Page 50 of Chasing Cheer
Holly thought of the reindeer. They were built for all sorts of weather and used to storms at the North Pole, but she made a mental note to check on them before she went to bed.
They all went back inside, Holly taking another quick glance around Ash’s apartment as she picked up her glass. The whole place had the feel of him, just like everywhere in the Emerald House did. Without thinking about it, Holly shrugged off her coat and tossed it onto the chair next to Ash’s, then they returned to the party together.
* * *
The restof the evening went by quickly as they held two more drawings and mingled with the other residents of Emerald Hollow. The party was a roaring success, but Ash wished he could just be outside again, talking with Holly under the stars.
More often than not, Ash stood at Holly’s side, introducing her to friends and neighbors, who often remarked on her job well done at the fall festival. Many people at the party seemed even more upbeat than normal, and he had to admit it was the most festive party he had ever hosted. Maybe Holly’s presence had something to do with it. She had that effect on people. She was magic.
Sofia pulled him aside when he went to the back room for more supplies. “Looks like you and Holly are having a good time.” She leaned casually against the doorframe.
Ash rolled his eyes at her. “What are you up to, Sof?”
“Nothing. Just making an observation.”
“Mm-hmm. Sure. But yeah, we are having a good time. And so are you.” Ash found what he was looking for and tucked the stack of paper cups under his arms. “Why are we running out of cups? Are people getting a new cup with every drink?”
“It may not be my cider, but that sangria is dangerous too.” Sofia nodded in satisfaction.
Ash laughed. “I can tell. Did I see yousinging?”
“I don’t know what came over me. It was like I was possessed. Must be all the holiday spirit in the room. It’s like a fever.”
“Did you already vote for the ugly-sweater contest? Announcement’s in ten.”
“Not yet. Thanks for the reminder. I don’t think Holly has yet either. I’ll grab her to vote, then we’ll compile the winners for you. Meet you at the counter at nine? By the way, Ash, this is the best party ever.” She did a little twirl on the way out of the supply room.
Ash tried to suppress a grin. It really was a weird night but in the best way possible.
He followed her out, closing the door to the supply room firmly behind him. He caught a glimpse of Holly across the room, talking to Esmeralda. They were chatting as if they were old friends, and Holly looked radiant, her cheeks flushed, the end of her sparkly Santa cap falling loosely over the side of her face.
He couldn’t believe he had brought up his mom unprompted. The words had come out of him as if by force. Even talking about something he found difficult to process, his mom, was easier when she was there. He smiled when she caught his eye then ducked his head to look away. He was quite glad he’d decided to throw the party, even if some of the guests were acting like it was their last night on Earth.
ChapterThirty-Eight
“Here’s how this works,” Sofia said. “We examine the pictures or just look around the room for your favorite then find the name that matches. If they didn’t stop over here and enter sometime during the evening, you can’t vote for them. I’ve made that mistake before—too much sangria early on. Like I said, you can vote for two. We tally up the votes, then the two winners each get the title of the Ugliest Sweater, which they hold on to until next year. Kind of like the harvest-potato thing.”
“Got it,” Holly replied, reaching eagerly for the little note cards where she could cast her vote. “I’m voting for you and the man who has every reindeer sewn onto his sweater.” Holly had gotten a kick out of that one and reminded herself to tell her reindeer all about it later that evening.
“Last chance to vote!” Sofia suddenly shouted toward the partygoers, and a few people quickly came to the table to cast their votes.
“Okay, let’s tally these up,” Sofia said to Holly after the final votes had been cast. She took out a piece of paper and drew a series of boxes on it.
Holly figured it was best not to interfere with her system and waited while Sofia read from the note cards and tallied the names. “Looks like we have our winners,” she said after a few minutes.
Sofia sifted through a box under the table and pulled out two Christmas sweaters that looked like they had been made for infants. The front of each was embroidered with the words Ugliest Sweater. They were so stiff that they could stand up on their own on the table. She handed them to Holly. “Let’s go give away some tiny baby sweaters.”
They went to the café counter, where Ash, who had been eying their progress, was waiting.
“No ties this year?” he asked Sofia.
She shook her head. “Two clear front-runners this time.” She cleared her throat and picked up a glass, clanking a spoon against it. “Listen up! We’ve got our winners for this year’s ugly-sweater contest!”
Her words were met with a few cheers and whistles, and everyone turned toward the three of them, eager to hear the results.
“It looks like you all decided to go for a couples theme this year. Our winners are our very own Ash and Holly!”
Cheers went up around the room, and Holly glanced at Ash in confusion. There were sweaters in the room that were way more detailed than either of theirs.Why did they vote for us? And why did Sofia refer to us as a couple?
