“We’ve got dinner ready for you,” Auryn said, speaking slightly too quickly. “And the drink bar is fully stocked. Hot cocoa, apple cider, spiced pear, warm milk and honey, turmeric tea…” Auryn continued to rattle off the names of drinks as Holly took off her black boots then slipped her feet into pure-white slippers that could have been made of clouds.
“That all sounds wonderful, Auryn. Thank you. I think I’m going to have a bath then go to bed. Will you tell Clementine thank you for me?” Holly asked kindly.
Auryn nodded, his eyes still wide. Holly reached behind her kitchen counter and pulled out two jingle pops. They were the one food item Holly made herself, a secret Claus recipe passed down from parent to child. Auryn’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. “Give one of these to your sister. Have a good night, Auryn.”
Auryn took the two pops eagerly, muttered his thanks, then quickly backed out of the room. Moments later, Holly heard the front door close softly.She let out a slow exhalation and stretched her arms above her head.
She might only be able to stay there for two to three nights per cycle, but her place at the North Pole still felt very much like home. Holly had grown up there with her parents.
After walking to the spacious bathroom, she turned on the glistening white fountain that filled her bathtub. The room was Holly’s favorite in the house. It had a large fireplace on one wall, and another wall was made entirely of glass. Through it, Holly could watch the northern lights as she lounged in the warm water.
While the bath filled with evergreen-scented mineral water, bubbles forming, Holly went to the drink bar and poured herself a mug of steaming spiced pear cider. She set it on the silver tray table next to the bathtub, which would look like a small pool to most humans. Then she quickly stripped and stepped inside.
Holly thought there must be some healing magic in her bathwater, because she instantly relaxed as the warm liquid flowed over her shoulders. She rested her head on the side of the tub and watched the northern lights, which were always on display there, as if they were a canvas painted just for her. The patterns were never the same for any two nights, and Holly was just as mesmerized by them as she had been as a child.
Those phenomena, like the fireflies she’d seen in the southern United States and Thailand, instantly sparked her imaginative, less scientific side. Of course, there was science in nature, but phenomena like that got into the soul.
Holly’s thoughts drifted to the Kringle and Keyblers elves, who were so different in personality and appearance but united in their determination to make the perfect Dreams, all huddled at home with their families and friends. It felt nice to make them proud, to bring home Cheer every cycle and keep things running at the North Pole.
But she was slightly weary from the busy cycle and, in spite of the relaxing bath, began to wonder if she needed a mental break—just a few hours, even, to slow down while still collecting Cheer. She took a sip of her cider and thought suddenly of Lia.Time for another visit.
ChapterThree
Ash Hayes sprinkled the last dash of nutmeg onto the hot chocolate mix and sealed the container. He didn’t do much of the food prep in the kitchens at the Emerald House anymore, but the recipe was an old, secret family one, so no one else could make it.
He took off his apron and hung it on the hook then opened his phone to listen to a message from a call he’d just missed. Shaking his head, he listened, his heart sinking. Another one of the businesses on Main Street was closing down. The chamber had confirmed it.
He ran a hand through his hair. That was the third one in a year. The cycle was repeating itself lately. An incredible little business popped up, but the town just didn’t have enough people shopping locally to keep it afloat for long. The Emerald House was one of the few exceptions, and he’d been working nonstop for years to ensure that it, too, didn’t succumb to the plague of so many small towns. But his duty wasn’t just to his own business.
He left the kitchen and stopped to say hello to Sofia as she was signing on for her shift. “Hey, Ash. Whoa, what’s wrong?”
He plastered on a smile. “Nothing. All good. How was your weekend?”
Sofia stifled a yawn and headed toward the coffeepot. “It was great. My garden is putting out a huge yield this summer, so I was busy making salsa.”
Ash was often impressed with his friend’s gardening skills. Farm-to-table was an idea he fully supported, and it was on his never-ending list of improvements to make to the place. “Make sure to bring me a jar of the hottest one you’ve got.”
Sofia reached into a tote bag hanging from a peg on the wall and pulled out a mason jar. A red chili pepper had been painted on the side of the glass. She handed it to him. “Done and done.”
“I don’t deserve you,” he said, pretending to inhale the flavors of the salsa through the jar.
“No, you don’t,” she teased him.
Ash headed through the lobby, where a group of fishermen was gathering before heading out to the river, and down the hall to his small office. He swirled the mouse to warm up the computer and sank into his chair, strumming his hands on the desktop. An idea had been jostling around in his mind for a while. After that message, maybe it was time to act on it. He navigated to Hallmark’s website and read the details for entry into the Best Small-Town Christmas Faire contest.
After pulling a bag of chips from a drawer in the desk, he cracked open Sofia’s salsa. Emerald Hollow’s Christmas faire didn’ttechnicallymeet all the listed requirements, but they were close enough. He filled out the application, embellishing here and there.
He had time. He could get the faire into the shape it needed to be in by December. He didn’t expect to win, but even being part of a Hallmark contest was bound to put Emerald Hollow on the map. Besides, people always said the Emerald Hollow Christmas faire was magical. That year, he would make sure to take that magic to a whole new level. Maybe it was his chance to save his town.
He wrote the last sentence, reviewed the application, then clicked Send.
ChapterFour
Holly sat at a café in Finland with Lia, whom she’d met nearly two years ago, and the seventysomething café owner was Holly’s only human friend. Holly made it a point to stop in and see her whenever she found herself in Helsinki. The two always met for a fika, the Swedish act of having coffee or tea and a pastry together.
“How are your grandchildren?” Holly asked, relaxing back into the comfortable patio chair.
Lia’s face lit up. “Isla and Jesse are splendid and doing well in school. Isla’s old enough to start helping with the baking, and she absolutely loves it. It warms my heart.”
