The Giving Tree

CHAPTER ONE Charlotte stopped across the road from the bookshop to find her sunglasses. Her oversized bag was cluttered thanks to the folder and laptop inside and when she couldn’t find them she glanced over at the apartment. Was there time to go back? Bother. She half-closed her eyes to avoid the worst of the glare and hurried toward the plaza. Being late wasn’t her thing and the rest of the group were counting on her to roll out the plan. The beginning of summer meant beginning of the festive season and this one was shaping up to be the best of her life. Not that she had a lot to compare it to. Last year, apart from the thieves sneaking around and stealing Christmas trees, she’d had her first taste of being part of a family at Christmas time and now she wanted more. At the fountain she stopped long enough to trail her fingers through the cascade. Thanks to Doug being on the council, a few much-needed changes were brightening up Kingfisher Falls. First the fountain being reconnected to its water supply, then the decorations, which were already underway. There was a big tree in the plaza and another in the roundabout. This time though, they were real pines from the Christmas Tree Farm and were securely bolted to the ground. She reached Italia right on twelve and pushed the door open. The delectable aroma of bread and basil and garlic wafted from the kitchen and her mouth watered. From a round table near the farthest wall, Rosie waved. Everyone else was there and they looked up with smiles. Lewis sat beside Rosie, holding her other hand. Every time she saw them together they were holding hands, even months after their wedding. So sweet. Esther and Doug Oaks were next. Doug wore his chef whites so would probably sit in on the meeting only as he could. Although he had a wonderful chef working with him, Doug wasn’t the kind of person to sit if his customers needed him. Last was Harpreet, her friend who owned the photography and framing shop in town. Harpreet’s parents owned India Gate House, the restaurant over the road. Charlotte sank into the remaining seat. “Sorry, I’m late!” “Not at all, darling. Doug was suggesting an antipasto platter.” Rosie glanced at Lewis. “Perhaps some lovely garlic bread?” Doug stood. “Let me put the order in and I’ll be back in five.” “Wasn’t Zoe going to join us?” Esther asked. “She is snowed under and sends her apologies. I am barely seeing her with the hours she’s putting in to get the gallery ready.” “For the grand opening? We can’t wait. Time to get dressed up and mix with the rich and famous!” Rosie patted her hair as though preparing right this minute and Charlotte laughed. “Not sure about the rich and famous so I wouldn’t get too excited. Perhaps some of the arty set from the city, but Zoe wants this to be a relaxed evening to show off her work as well as the classes she’s running.” “Lew and I have already signed up for the beginner pottery class and sculpting basics. I can’t wait to see what we can make!” Charlotte hid a smile. Having a sister who created unique and extraordinary pieces made for lots of Christmas present ideas. And birthdays and house-warming. Sooner or later Trev would buy a house and she knew already what she wanted to buy him from Zoe’s vast collection. She pulled everything she needed from her bag and set up the laptop as Doug returned carrying plates of dip. “Start with these and we can take a look at Charlie’s presentation.” He put the plates on the table and took his seat again. “Presentation sounds a bit fancy.” Charlotte turned the laptop so everyone could see. “I’ve mocked up some ads and if you are in agreement, I’ll get these running on local social media.” She clicked through several Christmassy images with ‘Giving is the true spirit of Christmas’ on each one. “There’s more of course. Every participating trader has contributed their own images of some of their lovely goods or their shop. So although it will be a joint promotion, everyone will have lots of traffic sent their way.” “Does traffic mean customers?” Lewis asked. “It does. Well, if I get this right, it does. What do you all think about me sending out a press release to the local papers? See if we can get some free advertising as well?” Harpreet scooped some cheesy dip. “Free is good.” Beside her was a box. Doug got to his feet as a server arrived with a big tray and helped unload platters of antipasto to the table. When he sat again, he nodded. “Please. On the house with my thanks for the work being done here for our town. Charlie, I’ve only been involved a little bit in this so can you go over this in simple terms?” Everybody began piling luscious semi dried tomato and olives and cheese and meats to their plates as Charlotte put her laptop away and pulled out the folder. From this, she extracted a flyer. “Last year I came across a Santa in the plaza, handing out gift cards from a department store in Sunbury. It annoyed me a lot. Coming here and taking local business away from us and all because Kingfisher Falls traders weren’t doing anything to keep customers here. Do you remember the bookshop had a giving box?” Rosie beamed. “It was so wonderful! Almost everyone bought a gift for it and we were able to give some money to the Forests, some books to Lachie, and more books to the community thanks to the church committee.” “Exactly! Giving makes us feel good. It makes customers feel good. And Christmas is all about giving…or should be. So, instead of the