Chapter Thirteen
The Peppermint Courtyard.
Really?
Holly was surprised this was where her parents wanted to have lunch, instead of the Kringle Cup Café.
The Peppermint Courtyard was the fanciest dining in town.
It didn’t have a dress code or anything, but it was definitely a step up from the other places.
This was the place that she dreamed about one day having dinner with Colin.
She glanced down at her blue jeans and white sweater. She felt underdressed. She looked around at the other patrons in their dress clothes. She didn’t recognize many of them. The others must be tourists.
She glanced across the table at Billie Jean. Her brown hair was streaked with white. And even though she’d applied makeup, her face showed lines from, as her grandmother would say, hard living. When she held up the menu, Holly could see her nails were chewed to the quick.
Sympathy welled up in Holly, but she stamped it down.
After all, these were the people who had abandoned her as a baby and only stopped back twice in her life.
And then it struck her that this was only the third time she’d seen her parents since she was a baby.
The third time. The thought landed like a rock in her stomach. She lost her appetite.
“What are you going to have, sweetie?” Roger asked.
Holly assumed he was speaking to Billie Jean, so she didn’t say anything as she continued to stare down at the menu without seeing any of the words.
“Holly, did you hear me?” It was Roger’s voice again.
She lowered the menu and looked at him. “Uh, sorry. What?”
He frowned at her with a look that said how-dare-you-not-hang-on-my-every-word. When Billie Jean elbowed him, he smiled. “I wanted to know what you’re going to order.”
“Oh. I don’t know.” Her gaze moved back to the menu and the prices. Wow! This place wasn’t cheap. No wonder her grandmother never wanted to eat there.
“Well, I’m going to have the seared salmon with a side of couscous.” Billie Jean set aside the menu.
“I’m having a New York Strip steak.” Roger placed his menu on top of Billie Jean’s.
Another wow spun through her mind. They certainly eat fancy for lunch. She usually just had a salad or burger. There were no burgers on the menu. So, she checked out the salads.
These salads were not your run-of-the-mill salads. They had a seared salmon with avocado. Another salad had Maine lobster. And the prices definitely matched the fancy salads. She didn’t have the money to splurge on a salad, but her parents were here, so this made it a special occasion.
Her gaze landed on the last salad listed. It was a cobb salad with sliced tenderloin. It was the cheapest on the menu so that was the one she picked. It was still expensive, but she would make it work.
After they ordered, Roger said, “We can’t stay in town long. We’ve got a lot going on back in California.”
“That’s right,” Billie Jean said. “Your father has just gotten in on the deal of a lifetime.”
Her parents talked about themselves, their financial success, and what a hardship it was to be in Vermont when everything was happening on the West Coast. Holly tried to look interested in what they were saying, but she didn’t care about some software or some sort of special computers.
Billie Jean leaned toward her and held up her phone with a photo. “This is our house. Isn’t it a beauty?”
Holly stared at the white two-story building that was more like a mansion than a house. She had to admit she was impressed. Her parents had done well for themselves.
“It’s nice,” Holly said. “Have you lived there long?”
“That’s just one of our houses,” Roger said. “We got ourselves a beach house in Galveston. And a place in Lake Tahoe.” They continued to talk about their residences and how much they liked to travel.
Meanwhile, her thoughts kept returning to Colin. She missed him. She wished he’d have stopped when he drove by her shop. She was certain he’d seen her. He probably didn’t stop because she was with her parents. She couldn’t blame him. They were a lot.
And yet, she did her best to look interested as Roger and Billie Jean went on and on about their business, their home, and their life.
Holly nodded where appropriate. She didn’t have to say anything, because they just kept talking.
She didn’t know anyone could talk that much.
Then again, it took the pressure off her because she didn’t have to think of what to say.
She felt guilty for growing bored when they talked about their business. She told herself to act more interested. After all, this was what she’d wanted since she was a kid.
She cleared her throat, and when there was a slight pause in the conversation, she asked, “Have you always lived in California?”
“No,” Billie Jean said.
“Yes,” Roger said.
They’d spoken over each other. Then they both frowned at each other, as though they were confused about the disagreement.
Then Billie Jean turned to her. “Your father likes to forget that in the early years, we worked our way across the South until we settled in California. Once we made it there, we stayed.”
“I hear it’s nice,” Holly said.
“It is,” Billie Jean said. “You know what I heard at the B&B this morning?” She didn’t wait for a response before she carried on. “There’s a Christmas party tonight. It seems like it’s the talk of the town.”
Holly nodded. “The Kringles are having their annual Christmas party.”
