The Christmas Tree Guy

by Railyn Stone

  “Well, you could definitely stand to eat a few of them. You’ve lost weight.”

  “Wow, Leanne, you really think so?” Sydnee sat at the table beside Charlie who was steadily coloring a picture.

  “I would be a little worried, if you weren’t practically glowing.” Leanne placed a plate in front of Sydnee.

  “Grammie, can we watch cartoons?”

  “You sure can. Your favorite movie is already in the DVD player. Let’s go get it started so you can watch it while Mommy eats her dinner.” Sydnee watched Leanne escort the boys down the hallway to start the cartoons for them in the den.

  “Those two are something else.” Leanne giggled, returning to the kitchen and taking her seat. “So, what have you been doing? You look great.”

  “Thanks. I actually started working out with a friend on a little more regular basis.” Sydnee still hadn’t told Leanne and Charles about Quinn. She had just never been able to work up the nerve to share it with them.

  “Well, it’s working. Not that you looked bad before, but you are getting toned and you just look like you’re blissfully happy.”

  “I am. I haven’t felt this way in a long time.”

  “That’s good. I’m guessing it has something to do with your new friend?” Leanne grinned as Sydnee’s eyes widened and she swallowed hard, gazing at her plate before glancing at her mother-in-law.

  “My new friend?”

  “Yes. Charlie and Travis said their Auntie Sara stayed with them when you went out with your new friend. I figure he has something to do with the happiness you’re exuding out of every pore.” Leanne flashed an all-knowing smile and Sydnee knew she wasn’t going to be able to keep her secret any longer.

  Sydnee shook her head. “Well, I guess there’s no keeping a secret around those two.” Sydnee squirmed, knowing eventually she would have to tell people if she and Quinn were to get serious. She just wasn’t ready for it yet. It was all still so new to her and she wasn’t sure how she would tell anyone. Sara knew, but she still hadn’t told her brother or her mother or even her in-laws. What would they say? Would they have the same reactions as Mina? She was pretty sure her brother wouldn’t have a problem with it. He was a lot like her in the sense that they kept an open mind about things. Kellen was a born mediator and had been a buffer for her with their mother their entire lives. Sydnee felt it was because her mother liked Kellen a lot more than her. Of course, Kellen said it was because he reminded her so much of their father, who had passed away during her freshman year in college. She worried what her mother would say. It nagged and needled at her mind constantly. Every time she was with Quinn, it was like she was doing something wrong, and she continuously worried what her mother’s reaction would be. Now, it looked like she was going to have to tell her mother-in-law. It was bad enough she was seeing someone else that wasn’t their son, but she was seeing someone who was younger, and who was white. Heaven only knows how this is going to go.

  “Oh, honey, don’t worry about it. They didn’t mean to tell, they were just excited about Sara playing video games with them. The next thing you know they were talking about how she comes over when you go out. Is it serious? Oh, look at me being nosy. I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.” Leanne waved her hand, grinning and dismissing her last question.

  “No, oh, no, Leanne, it’s okay. I don’t know yet. I’m a little confused at this point about where it’s going. Kind of a long story.”

  “I have time if you want to talk about it.” Sighing, Sydnee pushed her plate away, propped her elbows on the table and placed her head in her hands. Leanne must have thought she was crying because Sydnee could feel her hand pat her arm. “Sweetheart, it’s okay.”

  Looking up, Sydnee grinned at her mother-in-law and shook her head. “I’m so confused.”

  “Anything I can help with?”

  “The new friend I met, well, he’s a great guy. He is caring, and understanding and really a wonderful person to be around. He’s positive and he has so much energy and life.” Sydnee couldn’t contain the smile that automatically popped onto her face when she thought of Quinn. His eyes, his deliciously delectable little smirk, his laugh. Everything about him had her in full swoon mode and she could kick herself for being so head over heels gone for the guy.

  “Doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “He’s not. He’s great, but the problem is, he’s younger than I am.”

  “Okay, what’s a few years? What is it, like two or three years?”

