Page 20 of A Christmas For Holly

Even if he was proving that nothing had changed in the last eleven months.

Wesley had volunteered his bookstore for tonight’s Parade of Lights planning session, and I must admit, it was the perfect space for getting in the Christmas mood. Cozy sofas had been arranged in a loose circle, each with a steaming mug of hot chocolate and a clipboard on the coffee table in front of it. The familiar smell of books, mixed with cinnamon and cocoa, hung in the air, making the space feel like Christmas had already moved in.

All the Haynes brothers were there, apart from Bailey, of course, plus Mom and Dad sharing one chair, with Mom in Dad’s lap, him whispering something that made her giggle. Callum and Duncan were huddled together, deep in conversation, which probably meant hockey—it always did with those two. Standing off to the side with a clipboard clutched in his hands, Wesley looked as though he might vibrate out of his skin with excitement. He’d eagerly taken the opportunity to host the meeting and, as the newest non-family member on the committee, was excited to revisit his summer pitch about adding the bookstore as a new stop in the parade.

I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention back to the task at hand. “Okay, next on the agenda,” I said, glancing at Callum and Duncan and frowning to stop them messing about. Duncan snickered—asshole.

“Carry on,” Callum said, biting his lip to stop laughing.

Asshole brother number two.

“Wesley, your new stop here at the bookstore. How’s it going?”

Wesley lit up, stepping into the circle like he’d been waiting for this moment all night. “It’s going well, mostly!” he said, his voice bubbling enthusiastically. “I’m working on the agreedChristmas Caroltheme—three spooky ghosts, with lights, and maybe a hot chocolate station. I’ve been working on the concept with the owner from the coffee shop next door—y’know, The Real McCoy, but…” He hesitated, wrinkling his nose. “Hunter’s not thrilled about Christmas. A little grumpy about it, actually.” Wesley winced as if he couldn’t understand why someone in Wishing Tree didn’t love Christmas.

“Hunter I-hate-talking-to-people McCoy, grumpy?” Callum piped up, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “That checks out.”

“Why does he own a coffee shop if he doesn’t like talking to people?” Wesley asked.

“God knows,” Duncan snorted, and even Dad chuckled, but Wesley pressed on, undeterred. “Still, I think it could be great! I have sketches for the storefront with scenes from the book, and I’ve planned a display with Christmas-themed books and ghost stories. If the hot chocolate station works out with Grumpy McGrumpy, it’ll tie the whole thing together.”

It was a good idea. Wesley’s enthusiasm was infectious, and everyone seemed on board when we finished discussing it. I jotted a few notes on my clipboard and glanced around the room. “All right, we’ve got several new items to add to the list. I’ll schedule the next planning meeting for here, three days from now at the same time. Is that okay, Wesley?”

“Sure is, Lu.”

“Everyone good with that?” Everyone nodded or grunted their yesses, apart from Wesley, who bounced on his toes as he scribbled in a diary. “And don’t forget, we only have twelve days until December 1st. Everyone, you have your tasks.”

After the meeting ended, I bundled up against the cold before heading to my car. The night air hit like a slap as I stepped outside, my breath misting in the glow of the streetlights. With my hands shoved deep into my pockets, I approached the car. Mom and Dad were holding hands and dawdling as they checked out store windows.

“In your own time, oldies,” I said, but I didn’t mean anything by it—I loved seeing the ’rents happy and holding hands.

I dropped them off with hugs and goodbyes, but as I drove toward my house, I hesitated to turn into my drive, a tug of worry gnawing at me. Before I could talk myself out of it, I headed further up the mountain road toward Holly’s cabin, happy to see the place was lit inside, a soft glow spilling through the curtains. His car remained in the driveway, and a steady puff of smoke curled up from the chimney.

At least the stove was still lit, and there was heat.

I sat there for a moment, debating whether I should knock. He was a grown man who hadn’t reached out or asked for help, and it wasn’t my responsibility to keep tabs on him. With a sigh, I shook my head and pulled away, telling myself it was ridiculous to barge in.

Back home, I removed my boots and shrugged off my coat, still unsettled. Holly was fine, I told myself, over and over, but the thought lingered, gnawing at the back of my mind. I opened my laptop, determined to distract myself by working through the latest health and safety issues for the parade. But as I typed up notes and revised the route checklist, my thoughts drifted back to Holly and the strange worry I couldn’t quite contain.

“Tomorrow,” I told no one. “I’ll check on him tomorrow.”

Chapter 9

Holly

I woketo a new day and a dying fire, the embers glowing in the burner. The warmth was fading, but it was still enough to be comfortable. I stretched, feeling the kinks in my muscles ease, and for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel like I was going to fall apart. I was so thirsty it felt as if my throat was lined with sandpaper, but that was a small thing.

Pushing the blanket off, I got to my feet. This time, I wasn’t wobbly or unsteady. I felt stronger and more in control. I stretched again, savoring the feeling of stability, but then the memories of yesterday hit me, flooding me with hot shame. Lucas had found me—had seen me like that. Weak, shivering, entirely out of it.

I groaned, rubbing my face as if I could scrub away the embarrassment. But I couldn’t dwell on it. Not now. I needed to get my head straight, starting with finding my phone to call Kai if I could get a signal, but when I picked it up, it was dead. Great.

Sighing, I grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom to shower, where it belatedly occurred to me that there might not be hot water or that maybe I should have turned a switch somewhere. Thankfully, there was, and the steam wrapping around me like a cocoon cleared my mind. I let it wash awaythe remnants of yesterday, focusing on the simple act of getting clean, of pulling myself together. Was the water connected to the stove? Why didn’t I know this? The guy I rented from had emailed me a PDF welcome pack he said his granddaughter had made, but I’d never thought to look for an email, and now I couldn’t download anything with the literal shitty one bar I could get if I walked far enough. Fuck’s sake.

After dressing, I stared out the front window at my car and the road beyond. The sky was leaden with the promise of more snow, and I couldn’t help but feel the heavy sky matched the weight in my chest.

I needed to talk to Kai, reassure him that I was okay, and maybe check last night’s game scores. The Harriers had been playing a strong Railers team, and to be honest, although I checked all the scores and watched the highlight reels from every Harriers game, I imagined they’d lost.

My cell phone had a five percent charge but was plugged into the wall, where there was no hope of a signal. I unplugged it, put on boots and my coat, and shuffled outside to find somewhere I’d have at least one bar of signal. Then, hunched in my freezing car, I hovered over his name in my contacts and hit call.

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