Page 30 of Chasing Cheer
“Not everyone leaves, Ash.” Her voice was soft, and Ash knew she was alluding to his mother. He didn’t think she knew about the anniversary.
“Not everyone.”But some do.He pushed hard on the bucket as he walked past her to mop the floor on the other side of the counter, keeping his head down so that she couldn’t study his face.
Sofia let out a small sigh. “Chicken,” she muttered before returning to wiping down the glass display counter.
Maybe I am,but chickens don’t get their hearts broken by women with dreams too big for this town.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Holly woke up early the next morning, planning to spend most of the day working on the sleigh and the float. When she came out of the hallway, Ash was in the lobby. She was in the middle of slipping a scarf around her neck when she saw him, and she paused.
The early-morning light was cascading through the front window, lighting his face. As he looked down at some papers on the reception desk, his forehead creased. When he looked up, he spotted her, and his expression instantly relaxed.
“Hey! So sorry I missed you yesterday. Did everything go okay?” He came out from behind the desk, and Holly caught the faint scent of something woodsy.
“Oh yeah, the decorating’s going well. I was just heading to the workshop to get started again.”
Ash glanced at his watch. “I guess you’re an early riser too. An employee called in sick, so I have to work the front desk today, but I’d like to treat you to dinner this evening. Come find me whenever you’re hungry, okay? I’ll be off at five.”
Holly nodded and smiled. Her stomach had done an odd little flip at the invitation.
“I just want to thank you for all your hard work on the sleigh. I seriously don’t know if it would get done without you.”
He sounded so sincere, and Holly’s stomach flipped again.
“Something tells me you would have. But dinner sounds great. See you tonight.” She finished arranging her scarf and pushed through the front door, cold morning air that she barely felt encompassing her.
* * *
Holly putthe finishing touches on the sleigh, returned to her room for a shower, then went to the lobby to meet Ash. The day had gone by quickly, as she’d gotten into the zone of decorating and building again. Still, occasionally, her brain interrupted her and reminded her that Ash had invited her to dinner. He’d been careful to say it was a thank-you for all her hard work, and she tried to make herself think that was all it was to her too.
He’d seemed tense that morning, before he caught her looking, and she was worried about that. Even though her Cheer was still full for the cycle, she was starting to get invested in the lives of the humans in Emerald Hollow. None of that had to do with collecting Cheer or her research into why the Cheer there was different. The feeling unsettled her.
Lumi Kringle had told her to experience, and she was trying. Though she’d thought that would mean just going through the motions of life in Emerald Hollow, she was realizing it wasn’t that simple.
Someone couldn’t just be around other people all the time, getting to know them, without becoming invested in their well-being. That wasn’t a typical role for a Claus, and she wasn’t sure if getting so involved was the right or the wrong thing to do. All she knew was that she couldn’t help herself.
Holly sighed, trying to stop her thoughts from bouncing around. There was no point lingering on it. She slipped her room key into her pocket.
The lobby was busy when she entered it. People were beginning to arrive early for the Christmas faire. Scanning the room, she wondered about the emotions of all the people in it. She blinked, startled. That used to be a daily, minute-by-minute occurrence for her, but it was becoming a rarity. Instead, her personal emotion detector mainly focused on Ash, and she didn’t need the help of her Cheer meter to read him. She spotted him coming out of the restaurant and forgot about everyone else in the room. He smiled, his eyes tender when they landed on her.
“Ready?” Holly asked, slinging her small purse over her shoulder. She began to head toward the restaurant.
“Woah, not so fast.” Ash gently took her elbow and guided her toward the large front doors. “While I know we have the best diner in Emerald Hollow, I think you deserve something extra special after working on that sleigh all day. How do you feel about Italian food?”
Holly thought of the many authentic meals she’d had in Italy over the years. Locals and tourists eating in Italy was usually a safe bet for gathering Cheer, especially if they were enjoying a meal with wine. “I love it.”
She stepped through the door, which he was holding open, then they went to the parking lot and climbed into Ash’s truck. As he walked around his side to get in, she buckled her seat belt and studied the space around her.
Holly didn’t ride in vehicles often. If she needed to go somewhere beyond walking distance, she took the sleigh. The truck was clean and clutter free, and the woodsy smell that Holly sometimes caught a hint of on Ash was also subtly present. She suppressed a smile.
“This is a nice truck,” she observed once Ash was inside.
“Thanks. I’ve had it for a couple of years now. The four-wheel drive is nice in the winter, though we haven’t had any snow yet this year, which is strange.” Ash deftly navigated the large truck out of the parking lot and began to travel down a street in the direction Holly had gone to explore the shops in the fall.
“Does snow help or hurt the Christmas faire?” Holly gazed out the window at the quaint buildings.
“That’s a good question. I would say having snow on the ground helps because it adds to the ambiance, and that’s what people are coming for. And precipitation in the winter is really important for the local ecosystem and recreation in the summer. But too much snow or a large, fresh storm can prevent people from getting here. There’s only so much our single snowplow can do at once. So it’s a balance we want, I guess.” He turned the truck onto Main Street.
