Page 53 of Chasing Cheer
She got up early and went out to the reindeer again, Comet at her side. He’d been in the lobby when she entered, Ash nowhere in sight, and slipped out the door with her when she opened it. She tried to call the dog back in but gave up when he wouldn’t listen.
“Stay close,” she said to him as they scurried down the path toward the woods. Tree limbs had fallen during the night, and the parking lot of the Emerald House was covered in pine needles and other debris from the forest. The sky was a dark charcoal gray, and thunder rumbled nearby.
“This is some storm,” she murmured, sighing in relief as the reindeer trotted out of the forest to greet her, looking perfectly healthy and warm. “Good morning, friends.” She handed each of them a carrot, then Comet started to play with Ivy and Clove, the three of them running in circles in a blur of black and tan.
Holly hadn’t brought an umbrella because the wind was too strong. Instead, she’d slipped on a parka and pulled the hood far over her face. Comet was getting soaked, and she wondered if Ash would be upset. Thinking of him made her mind flash to the previous night. She’d barely stopped thinking of it since. She remembered the feel of her hand in his and the soft touch on her waist. Then she had pulled back, snapping the thread of whatever was building between them.
Why was I so afraid?As she lay in her bed, watching the swirl of the snowflakes on her watch while the storm raged, she wondered if she’d overreacted. The jingle pop incident had turned out fine. So far, her magical abilities had only helped the town. She thought of the workshop full of decorations she’d been working on all week. Warmth filled her as she pictured herself showing Ash everything she’d made. He was going to be thrilled.
Maybe the town would have a shot in the Hallmark competition, the vineyard deal would go through, and Ash would see his Dream for the house and Emerald Hollow fulfilled. If she couldn’t give him anything else, maybe she could give him that.
Holly was snapped out of her fantasizing by a loud clap of thunder. She whistled for Comet, and to her surprise, he came immediately and stood by her side. Saying goodbye to the reindeer, she snuck them each one last snack, then she turned back toward the Emerald House. Comet ran next to her, and she hurried toward the large building as the rain came down harder than ever.
When they reached the building, Comet shook water off him under the covered carport before they went inside, and Holly wondered in amazement if Ash had trained him to do that.
“Good boy,” she said, contemplating where she could find a spare towel to dry him off even further.
Just then, lightning cracked, followed by an earsplitting clap of thunder. A moment later, all the lights in the Emerald House went out.
* * *
The restaurant wasn’t open yetwhen the power shut off, and the café only had two early-bird customers. The few employees on shift gathered in the lobby and waited for Ash to arrive. Holly, who had forgotten all about trying to find a towel for Comet when the building had gone dark, gathered with them, ready to help.
“Good morning,” Ash said, coming around the corner in a long-sleeve Henley and jeans.
Holly’s breath caught at the sight of him. His hair was wet, and Holly wasn’t sure whether he’d just taken a shower or he’d been outside without a coat on and changed his clothes. Judging by the hint of orange and pine when he walked past, she put her money on the shower. He didn’t make eye contact as he walked by her.
“I just started the generator, but that’s only enough to power the fridges so the food doesn’t spoil and maybe the hot water tanks for a while. The restaurant will be closed until further notice. I just spoke with the power company, and a line is down. In this weather, it could be a while until things are working again. Restaurant team, you’re all free to go, or stay here if you need some place warm and dry. I’ll get all the fireplaces cranking.” He turned toward the hotel staff, who were gathered near the check-in counter. “If any of you need to get home to your families, let me know. Otherwise, I’d like to keep you on to help with guest needs.”
Ash was like a controlled whirlwind, handling everything and everyone around him. Holly stayed still, leaning on the lobby counter, barely able to keep her eyes off Ash as he took care of business. Her heart did a little flip each time she looked at him, though he was completely focused on the tasks at hand. Most of the employees gathered their personal items and headed to the parking lot.
Finally, feeling restless, she decided to get a jump start on the fires. The lobby had a massive fireplace, and the café did as well. With expert skill, Holly stacked the logs that were stored in a corner of the café, looked around to make sure she didn’t have an audience, then sparked the fire with her magic.
Fire wasn’t typically something that magic delivered, but apparently, roaring fireplaces fell under the cozy Christmas vibe. Within seconds, a full fire was forming in both hearths, and Comet’s coat quickly began to dry as he lay down in front of the one in the lobby.
Ash returned, greeting the customers in the café and letting them know they were welcome to stay as long as they wanted, and if they needed any more coffee to help themselves to the remaining drip carafe.
“Hey,” he said, finally coming toward Holly. “Who started these fires?”
“I did. Thought you had enough on your hands.” Holly put her hands in her parka pockets, trying not to think about when she’d been close to him the previous night.
He seemed impressed but didn’t say anything more about them.
“Looks like the power could be out for a few hours. All we can really do now is stay inside and keep warm.” He glanced at her still-damp coat. “I see you’ve already been out there.”
“Yep, and it’s pretty fierce.”
“I’m guessing other hotel guests will be waking up soon and coming out to see what’s going on. I’ll put out some dry food for breakfast and try to keep the coffee hot. Then it’ll be music and board games in the lobby until the power comes back on, I think.”
“Let me get the breakfast stuff out,” Holly offered. “You can check on the guests and make sure your hotel staff who are still working today don’t need anything.”
“Are you sure? I can—”
“Don’t worry about me. I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t want to do it. Besides, I don’t know where the board games are.” She winked.
His shoulders relaxed, and she hoped that any awkwardness between them had faded. He smiled in that easygoing way she was used to and tilted his head as if studying her. Someone called his name, and he turned away.
ChapterForty-One
