Page 55 of Chasing Cheer
“Those are just the rules of the game. But you’re right. We can change them if you want. Next round, queen beats king.”
Lightning flashed, followed by a roll of thunder. Out of the corner of her eye, Holly saw the little boy jump while playing the game of Sorry with his family.
“Those are close.” Ash’s brow furrowed as he glanced out the window. “Usually, storms like this are over in twenty-four hours.”
Holly hoped he was right, not wanting the storm to impact the Christmas faire, which officially kicked off the next day. So far, it was only bringing lightning, wind, and rain, with not a snowflake in sight.
Ash won her last card, and she sighed. “I’m not very good at War.”
“It’s just luck. You could obliterate me in the next round.”
They played again, that time with queen beating king. Once they tired of War, with Ash beating Holly in two out of three games, Holly wanted to increase her odds of winning.
“Can we play something involving strategy?”
His eyes lit up, and he thought for a moment. Comet came up to his side, and Ash scratched the dog’s head absently.
“Let’s try rummy. I’ll walk you through it.”
It took a few rounds before Holly was comfortable, but once she got the hang of it, she was unstoppable. Her scientific mind liked the probabilities involved.
“I can see why you wanted to play a game with some strategy. You just crushed me,” Ash said.
Holly laughed. Winning a strategy game gave her a thrill similar to that of finding a Cheer jackpot. That made her think about the Cheer in Emerald Hollow again, and she frowned. When she looked up, she realized the family of four had retired to their rooms, and the café was quiet around them.
“I’m going to call the power company for an update,” Ash said, standing to stretch.
Holly cleared away all the breakfast dishes while he made the call then looked to him for an answer when he hung up the phone.
“Not gonna be on for a while. It’s a mess out there. I think I’m going to go out to the workshop to get some battery-powered lanterns. It’s only going to get darker as the day goes on, and I want to be prepared if we’re still without power this evening.”
“I’ll come,” Holly said, reaching for her parka, which she’d slung over the back of her chair. It was fully dry, thanks to the roaring fire.
“You Canadians are thick-skinned,” Ash said but didn’t protest. “I’m going to make Comet stay, though. I don’t want him taking off at the sound of thunder.”
Holly thought of the reindeer, assuring herself that the magic was keeping them safe. They bundled up in coats, hats, and gloves then braced themselves to enter the storm.
ChapterForty-Two
“It seems less windy than it did this morning,” Ash called over the wind as they ran toward the workshop. “Let’s hope the worst is over.”
The workshop came into view, and Ash gave a shout. Holly followed his gaze, and her heart sank. The large front doors were wide open. They rushed inside, and Ash worked on heaving one of the heavy doors shut. Once they got both doors closed, they stared at the mess. The boxes of decorations were smashed against the wall, soaked.
“The doors must have been open all night,” Ash muttered in shock.
They wandered through the workshop, dazed, seeing ruined decorations in all directions. The garlands Holly had made by hand had been ripped apart by the wind, and the little bits of greenery were scattered all over the floor. She felt sick.
They turned the corner, and her heart dropped again when she saw Santa’s sleigh. It had been somewhat protected from the wind and rain, but some creature had made the sleigh its home the previous night. The inside was covered in mud, and the fresh paint job was scratched. One of the panels had fallen off.
Ash picked up an overturned stool and sat down on it, silent. Holly had never seen him at a loss for words, and she, too, was speechless. Finally, he shook his head and stood, looking at the door.
“I don’t understand.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I’m sure I secured those. I lock them every time I leave, and I checked them again before the party last night because I knew a storm was rolling in.” He returned to the doors and slipped outside then reappeared a few moments later with something in his hand.
“The padlock was lying on the ground out there.” He looked completely bewildered, staring down at the lock.
Holly froze. Someone that Ash hadn’t known about had been at the Emerald House the previous night. Someone had been lurking outside Ash’s room. Holly had told him all the decorations for the Christmas faire were stored in the workshop. She felt like she had eaten one too many candy canes, her stomach twisting into knots.
“This is my fault,” she breathed, blinking back tears. All their hard work was in tatters, and the look of sheer devastation and confusion on Ash’s face cut her to the bone.
