Page 33 of Chasing Cheer
“No problem. Thanks for dinner.” Holly’s voice was kind but quiet, and she stared out the window.
He wanted to take her hand and ask her if she was all right.Why did her demeanor suddenly change?He had a feeling she was keeping him at arm’s length, and he realized he needed to do the same.
Ash had asked Holly to dinner without even taking a moment to consider it. He’d just told Sofia not to get her hopes up about what he was sure his best friend was thinking, then he’d gone right ahead and asked Holly on what likely appeared to be a date.
He couldn’t control his actions around her. Spending time with Holly calmed him, and he craved that feeling, but that was an unfair expectation to put on someone. Holly’s life was in Canada. And his life would always be in Emerald Hollow. Someday soon, she was going to leave, and it might be for good.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
“Are you ready for this chamber meeting? They can get a little wild,” Sofia said.
Holly raised her eyebrows. “Wild how?”
“Oh, you know. People see the Emerald House as a second home. Sometimes they cut a little loose here. And we’re serving my famous spiked cider. I’m sure we’ll try to get the important business out of the way early, because after that, there’s no telling what might happen.” A mischievous twinkle lit Sofia’s eyes.
“This town is full of surprises.”
Holly was wearing a different sweater dress from the night before along with leggings and boots again, while Sofia had donned a bedazzled pair of jeans and a brown sweater that perfectly matched her eyes. Sofia’s hair was pulled up in its usual ponytail, caramel streaks glinting in the light of the hallway.
“It has its charms,” Sofia said, turning to wink at Holly. “So, how was dinner with Ash last night?”
“It was very nice. The man who owns the restaurant, Enzo, is really sweet. And the food was delicious.”
Sofia rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows the food there is great. What I want to know is how was dinnerwith Ash?” She pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows.
Holly elbowed her gently in the side. “Why are you making those strange faces? I already told you it was very nice.”
“You don’t have any juicy details to share?” Sofia was relentless.
“Well, he did tell me about buying this place and some of the circumstances around the sale. It sounds like it was a little contentious. I don’t know if that’s juicy, since you already knew about it, though.”
Sofia stopped walking to grip her arm. “He told you all that? Wow. I mean, Ash is really outgoing, and he talks to everyone, but he doesn’t usually share those kinds of details easily outside his immediate circle. He must really trust you.”
Holly was taken aback by Sofia’s words and the seriousness of her tone, so antithetical to her usual flippancy. But she couldn’t dwell on it for long because they entered the café before Holly could respond. The small area was already bursting with people. Most were older than Holly and Sofia, but a few business owners in their late twenties or early thirties, like Ash, were scattered around. Holly spotted him across the room, chatting with an elderly white woman in an eggshell-blue puffer coat.
“Oh, look. The spiked cider is already set up.” Sofia indicated a few different punch bowls and pulled Holly behind her as she approached them. “Some of the ciders are alcoholic and some not. Help yourself.”
Holly watched Ash across the room as she absentmindedly served herself some of the regular cider, which was warm and instantly soothed her dry throat. Ash seemed to occupy his own space in the place, confident in his skin, and comfortable with everyone. He smiled when his eyes briefly met hers, then he looked away almost shyly to speak with someone else.
“This is good,” Holly said to Sofia after taking another sip of the cider.
Sofia grinned. “Told you. Okay, let’s knock out the business first before I have too many of these. The sign-up tables are over there.”
Sofia led her to a table covered in small stacks of paper that handled the logistics of the Christmas faire. Holly looked them over. People could sign up for a vendor booth space, choose its dimensions, register a float, and fill out all the other little details that made the Christmas faire run every year.
It seemed like a well-oiled machine, and Holly thought again of the North Pole. She wondered what the elves were doing and how Advent season was going. Her watch was still humming away, as Cheerful as ever, and Holly trusted that everything was going well back home.
Holly followed Sofia as she signed up for a booth space for her jewelry and stopped to talk to various townspeople as they went. Sofia introduced them each to Holly, who was surprised when many responded with some variation of “Holly! The one who did the fall festival decor? I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
“Told you they’d try to suck you into volunteering if you weren’t careful.” A familiar voice sounded at Holly’s side, and she turned to see Ash standing next to her, holding a bottle of beer. His eyes sparkled mischievously.
“It’s fine, really. As long as they don’t have me working at a food booth. That’s not my forte. That’s more of an—” She’d been about to say, “Elf thing.” She took a swig of her cider, which was nearly gone.
“Well, be honest. What do you think of everything? This is as Emerald Hollow as it gets. If this doesn’t scare you away, nothing will.” Ash’s walnut-colored eyes were bright as he looked around the room.
Holly’s chest felt warm, and she was more relaxed than usual. It seemed she was getting used to being around humans in a normal capacity, not just searching their emotions for those that would supply Cheer and those that would harm it.
“Scare me away? No way. I love this place.” Surprised by the words tumbling out of her, she tucked her hair behind her ear nervously.
