chapter 18
Patrick and Kerry were crossing the street when they saw a young couple standing hand in hand, peering into the roped-off Christmas tree stand.
“Hey,” the man called as they approached. “Are you guys open?”
“We are now,” Kerry said. Even one more tree sold today would help the bottom line.
She unfastened the bungee cord and gestured for the two to enter. Patrick sat down in Murphy’s vacant lawn chair.
The girl gestured toward Spammy. “I love the little trailer. So adorable! Does somebody actually live in it?”
“Two somebodies,” Kerry said. “And a dog. Right up until Christmas Eve.”
“Oooh! Like something out of a fairy tale,” the girl squealed.
“More like a horror story,” Kerry said, as she was sizing the couple up for their tree-buying potential.
She estimated that they were in their early twenties. The girl could have been a model for skiwear, with a pink knitted beanie pulled over her long blond hair, a white quilted jacket, and skinny jeans tucked into fur-trimmed suede boots. Her partner was also dressed for the slopes. He wore wire-rimmed glasses and had a glorious mop of strawberry-blond curls.
“This might sound kinda creepy, but is there any way I could look inside your camper?”
“Ashley, no. That’s definitely super creepy,” the boyfriend said.
The girl flashed a winsome smile. “Please?”
“It’s a big mess inside,” Kerry protested. “I’m living with a slob, and his dog sheds. And I was getting ready for a party…”
“No judgment,” Ashley promised. “Just a peek?”
Kerry sighed, then climbed up and opened the trailer door. Queenie, who’d been dozing on Murphy’s bunk, gave a short, quizzical bark, then stood and squeezed past the visitor.
Ashley poked her head inside. “It’s pink! And turquoise! And that teensy kitchen! Does it actually work?”
“Not in a long time,” Kerry told her.
“Does it have a name?”
“My mom named her Spammy; you know, because it looks like a canned ham,” Kerry said.
“Ash? I thought we were buying a tree.” The boyfriend’s voice sounded a warning.
“Oh, right.”
She did a quick circle around the lot. “Ooh, Shaun, look at this one.” She pointed at a ten-foot tree.
Her partner shook his head and laughed. “Babe, that thing is as big as the tree at Rockefeller Plaza. How are we gonna drag that up three flights of stairs?”
“But it’s so pretty,” she protested.
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Think smaller.”
She circled the lot, pulling out and sizing up trees, for the next ten minutes.
Kerry didn’t bother to suppress a yawn.
“Ashley, these folks are ready to close up shop,” the boyfriend said.
“It’s okay,” Kerry said, smiling brightly.
The girl stopped in front of the stack of smaller trees and picked up a four-foot model.
She set it on the pavement and twirled it around. “This is it. This is the one.”
“You sure?” Shaun asked.
“Positive. It’s super sweet. We can put it on the table in front of the window.”
“And what’s gonna happen when Billy decides to climb your super-sweet Christmas tree?” Shaun asked. “Billy’s her cat. Her obnoxious, spoiled rotten cat.”
“He’s not spoiled,” Ashley said. “He’s … entitled, but I promise I will speak to Billy about staying away from this Christmas tree.”
Shaun turned to Kerry and Patrick. “See what I’m dealing with here?” He put a finger to his forehead. “She’s loco in the cabeza. Nuts.”
Ashley wrapped her arms around him. “Yeah, I’m nuts. Nuts about you, Shaun Hettinger.”
“Okay,” he relented. “We’ll get the tree. Are you gonna make me spend hours and hours stringing and then rearranging and then re-rearranging all the lights?”
“Definitely.”
He pulled out his billfold, and she gave a happy, high-pitched squeal of delight.
“This is our first Christmas together,” she told Patrick and Kerry.
“What?” Shaun said. “We’ve been together for two years.”
“I mean, it’s our first Christmas living together in our own place,” Ashley said. She held out her left hand, wriggling her fingers to show off the tiny diamond chip on her ring finger. “We just got engaged Thanksgiving Day.”
Patrick beamed at the happy couple. “Congratulations! It’s great that you’ll be celebrating your first Christmas together with a Tolliver Christmas tree. In fact, we’d love to offer you our first-Christmas-together discount. Right?”
He glanced at Kerry for approval, giving her a subtle nod.
“Really?” Ashley asked. “So how much is the tree?”
Kerry got the hint. She glanced across the street at the Brodys’ tree stand. Their light-up sign advertised Fresh Trees—Cheap! Starting at $40.
“It’s thirty-eight dollars,” Kerry said.
“Cool.” Shaun opened his billfold and handed Kerry cash for the tree.
Ashley whipped her cell phone from her jacket pocket. “Would it be okay if I took some pictures of your tree stand for my social media?”
“Guess so,” Kerry said.
“Put the tree over your shoulder, babe,” she instructed her fiancé. “Like you just cut it and hauled it down the mountain.”
He obediently balanced the tree over one shoulder, and she handed the phone to Kerry, before posing herself beside him, hand rested on one hip.
Kerry clicked off a few frames.
“Now get one of us standing by Spammy,” Ashley instructed. “And then another by your sign, so my fans will know where to find you.”
Kerry did as requested. Ashley took the phone and studied the photos. “Mmm. Not bad.” She looked up. “Now let me take one of you and your boyfriend in front of the sign. Good publicity, right?”
Kerry felt the heat rise in her neck and cheeks. “He’s not my—”
“No problem,” Patrick said cheerfully. He whistled and Queenie trotted over, then he took Kerry’s arm and steered her over to the sign.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“Just smile and act like you adore me,” he said under his breath, flinging an arm around her shoulder, as Ashley clicked the camera’s shutter. “I’ll fill you in later.”
When the impromptu photo shoot was done and the happy couple were walking away with their bargain Christmas tree, Kerry turned to Patrick. “Okay. What was that all about?”
“The girl, Ashley. I knew I recognized her from somewhere. Then it struck me. That’s Ashley, from AshleyActually. She’s a huge social media influencer.”
Now it was Patrick’s turn to consult his phone. He opened the Instagram app, typed something in the search bar, and showed Kerry the results.
AshleyActually had 1.2 million followers, and her feed featured an endless stream of artfully styled shots of her shopping, strolling, sipping, nibbling, and sightseeing.
“How do you happen to know about someone like her?” Kerry asked.