Chapter Ten
Kevin left the farm a little earlier than usual. He wanted to be sure he had time to grab some dinner and deliver the tree to “Dr. Klutz.” He chuckled, thinking about her second bit of clumsiness.
When he walked into the kitchen, his mother couldn’t help but notice that he was looking rather dapper for a delivery. With a twinkle in her eye, she checked him up and down. “My, don’t you look rather handsome. Is that cologne I smell, too? A little fancy for a tree-farm delivery run, no?”
“Ha! You caught me!” Kevin knew it was obvious, so he didn’t bother to protest. “I thought you’d be pleased to know that I intend to deliver the tree to the pretty new doctor in town. That is if you approve.”
Maggie Matthews grabbed both of her son’s broad shoulders and beamed. “I am tickled pink! I think it’s wonderful that you are showing some interest! Do you want to bring over some date-nut bread? I made several loaves this morning for the bake sale. Or maybe a nice gingerbread house for her little girl?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Mama. This isn’t a date. It’s just a delivery.” He ran his hands through his hair. “And a bit of a fact-finding mission, you could say.”
“Well, okay, dear. But you could say it was courtesy of the tree farm. We give every new customer a loaf!”
“I wouldn’t let that news out of the bag.” He laughed. “There are a bunch of folks who would be mighty P-O’d thinking they should have gotten a date-nut bread years ago!”
“Hmmm . . . Maybe you’re right. Okay, then. Just say it’s from me. A little welcome token.”
“I guess that would be okay. I just don’t want to come off being foolish. Or too eager. We don’t want to scare her! And she may become my doctor. That could turn into an embarrassing situation!”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Kevin. It’s just date-nut bread! Not an engagement ring.” Maggie was surprised at her own casual attitude, considering she was the one who kept encouraging him to make a gesture. Something. Anything.
“If you insist. I will tell her it’s compliments of Maggie Matthews, Baker Extraordinaire. And your goods will be on display for sale at the church this Thursday. I’ll tell her it’s a promotional item.”
Both laughed at their sophomoric behavior. It was, after all, just a tree delivery, wasn’t it?
“Tell her it’s good with honey butter. Betty Palmer will be selling some of that at the bake sale as well!”
Kevin gave his mother a wry look. “Since when did you become a marketing maven?”
“Ha! About two years ago, I bungled one as I was trying to get it out of the pan. I didn’t want to throw it away, so I cut it up into pieces, stuck some toothpicks in them, and brought the whole kit and caboodle to church the night we were setting up the tables. Within five minutes, the plate was empty. Crumbs and all! Apparently, word got out, and I sold all twelve within the first hour! Everyone thought I was a marketing genius after that! Funny thing, doncha think?” Kevin could see the pride in his mother’s face.
“Funny, indeed. Well, your secret’s safe with me.” He gave her a peck on the cheek, pulled on his hat, and strutted out the door.
Since he had known that he was going to make the delivery after dinner, he had brought Kate’s tree home with him, so he wouldn’t have to drive all the way back to the farm.
Checking the address on the receipt, he headed in her direction.
When he arrived at Kate’s house, he noticed that there wasn’t a car in the driveway, but there was one on the street. He didn’t know what she drove so assumed she had left the driveway clear for him. As he backed in, he could hear some music playing softly in the background. It was The Nutcracker Suite
.
Jumping from the cab, he grabbed the date-nut bread, then lowered the gate on the back of the truck. Getting his Texas swagger on, he moved toward the front porch, removed his hat, and rang the bell.
A man’s voice came from inside the house. “Hang on!” And then heavy footsteps. For a moment, Kevin considered that he might have the wrong place, but then the door swung open, and there stood Brian. “Hey! You the tree guy?”
Kevin became instantly flustered. “Uh. Yes. I have a tree for Kate Stafford.”
“Yeah. She had to run out for a minute. Emma has a little stomach thing going on.”
Looking down, he noticed that the guy wasn’t wearing any shoes. So the new doctor has a boyfriend.
“Need a hand?” Brian offered. “Let me get my shoes.”
“No problem. I can handle it.” He turned and headed toward the truck. Realizing he had the bread in his hand, he tossed it casually to Brian. “It’s courtesy of Cedar Park Tree Farm.”
Surprised by the lob, Brian missed the catch and the bread hit the porch, which gave Kevin a huge sense of satisfaction. What a doofus,
he thought to himself. How can she be with a guy like him? Now, there was a klutz. What guy can’t make an easy catch like that?
Then he thought of Emma. That poor kid. She’s going to be tripping through life.
Kevin hauled the big tree from the truck and carried it onto the porch. “Where would you like me to put this?” Kevin’s mind was going toward the gutter at this point, and he suppressed a sly grin.
“Kate made some room in the corner. Wow. That’s one big tree.”
“Most people say the same thing. They look a lot smaller outside. We try to tell them, but they never listen. Then they have to cut a foot off the bottom and can never get it to stand right. We get calls every day asking if we can come out and help.”
Brian wasn’t sure what to do. Clearly, the tree was going to invade a third of the living room. “Are you sure this is the tree Kate picked out?”
“Hey, I wasn’t there. All I know is that this
is the tree she paid for.” Kevin was losing his patience. He couldn’t wait to get out of that house.
“Well, okay. I guess.” Brian was beginning to seem wimpier every minute. “Would you mind putting it in the stand?”
Irritation was setting in. “No problem. I cut the bottom branches earlier to make it easier.” He slammed the tree into the stand. “Anything else?”
“I don’t think so.” Brian reached into his wallet and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and proceeded to tip Kevin.
Kevin held up his hand. “Not necessary. Part of our service. Merry Christmas.” Marching back to his truck, he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so exasperated.