  “Try eight.” Sydnee folded her hands and slowly looked over at Leanne.

  “Eight? Hmm…”

  “Yeah and he’s also…white.”

  “Oh-kay, well…” Sydnee watched Leanne’s facial expression for any change. Sydnee knew what she was thinking, but what was her mother-in-law, the grandmother of her children, thinking about her or her decision to see a younger white man?

  “Yeah, exactly. I don’t understand it, Leanne. Here I am, a thirty-four year old single mother of two with a great job, and my friends have fixed me up with doctors, accountants, and lawyers that are all my age. But, I meet a twenty-six year old personal trainer while buying a Christmas tree, and I am more interested in him than any of those others.” Sydnee returned her head to her hands. “What’s wrong with me?”

  “Honey, nothing is wrong with you.”

  “But why couldn’t I be attracted to one of those guys closer in age to me than this unbelievable guy that was fourteen years old when I married Matt? Oh, that sounds horrible.”

  “Oh no.” Leanne laughed at her ex-daughter-in-law and squeezed her hand.

  “Leanne, I’m a cradle robber.” Sydnee moaned, dropping her head to the table.

  “Okay, now stop it. Sometimes we can’t help who we have things in common with. And I’m sure this man is something special to have you looking so happy.”

  “That’s what makes this so confusing for me. He’s unbelievable. I’m having a hard time finding anything wrong with him. He’s almost too good to be true, and you know when someone is like that, they usually are. Just look at Matt.” Pausing for a moment, she placed her hand over her mouth and her eyes opened wide. “Oh, Leanne, no offense, but you see how that turned out.”

  “Believe me when I say, no offense taken. I love my son, Sydnee, and I always will, but honestly, honey, I cannot and will not condone what he did to you and my grandchildren. Can I ask you something though?”

  “Sure.” Sydnee had always loved being able to talk to Leanne about any and everything under the sun. They had a close relationship, a lot like she wished for her and her mother.

  “Is he someone you want to be around Charlie and Travis?” Sydnee looked at Leanne wistfully and dipped her head. Nowadays Sydnee wasn’t too sure of anything. She wanted to make the right decisions when it came to her children. They were everything to her. She was devastated when Matt walked out on them. She was their constant, and they had done more for her than anyone could possibly imagine. Now, she was faced with a decision to let a new man into their life and it was a decision she did not want to take lightly. Especially since she wasn’t sure exactly how long he would be in their lives. It was all so complicated. She really liked Quinn. He was smart and caring, and she could see the boys absolutely loving spending time with him. His enthusiasm and energy would be a positive influence on them, she was sure.

  “I think so.”

  “I know you have really good judgment and the boys mean everything to you, so for you to contemplate letting him get to know them, he must be pretty special.”

  Sydnee’s eye darted to the dark wood of the kitchen table as she fiddled with the edges of her napkin. “He is.”

  “But?”

  “It’s just that I met him a couple of months ago and it seems too fast to get that close to someone.” Sydnee was truly at a loss for what she should do. The thought of Quinn spending time with the boys scared her. The what-ifs were unbearable.

  “Well, could you see him in your life for a
long time?”

  “It’s crazy, but…yes.” If she stripped down all of the outside elements, she could see herself spending time with Quinn every day for the rest of her life. He made her laugh, he listened to her, and he made sure she was happy and seemed to want the best for her at all times. What wasn’t to love about that?

  “I can tell by that smile. Honey, you look absolutely content just mentioning this man. Something I haven’t seen in you for a long time. That makes me tremendously happy.”

  “But, what about the age and race differences? What do I do?” Drawing her eyes up to Leanne, Sydnee pleaded with her mother-in-law to give her some indication of what she should do. She needed someone to tell her because this decision was getting harder and harder for her to make.

  “Sweetheart, who you date is your business.”

  “I know, but I value yours and Charles’ opinions.” She’d grown so close to Charles and Leanne and was grateful for all of the love and support they had shown her. “You could have wanted nothing to do with me after Matt and I divorced, but you have never once turned me away or made me feel uncomfortable.”

