Chapter 31

thirty-one

LIAM

While Amy was on the hotline to Santa, I was in the kitchen making a cup of coffee. Decorating the house hadn't been as difficult as I thought. After two hours of stringing lights and tinsel everywhere, we were only missing one thing: a Christmas tree.

Paul walked into the kitchen. "There you are. I thought you might have gone to the gym."

"To de-stress?"

He shook his head. "No. To get away from all the decorations. Jacob's home gym is about the only room we haven't touched."

I took a sip of coffee. "I don't mind the decorations. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"No, thanks. Amy has nearly finished her phone call. The Santa hotline was a great idea."

"A friend has a son who's Amy's age. He called Santa at the end of November. A week later, he was still talking about it."

Paul filled a glass with water. "When I left, Amy was telling Santa about the baby mouse she found. I just hope she doesn't want more mice for Christmas."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Once she goes home, she'll probably forget about her four-legged friends. But there's one thing we're still missing."

"A Christmas tree." Paul sighed. "I thought I'd be pushing my luck if I said something."

Two weeks ago, I would have agreed with him. But so much had happened since then that I was beginning to doubt whether I'd ever be the same again. "I called Jacob while you were in the living room. He said it's okay to cut down a tree on the property if we want a real Christmas tree. If not, he said there's an artificial one at the back of the storage room."

Paul leaned against the kitchen counter. "What kind would you like?"

I didn't have to think hard about my answer. Even when I was a young boy, nothing said Christmas more than the smell of a fresh pine tree. "I vote for real. What about you?"

"Amy and I like real trees, too. It looks as though we'll be chopping down a tree."

Amy ran into the kitchen. "I talked to Santa, I really did. He said I've been good this year, and guess what?"

Paul smiled. "What?"

"Santa's got a brand-new sleigh. His elves have just finished making it in the workshop, and it's twice as big as the last one."

"Wow. That's exciting news." Paul handed Amy a small glass of water. "Liam has a surprise for you, too."

Amy's gaze shot to me. "You do?"

"We need a Christmas tree. Have you ever picked your very own tree while it was growing in the ground?"

"We went to a Christmas tree farm last year. The man showed us the trees they were growing, but we didn't take any of those. Can I choose the tree?"

"Of course you can," I said. "We'll take the snowmobiles into the forest. It shouldn't take too long to find one."

Amy ran out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Paul yelled.

"To the mudroom to get my jacket and boots."

I laughed. "It looks as though I won't have time to finish my coffee."

"Amy rushes everywhere," Paul said. "She can wait until you've finished."

I rinsed my mug under the faucet. "I can have another drink when I get home. It's better if we leave now in case the weather gets worse."

Paul watched me move around the kitchen. "Have you ever cut down a tree before?"

"Not a Christmas tree, but I've used a chainsaw. Don't worry. It'll be easy." At least, I hoped it would be.