Free Christmas Steele by Vanessa Gray Bartal Page A

have
possessed some keen instinct about what went where, because soon he
had them sorted into piles and began handing them to her as she
poked them into their assigned holes. In no time, the tree was
assembled and they stood back to admire their handiwork.
    “Is that it?” Jason asked.
    “Is that it?” she echoed. “Jason, you have to
have lights on a tree, and decorations, and tinsel and
icicles.”
    “That sounds like a lot,” he said. “Doesn’t
it get sort of crowded?”
    “Yes, but it’s grandma’s tree. Her tree is
supposed to be crowded.”
    “Don’t you have a tree of your own?” he
asked.
    She shook her head as she opened the closet
and began pulling out boxes of Christmas decorations.
    “What did you do in New York?” he asked,
sounding truly curious.
    “My roommate owned a tree, although she let
me hang a few decorations on it. And then I helped with Robert’s
tree.” She swallowed down the memory of decorating Robert’s tree.
They’d had so much fun talking about their future as they decorated
together.
    “What does Lacy’s dream tree look like?”
Jason asked, moving her aside to carry the boxes to the tree.
    Lacy paused, staring thoughtfully at her
grandmother’s tree without seeing it. “It’s real. I’ve never had a
real tree, but I’ve always wanted one. And it’s huge—eight feet or
taller. The lights are all white, and there’s no tinsel. Maybe
there are some ribbons, and it’s more streamlined, less
crowded.”
    “That sounds pretty,” he said.
    She wasn’t sure if he was sincere or if he
was patronizing her, but the words still soothed her. “What was
your tree like growing up?” she asked.
    He shrugged. “We didn’t really have one after
my brother died. Christmas sort of lost its meaning after
that.”
    She wanted to comfort him, but instinctively
knew that he didn’t want to be comforted just then. He didn’t want
pity, and so she wouldn’t pity him. “You can have a tree now, you
know,” she informed him.
    He shrugged again. “Seems sort of pointless
when I’m never home,” he said.
    “No, it’s definitely not pointless,” she
argued. “I’ll show you what I’m talking about when we get this put
together.” They worked in silence for a while, stringing lights and
hanging decorations. Many of them were things that Lacy and Riley
had made for their grandmother, and the sight of so many tangible
memories was both painful and happy for her. At last they were
finished. Jason shoved the tree box back into the attic and put
away the ladder while Lacy tidied up the remainder of the boxes,
stowing them back in the closet.
    When he returned from the garage, she had
closed the blinds and turned off all the lights, save the tree. She
patted the seat beside her on the couch, and he sat down.
    “This is why you need a Christmas tree,” she
said softly. “Not because of the presents or the tradition, but
because there is nothing better than sitting in a darkened room and
staring at the soft glow of a decorated tree.”
    “I’ll give you this one,” he said. “This is
nice. But does it work the same when you’re alone? Or is it nice
because we’re here together?”
    Lacy had to think about that one. “It’s still
nice. And when I sit alone and stare at the tree, it gives me hope
that I won’t be alone forever, that someday I’ll find someone to
share it with, someone who doesn’t dump me for my sister,” she
added ruefully, causing Jason to chuckle.
    “Dare to dream big, Red. Is that your only
requirement for lifelong love? That a man not dump you for your
sister?”
    “Pretty much at this point, yes,” she
answered. “What about you, Jason? What does your forever girl look
like?”
    He bridged the gap between them, resting his
hand on her leg. “You know, Red, some days she looks a whole lot
like y—“
    “We’re home,” her mother announced, flipping
on the lights as she stepped inside. “Why is it so dark in here?
Oh, hello.” Her