“What? No. Of course it’s not.” He stepped closer to her and took her arms in his.
She stepped back. “Listen to me. There’s something you don’t know. Last night, Lucas was here.”
Ash looked up sharply, his eyes narrowed. “What? When?”
“I saw him toward the end of the party, outside your room. He was there when I went to get my coat. I… I told him the decorations and sleigh were out here in the warehouse. He was asking if he could do anything to help with the Christmas faire. I thought his intentions were good. I can’t believe I didn’t listen to Sofia’s warnings about him. This is all my fault.” Holly struggled to focus on anything other than the sprigs of greenery littering the soaking-wet floor. She didn’t dare look at Ash’s face, unable to stomach his disappointment.
The air had gone bitterly cold around them. Holly couldn’t move. Then suddenly, she realized her wrist was cold.Has the Cheer meter finally registered the strong emotions happening right now? Has the long rally of high Cheer finally ended?
She looked at her wrist and let out a little cry. Her watch was gone.
ChapterForty-Three
Holly turned quickly, still grasping her empty wrist. She ran back toward the Emerald House, leaving Ash standing there outside the barn, calling after her. In a panic, Holly unlocked the door to her room and burst in, flashing through all the potential consequences of what had happened. Her Cheer meter couldn’t accidentally come off because it wasn’t designed that way.
If my Cheer meter is lost…
No, it can’t be lost.
Suddenly, Holly remembered falling asleep the night before to the pattern of swirling snowflakes. She had a fuzzy memory of sleepily thinking of dancing with Ash and tracing the secret pattern.
Holly gasped. She’d unlocked the watch herself, before she’d fallen asleep. She searched around the bed then heaved a sigh of relief when she found the watch on the floor. Quickly clasping it around her wrist, she sat there, her back against the bed, her heart pounding. As she studied the screen, she noticed the watch face spinning erratically.What does it mean?
This could have been a disaster. Thisisa disaster.Maybe it had impacted her Cheer. All the decor being destroyed was bad enough, but it wasn’t insurmountable, not for her. She could probably call up a Christmas supply company and request a large last-minute order, and her magic would ensure it was delivered to Emerald Hollow on time. Because she was Ms. Claus.
That was the problem. She was Ms. Claus, not a human. And she had almost lost her Cheer meter, the most precious, irreplaceable item on Earth. She hadn’t even noticed for an entire morning. That was unforgivable. Holly hardly recognized the person she had become during her time in Emerald Hollow.
With the slow, agonizing sensation of a ship sinking toward the bottom of the ocean, she knew she had to leave. She had one aching moment of struggle, when the ship thought it might be able to stay afloat, but a final tug of the water collapsed it for good. She was never supposed to be in town in the first place. Ms. Claus had her place in the world, and it wasn’t living with humans.
She didn’t even remember to grab her backpack as she rushed out the door.
* * *
Holly passedthrough the lobby in a blur. She bumped into Sofia, not registering the pair of earrings Sofia had been holding out with a smile. At the look on Holly’s face, Sofia’s smile disappeared.
“Holly, are you okay? What’s going on?” Sofia set the earrings on the lobby counter and moved to keep pace with Holly, who paused.
“I’m sorry, Sofia. It was a mistake to come here. I have to go.” Holly started walking again, nearly to the front door.
“What are you talking about? What mistake?”
The Christmas tree stood behind Sofia, not lit up but still sparkling beautifully with ornaments and tinsel. The sight of it made her heart ache, and she closed her eyes.
“It’s too much to explain, but I have to get home. I shouldn’t be here. I don’t belong here.” Holly focused on holding back the tears that threatened to spill over.
“I don’t know what happened, Holly, but I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. Please stay. It’ll kill Ash that you’ve left.”
“I’m sorry, Sof. Please make sure he knows that. But I can’t make his life any more difficult. I have to go.” Holly clutched her Cheer meter tightly, worried Ash would appear any moment. She didn’t want to face him.
Sofia simply shook her head, her mouth in a tight line. “You’re running away.” Her arms were crossed, but her voice was gentle. “That will hurt him more than anything.”
“It’s for the best. This could never have worked.”
Holly had to go immediately. She had to protect Christmas. All the Dreams in the world were so much more important than what Holly wanted. And protecting those Dreams meant leaving the distractions behind. Emerald Hollow had been a distraction, no matter that it had been a wonderful one.
Holly reached for Sofia’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. Then she turned, pushed through the heavy doors, and hurried down the drive. She heard Sofia shout her name before it was muffled by the doors swinging closed.
A few moments later, the door whooshed again, then came the sound of footsteps running behind her. “Holly!”
