High-Powered, Hot-Blooded

“They have bright futures in the law.”

“I’m not going to be a lawyer,” Jenny said. “But I am watching out for Annie. We all are.”

Duncan did his best to look attentive rather than incredulous. Were these two college girls going to threaten him? They had neither the money nor the resources, and if it came to a battle of wills, he would leave them coughing in the dust.

None of which he said to them.

“I don’t need that much defending,” Annie said, looking uncomfortable. “Duncan, I’m sorry. I didn’t know the twins were going to gang up on you this much.”

“But a little would have been okay?”

“Sure.”

He turned to the cousins. “Annie and I have a business arrangement. She’ll be fine.”

“You have to promise,” one of the twins said. Duncan couldn’t tell them apart.

“You have my word on it.” Even if he and Annie didn’t have an agreement, she wouldn’t be at much risk. He didn’t get involved enough for anyone to get their feelings hurt. Life was easier that way.

They went into the lot. The girls fanned out to look at trees, but Annie stayed by him.

“I’m sorry if they offended you,” she began.

“Don’t be. I respect them for thinking they can take me.”

She tilted her head. Blond curls tumbled to her shoulder. “No, you don’t,” she said slowly. “You think they’re foolish.”

“That, too.”

“It’s a family thing. We’re a team. Like you and your uncle.”

He and Lawrence were many things, but a team wasn’t one of them. Duncan nodded because it was easier than having to explain. He watched Annie turn her attention to the rows of cut trees.

The air was thick with the smell of pine. There were a few shoppers talking over the sound of Christmas carols.

As Annie moved from tree to tree, he scanned the lot until he found the girls checking the price tag on a tree. Kami shook her head. The twins looked frustrated before moving to another tree. He turned back to Annie, who was gazing longingly at a tree that had to be fifteen feet, easy.

“You have eight-foot ceilings,” he said, coming up behind her. “Learn from your past mistakes.”

“Meaning we shouldn’t buy something that won’t fit.” She sighed. “But it’s beautiful.” She glanced at the price tag. It was eighty-five dollars. “Maybe not.”

“How much did you want to spend?” he asked.

“Under forty dollars. Less would be better. This is a family lot. They bring in the trees themselves. They cost a little more, but they’re really fresh and it’s kind of a tradition to come here.”

“You’re big on tradition, aren’t you?”

“Uh-huh. The rhythm of life, year after year. It’s fun.”

He felt like Scrooge. The only thing he did year after year was count his money.

She stopped in front of another tree, then glanced at him. “Not too tall?”

“It looks like a great height.”

She fingered the tag. It was sixty-five dollars. When she hesitated, he wanted to ask if twenty-five dollars really made that much difference. But he knew it did or Annie—the spokesperson for the wonders of Christmas—would cough up the money.

Duncan excused himself and found the owner of the lot. After a quiet conversation and the exchange of money, Duncan returned to Annie’s side.

“Let’s ask the guy if they have anything on sale,” he said.

She looked at him pityingly. “Trees don’t go on sale until a couple of days before Christmas.”

“How can you be sure? Maybe there’s a return or something.”

“No one returns a Christmas tree.”

He smiled. “And if you’re wrong?”

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll ask. But I’m telling you, there aren’t any returns or seconds in the Christmas-tree business.”

She looked around for the owner, then walked over to him. As Duncan watched, the man in the Santa T-shirt pointed to three different trees clustered together. Annie glanced at Duncan, then back at Santa guy.

“Seriously?” she was saying. “You have returns?”