Page 72 of Chasing Cheer
He was studying himself for the same thing and kept being surprised to find that, while he was completely in awe, he wasn’t in disbelief. Since it was the place that had made Holly who she was, he felt right at home.
“I could go for some hot chocolate. I heard from a tourist that this was the best they’d ever had.”
“All right, then. Challenge accepted.”
He followed her to a large, cabin-like building on the other side of the square. Holly pushed open the door, and he stepped into a cozy room with a blazing fire and the faint smell of cinnamon. It made his skin tingle. That smell had become so familiar to him. Holly walked to the kitchen and came back a moment later with two matching mugs. They were painted with four reindeer and a golden sleigh gliding through the sky.
“Moment of truth,” he said then took a swig. His eyes widened even as he was drinking. “You weren’t kidding! This tastes exactly like the hot cocoa we serve at the Emerald House.”
“Told you. Maybe that’s what made me fall in love with the place,” Holly teased then inhaled deeply and took a sip of hers.
“Well, then, I’ll be grateful to my family’s recipe forever.” He put the mug down and gazed at Holly, completely content to be there with her. She started to step into his arms, but all of a sudden, her eyebrows shot up.
“What is it?”
“The hot chocolate,” she whispered.
“Yes, we just established that we are tied for best hot chocolate makers on the planet.”
Holly shook her head. “I’ll be right back. I need to talk to one of the elves.”
He didn’t know what path her mind had gone down, but he knew better than to question Ms. Claus on Christmas Eve.
“I’ll be right here.”
“Thanks. I’ll send Auryn in to entertain you. I’ll be fast. I promise.”
“No rush. As long as Auryn can keep the hot chocolate coming. Though is there any coffee around here?”
Holly rolled her eyes at him then dashed out of the building, leaving him alone in the home of the Clauses, waiting for an elf.
ChapterFifty-Six
Holly stepped into Lumi’s tree house. The eldest elf had opened her door before Holly even had a chance to knock.
“Is everything all right with the Dreams?”
“Lumi, that poster for the fall festival in Emerald Hollow that was in your café in Finland—did you put it there?”
Lumi paused and appeared to choose her words carefully. “I didn’t. But magic works in mysterious ways. I don’t think that poster being there was a coincidence.”
“So you do think magic was involved? Why?” Holly hadn’t taken a seat, even though Lumi had signaled her to a cushion. She was once again too full of questions.
“All I know is that certain magic use leaves traces. Something tells me there were traces of magic in Emerald Hollow before you ever touched down there in your sleigh.”
That caught Holly by surprise. “But how? Did my parents ever travel there, outside of Christmas Eve?”
“Not that I know of, though I didn’t know all their movements. But it’s not just Clauses who can leave traces of magic.”
Holly’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “A Kringle elf! But not you?”
Lumi shook her head slowly. “Not me. I’ve never been to Emerald Hollow. And there aren’t many of us left who know how to snow tunnel. But the magic could have been there for many years. It fades over time but takes decades to fully disappear.”
Decades.An elf had visited Emerald Hollow years ago, and somehow, magic left behind had led her to Emerald Hollow, where she’d met Ash, and her Cheer had been changed forever.
Lumi’s eyes softened. “As I said, magic works in mysterious ways.”
“But why do you think the hot cocoa in Emerald Hollow tastes exactly like the hot cocoa here? Why could Ash see Ivy in the woods when she was supposed to be invisible? Do those traces of magic account for that too?”