“Are you going?” Billie Jean looked eager for the answer.
“I…I don’t know.” She honestly didn’t know. But without her grandmother there to prod her into going with her, she didn’t see herself going alone. “Probably not.”
“You should go.” Billie Jean elbowed Roger.
“Uh, yes,” Roger said. “It sounds like a good time.”
“And don’t worry,” Billie Jean said. “You don’t have to go alone. We’ll be your guests.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Roger said.
“Then it’s settled.” Billie Jean smiled like she was pleased she’d solved a problem that had never existed in the first place.
Holly sat there quietly while her parents worked out what time they would head to the party.
All the while, Holly wondered how all of the sudden, she was taking her parents to a party where she would have to introduce them to who’s who of Kringle Falls.
Her stomach took a nauseous lurch. This was moving faster than she was prepared for.
When the meal was finished, Billie Jean excused herself to visit the ladies’ room. That left Holly alone with Roger. She felt less comfortable with him. And she didn’t know quite why.
He pulled out his phone and started scrolling on it. She tried to think of something to say to ease the awkwardness, but the harder she tried to think of an interesting bit of trivia, the more her mind went blank. It appeared Roger had run out of things to talk about.
He glanced up from his phone. “I better see what’s taking Billie Jean so long.”
No sooner had he walked away than the server showed up with their check. They said they’d be right back for it. Holly’s gaze kept moving in the direction her parents had gone. She didn’t see them.
As the time passed and neither Roger nor Billie Jean returned, Holly glanced at the check. Her eyes widened at the amount. They certainly didn’t live modestly.
As one minute turned into two and two into five, the server returned for the check. Holly inwardly groaned when she looked around for her parents, but they were nowhere in sight.
The server looked expectantly at her. Heat rushed to Holly’s cheeks. She didn’t have the money to pay this three-figure bill. But what choice did she have? With great reluctance, she reached into her wallet and pulled out her business credit card. She placed it in the check holder.
Had her parents left her? The thought sat heavy on her shoulders. After all, this wouldn’t be the first time they’d abandoned her. She supposed she should be used to it.
Thankfully, the server was prompt, and Holly was finally able to leave.
She headed for the exit. But before she reached the outer door, she found her parents.
They were looking at the display of brochures of all the places of interest in Kringle Falls.
Billie Jean had a few in her hand, and Roger was reaching on the top row for her.
A pent-up breath expelled from Holly’s lungs. They hadn’t left her. They just got distracted. And then she felt guilty for thinking that they’d abandoned her again.
When they turned around, Billie Jean smiled. “Sorry. I saw these and had to get some. There are a lot of new things in town.”
Holly forced a smile to her lips but didn’t say anything. She felt like a twisted pretzel on the inside. Being with these two made her feel like she was auditioning or something. The whole thing made her feel exhausted.
“I need to get back to the shop.” She checked the time on her phone. Ugh! She’d been gone much longer than she’d intended.
“We’ll see you this evening,” Billie Jean said. “I can’t wait.”
“Uh-huh.” Holly rushed out the door.
She walked as fast as she dared on the salted sidewalks. The cold air felt good on her overheated face. Since she’d ridden to the restaurant in her parents’ car, she had to walk back to the soap company. She honestly didn’t mind.
At last, she could take a full, deep breath. Her head ached. And she felt nauseous. All she wanted to do was go home, curl up on the couch with Tater Tot, and watch something relaxing on television. She didn’t know two people could talk that much.
Instead of going into the shop like she normally would do, she went to the apartment. She rushed upstairs and ran to Tater Tot’s crate. He greeted her with a wagging tail. When she opened the door, he ran into her arms and licked her face.
She scooped his little body up into her arms and moved to the couch. They sat there in the quiet, and she ran her hand over his back repeatedly.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said. “This is my childhood Christmas wish come true. I should be happy. I should be excited. And all I am is relieved to be here with you.”
Tater Tot lifted his head and once more licked her face. Holly lowered her head and rested her cheek against the top of his head. She stared straight ahead and noticed the bare Christmas tree. It made her think of Colin.
Without giving it much thought, she reached for her phone. She dialed Colin’s number. It rang once, twice, and then switched to voicemail. For a fleeting moment, she thought of leaving him a message, but on second thought, she ended the call without a word.
She sat there for a few more minutes with Tater on her lap. And then she said, “I think you and I need to get back to work.”
“Arf-arf!”
She couldn’t just sit there and let her parents’ appearance in her life upset her. After all, they were making an attempt to establish a relationship with her. She had to make an attempt too.