“So that’s it. Just here for a cup of joe.”
Ash tried not to roll his eyes. He didn’t have time for Lucas’s theatrics.
“All right, then, man. See you later.” He turned to go.
Lucas gripped his arm. “Wait. You holdin’ up today? I know it’s the anniversary of—”
Ash took a step back, shaking his arm free discreetly.So he came here to remind me of Mom?He’d actually forgotten what day it was. The anniversary explained why she had been on his mind when he was talking to Holly. But Lucas didn’t care how Ash was doing. They had severed ties years ago.
“Whoa,” Lucas said, putting his hands up dramatically in surrender. “Didn’t mean anything by it.”
Ash thought he smelled alcohol on his breath. It was barely one o’clock in the afternoon. Concern creased his forehead, but he shook it off. Lucas had come to cause a scene, and he wouldn’t give it to him.
“See you later,” he said before he could change his mind.
His childhood friend pulled a wry smile, and Ash turned away, anxiety rippling down his back. He needed to get outside and back to work.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Holly’s previous interactions with cell phones had been nebulous. She only ever saw them from the outside. Humans stared at them all the time. Sometimes, they brought joy and laughter. Other times, they brought stress and anxiety.
Her father had known what it was like to collect Cheer before the advent of cell phones, and she always wondered if people’s emotions used to hold steady for longer in those days. They didn’t have constant sources of information to interrupt whatever they were trying to do.
From Holly’s point of view, cell phones made it much harder for humans to be in the moment. But she was sure they had their uses, and on that chilly winter day in Emerald Hollow, she found herself in need of one.
The clerk in the cell phone store was trying to be helpful, but Holly hadn’t given her much to work with. They needed some information that she couldn’t provide: a home address and a credit card.
“Sorry. We can’t set up a phone plan without those.” The clerk looked at Holly apologetically. She seemed surprised, and Holly imagined it was a reaction to meeting someone Holly’s age who didn’t know how cell phone plans worked.
“Oh. Well, I don’t really need a plan. Just a phone with some… What do you call them? Minutes. I just need to be able to make calls and texts,” Holly said, desperately trying to find a work-around. The conversation with Ash in the diner had shaken her. Based on what she knew of adult humans in America, not having a cell number was a red flag.
If she was going to stay and unlock the secrets of Emerald Hollow’s Cheer, she needed to be able to fit in. She felt like she’d been doing that pretty well until the moment in the diner and hoped Ash hadn’t noticed her panic. She refocused on the clerk, who was still looking perplexed.Why isn’t my magic helping to get around the contract rules?
Then the clerk smiled as if she had an idea and walked over to a display of pay-per-minute phones. “We do have these. You can pay a certain amount up front then load more money onto it when you need it. They’re kind of old school, though. No data, no apps. But you can call and text.”
Ah, there was her opening. Whether it was magic or just the store’s policies, she would be able to get a cell phone. “Perfect!”
“Let’s get you set up.”
Five minutes later, Holly was returning to the Emerald House with a basic flip phone that was likely designed for preteens. Apparently, her magic hadn’t thought she needed a smartphone. But for the first time in her life, she had a phone number and someone to give it to. Holly smiled as she continued up the frosty sidewalk to the Emerald House, the workshop, and Ash.
* * *
The receptionistin the lobby notified Holly that Ash had called. He’d finished the sanding and needed to run a few errands, but she was welcome to go to the workshop whenever she was ready. “He left it unlocked and said feel free to let yourself in. He just asked that you lock the padlock when you leave. Oh, and he said to tell you he’s sorry he missed you.” The receptionist’s voice was neutral, but Holly thought she saw a slight pull at the side of his mouth.
“Okay. Thanks. I’ll head down there now.” Holly tried not to read into the clerk’s expression. She contemplated it as she walked. It seemed like most of the Emerald House staff were in on some kind of private amusement she didn’t understand.
The workshop was unlocked, as promised. She left the padlock dangling in the latch as she slipped inside then closed the door behind her. The sleigh looked completely different from when she’d first seen it. The chipped paint had all been cleared away, leaving a smooth, pale wood surface behind. Holly opened up the first can of paint, grabbed a roller, and prepared to spend the rest of the afternoon working on the sleigh.
A few minutes into her work, she looked around and noticed an old radio on the workbench. She plugged it in, and it immediately started playing a local radio station. The current song was a classic Christmas hit, and Holly smiled.Perfect.She got back to work.
Holly was completely in the zone while decorating, and the afternoon flew by. She could feel her magic working, assisting in the manual labor. Occasionally, her mind drifted to Ash, and she wondered what errands he was taking care of.
After a few hours of work, Holly neatly packed up the materials she’d been using, arranging them in such a way that they were perfectly prepped for the next day’s work. She was on track to have the sleigh and float completed by the end of the day.
Ash didn’t know she would be decorating the float too, and she got a little thrill at the idea of surprising him. His reaction to the fall-festival decor had been priceless. She flicked off the radio, slipped out of the workshop, then locked the padlock. She was still humming a Christmas tune as she walked back to the Emerald House.
ChapterTwenty-Four
