“I’ll pick you up around eleven. Prepare yourself—we’re going to be listening to Christmas music all day.”
“I specialize in Christmas music,” Holly said. Sofia had no idea how much.
“I knew there was a reason we’re friends,” Sofia teased, and they clinked their glasses together in a toast.
* * *
“Here we are. Take your pick.”Sofia spread two sweater dresses on her couch.
They were standing in Sofia’s small living room, Christmas music already playing softly. Sofia had given Holly a tour of her home, which was an adorable two-bedroom house decorated in an eclectic yet elegant way that perfectly displayed her personality.
Pops of color punctuated all the practical furniture. A bright painting of a beach covered in colorful umbrellas adorned the living room wall, a blue light fixture hung from the ceiling, and a large blue-and-yellow rug covered the wood floor. A small Christmas tree in the corner was filled with blue, yellow, and hot-pink ornaments and tinsel. The star tree topper appeared to be homemade from wire, ribbons, and sequins.
“I found these two sweater dresses and noticed you wear them a lot, so I thought we could pair them with some tights.”
Holly looked between the two. One was green and the other white. She thought about choosing the green one and dressing as an elf, but then she remembered Ash’s challenge and snagged the white one. Sofia took the green one then led her to a circular dining room table surrounded by bins of various sizes.
“All my crafting and sewing supplies are in here. There’s a ton of fabric and a bunch of Christmassy pieces from previous years, so help yourself.”
Holly did a quick scan of the bins, and unsurprisingly, everything she needed was there.
“So, have you always lived in Emerald Hollow?” Holly asked as a Nat King Cole Christmas song began to play. She continued to sift through the craft and sewing supplies, occasionally pulling something out and setting it aside.
“Mostly. I grew up here, but then I was in the military for six years.” Holly looked up in surprise, and Sofia nodded. “Got out to help care for my mom when she was sick. I needed a job, and Ash hired me at the Emerald House. He was just taking over the business completely at the time. And he pays surprisingly well for this area, which is part of the reason his employees are so happy, and he has low turnover.”
Holly smiled at that bit of information. It jibed with her mental image of Ash.
“When my mom passed, I decided to stay here. I love this place, and working at the Emerald House is a great job while I build my jewelry business. My online shop is starting to do really well, though vendor fairs like the Christmas faire are where I do the most sales.”
“I’m so sorry about your mom,” Holly said. Even though she experienced death differently as a Claus, she knew how difficult the passing of a loved one was for humans. She had sensed grief in her Cheer meter many times. It was a complicated emotion, something deeper and longer lasting than other feelings. It changed constantly, taking on different forms, some more bearable than others.
“Thanks, Hol. Ash was great through it all. Gave me all the time off I needed. We’ve kind of been best friends ever since.” She snagged a bag of pom-poms from the bin. “Ah-ha! Just what I was looking for.”
They chatted for a few more hours in comfortable companionship as they worked on their dresses.
“You have some serious sewing skills,” Sofia commented.
Holly tried not to feel guilty that she had magic at her disposal, while Sofia was the one using pure skill. “Oh. Thanks. Yeah, I’ve had a lot of practice. Crafting is big back home.”
“Kind of like decorating?” Sofia asked. “I know you said you’re in marketing, but you must have some experience in event planning or something. Or are you a competitive crafter in your spare time?”
Holly laughed. “It’s just in my blood, I guess.”
Sofia snorted. “Remind me never to challenge you to a contest.” Sofia’s phone beeped, and she glanced at the alert. “A big storm might be rolling in tonight. Not until after the party, though, it looks like. Still, I’m gonna throw some snow boots and a warmer jacket into my car just in case.”
“Think we’ll finally get the snow everyone’s been hoping for?” Holly asked, feeding the hem of her dress through the sewing machine.
“They’re currently predicting just high winds and rain, my least favorite combination. But you never know. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Sofia went and found her snow boots and placed them by the door, then they continued to work on their masterpieces until they were complete.
Holly finished her dress before Sofia was done with hers. “Do you have some baking supplies? I want to whip up something for the party.”
Sofia stood and dug through her cabinets, pulling out all the basic baking ingredients and dishes. “Have at it.”
Holly got to work, easily making a plate full of jingle pops, the only recipe she knew by heart. Her watch did an odd little blipping motion as she pulled the jingle pops out of the oven, and she thought fondly of Auryn. She would have to make him a fresh batch as soon as she got back to the North Pole.
The thought made her pause, standing there holding the tray of hot jingle pops next to the still-open oven door. She’d barely thought of the North Pole lately, as immersed as she was in Emerald Hollow. Closing the oven, she shook that realization away.