giving box, each participating shop has a tree—a normal Christmas tree—but instead of baubles they will have these to add.” Harpreet leaned forward, holding out a Christmas tree shaped card from the box. “These printed nicely, I think. There’s some in red, some in yellow, and some in green. On one side, there is space for the name of the recipient and donor. Now, the recipient will likely be unknown so a description is fine.” “Such as an age group for kids’ books,” Charlotte said, “Or frame for family photo.” “In the restaurant here, then, it would be dinner for one, or home delivery for two, or champagne for special guests? Am I understanding?” Doug asked. “You are. Or just a dollar amount is fine. At the bottom is a little clip to hold the plastic gift cards. Here’s one,” Charlotte dug out a credit card sized plastic card and held it up. “Photo thanks to my phone and Harpreet’s clever editing.” One side was a shot of the town with its decorations but also snow. Everyone laughed. “Now, on the blank side, simply use a permanent marker to write the dollar amount in words as well as numerals. I’m sure no customers would, but just in case, we don’t want anyone adding their own values. And put your initials as well.” “And we should keep track of each donation,” Harpreet added. “If your point of sale system allows then do it there, otherwise write every transaction down and keep safe.” “Once you’ve done that, simply clip it onto the tree ornament. There’s an info sheet for everyone and it is really straightforward but if there are any questions, let me know.” Charlotte passed around the sheets. “I have a pack made for every participant.” Doug stood. “Sorry, think I’m needed. But thank you, Charlie. This is a lovely thing for the town.” He disappeared into the kitchen. “The town needs a morale boost.” Charlotte put away her laptop, more than ready to eat. “All the crime and unrest has meant a drop off from usual sales for us, anyway. And most of the others involved have told me the same thing. Twenty, thirty percent less people coming in.” A solemn silence descended as they ate. Who could blame people for avoiding shopping where there’d been one crime after another almost all year? Murders, a fire, thefts. If this Christmas idea didn’t take off and encourage the shoppers back, where would Kingfisher Falls be in another year? “Why so quiet, sweetie? You’ve barely spoken since I picked you up from Italia.” Trev drove them out of town, taking the route to the Christmas Tree Farm. “Was there an issue with the meeting?” Charlotte hadn’t meant to carry over her earlier worry. She plastered a smile on her face. “Not a one! Everyone loved the ads I made and Harpreet did a brilliant job on the Christmas tree cards. It is a case of sitting back and waiting for the rush.” Trev glanced over, an eyebrow raised. “You’re concerned about the town.” “I am.” “How many businesses did you end up getting on board with the Giving Tree project?” Now, her smile was genuine. “Twelve. Perfect for Christmas. That includes Italia and India Gate House, Zoe’s Gallery, and the Christmas Tree Farm. We have takeaway, giftware, fashion, beauty, shoes. And a bookshop.” “You’ve done an amazing job, Charlie. This will create a buzz around town and surely bring in a bit of outside trade. Is there anything I can do to help?” Trev turned onto the dirt road. “Happy to pass the word around.” “Just arrest anyone who tries to do the wrong thing, please? Keep crime away, at least for the festive season.” He chuckled. “That’s the aim.” They passed the driveway to Glenys Lane’s property where a For Sale sign had a ‘Sold’ banner across it. “Oh, look! I wonder who bought it?” Charlotte said. “It wasn’t you, I hope. I really hope.” Charlotte’s only visit to Glenys’ property was one visit too many. The cottage hidden behind overgrown land was small, rundown, and radiated a creepiness she couldn’t explain. Although the smouldering fire pit behind the residence might have had something to do with it. And that Glenys killed people who she claimed to love. “Promise I didn’t. No, I have in mind something with a beautiful garden filled with shade trees and areas for vegetable beds. Room to move. Have a game of backyard cricket. And a house with a heart.” A flutter of something…something pleasant and warm and exciting, filled Charlotte’s heart. He had it all planned out. Or at least, his version of his future and she was pretty sure it included her. Not that anything formal was agreed. The car drove through the gates of the Christmas Tree Farm and Trev found a parking spot along the side farthest from the sales shed. Cars and trailers lined the carpark and people bustled around, some carrying trees and others on their way to choose one. Last year, Charlotte drove here alone and not knowing why she’d come. A need to have her own little Christmas tree was strange at first, but once she met the family behind the farm, everything changed. They climbed out and headed across to the sale shed, Trev carrying one of Charlotte’s Giving Tree information packs. “Charlotte! Charlotte you’re here!” Lachie Forest burst from nowhere and threw himself at Charlotte. She braced herself just in time and even then, had to catch her breath. “Oh my goodness, you are getting so tall, I will soon be looking up at you!” “Nah. Not for years. Scientifically, boys grow rapidly then slow down, but continue to grow until their twenties. And I’m only nine. Not twenty. So you’ll still