“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I have a gift.” Holly waved a hand.
She sounded so self-assured that Ash decided to trust her.What other choice do I have?A little bit of decorating done by one confident person was better than nothing.
“Okay, then. Thank you. You’re really saving me here. I have to be at the restaurant most of the morning. We’re usually packed with people before the fall festival. But I’ll try to get down there a little before ten to see if you need help with anything.” He took the box that Holly was holding, which was heavier than he’d expected, and loaded it into the truck, which was nearly full.
“You know, I never asked you—do you have a car here? The clearing is in walking distance if you’re not hauling boxes, but if you want to drive over in the morning, you can take my truck.” He closed the tailgate and rested an arm on top of it.
Though he hauled things often, the bit of exertion coupled with the anxiety sparked by the cancellation text had him on the verge of sweating. Holly didn’t appear to be fazed by the exercise, though the healthy pink glow that was usually in her cheeks was still present.
Around them, night was rapidly falling, the sunset shimmering brilliantly beyond the woods. The golden-hour light reflected across Holly, and for a moment, they simply looked at each other. Ash waited as Holly seemed to contemplate something, his usual impulse to fill in gaps of silence dampened.
Holly looked down at her watch, studied it briefly, then quickly thrust it behind her back, clearly flustered. He wondered what had caused that reaction.Did she just receive a text? Does she have to leave? Was it from a significant other?He kicked the wheel of his truck then wondered why he’d done so.
Holly quickly smiled at him, and her expression was so serene that he almost questioned whether the moment had even happened. “I’ll walk over.”
Ash nodded. “Okay. Well, thanks again. This means more than you know. And while you’ll be the only one on decorations, there will be a small army over there, setting up games and booths. If you need help, you can ask pretty much anyone there, and I’m sure they’ll give you a hand.” He removed his grip from the tailgate one last time and stepped back toward the side door of the Emerald House.
“Got it,” Holly said.
He held the door open for her.
“See you tomorrow.”
Ash watched her as she walked back down the hallway toward the café. The lively sound of bluegrass floated to his ears. Once she disappeared around the corner, he removed the rock from beside the door, checked that the door was locked, and returned to his truck, ready to take the boxes to the clearing. He was looking forward to unloading them there alone, where he hoped the cool evening air would clear his head. Holly had left behind a faint scent of cinnamon, and while he had smelled the spice a million times before, it was suddenly making him crazy.
ChapterTwelve
Holly woke up early, ordered hot cocoa and pastries to go from the restaurant, then went outside to see her reindeer, as was becoming her routine. As she went down the trail to the forest, she admired the trees in the back courtyard. A few of them boasted brilliant shades of red or orange, and one in particular held her attention. She had noticed it when walking with Ash to the forest.
As much as Holly had dedicated her life to collecting and studying Cheer, she couldn’t help but be amazed by Earth’s magic sometimes too. That tree had likely turned from dark green to pale honey yellow then maybe to soft orange before settling on that brilliant shade of red. Then the leaves would drop in winter, and the process would start again in the spring. If that wasn’t magic, she didn’t know what was.
Dasher and Gale stood regally, ready to greet her, while Ivy and Clove rushed over to sniff her bag of pastries and magic lichen, their short white tails wagging excitedly.
“All right, friends. We came here for the fall festival, and that’s finally happening today. My data collecting hasn’t been very successful, so I think it may be time to regroup at the North Pole this evening. I have a lot of Cheer to discharge.” She pulled the pastries from the white paper bag and gave one to each of the reindeer. “Clementine will be surprised to see us back so early. She’s going to have a million questions. I just wish I had some answers.”
Holly waited as the reindeer finished their pastries, staring out into the woods at nothing in particular, then she bade them goodbye and walked down the forest path to the clearing. The sun was just starting to rise as she surveyed her canvas.
Holly had never decorated for a fall festival before, but she figured it couldn’t be that much different from decorating for Christmas. While the North Pole was beautifully adorned all year round, the Clauses and the elves still went all out during Advent. Holly could hang a garland with the touch of a finger.
Throughout the clearing, a few men were setting up what looked like large machinery. They gave her a wave when they saw her approach the stack of boxes Ash had left the night before. One peek confirmed her suspicions that the cardboard containers were brimming with garlands, scarecrows, fabric pumpkins, baskets, and barrels of all sizes. One box contained a variety of tools.
Holly did a quick sweep of the clearing. The space was fairly large, surrounded by tall evergreen trees. She examined the boxes again, formulating a game plan. The men working near the edge of the clearing didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her. Holly smiled and got to work.
* * *
Two hours later,Ash made his way into the clearing, Comet at his side. The dog wagged his tail rapidly, seeming to anticipate an exciting day.
As Ash approached the clearing, he walked through a massive arch fashioned out of burlap, fabric leaves, and glittering gems in fall colors. He paused there in surprise. He’d never seen anyone use those materials in that way. Just the arch alone must have taken hours for Holly to put together and most of their supplies. There were pieces threaded into it that he didn’t remember seeing before. It would be a showstopper for the festival guests. If Holly had spent all her time and energy there, and it appeared she had, it would make for a great photo op.
Then Ash passed through the arch and into the clearing and nearly fell over. Long strands of dangling lights had been stretched across the clearing from tree to tree, lighting up the morning with a magical glow. Every booth had been decked out from top to bottom in red, orange, and yellow decorations. The clearing looked like it had been made over by a Hollywood film crew, not a single woman. It was impossible.
Just as Ash had that thought, Holly stepped out from behind a tree and beamed at him.How does the sunlight always manage to catch her hair so perfectly?She was wearing a long-sleeved oversize white sweater with black leggings and brown boots. Her hair was pulled back in a thick, wavy ponytail, with two tendrils hanging down to frame her face. Ash shook his head, grinning, still awestruck.
“Holly, how?” he asked, at a loss for words.
She was beaming, excitement radiating from her body as she seemed to dance delicately on the balls of her feet. She twirled around, waving her hand. “You like it?”
“This is the best-decorated fall festival I’ve ever seen. But how did you do it? Did you come out here and work after I dropped off the boxes last night?”
