LOVE ON A LIMB: Rooting for Aimie

The Hallmark Channel kicks off this year’s Fall Harvest movie series tonight with Love on a Limb, starring Ashley Williams (from 2015’s delightful October Kiss) and Trevor Donovan.

It’s a tale as old as time really. Girl loves stately tree, boy is a landscaper, girl chains self to tree, boy falls for girl and they live happily ever after.

Before we get into how that goes down, can we talk for a moment about how great Ashley Williams is? I’m so glad she is doing Hallmark movies, she is charming, adorable and perfect for this genre. We love her.

Now…Aimie is Parks and Recreation’s one woman, save the world, go to gal. She has a cause a day and everyone in town knows and loves her. As she is making the rounds at the farmers market, she hears the Mayor has plans to cut down The Big Old Tree. Her confrontation with the Mayor, her date to Senior Prom by the way, reveals that the root system of the tree is wreaking havoc on the towns water lines. The tree has to go.

Aimie then meets Kyle who is an attractive man, “just passing through town on business”. They hit it off, both being attractive and charming and all. She soon finds out why he is really in town, so that’s a damper on the whole attraction.

After the Mayor says there is nothing that can be done to save the tree, Aimie’s coworker does something fabulous: she pulls a bottle of wine out of her purse – with two cups. It’s her emergency wine. EMERGENCY WINE PEOPLE. I carry a big purse and now I know exactly what to put in it.

So maybe Aimie had too much wine because the next day she literally chains herself to the tree. Kyle is really not too happy about this. He just wants to do his job. Unfortunately Aimie is pretty adamant that she can stay in the tree until it is declared a historical landmark. Even if that takes months. Thankfully the town rallies and brings Aimie food, water, changes of clothes and even camping gear to get her through the days and nights.

Later, thanks to some insight from Aimie’s BFF, Kyle stops by to talk to Aimie. They open up about their ex’s and their jobs. An actual conversation ensues before they end up arguing.

The next morning the first of the “tree sitters” show up wearing a “We are rooting for Aimie” shirt. Aimie has lined up people to sit in for her while she handles some things. And by handle some things I mean run into Kyle again for some back and forth banter.

Back up in the tree Aimie continues to work from her phone, which somehow is still charged, while listening to Kyle play the guitar from the chair he made. That’s right, Kyle made himself a chair to relax in while he waits out Aimie’s sit in. Handy isn’t he?

Night Three and Kyle has decided enough fighting. He sets up a whole picnic dinner under the tree, with fairy lights and flowers on the table. He and Aimie end up talking about all sorts of personal things, before Kyle has an idea. Why don’t they just move the tree to a spot where it won’t mess with the water pipes. Aimie loves this idea and she gets someone to sit in for her while she races off to the Mayor’s house to fill him in on the idea. Mayor Tom has questions, questions Aimie doesn’t have answers for yet, but she will.

Next day Kyle and Aimie try to work on their tree moving problem. It turns out the tree is too old to move. Oh also…also…her phone finally died. FINALLY.

While all of this has been going on, Aimie’s Mom has been struggling to make her mortgage payments and it looks like she will lose her house. She ends up confiding in Aimie, who makes a deal with the Mayor. She gives up saving the tree in exchange for the Mayor hiring her Mom so she has a job and can keep her house.

At the tree the next day, Aimie is packing up and she tells Kyle she understands he has a job to do and now he can do it. She sadly goes back to the office where her lovely friend suggests more emergency wine, even though it is daylight. Seriously loving this friend. Aimie doesn’t get to enjoy any emergency wine though because something is happening at the tree. Turns out Kyle is now sitting in the tree. He isn’t ready to see Aimie lose. He is buying her more time.

Now that Kyle has given her more time, Aimie has a new plan: move the pipes above ground. That way the roots can’t interfere with them. The Mayor however doesn’t care to hear Aimie’s plan. He wants the tree cut down and he wants it cut down now.

Aimie shows up right before Kyle can start cutting the tree down. She gets up on a bench and shares her pipe moving plan, along with cost to make it happen. The Mayor says they don’t have the money. Thankfully the town is there and she asks for their monetary help. They all offer to help and the Mayor agrees to hold off.

Kyle takes the moment to ask Aimie out. She of course says yes before running off to fundraise. They easily meet their fundraising goal and are able to move the pipes above ground. Woo Hoo!

We end with Kyle and Aime at the annual fall festival where they kiss in front of the tree.