Max walked down the street to her favorite cafe. She had been going there for quite a while and had gotten to know the workers very well. There were Kate and Warren who she had been best friends with since grade school, Justin, who was a local friend from school, and Brooke, who was an acquaintance. She also knew the owner of the cafe, Joyce, who she probably thought was Chloe's mother considering William had mentioned her name a few days ago. Max would ask her to find out.
The brunette stepped into the little coffee and pastry shop only to find Kate working the register. No one ever came and sat down, just grab and go, but people said it was the best coffee and sweets in Arcadia Bay, and Max couldn't agree more. She remembered when they were in early years of high school, she would stay till closing and play a lot of games, study, and have interesting conversations with her friends. The photographer had made a lot of memories there, and she was surprised she never saw Chloe there all the times she was. Maybe the blue-haired girl didn't come here at all.
"Max! How's our number one supporting customer?" Kate said cheerfully.
Max could tell anyone the Christian girl's smile was brighter than a thousand suns and could warm everyone's heart. No one in town ever had a reason to hate the innocent and caring Kate Marsh.
"I'm spectacular, Kate. How about you?" Max returned the greeting.
"I'm just waiting for Christmas to be here. My parents and sisters are coming down so we can have a family holiday this year. To be honest, I wouldn't mind going to Warren's church to spice things up a bit, what with how boring our sermons are," Kate admitted.
Warren's family was Jewish, but the boy always based everything off of science rather than a religious writing. He and Kate never had arguments for which religion was correct, but talked about how the two compared and how it was stupid society had to result to extremities. Max loved how her two friends got along, and always joined in on their debates, which never turned into fights. They were like three peas in a pod, never apart, and loved each other so much that not even the biggest fight could split them.
"Might as well. Hanukkah's right around the corner," Max joked.
"My parents would kill me if they caught me practicing any other religion, but I love trying new things. It's my weakness," Kate shrugged.
"You do your own thing Kate, and if people don't accept it, it's their problem," Max said confidently.
"This is why I love you, Max. Always bringing people up. You're such a kind soul," Kate smiled.
"I learned from the best," Max grinned back.
Kate giggled then typed on the register. "Your order will be out in a few."
Max handed her a couple of bills, then proceeded to pull up a stool and chat with Kate for a while. A young man with brown locks and another with blond and a goatee burst out of the back door with smoke oozing out.
"Shit! Graham, this is why we don't let you near the oven!" the blonde shouted.
The other waved the smokey air with a rag, both of them coughing. Eventually it died down and the two were panting heavily.
"This is the last time I let you make gingerbread on your own," the blonde grumbled.
"Justin! Warren! What the heck happened?" Kate asked irritably, placing her hands on her hips. Max didn't want to admit it, but Kate looked adorable when she was angry, like a mother taking care of her children, Warren and Justin.
"This idiot caught the oven on fire again!" the blonde said in a hostile tone.
"I didn't do it on purpose!" the other boy protested.
"Wow, Warren, I guess you could say you were on fire," Max said smugly to the brown-haired one.
"Hey, there is no reason to call people idiots here. This is a happy place. Justin, you apologize to Warren now," Kate ordered.
Justin sighed, then faced Warren. "I'm sorry, man. Just don't use the oven so recklessly, or ask for help if you need it next time."
"It's fine, I've been called worse. And I sure will," Warren replied.
Both of them shook hands which turned into a quick hug and a pat on the back.
"See, you boys can solve problems easier with kindness rather than fighting," Kate smiled.
"Mama Marsh strikes again," Max said victoriously.
"What the-?! Who the hell decided to leave the damn oven at a whoppin' 500 degrees?!" a voice yelled in the back.
"Oh fu-" Justin started before the door opened to reveal a very indignant Joyce.
"Alright, this is the third accident this month, and I'm only assuming it's from Warren again. Seriously, someone teach him how to use an oven!" the older woman scolded.
Brooke peeked out from the back with a smirk on her lips. She clearly liked it when the boys were getting fussed at by Joyce. She was sort of a sadist soul, but there was some kindness in there somewhere.
"It's okay, Mrs. Price, I took care of it," Kate said proudly. "Warren will definitely ask Justin for help next time."
"Just don't make the fire department come down here," Joyce muttered, rubbing her temples then spotting Max on the stool.
"Hey, Max. Heard you found a tree yesterday, Chloe's told me about you," the barista managed a smile.
"She and William really know about trees. I was amazed that Chloe could name them just by looking at it," the brunette couldn't help but crack a smile while talking about her.
