Sofia nodded. “Yep. Just keeping an eye on him. He’s a stranger in our town, after all. Bad actors, you know.”
Holly pursed her lips in a knowing smile. “Don’t think I didn’t catch that you called him ‘good-looking’ a minute ago.”
Sofia choked on her wine then smiled. “What? It’s objectively true. The definition of tall, dark, and handsome. But in my experience, that combination spells trouble.”
“So he’s permanently under suspicion, then?”
“Just between you and me, I’ve been getting pretty comfortable around him. But while I feel like I’m starting to trust him on a personal level, the circumstances are still suspicious.” She turned her attention briefly to the band.
“Maybe we need to get to know some more details about him,” Holly suggested.
“How? The man doesn’t remember anything about himself.” Though as soon as she’d said it, Sofia realized that wasn’t entirely true. While Isaiah couldn’t spout his autobiography, if anyone asked him if he liked something or had experience with it, he could usually say yes or no. It was like there were certain instincts in him so ingrained that they hadn’t been wiped away with his memory.
Sofia wasn’t convinced of the accuracy of those feelings, but she was willing to go with it for the moment. They had only been tested on small, unimportant things, so the stakes were low if his instincts were off.
“We don’t need to know all about who he was to know who he is now. I can sense… goodness about him. Maybe we get a chance to know who is here, right now, in Emerald Hollow.”
Sofia thought about it. Part of her—a part she didn’t want to acknowledge—wanted to take Holly up on that. She wanted to spend more time with him outside of the hours they spent working separately in the library or throwing barbs at each other during her dinner shift, though it was against her better judgment.
At that moment, the band quieted between songs, and Sofia glanced toward the lobby to see Isaiah there, fist bumping with Ash as he came out of the hallway. Isaiah turned and caught her eye, and a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. For a moment, it was like they were the only two people in the room.
Then the music started again, and Isaiah turned away from her toward the restaurant.
Sofia leaned closer to Holly, her mind made up as she watched him disappear. “What do you suggest?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
HOLLY
The next morning, after an evening spent laughing and listening to music in Sofia’s company, Holly took one of her two daily walks out to the little clearing in the forest, where her reindeer liked to meet her. She gave them each a treat snuck from the Emerald House and watched as Sprig and Comet chased each other in circles.
The conversation with Sofia had concerned her more than she’d let on.How do we still have no leads on who Isaiah is after a whole month?
Holly thought back to the moment when they’d all returned to the trail where Isaiah had been found. She thought she’d seen something in his expression that day, but she couldn’t put her finger on what exactly it was.
She whistled to Comet, who stopped playing and ran over to her side. “See you all later,” she called to the reindeer.
Holly walked back to the Emerald House to find Ash waiting for them just outside the back door.
“Are those hummingbirds?” Ash asked, looking at something over her shoulder.
She turned around, and sure enough, a pair of iridescent-blue-and-green hummingbirds was whizzing around near the gazebo.
“Gorgeous. That’s the first time I’ve seen those here. Are they common in this area?”
“They used to be, but I feel like I haven’t seen any in a few years. It could just be that I was too busy to notice, though.”
“And now you have me, so you have time to stop and smell the sugarberries?” Holly asked, and Ash smiled. She wondered if he would ever get used to her North Pole expressions.
“Exactly.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “I wish Sof were out here to see this with us. I think hummingbirds were a symbol of good luck in her family. I feel like she could use a little boost right now. Isaiah has her wound tighter than I’ve ever seen her.”
Holly looked over her shoulder again just in time to see the hummingbirds dash off into the distance. Ash’s mention of Isaiah had reminded her of what she’d sought him out for.
“Can I borrow the truck?”
He’d been teaching her how to drive over the past few weeks, and she’d picked it up quickly. She’d officially been granted her driver’s license the previous week.
Her magic must have wanted her to have one, because humans needed official government identification to obtain a driver’s license, and she didn’t have any. The woman at the DMV had simply smiled, let her take the driving tests, which Holly had passed with flying colors, then taken her picture. Holly didn’t even remember filling out any paperwork.
