Chapter Sixteen
REX
I let out a heavy sigh as I look down at my ringing phone where Chuck’s name is displayed.
“Hey, Chuck,” I answer as I bring the phone to my ear.
“Rex. I just wanted to let you know the new girl’s sedan is ready. I managed to get the part in early. She’s lucky. I know how much she wanted to get out of here before Christmas.”
“That’s good,” I say, feeling anything but good. “Why are you calling me and not her?”
“I couldn’t get a hold of her. I think her phone’s dead and I know she’s staying in your guest house. I figured you could pass along the message for me.”
“Yeah, sure.” I look around my living room, feeling a sense of dread at this bit of information.
“Thanks. She can stop by today any time before three. I’m closing up early for the dance. Say, will you be there? I heard something about you bringing the new girl?”
“Her name is Holly, and I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.” That is, if she’s even going to be in town.
We say our goodbyes and hang up, leaving me staring at the phone cradled in my hand. Tag looks up at me from his dog bed next to the tree, raising the ridge of his brow in a questioning glance.
“That’s it, buddy. Her car is ready. I guess she won’t be with us for much longer.”
Tag chuffs, tilting his head and resting it on his paws, not taking his eyes off me.
“What do you want me to do? I can’t make her stay.” More staring. “I mean, I could ask her to stay, but what are the chances? She’s made it clear her life is in Vancouver, not in Candy Cane Creek.”
Another chuff.
I stand, sliding my phone into the pocket of my jeans and head to the door. I mutter as I stomp on my boots, frustrated with my ‘ meddling dog ’ who ‘ thinks he knows better. ’
I continue mumbling as I walk the distance from my house to the guest house; each step feels like walking in wet cement, bringing me to what I’ve been dreading. To what I’ve been trying not to think about.
Holly leaving.
I raise my hand to the door, but I take a moment before I knock. I don’t know why I need to gather the nerve to tell her about her car. This is what she’s wanted this whole time. All she’s wanted from the moment she crossed the border into Candy Cane Creek was to leave. I mistakenly let myself believe that she could want to stay, but I know I was only fooling myself.
I rap my knuckles against the door before shoving them into my jeans’ pockets. I look behind me, blowing out a large breath and seeing the steam that leaves my mouth in a white cloud. I should have grabbed a jacket, but my mind wasn’t on my warmth or my well being. It was getting this over with.
“Rex, hi,” Holly says with a smile as she opens the door. “Come in, you must be freezing.”
She moves to the side and I take a step in, giving just enough space for her to close the door. This may be my guest house, but this is the last place I want to be right now. I just want to pass along the message and leave.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, standing in front of me with a look of concern on her face.
“Uh, yeah.” I take a moment to look at her. Really look at her. “What…?”
“Don’t,” she pleads, her expression turning from concern to pleading. “Cassie bought it for me and insisted I wear it today.”
“What do you have planned?” The tension in my chest eases as I look at her. Holly is wearing a Christmas sweater. And not just any sweater, it’s a brown knitted one with a reindeer with Christmas lights wound around its antlers.
“Nothing, really. I planned on going into the Candy Cane Cafe to put the finishing touches on my blog post and upload it, but the next thing I know, she’s on my doorstep with this saying I had to wear it today.” She opens her arms, giving me the full view of the sweater.
I can’t help but bite back a laugh. “It’s…festive.”
“Do you know what makes it even better? She has an elf one. This is going to follow me around forever, isn’t it? I’m always going to be the reindeer and Cassie will always be the elf.”
“There are worse things.” I bite my lip, trying as hard as I can not to laugh. I know my face is no doubt turning red, fighting the need to show how amusing I find her right now.
“Are there, Rex? I don’t know about you, but I didn’t wake up this morning thinking I’d continue my streak as Santa’s sidekick.” She takes a look at my own sweater. “On second thought, you probably did.”
I look down; my sweater is knit with different puppies and reads ‘I believe in Santa Paws.’
“I won’t apologize for this. Santa Paws is real. You’ve met Tag.”
She closes her eyes for a moment, her body sagging. “I’m sorry. I’m just stressed about the blog. I need to get it uploaded today and I’m having a hard time finishing it.”
“Do you need more to work with? If you want, I can take you around town again, introduce you to more people…”
“No, it’s not that. Quite the opposite, actually. There’s so much to write about, I don’t know how to condense it all. How to make it represent everything I’ve grown to love about Candy Cane Creek without making it look like I’m playing favourites.”
I watch as she starts to pace. It doesn’t escape me that she said she loves Candy Cane Creek. It lessens some of the tightness in my chest. Makes me hope there’s more than just the town she loves.
Because as much as I wanted to avoid or deny it before, I’m in love with Holly Day. It may have taken the thought of her truly leaving or for her to express her love of my town while wearing a reindeer sweater, but either way, I love her.
“What if you don’t?” I ask, making her stop pacing.
“I don’t what?”
“What if you don’t hide how much you love us?” I clear my throat as I cover up what I really mean, that I hope that I’m included in what she loves. “How much you love Candy Cane Creek, that is.” I take a step toward her. “Would it be the worst thing if you favoured us?”
“I…uh…” She looks up at me as I walk in front of her, brushing a strand of her auburn locks from her face. “No?”