"It scares me to think what they're doin' out there and the conditions. I suppose you're aware of Chloe's injuries," Joyce said dryly.
"She told me the worst of them, yeah."
"God, I'm just waitin' for the day William comes home and says 'Chloe's got an axe in her head!' or 'Chloe got crushed by a tree!' I hate the feeling."
Max didn't know Chloe very well and that made her stomach tighten. She couldn't imagine what would happen if Chloe had gotten any more injuries. They had been talking over text and she thought she had a little friendship with her.
"Chloe's strong, Mrs. Price. She could probably take on the biggest tree in the world and still make it out alive," Kate said hopefully.
"I'd sure like to think that, Katie," Joyce sighed.
Suddenly the cafe door opened to reveal the blue-haired girl they were just conversing about. She was a bit dirty, mud on her jeans and a few scrapes and bandaids on her face. Her hair was still in a ponytail with her signature beanie. She fist-bumped Justin then went to the three girls.
"'Sup, madre, hey, Marshmallow. What's cookin'?" Chloe said.
"We were just talking about how you could probably take on the tallest tree in the world!" Kate grinned.
"Ah, the good ol' hyperion. 379 feet and about 2,000 years old. Tallest living tree in the world. I could cut that beast down in my sleep," Chloe boasted.
Max found it kind of adorable when Chloe talked about trees. She did it with pride, like nobody found it weird or unusual.
"Jesus, Chloe, you look like you just got ran over by a cow!" Joyce scolded.
"Not my fault the guy we were hauling the tree for was a complete wimp and accidentally dropped it on me," the lumberjack scoffed.
"At least change your clothes before you walk around. You could track dirt in the place," the older Price lectured.
"Yeah, yeah-Hey, Max!" Chloe spotted the brunette on the barstool and lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Hi, Chloe," Max replied.
"I didn't know you came to this cafe, cool to see you before Thursday."
"Max is quite a regular here," Kate said, looking at the photographer.
"How come I've never seen you before?" Chloe asked.
"Probably 'cause you always come through the back door due to you being banned from ever coming into the main area again," Joyce retorted dryly.
"That was one time, Mom!" Chloe shot back.
"You're lucky I'm not haulin' your ass into the back so you don't have to bother Max," Joyce threatened. "She's a very sweet girl who don't need any crap from you."
"It's okay, Joyce. Chloe's not bothering me, she's funny," Max internally scolded herself for putting it that way.
Chloe smirked at her mom, who just furrowed her eyebrows and sighed. "Fine. But if she annoys you in any way, shape, or form, you tell me an' I'll grab her by the ear to the back and make her sit there for the whole day."
"Oh there won't be any need for that. I don't want any conflict between the two of you," Max said nervously.
Chloe muttered something under her breath, which nobody seemed to catch. The Prices just looked at each other with fire in their eyes and proceeded to part ways. Chloe made a sudden grunt noise due to Joyce flicking her on the head. Max and Chloe found a table to sit at near a window. The brunette had her regular order of a cinnamon espresso, while Chloe just had black coffee. When she got away from her mom, Chloe's smile returned and the light in her eyes were ablaze.
"So, how's Bertha?" the blue-haired girl asked.
Max smiled at Chloe's concern for the tree. "She's fine, getting used to her new home. Lisa is still warming up to her. I think she's a bit jealous Bertha gets to dress up and she doesn't. But I'm not worried about that, you look horrible. Joyce was right, you do look like you got run over by a cow."
The lumberjack laid back in her seat. "Pfft, what does my mom know? Besides, this is the least of the injuries and scars I have. Trees are no match for me," Chloe shrugged.
"Did the honor come with putting Dora the Explorer bandaids on?" Max smirked and cocked an eyebrow.
Chloe's eyes burst open, and she quickly tensed up. "Hey, they were the only ones left, okay! My face wouldn't stop bleeding and my dad had to grab the nearest box! Not my fault!"
The brunette giggled, taking a sip of her beverage. She could see Chloe's cheeks turn red from embarrassment and started to pick at the bandaids.
"Don't take them off! You need them to heal," Max chided, swiping Chloe's hand away from her face.
"Alright, mom, didn't know you were giving me a lesson on how wounds repair," Chloe retorted.
"Believe me, Chloe, she's a lot worse when it comes to more serious injuries. I swear she can be more motherly than I am!" Kate interjected with a smile.
Max scrunched her eyebrows at the blonde's remark. Chloe snickered when Max made her angry face, to which only got a light blush from the brunette that.
"How's selling trees?" Max asked while taking another sip.