  “Honestly, I don’t have a problem with interracial relationships, but I know it’s sometimes hard for a couple to battle all of the outside influences.”

  Don’t I know it. “I’ve already experienced that.” Sydnee muttered thinking back to the night of Mina’s party. She was so hurt by the malicious remarks Mina made about Quinn. Mina had no clue what Quinn was like. She didn’t know he was sensitive or caring. She didn’t know the man had a great sense of humor and kept Sydnee in stitches. Sydnee had known Mina almost as long as she’d known Sara. She met her when she went to one of Sara’s family gatherings. From day one, Mina had been a live wire. Sydnee planned, but Mina really planned. Sydnee had always known growing up that she would finish college and get married. But Mina had it down to the year, the month and day for everything. Sara had filled her in on how Mina had determined before she even officially met Aaron, that she would marry him based off of his major, GPA and the organizations he joined. Sydnee had never met someone so focused on making sure she would live the life she always dreamed. Nothing was left to chance and it was a well-orchestrated life. Mina made sure if nothing else, she was well taken care of and her life was never going to be one of struggle. All Mina could focus on was Quinn’s culture and financial status. All Sydnee cared about was what was truly in his heart.

  “The only thing I can say is, stay strong through it all if it’s truly what you want. And remember sweetheart, age is a funny thing.” Leanne stood and started to clear the dishes from the table upon hearing little footsteps clattering through the hallway.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s amazing how it becomes irrelevant as you get older. Just think, when you’re 58, he’ll be 50,” she winked as the boys ran into the kitchen letting Sydnee know the cartoon was over.

  Giggling, Sydnee looked at Leanne with a mix of disbelief and relief before walking behind her and giving her a hug. “Thanks, Leanne.”

  “Honey, you’re welcome. Just trust your instincts, okay?” Leanne patted her arm and grinned before kissing the twins goodbye and the three made their way out to Sydnee’s SUV.

  CHAPTER 9

  “Well?” Sydnee looked up to see Quinn grinning at her with anticipation.

  “It’s delicious. How did you learn to cook like this?”

  “Thank you, but I have to give the credit to my mom.” It was Valentine’s Day and instead of going out, Quinn had invited Sydnee over to his place and had cooked dinner. Sydnee had to admit she was more than a little impressed. For one, his condo was immaculate for a guy. She remembered the first time she had gone to Matt’s place; he had thrown everything in a closet as a way of cleaning up. She wished she’d taken that as a hint of what she could expect from him in the future. He was always either never helping around the house or he was constantly trying to cover up his messes easily. She shook her head to clear any thoughts about her ex-husband from her mind and focused on Quinn and their evening together. She was doubly impressed he had cooked dinner for her. And not some frozen dinner nuked in a microwave.

  “Your mom must be a gourmet chef,” she said, placing her fork on the plate and sitting back in her chair. She was already stuffed when he had placed a slice of cheesecake topped with whipped cream in front of her. “I don’t think I could eat another bite.”

  “No, not a gourmet chef, but she loves to cook. Hence the restaurant.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  “Yes, when she and my dad split she would make me sit in the kitchen with her while I did homework. It was her way of keeping her eye on me so I couldn’t get into something, but also to keep her company. Usually, I ended up helping her and I picked up a few things here and there.” Sydnee loved the thought of him spending time with his mother. They were very close from what he told her and his eyes danced when he talked about her. She only hoped her boys would light up like that while talking about her someday. “So, when my uncle opened Deuce-22 a little while ago, he knew she would be great there, so…”

  “Your family sounds amazing.”

  “Oh they are. Quite a few characters in the mix.”

  “So what else do I not know about you, Quinn Masters?”

