Page 14 of Chasing Cheer
“Of course. It’s nice to have someone to get out of the house with. Ash is always too busy for stuff like this.”
Holly brushed lightly past the other people in the crowded café until she entered the quiet hallway.Which way did Ash go from here?Her watch was continuing to vibrate and give off heat, and Holly took a guess that might have been aided by magic and turned left. At the end of the hall, she found a door labeled Storage. She stepped up to it and knocked.
* * *
At the soundof a soft knock, Ash pulled open the door to find Holly. Seeing her there with her bright smile threw him slightly off-balance, and he quickly set down the box he was holding. Behind him, other boxes were stacked high, many of which overflowed with orange-and-yellow decorations.
“Holly!” He opened the door wider to welcome her in. “Is everything okay with your suite? Do you need anything?” He quickly slid a box out of the way with his foot to make room for her.
“I was actually at the concert with Sofia, and we saw you walk through with a big box. Sofia thought you might need some help.”
If he were anyone else, seeing the beautiful woman standing there in a deep-green sweater dress, looking as radiant as the sun and offering help, might have rendered him speechless. But he was Asher Hayes, and he could pull words out from somewhere, even if they were often a jumbled mess around Holly.
“Thanks. That’s really nice of you. But are you sure you want to help now that you’ve seen this place? Some of these boxes are kind of dusty, and you’re… dressed so nice.” He waved a hand in the direction of her dress, but Holly just smiled.Dressed so nice.He cringed internally.
“I don’t mind at all. The dust won’t bother me.”
He wasn’t sure why, but he believed her.
“What are we doing with these?”
“The one I just brought in is some signage and paperwork that I’ll need to set up here at the Emerald House after the concert tonight. That pile over there”—he gestured to a few stacks of boxes, each about four high—“needs to get loaded into my truck.” He looked at her small frame and sweater dress again, frowning. “Seriously, though, I can handle it.”
“Just point me to the lightest ones,” Holly said adamantly.
Ash shrugged. If she wanted to help, he would let her. He realized he liked the excuse to have her around again. After walking over to the stack, he did some rearranging.
“There. Those should be easier to carry. They’re mostly lightweight decorations.” He squatted and scooped up one of the heavier boxes. “Follow me.”
After Holly picked up the nearest box, he led her back down the hallway and out through a side door. He propped it open with a rock then pointed at his truck. “There she is. We can just put these in the bed and keep going back and forth.”
“This is your truck, huh?” Her hair fluttered in the slight breeze.
He really hoped the boxes weren’t too heavy and hurried to lower the tailgate. “Yep. Kind of a necessity with the business. I haul things around a lot.” He slid his box toward the back of the truck then took the box Holly was holding and set it in front of the first box.
“Are you going to wake up early to set all this up for the fall festival?” Holly followed him back into the building and down the hall again.
“I’m actually planning to take these down to the clearing tonight and get at least the basic things set up. A few volunteers will go out in the morning and put the finishing touches on everything.”
They each picked up a second box and set out down the hall again. As they reached the truck and loaded the second set of boxes, Ash’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his back pocket and read the message, his heart sinking.
He tried not to let the disappointment show on his face, but he obviously wasn’t successful because Holly asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I guess I lied. I usually have a whole family who comes out to do the decorating in the morning, but they just texted to tell me they’re all sick.” Ash ran a hand through his hair, trying to come up with a solution. It would be difficult to find a small team of volunteers on such short notice. He glanced over at Holly and saw that her brow was furrowed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out. I can just stay out there a little later tonight and get it done. It won’t be nearly as fancy as when the Weigners do it, but it’ll work.” He took a deep breath and led the way down the hall for another load of boxes.
“I can do it. I’m a really good decorator.”
Ash froze, not sure he had heard right. His mind was still running through scenarios.
“I’m serious,” she said.
“Really? I would think a corporate woman wouldn’t have a lot of time for things like that.” He tilted his head, studying her face. Her expression was relaxed. She seemed calm, the opposite of how he was feeling.
“We don’t. Call it a genetic talent.” She scooped up another box as if it weighed nothing and flashed an easy smile. “Just do what you normally do in the clearing tonight, and I’ll go out there first thing in the morning and finish. What time does the festival start?”
“Not until ten, officially, but sometimes people get out to the clearing a little earlier for photo ops. The hayride and kids train operators will be out there early, getting set up, and some of the food vendors will too. I think the Weigners usually get there around eight, but there are six of them.” He narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling that the task would be overburdening for anyone, let alone a woman completely new to town.
