Chapter 6

6

D enise swirled the ruby-red wine in her glass, her brow furrowed in thought. She couldn’t understand Alyssa’s refusal to sell her share of the tree farm, even for an offer as substantial as two million dollars. That kind of money could have transformed Alyssa’s life, given her the freedom to do whatever she desired.

As Denise took another sip, her mind replayed their earlier conversation. Alyssa’s determination to preserve the farm’s legacy and the town’s Christmas traditions had been so earnest, so passionate.

Denise sighed, setting the glass down on the worn, wooden table. This wasn’t how she had envisioned her return to Stony Creek. She had expected a quick, clean transaction – sell the property to a developer and return to the life she had built in Los Angeles. Instead, she found herself caught up in a battle with a woman whose values were so fundamentally opposed to her own.

As she leaned back in the chair, Denise couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. Alyssa’s sense of purpose, her deep connection to this place, was something Denise had never experienced. Her own memories of Stony Creek were tainted by the pain of her past, the loss of her mother and the subsequent rift with her father.

Denise traced the rim of her wine glass, her fingers moving with practiced elegance. She had spent years perfecting the art of emotional distance, of keeping people at arm’s length. It had served her well in Hollywood, where vulnerability was a weakness to be exploited. But now, in the face of Alyssa’s warmth and compassion, she felt lonelier than she ever had.

Denise rose from the table, her gaze drawn to the bookcase in the living room. Curiosity piqued, she wandered over, her fingers skimming the spines of the books. But it was a photo album that had caught her attention. She slid it out, realizing it was more of a scrapbook as she flipped it open.

The pages were filled with newspaper clippings about the tree farm. Nearly every photo featured Alyssa and Wayne, sometimes accompanied by a few other people - likely other employees. Denise’s eyes lingered on Alyssa’s smiling face, the genuine joy radiating from her in each image.

As she turned the pages, an idea began to form in Denise’s mind. If Alyssa wasn’t going to accept the money, Denise needed to find another way to convince her to let go of this dream of keeping the tree farm going. And if Denise had any chance of doing that, they needed to be on friendlier terms.

The scrapbook could be a peace offering of sorts, a gesture of understanding. If Denise could show Alyssa that she recognized the farm’s importance, the memories it held, maybe they could find common ground.

It was a small step, but one that could potentially shift the dynamic between them.