  “What do you want to know, Sydnee Garrett?” Quinn watched her over the flicker of the candles he had placed in the middle of the table. He went all out for their dinner and she felt pretty special that he went through the trouble to make their night romantic. No one had done anything remotely romantic for her in a long time. None of the blind dates she went on had been anywhere close. Most had taken her to dinner and proceeded to talk about themselves and their achievements the entire night, or they expected to get her in bed as soon as dinner was over. And forget Matt ever doing anything like this for her. Oh, when they first met, he impressed her with flowers and candy, but as the years wore on, the flowers and candy deliveries trickled and waned into nonexistence. Grinning at Quinn’s sharp wit, she took a sip of her wine.

  “I don’t know. Maybe, how do you do it?” She stood up and walked over to the fireplace mantel to look at the pictures lined up. They were of him and his mom at different points in Quinn’s life. She nearly laughed out loud at the ‘masterpiece’ yellow plate he’d painted with her weeks before sitting on the mantel between the pictures.

  “Do what?” Placing his napkin on the table, he joined her at the fireplace.

  “You’re so positive and upbeat all of the time. It’s like you never look back.” Envy was her middle name when it came to the way Quinn seemed to handle any adversity in his life. He told her before about his father leaving his mother when he was younger and the bitterness he held for the man for a long time after. It took years for them to get to a place where Quinn could actually have a conversation with him, but amazingly enough, they found a way to communicate again. Cortland Masters was a businessman first, family man, second. He was so focused on building his real estate company that he lost all ability to relate to his son and wife. It took a toll on the marriage and before long, he and Janae divorced. According to Quinn, Janae hoped he would rebuild his relationship with his dad. And she was the only reason he even entertained talking to his father. Their relationship still wasn’t the best, but it was good enough to pacify his mother and that was good enough for him.

  “I wouldn’t say all of that. I just try to take one day at a time and make the most of it.” She felt his hand caress her shoulder and she finally understood the saying ‘putty in my hands.’ She felt like a boneless blob of goo every time he touched her. The electricity flowing through his palms was enough to revive the dead.

  “I guess it just scares me that my past is going to come back to bite me.”

  Dipping his head to look into her eyes, Quinn took her hands in his. She instantly felt comfort in the heat of his hands on hers and she looked up. “Let me ask you something—are you happy now?”

  “What?”r />
  “Are you happy? I mean, overall, at this moment, are you happy?”

  She wondered where he was going with the questions he was asking. “Ah, well, yeah. I am. Why?”

  “Good. Then I guess you aren’t letting the past dictate your future happiness.”

  Standing in front of him, Sydnee looked in his animated eyes and nodded. “I guess you’re right.” Quinn moved closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I think you had a lot to do with that,” she added, placing her arms around his neck.

  “You think so?” He asked, and she reveled in the feel of his firm anatomy pressed against hers. “What do you say we work on our future happiness together and forget about those people who hurt us in the past?”

  “I like that idea.” She moaned as his lips grazed her collarbone before he captured her lips with his. She could feel the warmth of his hands through the thin material of her blouse and her nipples hardened against his chest.

  “I’m going to really enjoy being with you tonight,” he murmured against her neck. She relaxed against him as he tightened his arm around her waist and they headed to his bedroom. The only light in the room was the ethereal glow of the moon streaming through the window. He sat on the bed and pulled her close, hugging her to him, briefly resting his cheek on her midsection. Reaching up, he unbuttoned her blouse and softly kissed her exposed stomach.

  “What are you trying to do to me, Quinn?” she moaned softly, running her fingers through his hair and relishing in the feel of the slight stubble on his face against her stomach. This man was blowing her mind. He was extremely gentle and it was taking everything in her power to continue standing. She could feel her legs growing weaker by the second.

  “I’m making sure your future is a happy one.” He continued with his sweet seduction by carefully undressing her and then standing to remove his own clothes. Turning back to her, he lay her down on her stomach and moved onto the bed. Closing her eyes, she felt his strong hands gently massage her left calf muscle before she felt his lips kissing a trail over the same places his hands touched. He moved slowly and deliberately, kissing a trail up the back of her leg and she let out a slight giggle when he gently sucked at the back of her ticklish knee.