"Oh, we sold about ten trees so far, they are high in demand considering it's getting far into December! We sold Chad, Nikolas, Tammy, Brian, Sarah, Kim, Ted, Miranda, Gabriel, and Carlos," Chloe said while counting on her fingers. "Yeah, so business is sweet. Still got about thirty left."
"Damn, and how much are you charging for these?" the photographer asked.
"Depends how tall they are, width, shit like that. Mostly we like to range our prices from seventy to eighty. People like our prices because we have trees for everyone at not an extremely outrageous cost."
"Guess they don't call you Price Pines for nothing," Max giggled.
Chloe cocked her eyebrow, having a sense of deja vu from when she first met Max. She couldn't help but smile at how the brunette made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. The lumberjack hadn't had anything like that ever since the one that got away.
"William and Chloe Price, founders of Price Pines. Christmas trees for everyone for the right price. God, we have this stupid jingle as well. Dad sings it sometimes if little kids come down to the lot, but I think it's obnoxious," Chloe scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"No way, sing it!" Max begged.
"I can't, it's too embarrassing. I had to sing it when I was young and advertising for the business back in its early days," Chloe pushed it off.
"Please!" Max subconsciously took Chloe's hands in her own. "Just for me? I won't tell anyone!"
Back at the front counter, Kate, Warren, and Joyce were observing the two by the window. Kate couldn't help but clasp her hands together and smile at how the girls interacted. She saw light in their eyes whenever they made each other laugh or grin. "They truly look happy together, don't they?" she said.
"Yeah, I'm glad Max found someone better other than that dick Nathan. He deserved to be chased outta town," Warren said, a little hostile.
"I'm just happy Chloe's able to find a person to be close with after what happened. I was sure she would never get out of her rut," Joyce sighed.
Kate gasped, a big grin on her face. "We need to get a mistletoe so they can be Christmas sweethearts! It would be the most cute and romantic thing ever!" she squealed.
"Kate, they just met a few days ago. Don't rush the two, besides, Max might not even be into girls, or they might just want to be friends for now. Look at how happy they are just talkin'" Joyce motioned to them.
"Aww, could we at least get mistletoe if they decide to become anything?" Kate begged.
"Not now, Katie," Joyce smiled.
"Alright, alright, I'll sing it," Chloe chuckled. She tried to collect herself, but couldn't stop laughing.
"Chloe!" Max dragged out, shaking her hands, but there was a grin on her face as well.
"Okay, okay," the lumberjack took a deep breath, regaining herself.
"What can you cover with ornaments, tinsel, and lights?
And find one at a very great price?
Trees wide, or small, thin, or tall
You ask, we got it all
Price Pines!" she sang.
Max giggled and clapped her hands. "That was adorable! You sing wonderfully!"
Chloe chuckled, blushing lightly. "I hate that song so much, but it did get us popular. Or maybe it was my public humiliation."
"It's so cute and catchy. I love it," Max smiled.
"Hey, why don't you say we get outta here? Go to the park or something? I know it's going to snow soon," Chloe offered.
"Uh, yeah, sure, that sounds great," the photographer agreed.
They got their stuff, pushed in their chairs, and were out the door.
"Merry Christmas, you gay snowflakes," Kate whispered as they were gone.
The park had been covered in snow while the girls were walking there, so they were crunching in the frozen water. Nobody was really there, so they had the park to themselves. Max had taken a couple of photos to which Chloe had complimented them. They had also tried catching snowflakes with their tongues and Max had got a picture of Chloe with her tongue out. The two girls were now sitting on a bench where they had cleared off the snow.
"Okay, so what do you want for Christmas?" Chloe asked.
"Oh, uh… I don't really know. Film would always be good. I'm not that very needy to be honest. A new guitar, maybe? Vinyl records?"
"What are some of your favorite bands?"
"You probably wouldn't know them. I'm more of an Indie fan personally, but sometimes I like rock. I like Syd Matters, Hannah Telle, Local Natives, Jose Gonzalez, Bright Eyes-"
"Woah, you like Bright Eyes too?" the lumberjack exclaimed.
"Yeah! My favorite is Lua," Max grinned.
"No way, mine too!" Chloe laughed.
"And I know you have a heavy heart…"
"I can feel it when we kiss…"
"I love it. Very moving yet soft."
"Yeah," Chloe looked down with what looked to be a sad smile.
"Hey, are you okay?" Max asked, putting a hand on the blue-haired girl's shoulder.
"I'm fine. I'm cool," Chloe brushed it off.