be taller for ages.” “Of course. Well, it’s nice to see you.” She grinned at Trev over Lachie’s head. “Is Mum at the shed?” Lachie stepped back. “Where else would Mrs Forest be during the festive season? Come on, I already picked a tree for you.” With that he was gone again, zig-zagging through the parked cars and disappearing into the open shed. Charlotte giggled. She couldn’t help herself. Lachie was the first child she’d ever got to know and she adored him and his quirky view of the world. “Still calls his mother Mrs Forest when they are working. So cute.” Trev smiled and took Charlotte’s hand. “He loves you.” “I love him right back.” Trev gave her a look she didn’t understand. Deep and thoughtful. Since Rosie and Lewis’ wedding, she’d got that look a few times. Although he’d not proposed, he’d basically told her he intended to a while ago but had yet to raise the question again. Perhaps he wasn’t certain any more. But then he kissed her quickly. “And I love you.” How did I ever get so lucky? Heart lighter, Charlotte waved to Abbie who was behind a new counter in the shed. Darcy had put a lot of work into creating an inviting shop, building shelves along two sides and a row of big display bins filled with ornaments of all types. Christmas music had put smiles on the faces of the half dozen or so customers browsing. And in the centre of the shop was their own tree, tall and dark green and sparkling from hundreds of minute lights around its trunk. “All ready to become our Giving Tree.” Darcy Forest hurried past with a grin, flicking pine needles from his short, red hair. He left a sales chit with Abbie and came back to join them. “Lachie picked a tree for you, Charlie, but don’t feel obliged to take it.” “Hey! Mr Forest, although the customer is always right, in this instance I believe Charlotte will accept my superior knowledge on the subject.” Lachie crossed his arms and fixed a no-arguing stare on his father, who kept a straight face. “In that case, perhaps you should show this tree to Charlotte and Trev and I will go and help other customers with their choices.” “Here’s the info pack,” Charlotte said. “Call if you have questions.” “Thanks for this. Can’t wait to get it up and running.” Darcy took it from Trev and headed for the counter, where he placed it on the floor behind Abbie. Lachie grabbed Charlotte’s hand. “Come and see.” He led them out of the sales shed and along a broad path lined with pre-cut and netted trees. A smaller path weaved behind the shop. Charlotte had found her last tree there, on its last legs until she poured love and lots of water onto it. The little pine was now planted back here on the farm. “As soon as Dad, I mean, Mr Forest, found this tree right against the boundary fence, I told him you’d be its perfect owner, so he dug it up rather than cut it.” Lachie stepped to one side and gestured. “It is different and special. Like you, Charlotte.” A small lump formed in her throat. Everything with Lachie was as he saw it. He didn’t make things up or joke very much. His approach was direct although he did enjoy big words and offering unsolicited advice. If he saw Charlotte as different and special, he meant it as a compliment. Trev squeezed her hand. The tree was beautiful. About the same height as Charlotte, its needles were bluish-silver and soft. “Mr Forest thinks it won’t grow a lot more so if you want to plant it afterwards, you can, even in your teeny little garden.” Charlotte laughed now. “Are you laughing at the tree?” “No, Lachie. Just your description of my garden. Which is true but it sounds funny.” Lachie raised both his eyebrows and held them there. “Grown-ups are strange.” “We are indeed.” Trev offered. “This is a fine tree, Lachie.” “It is. I shall leave you to get to know it better.” He tore off again and in a minute was out of sight. Reaching out, Charlotte touched the tree. “Hello, would you like to come live with me?” “I think it would.” Trev picked it up. “Yes?” “Yes. Isn’t he the most thoughtful kid ever?” Charlotte followed Trev back to the main path. “I wonder if I can mess with his head again.” “Sorry?” “Oh. The whole alien tree thing I started and I don’t even remember what made it happen. Something about me asking the tree questions and Lachie saying trees don’t talk. I must have told him it was an alien and not a tree and I wanted a refund or something.” They reached the end of a line of customers and Trev lowered the pot. “Right.” She giggled at his expression. “Does this mean you don’t want to hang out with me anymore? In case my brand of weirdness is catching?” He leaned in so only she could hear. “It’ll take a lot more than a little weirdness to drive me away, sweetheart.” He kissed her cheek. “Not going anywhere.” “So, would you like to join Zoe and me for dinner tonight?” “Can’t.” As the line moved, Trev picked up the tree again. “Night shift showing young Koby the ropes.” Constable Koby Masterson was new to town and the police force. Charlotte had yet to meet him but knowing Trev had some help made her happy. Instead of being the only one available on short notice, he now had someone to share the load with. Might make her selfish, but spending more time with Trev was something she wanted a lot. “Couple of busy days and nights ahead but the sooner he’s up to speed the better. Can we play it by ear for during the week?” “We can. Time for coffee before you go?” “That I can do. After I lug this special and different tree up your stairs!”