Page 44 of Chasing Cheer
It seemed like an invisible string stretched between them, connecting them as confidants. Warmth bloomed in his chest.
“This is pretty last minute, but in the past, I’ve thrown an ugly-Christmas-sweater party here at the House. It slipped my mind this year with everything I have going on. You know how I feel about traditions, though. Should we throw the party tomorrow night? I mean, should I? You can just show up, as a guest, of course,” Ash added hastily, not wanting her to think he was trying to add something else to her already overflowing plate of generosity.
“But on such short notice?” Holly asked, a small furrow forming between her eyebrows.
“It’s Emerald Hollow. I just need to tell one or two people, and word will get around. All we really need is some appetizers and drinks and maybe a few things for door prizes.”
“But what about you? Do you have time to handle setting up a party?”
It finally dawned on him that she was worried about him, not the guests. Her brow was knitted in concern, and it made his heart ache in a happy way.
“Don’t worry. Everything I need is already here at the house. Maybe you and Sofia can help me with some of the logistics of the prizes at the party. Sofia knows what to do. It’ll be great.”
“Okay. That sounds fun,” Holly said slowly, her forehead starting to relax.
“Great!” Ash felt a familiar jolt of energy, and he couldn’t be completely sure if it was from the coffee, the thrill of hosting, or another feeling he didn’t want to acknowledge. If he was honest with himself, he probably wouldn’t have tried to throw it together if Holly weren’t there.
But she was. He continued to try to deny it, but he wanted to spend more time with her. Any moment she wasn’t around, he wondered what she was doing or if she needed anything. Time with her meant time when he wasn’t thinking about anything or anyone else.
He also just wanted her to experience an Emerald Hollow ugly-sweater party before she left town. Her words about the importance of traditions had stuck with him during the entire Christmas-tree outing and since. Christmas was the season for traditions, and he didn’t want to miss a fun one just because he was pursuing some new things. “I’ll spread the word.”
“So I guess I need to find an ugly sweater.”
“Yep. But I can’t help you there. It’s a competition.” Ash couldn’t resist teasing her a little. He had a feeling she could give as good as she got. Ash was competitive, but until that moment, it had never been aimed at her.
Holly’s eyes widened, and a surprised laugh escaped her. Sparkles danced her eyes.
Yep, I was right.
“Okay, then. You’re on.”
A delighted warmth filled his chest, and he gave Holly a wicked grin as he stood. The song “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas” was playing softly in the lobby as he entered, and he hummed along.
ChapterThirty-Five
“So, did you hear about the ugly Christmas sweater party tomorrow night?” Sofia asked that evening when she and Holly met in the café after her shift. It was starting to become their custom. They sat at the counter seats facing the street again, not far from the fireplace, which warmed the whole room. Sofia was having a glass of white wine while Holly stuck to water.
“Yep. Ash told me today at lunch. Actually, I think he decided to do it while we were sitting there. Like the idea popped into his head right before he mentioned it to me. Is that normal for him?”
Sofia sighed. “I’ve seen this before. Sometimes when he’s stressed, he can go into hyperdrive, so to speak, and basically overdo everything. He thrives on social interaction, too, so it’s all a recipe for a last-minute party. I’ll keep an eye on him. He can work himself to exhaustion.”
Holly’s forehead tightened.Is running the Emerald House, leading the committee for the Christmas faire, entering a nationwide contest, and managing this vineyard deal all too much for him?Most people didn’t know about the vineyard deal and probably didn’t realize just how much he was doing on any given day. Ash excelled in disguising his weariness from most people, but Holly could sense it there just below the surface.
“I wish there were something I could do to help,” Holly mused, staring out at the sidewalk in front of the Emerald House. A woman was walking by with two large black dogs, holding her jacket tightly closed against the cold air.
“You have helped a ton with the sleigh. Ash said so. That was a big weight off his shoulders. And you’ve been helping out with Comet when Ash is too busy to walk him. Trust me—your being here is really beneficial to everyone, especially Ash.”
Holly nodded, still wishing there were something more she could do.
“So, do you have an ugly sweater?” Sofia continued.
Holly perked up. She’d thought an ugly sweater might show up in her bag via magic when she returned to her room after lunch, but it hadn’t.
“Not yet. Do you have an extra?”
“Girl, I’m the queen of the ugly Christmas sweater. But I don’t wear store-bought ones. I make my own. Kind of famous for it around here, actually.” She flicked her hair in mock arrogance, and they both grinned. “I have tomorrow off work. Do you want to come over, and we can make our sweaters together? I’ll pick up some sweaters from the thrift store in the morning that we can use as our base, then we can go through my craft box and deck them out.”
“That sounds great,” Holly said, excited to see Sofia’s house.