The two were quiet for a minute. Looking at the snow on the ground, Max wondered if she hit a sensitive spot with Chloe. She wasn't going to acknowledge it because it wasn't her business. She didn't know what Chloe had been through before they met, and she had to respect that. Suddenly the lumberjack got up and started walking away from the bench. Max turned around to see she was nowhere in sight. "Chloe?" she called out. There was no reply. Max figured that she was doing it on purpose. "Chloe, come out," she called again. The brunette started to walk in the lumberjack's direction. "Chloe, this isn't funny anymore!" Max said irritably.
Suddenly she felt something hit her in the back of the head. Max spun around to see where it came from. There was nothing but a tree behind her, but the freckled girl knew better than to think it was just a tree. She smirked, picking up some snow and molding into a ball. Another hit in the back, causing her to topple over and land in the snow. She could hear snickering from behind the tree. The brunette was determined to get Chloe. She remade her snowball. Aiming it to where she could see a bit of the blue-haired girl, she threw it. An audible "Shit!" could be heard from behind the tree. Max stifled a giggle and tried to make another one. When she was about done, she felt someone tackle her into the ground.
"Chloe!" she shrieked as the lumberjack put snow down her neck.
Chloe just cracked up, tears down her cheeks. "Oh my God, you should see your face!"
"Y-yo-ou s-suck ass-s," Max chattered.
"Aw, hey, I can give you my coat. You don't need to be walking around in that wet one," Chloe offered.
"Aren't you going to get cold?" She asked.
"Max I get sweaty cutting down trees in late October on a mountain. Don't tell me what's cold," Chloe retorted.
Max shrugged and took off her jacket. Chloe had a hooded jacket with flannel padding on the inside. She instantly fell in love with it. It was like a homemade incubator. She curled up in it, smelling pine trees, vanilla, and coffee. Chloe smiled at how adorable Max looked in her jacket. She just wore a white sweater with her standard blue beanie, hair in a ponytail, black jeans and hiking boots. Max rewrapped her scarf around her neck and covered her nose.
"C'mon, let's go walk around some more," Chloe offered.
It was nighttime, and Christmas lights were littered around every house and building. The pair had walked and talked the majority of the day, learning new things about each other every second.
"Favorite movie?" Max asked.
"Probably Blade Runner. I always did want to have blue hair like Pris. So I finally did," Chloe replied.
"It looks good on you," Max complimented.
"Thanks. My natural hair color is strawberry blonde, so I thought it was a nice change."
"Did you know the rarest eye and hair combination is ginger and blue eyes? You have another thing to be proud of."
Chloe laughed. "Where do you get all of these random facts?"
"The internet," Max said fruitlessly.
"That's adorable," Chloe teased.
"Shut up!" Max blushed.
They both snickered, then spotted a horse and carriage. Chloe remembered she had extra cash on her. "Hey, you wanna ride?" she asked.
"Oh, let me see if I have enough-"
"Don't worry about it. My treat," Chloe smiled.
"Well, okay."
They approached the carriage. Chloe paid the man, then offered for Max to get in. The brunette climbed on with the lumberjack right behind her. The carriage started and Max couldn't help but grin. She had never been on a carriage ride, not even in Seattle. Chloe looked over and let a light smile cross her lips at Max's excitement. She stretched out, putting an arm around Max. The brunette blushed, feeling awkward but didn't say anything about it. It started to lightly snow and it looked very picturesque. The photographer dug out her camera, taking a picture of the scenery. She motioned for Chloe to get beside her. She faced the camera towards them and then snapped.
"I had a lot of fun today," Max smiled as Chloe had dropped her off.
"Yeah, definitely one of my favorite December memories so far. You're very interesting, Miss Caulfield," Chloe said slyly.
"I would say the same for you, Miss Price," Max replied.
"Can't wait for Thursday, or if you wanna hang out sooner, just let me know," Chloe offered.
"Will do. I have nothing important going on," Max shrugged.
"Cool. I guess I'll see you later?" Chloe said.
"Wait, don't you want your jacket back?" Max asked.
"Keep it for now. You look so cozy in it," Chloe chuckled.
"It's so warm and fluffy! I could go to sleep in this thing!" Max laughed.
"Well, I'm glad you like it. I guess I'll see you?"
"Yep, definitely. I will cherish this jacket as well."
"Bye, Max."
"Bye, Chloe!"
Chloe watched as Max went into her house. She got in her truck, but didn't fully start it right away. She sat back, sighing and running her hand through her hair. "What the hell did you get yourself into, Price?"
