Chapter Seventy-Six
HOLLY
“Wow, this hot chocolate tastes just like I remember it. I’ve never had anything as good since,” Helena said.
She, Holly, and Ash sat in a booth at the Emerald House after closing. Ash’s dad had opted to stay home. The situation was a lot to take in for all of them, and they agreed to take things one day at a time.
Holly leaned forward, energy pulsing through her veins. Her Cheer meter was buzzing rapidly. “I noticed the same thing when I first came here. Do you… Do you happen to know the history of the recipe?”
Helena, who had decided to keep going by her Finnish name for the time being after the familiarity of using it for so many years, sat back and was quiet for a moment, as if trying to remember. “I think my mother was the first one in the family to make it. But now that you mention it, she learned it from a friend. When she was a teenager and just starting to follow her passion of baking, someone came to town for a little while in the winter. She visited my grandmother’s bakery. I miss that place.”
Her mind seemed to wander in her newly returned memories for a moment before she continued the story.
“They quickly became friends, and the other young woman shared a hot chocolate recipe with her. My mom became obsessed with it, and they started selling it at the bakery about a year later, long after her friend had gone back home.”
Holly’s pulse quickened, suspicion crowding her thoughts. She tried to relax her expression when she asked, “Did your mom mention anything… special about this friend?”
Helena pursed her lips then smiled. “You know, she did, actually. She mentioned that her friend wore glasses with a slight tint—which was uncommon in those days—but there was one time she’d seen her with her glasses off, and she could have sworn her eyes were golden.”
Ash whipped his head around to look at Holly, and she let out a deep breath, her watch vibrating and warming her wrist.So the recipe came from an elf.
Helena laughed again, not seeming to notice their reactions. “I can’t believe I remembered that, but there it was. Locked away with all the other memories I didn’t have access to all these years.” She turned to Ash, her large eyes full of love. “I’m going to need you to fill me in on everything I’ve missed over the years. But first, I want to know how the two of you met.”
He turned to Holly, their eyes locking, and he grinned as he launched into the story. “Actually, Holly was sitting in this booth the first time I saw her.”
Chapter Seventy-Seven
SOFIA
“Iheard there were some fireworks at Enzo’s restaurant last night,” Ash said as Sofia slipped an apron around her neck in the kitchen of the Emerald House.
Sofia smacked him with a towel but grinned. “Oh really? Where did you hear this?”
“It’s the talk of the town. So Isaiah’s back, huh?” Ash studied her face, and she knew he wasn’t sure whether to be concerned or relieved about her and Isaiah’s current status.
“He is. He wanted to explain… well, everything.”
“And it’s all good now? Or was that a farewell kiss?”
Sofia rolled her eyes. “I think he wants to move to Emerald Hollow. Maybe start a coffee business and incorporate some kind of bonus geocaching maps on their packaging. And create a little geocaching club for local kids. He’s such a nerd,” she said with a smile. “You might have a little competition.”
“Bring it on,” Ash said, “as long as his shop is on the other side of town.”
Sofia laughed. “I’m really happy, Ash.”
“He’s a good guy. I’m really happy for you too. So’s Holly.”
“About that… Why did you two run off to Finland so quickly? Believe me—I’ll be the first one to say you were overdue a vacation. But is that really what it was?”
Sofia thought she saw Ash tense, but it was gone a second later. “Actually, no. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Chapter Seventy-Eight
HOLLY
“Holy crap!” Sofia exclaimed later that night as she, Isaiah, Ash, and Holly sat in the café of the Emerald House. “I can’t believe I just met your mom.”
“Me either,” Ash said, a slightly dazed look on his face. But Holly saw something else there too. There was a light in his eyes that hadn’t been quite so bright before. A missing piece of his life’s puzzle had fallen into place.
