She’d eaten her lunch quickly, then walked to the tree lot down the block, a few dollars from Dale tucked into her coat pocket, to finally purchase a tree. Customers still filled the main room as she propped the fir tree into a corner. Things had been overly busy the past two weeks, but she wasn’t convinced the rapidly approaching Christmas holiday was the sole reason. She suspected the changes in Dale had far more to do with the steady stream of patrons than the time of year.Instead of sequestering himself in the back office, Dale had begun to venture out into the lobby more, speaking with regular customers as well as those needing to visit with him personally. Their supply of candy canes had nearly been depleted from him offering the treats to nearly every child and adult who walked through the door. But Maria couldn’t fault him too much. His smile matched those of the ones receiving the sweets.His outward demeanor had changed, too. Though she’d considered him nice-looking when she’d first met him, she couldn’t help being a little in awe of him now.
