Page 20 of Chasing Cheer
ChapterSixteen
Holly woke up with a renewed sense of purpose after having a dream about her parents and their many days together at the North Pole. She didn’t have to go experimenting in Emerald Hollow just yet. The Cheer she had brought in would easily power the North Pole and its operations for the rest of the cycle. In another few weeks, she would return to Emerald Hollow for the Christmas faire.
She had a whole cycle in between when she could collect Cheer elsewhere. Holly hadn’t had that much time to spend at the North Pole since before she had taken over as Ms. Claus, and she intended to use it well.
She slipped on a brilliant white jacket as soft as clouds. It came down to her knees, covering the tops of her soft wool leggings. Then she tugged on her favorite white boots.
“Good morning, Clementine,” Holly said a few moments later in Merriment Square. “What’s on the agenda today?”
Clementine studied Holly, appearing startled by the question. “The agenda, Ms. Claus?”
Normally, Holly itched to get back out into the world, collecting Cheer. She never lingered around the North Pole. But Holly remembered her dream as well as what it felt like to help with the fall festival in Emerald Hollow. The sense of community had felt fulfilling, and she wanted to replicate that. The North Pole was supposed to be her home, after all.
“What’s going on around here? I’ve decided to stay for a few weeks and get up to speed on everything. We’re into the Advent season now, so I’m sure there’s lots happening.” Holly looked around the bustling Merriment Square. Elves were everywhere, walking between gazebos, studios, and tree houses. Some of the younger elves were ice-skating around the North Post.
Clementine raised an eyebrow but began to speak, not needing to look at her clipboard. “Each of the studios is in its second-to-last stage of production. All narratives have been fully designed and tested, and now we’re working on the mass production. In a few more weeks, we’ll start on all the finishing details that make each Dream unique. Then it’s assembly-line packaging and preparations for loading into the bag.”
Holly nodded as if she understood every detail. “Great. So what can I do?” Holly stopped studying the ice-skating Keybler elves and turned to look at Clementine, whose ears shot forward then returned to normal quickly.
“What can youdo, Ms. Claus?” Clementine swallowed and gripped her clipboard more tightly. She looked down at it as if searching for a way out of the conversation.
“You know, what can I do around here? What did my father do when he was home during a Cheer cycle?” Holly asked, and Clementine’s eyes grew soft. Holly knew that her parents’ memory was a soft spot for the elves, and she loved them for it.
“Your father? Well, he was just… Santa Claus,” Clementine said, uncharacteristically shrugging. “He went around, checking on things and spreading cheer. Not Cheer, but cheer. Lowercasec. The elves loved when he came around, watching what they did, asking questions. He was not as inquisitive as you, Ms. Claus, but I think he asked to make the elves feel noticed.”
Holly took a moment to process that. It all jibed with the image she had in her mind of her father. And to her surprise, it also made her think of Ash and how he ran the Emerald House. He was always there, hands on, offering help and letting others do their thing when he wasn’t needed. She had a suspicion that the last part wasn’t easy for him. But he’d trusted her with the fall festival decorations, something precious to him, and that had meant a lot to her. She shook her head.Why am I thinking of Emerald Hollow right now?
“And my mother? What did she do?” Holly asked, trying to refocus. Of course, she’d spent time with her parents growing up, but most of her work days had consisted of doing studies with her elf teachers or working on experiments on her own.
“Oh, she had all kinds of hobbies. She liked to work on things that would improve the North Pole. She designed the current Dream packaging system. Added the ice rink for the younger elves.” Clementine waved her finger in the air as if she were checking items off a list. “Developed a new lighting system in the forest to connect the North Post power between the elf homes. All kinds of things. She stayed very busy, your mother.”
Holly remembered her mother’s inventive mind. Maybe that was where her scientific inclination had come from.Why haven’t I ever tried to do North Pole improvement projects?Because I’ve never had the time for that.She was always too busy chasing Cheer.
“Well, then, thank you, Clementine,” Holly said, resting her hands in her coat pockets. She could do projects.But what needs to be done?I’ll take a survey.Find out from the elves what’s needed around here and go from there.
She smiled, glad to have a purpose and feeling the same compelling force she felt when chasing Cheer. It was time for Holly to learn the ins and outs of the North Pole.
ChapterSeventeen
Ash hung up from a call with the Hallmark rep and scratched at his stubble a little too forcefully. Everything was in place for the Christmas faire. He had hyped up the town pretty heavily in their application and needed to deliver.
He ran through his mental checklist. The vineyard deal needed to be tied up, and he had to figure out all the logistics for the Christmas faire, monitor the daily operations at the Emerald House, and make plans with the chamber of commerce to revitalize the empty buildings on Main Street.
He glanced at the picture of his family on the desk, which had been taken when he was eight years old, and he and his parents had gone to cut down a Christmas tree for the house. If it weren’t for that picture, he wasn’t sure he would remember all the details of his mother’s smile. But there she was, frozen in time, laughing as if she had no plans to leave.
His dad’s theory was that she’d gone because the town was just too small for her, and she had bigger dreams. That idea still bothered Ash.Why couldn’t she see the potential this town had?With enough effort, it could be a destination, not just a detour from the interstate. Ash was determined to make it happen.
His cell phone rang, and he answered the call with a smile.
“Hey, Sof. Everything okay? Why are you calling on your day off?”
“Did you see the article in theOregonianabout the fall festival?”
He could practically hear the squeal she was struggling to suppress. His heart rate kicked up, and he switched over to his phone’s search engine. A few clicks later, he saw the article.
“They raved about it. Said it was like something out of a fall fairy tale and that Emerald Hollow might be on its way to becoming the state’s premiere holiday festival destination.” She finally let out the squeal, and Ash grinned.
“This is incredible.” He continued to skim the article.
