“I wish we could send the link to Holly as a thank you. You don’t have her contact information, do you?”
His heart skipped at her name, and not for the first time since she’d left, her vibrant smile jumped into his mind immediately. He’d checked the registration records after she checked out, but oddly, there was no address or phone number in the system. “I don’t.”
“Too bad. Well, she’s planning to come back for the Christmas faire, right? We can thank her then.”
“Yeah, that’s what she said. I owe her big time. I still don’t know how she did all that. It was like… magic.” Ash glanced out the window and saw a massive eagle soaring over the treetops. He walked over to the window to watch it. The large bird’s wings stretched wide, sailing seemingly without effort.
Sofia snorted. “More like extremely hard work. Holly has some badass skills. You should talk to Hallmark about hiring her as their set coordinator. How’d that meeting go, by the way?”
Ash pulled his eyes from the eagle and thoughts of magic, struggling to focus on business. “Everything’s set up. They’re sending their rep, who will take pictures and explore all parts of the Christmas faire then take off. Some kind of council will vote on the entries.”
“Wow. It’s nerve-racking but exciting too. What do you need help with? I can start spreading the word.”
“I’ve got things under control for now,” Ash replied, though the to-do list in his brain was growing longer by the second.
“You don’t have to handle all this yourself. It’s not possible. Besides, the Christmas faire is for and from the whole town, Ash, not just you.”
“I know. I know. It’s just better if I keep a handle on the logistics for now. I’ll let you know when I have some projects to go around.”
“You’d better. Now, go get some sleep. I feel like you’ve been working nonstop these days.”
“I’m fine, Sof. See you tomorrow.”
“Adios.”
He hung up the phone and glanced out the window again, but the eagle was gone.
ChapterEighteen
Weeks passed, and the Advent season was in full swing, with Christmas less than two weeks away, and the elves were working with perfect efficiency. Holly wasted no time collecting information from them and putting it into action. She had spent hours each day in the studios, studying the elves as they worked on the delicate liquid-like orbs containing Dreams and finding out what, if anything, she could do to help improve their work lives.
The elf schools needed new seating cushions, and Holly had commissioned them. Some of the studios could benefit from modernized conveyor belt systems, and Holly approved the upgrades. Auryn, Holly’s young elf assistant, had stepped in to help whenever she needed him, and she’d made sure that jingle pops were plentiful for him and his sister.
In the meantime, Holly had taken a quick trip to Costa Rica, soaking up Cheer from locals and tourists alike. She had been able to gather Cheer much more quickly than on her last trip there, and negative emotions still weren’t affecting her meter. Her watch hadn’t vibrated incessantly like it had so many times in Emerald Hollow, but there was no denying that gathering Cheer was easier.
Holly was mostly happy with the theory that many of the elves seemed to have adopted—her Cheer had fully matured, and she could operate as her father had. They could be right, but the question still lingered in Holly’s mind, nagging at the corners of her thoughts when she wasn’t fully immersed in a project. Lumi had told her she needed to return to Emerald Hollow. She’d promised Ash and Sofia she’d help with the Christmas faire. And something else was drawing her back as well, something she couldn’t explain.
When Holly emerged from her home on a sparkling December morning, Clementine called, “Good morning, Ms. Claus. We’re preparing the sleigh for your return to Emerald Hollow, as requested.” She was suppressing a grin, and it took Holly a moment to pick up on her excitement.
“What is it, Clementine?” Holly looked around in confusion. Snow swirled gently across the ground. Merriment Square was nearly empty, which was odd.
“Come with me.”
Holly followed her through Merriment Square to the large Jingle Bell Hall, where elves held events and celebrations.
The doors swung open, and hundreds of elves yelled, “Surprise!”
Holly’s jaw dropped. The hall was crammed full of elves, Kringles and Keyblers alike, many of whom she recognized as having worked alongside the last few weeks.
“They wanted to wish you well on your last Cheer cycle before Christmas,” Clementine explained, and Holly turned from surprised to touched.
“We’ve prepared all your favorites for breakfast.” A young Keybler elf wearing a tall baker’s hat ran up to Holly excitedly. The hat slipped down over his eyes, but his pointed ears still poked out the sides.
Holly felt a well of gratitude for her elf friends, warmth expanding in her chest. She followed a sea of elves as they guided her to a seat of honor, and the baker elves brought food to Holly and all the other elves in the hall.
Together, they dined on one of the best meals Holly had ever tasted. Some of the elves had set up instruments in the corner, and a Kringle band played Christmas music while the others ate and chatted happily. For a moment, Holly was reminded of listening to music with Sofia in the café at the Emerald House. The feeling of contentment she’d experienced in both situations was similar.
By the time Holly was seated in her sleigh that afternoon, she was refreshed and ready to investigate Emerald Hollow again. She needed to experience for herself whatever Lumi Kringle had been hesitant to explain.
