two of them hurried down the steps and onto the sidewalk.
The delivery man was already unloading the tree from the back of his pickup. “Want me to haul this upstairs for you?”
Bev shook her head. “I’m sure I can manage.”
“It’s a pretty big tree, ma’am.”
“Thanks anyway.”
He merely shrugged and climbed back into his truck.
Grabbing hold of the cumbersome tree trunk and directing Amy to go ahead of her, Bev huffed and puffed her way up the flight of stairs until she stood in front of her door. She leaned the tree against the wall and studied it, wondering if the oversize tree could be squeezed through the doorway.
She turned to Amy. “Sweetie, I want you to go into the living room and wait for me. After I bring the tree inside, we can begin decorating it.”
“Okay.”
Amy disappeared inside, and Bev grabbed hold of the tree, lining the trunk up with the door. She gave it a hefty thrust, but it only went halfway and wedged against the doorjamb. “
Oomph!
” She pushed hard again, almost losing her balance and catching herself before she fell into the scraggly branches.
Bev dropped to her knees and crawled under the limbs.
Maybe I can grab hold of the trunk and push it through that way
. Grasping both sides, she gritted her teeth and gave it a shove. The tree didn’t budge.
With a sense of determination, Bev reassessed her situation. This time, facing the hallway, she would back in under the branches, grab hold, and try to pull the tree as she scooted through the doorway.
Bev had backed partway through the evergreen tunnel when a pair of men’s shoes appeared. She froze.
The branches above her head parted, and Dan grinned down at her. “Oops. Looks like I’m too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“I…uh…brought you a tree.”
“You did what?”
He shuffled his feet a few times, and Bev pushed against the branches of the tree again, hoping to dislodge it. In the process, her hair stuck to a prickly bough. “I’m trapped, and so is the tree,” she admitted sheepishly.
Dan reached through and untangled her hair. “See if you can back your way into the living room, and I’ll try to follow with the tree.”
Bev was skeptical but did as he suggested. Once she had clambered out from under the branches, she stood off to one side and waited to see what would happen.
To her amazement, Dan and the tree made their entrance a few minutes later. He obviously had more strength than she did.
After Amy greeted “Uncle Dan,” Bev asked the child to go to her room and play. Then she turned to face Dan. “Now what’s this about you bringing another tree?”
He swiped his hand across his damp forehead. “I—I figured you probably couldn’t afford to buy a nice tree, so I bought you one and was going to leave it outside your door.”
“An anonymous gift?”
He nodded and offered her a sheepish grin. “To be perfectly honest, I’ve done a couple other secret things, too.”
She frowned. “Such as?”
He pointed to the front door. “While I wasn’t the one who actually hung the wreath there, I did pay for it and asked the girls from church to put it on your door Thanksgiving morning.”
Bev sank onto the couch.“Anything else I should know?”
He shifted uneasily. “Well…”
She blew out an exasperated breath.
“I know the man who owns this building, and when you said you were interested in renting an apartment here but might not be able to afford it, I agreed to pay your landlord the extra twenty dollars he normally would have charged per month.”
Bev’s mouth fell open. “Why would you do such a thing without asking me?”
“When I offered to increase your wages, you flatly refused, and several times you’ve mentioned that you don’t want any charity. I thought the only way I could help was to do it anonymously.”
Bev’s body trembled as she fought for control. How dare this man go behind her back! “Please take the tree and the wreath to your own home.
The delivery man was already unloading the tree from the back of his pickup. “Want me to haul this upstairs for you?”
Bev shook her head. “I’m sure I can manage.”
“It’s a pretty big tree, ma’am.”
“Thanks anyway.”
He merely shrugged and climbed back into his truck.
Grabbing hold of the cumbersome tree trunk and directing Amy to go ahead of her, Bev huffed and puffed her way up the flight of stairs until she stood in front of her door. She leaned the tree against the wall and studied it, wondering if the oversize tree could be squeezed through the doorway.
She turned to Amy. “Sweetie, I want you to go into the living room and wait for me. After I bring the tree inside, we can begin decorating it.”
“Okay.”
Amy disappeared inside, and Bev grabbed hold of the tree, lining the trunk up with the door. She gave it a hefty thrust, but it only went halfway and wedged against the doorjamb. “
Oomph!
” She pushed hard again, almost losing her balance and catching herself before she fell into the scraggly branches.
Bev dropped to her knees and crawled under the limbs.
Maybe I can grab hold of the trunk and push it through that way
. Grasping both sides, she gritted her teeth and gave it a shove. The tree didn’t budge.
With a sense of determination, Bev reassessed her situation. This time, facing the hallway, she would back in under the branches, grab hold, and try to pull the tree as she scooted through the doorway.
Bev had backed partway through the evergreen tunnel when a pair of men’s shoes appeared. She froze.
The branches above her head parted, and Dan grinned down at her. “Oops. Looks like I’m too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“I…uh…brought you a tree.”
“You did what?”
He shuffled his feet a few times, and Bev pushed against the branches of the tree again, hoping to dislodge it. In the process, her hair stuck to a prickly bough. “I’m trapped, and so is the tree,” she admitted sheepishly.
Dan reached through and untangled her hair. “See if you can back your way into the living room, and I’ll try to follow with the tree.”
Bev was skeptical but did as he suggested. Once she had clambered out from under the branches, she stood off to one side and waited to see what would happen.
To her amazement, Dan and the tree made their entrance a few minutes later. He obviously had more strength than she did.
After Amy greeted “Uncle Dan,” Bev asked the child to go to her room and play. Then she turned to face Dan. “Now what’s this about you bringing another tree?”
He swiped his hand across his damp forehead. “I—I figured you probably couldn’t afford to buy a nice tree, so I bought you one and was going to leave it outside your door.”
“An anonymous gift?”
He nodded and offered her a sheepish grin. “To be perfectly honest, I’ve done a couple other secret things, too.”
She frowned. “Such as?”
He pointed to the front door. “While I wasn’t the one who actually hung the wreath there, I did pay for it and asked the girls from church to put it on your door Thanksgiving morning.”
Bev sank onto the couch.“Anything else I should know?”
He shifted uneasily. “Well…”
She blew out an exasperated breath.
“I know the man who owns this building, and when you said you were interested in renting an apartment here but might not be able to afford it, I agreed to pay your landlord the extra twenty dollars he normally would have charged per month.”
Bev’s mouth fell open. “Why would you do such a thing without asking me?”
“When I offered to increase your wages, you flatly refused, and several times you’ve mentioned that you don’t want any charity. I thought the only way I could help was to do it anonymously.”
Bev’s body trembled as she fought for control. How dare this man go behind her back! “Please take the tree and the wreath to your own home.
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