”
“Honey, you’re going to have to pick one eventually.” Mackenzie laughed as she walked over to Taylor, throwing her arms over her shoulders.
Taylor’s long, blonde hair draped over her shoulder. A pair of black earmuffs covered her ears as her cheeks grew rosy from the chilly, winter wind. “Can’t hear you.” She winked as she pointed to the fluffy headband.
Lifting the muffs and bringing their lips closer, Mac lowered their voice. “You know I would lift every tree on this sidewalk for you a thousand times and scratch my palms until they bled. But you do still have to pick one.”
With a heavy sigh, Taylor’s shoulders dropped under her heavy coat. “Fine. But only because I need you to be able to play the charity match.”
“Sounds about right.” Mackenzie winked as she dropped the tree back into the pile. Moving a few feet down, Mac browsed the taller trees. Taylor’s apartment was plenty big for a big one.
Mac reached into the pile and pulled out a nine-foot tree. Hauling it out of the pile, she threw the stump down onto the concrete. “Now we’re talking.”
A goofy grin took over her face as she looked up at the Fraser Fir, her hand holding the trunk deep inside the needles.
Smiling at it, Taylor nodded. “Oh, that’s perfect.”
“Right?”
“That’s it.” Taylor shook her head, her eyes getting glossy.
Before Mac could comfort her, the woman manning the tree shop came up to them. She wore orange work gloves and a flannel. “Are we happy with this one?”
Shaking off her emotion, Taylor pointed to the tree. “Yes, we are.”
The woman scanned Taylor and Mac’s faces for a moment, a light of recognition coming to her eyes. Reaching into the trunk, she took the tree from Mac and threw it over her shoulder as she walked back to the tree netting station.
Taylor walked over to Mac, putting an arm around her waist as they walked over to the woman. Holding a chainsaw, she cut off the bottom few inches of the trunk to give the pine tree a fresh base.
As Mac watched, she felt a buzzing come from her pocket. Her forehead wrinkled as she dug her hand into her pockets, buried under the heavy, wool cocoon coat.
When she finally pulled it out, the screen read:Tommy.
“Sorry, let me take this.” Mac smiled at Taylor as she answered the call. “Hey, Tom. What’s up?”
Tommy cleared her throat. “Hey, Bennett. I have a question for you.”
Wrinkling her forehead, Mac laughed. “Okay, shoot.”
“You busy on the 21st?”
Mac flipped through her mental calendar, trying to picture the date which was a little over a week away. “I don’t believe so. Why?”