“Are you asking me?” I tilt the corner of my mouth up in a smile as I brush my knuckles along the soft skin of her cheek.
Her eyes are wide as she looks up at me. They’re so green, like the colour of the needles on the fir trees that line the property around us. I could stare into them all day.
“I just don’t want to come across…unprofessional.”
“It’s not unprofessional to have a preference.”
“No, but…” She stops, her hand making its way to hold on to my wrist as I continue to brush the back of my hand along her skin. “I can’t remember why I had a problem with it before.”
I glance down at her lips before meeting her eyes once more. “Holly?”
“Yes, Rex?”
“I came over here to tell you that I got a call from Chuck. Your car is ready.”
“Oh,” she says, looking down and moving as if she’s about to pull away.
But I’m not going to let that happen.
“But now, I also want to tell you that I don’t want you to leave.”
“You don’t?” Her grip on my wrist is tighter as she looks up at me with hope in her eyes.
“No, I don’t. I’ve come to really care about you, Holly. In a way I never thought I would again. You fit here in the town. With all of us.” I suck in a breath. “With me.”
“Rex, I…”
“I know what you’re going to say, Holly. Your life is in Vancouver. You don’t want to live in a small town, but I want you to think about it, please?”
“I don’t know, Rex. You’re asking me to give up my whole life—everything I’ve ever known—for a town I’ve been in for less than a week.”
And for someone I’ve known for less than a week.
She doesn’t need to say the words; I can practically hear her thoughts.
“I know. I have no right to ask.” I let go of her, taking a step back, and turn toward the door. “Your car is ready to be picked up any time before three, otherwise you’ll have to wait until after Christmas.”
My hand is on the doorknob, ready to rush back to my place and drown my sorrows in hot cocoa, when her soft voice stops me.
“Don’t leave like this, please?”
The sadness in her voice nearly breaks me. This isn’t what I want. I don’t want to be the one asking her to give everything up just to be with me. I’m not that guy. I got frustrated at the guys like that in those movies, thinking that they could just demand it and it would be so.
But I want to. Heaven help me, I want to plead with her to stay.
“This isn’t goodbye, is it?” I ask, still facing the door.
I can’t look at her. If I look at her, I’ll ask her again to stay. I’ll take her into my arms and hold her until she realizes that Candy Cane Creek needs her. I need her.
“No, this isn’t goodbye. Not right now.”
I push down the rising emotion in my throat, not willing to show how much her words are affecting me.
“But soon,” I whisper.
“Yes, soon,” she says back, just as softly.
I close my eyes, bracing myself for the eventual hurt that’s going to be coming once we do say those goodbyes.
“Will I see you at the dance tonight?”
“You’re going?” I turn to face her in shock.
“Cassie asked me and I…” She looks down at her hands, a bashful look on her face. “I was hoping that I would see you there.”
A lock of her auburn hair falls over her face, blocking the adorable blush that crosses her cheeks. As I look at her, I almost forget that I’ll be losing her soon. Not to mention the embarrassment I feel after putting myself out there for her to just turn me down.
“Do you really want me to?”
“Of course, Rex. Why wouldn’t I? I’d kind of hoped…well, I don’t know what I hoped,” she trails off.
I hold my breath, wondering if I should allow myself the slightest bit of hope at her question. She wouldn’t be running from town if she wanted to see me at the dance tonight.
“I’ll be there—if you want me to.”
“I do.” She perks up. “I mean, I would love to see you there.”
“Then I’ll be there.” I look over my shoulder out the window for a moment, looking for something—anything—that would tell me I’m making the right decision. As if hearing my silent question, snow starts to fall lightly, creating an ethereal picture of the world outside.
It reminds me of something Lauren would say when we had our first snowfall.
‘ The first snow brings magic with it. ’
She truly believed that even with all the chaos snow can cause, it also brought a peace and joy unique to winter. She loved everything about snow and was happiest in the winter months.
Maybe it’s the sign I’ve been looking for.
I turn to face Holly, who’s looking at me with anticipation, as if knowing I’m struggling with an internal war that only I can understand. She’s been nothing but patient and understanding, and here I am confusing her and asking her to move to a town that’s foreign to her.
But if I don’t do this now, I may never get my chance, and that hurts more than the thought of never having it.
“Holly?”
“Yeah, Rex?”
I take a step, closing the distance between us as I cup her cheek once more, looking into her evergreen eyes.
She sucks in a breath, placing her hands at my waist, clutching at the fabric of my shirt, waiting for me to gather my courage.
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“I know,” she breathes.
“But if you do, I can’t let you leave without doing this.”
I lower my lips to hers, feeling her clasp my shirt tighter in her fists at my waist. Despite her dislike of the season, her lips taste like candy cane and berry, a mix that will be forever cemented in my mind when it comes to Holly Day.
Pulling back, I keep my eyes closed, one hand still cupping her jaw, the other on her back holding her close to me. If this is the only kiss I’ll share with her, I’m going to need another moment wrapped up in her.
“Rex?” she whispers, her voice as breathless as I feel.
“Mmhmm?” I close my eyes tighter, preparing myself for what she’s about to say.
“You make me not want to leave.”