Chapter Twenty-Two
He missed her.
Colin heard from Merry that Holly and Tater Tot had been reunited. They were good for each other. And now he didn’t have to worry about Holly being all alone.
At that moment, he was out finishing his Christmas shopping. He’d procrastinated picking out his Secret Santa gift for Justin. He couldn’t decide whether he should get something silly or something more meaningful. And so he kept shopping.
With it being Christmas Eve, it appeared that he wasn’t the only one to wait until the last minute to finish shopping. Luckily with the clinic closed for the holidays, he was able to head out first thing in the morning.
As he looked around, he still didn’t know what gift to get his little brother. However, another idea came to him. He bought an ornament that resembled Tater Tot. He had it personalized Tater Tot’s 1st Christmas. Happy with his purchase, he kept shopping.
He knew even with Tater Tot in her life that this was still going to be a rough Christmas for Holly. It was her first Christmas without her grandmother, and she’d been dealt the realization that a relationship with her parents wasn’t tenable.
He wanted to do something to let her know she wasn’t alone. That she might not have a traditional family, but she had people in her life who cared about her.
As he meandered through the various shops, an idea came to him. He bought the biggest Christmas card he could find. He would have all of her friends sign it and remind her of the people who cared about her.
He pulled up his family’s group chat and began to type.
Colin: I need your help. I want to do something special for Holly.
Mom: What do you need?
Colin: I bought a giant card. I’m going to take it to Kringle Cup Café for people to sign.
Mom: See you there.
All of his brothers and even his father chimed in that they would stop by and sign it. He thanked them. Since meeting Holly’s parents, he appreciated his family even more than he did before.
And in that moment, he knew what he wanted to get Justin for Christmas. He headed to Jingle Bell Books. His brother always had his nose in a book.
But when he got there, he realized he didn’t know what books his brother had already read. So, he would get him a gift card.
When he moved to the checkout counter, he was surprised to find Felicity working there. She had been Justin’s girlfriend in high school. She was lovely, and they’d made a cute couple. And then something had happened and they’d broken up. Justin had been scant on the details.
Colin picked out a gift card and placed it on the counter. “Hey, it’s good to see you.”
She smiled back at him. “It’s good to be back.”
She rang up the gift card, and then a thought came to him: Felicity used to be one of Holly’s good friends. Back in those days, the Bishop house was always full of kids hanging out. And his parents loved it.
After he’d paid for the gift card, he asked, “Would you like to sign a Christmas card for Holly Berry? I know she’s one of your friends and well, this is her first Christmas without her grandmother, and I want her to know that there’s a whole town that has her back.”
“Oh sure. I’d be happy to sign it.”
He pulled it out and placed it on the counter. “And if you could let your friends know, I’m heading to Kringle Cup Café with it for an hour or two.”
“I’d be happy to do that.” She reached for a pen. “What a thoughtful idea.”
After she signed the card, Connie Carmichael, the owner of Jingle Books, signed it as well. And then he headed for the Kringle Cup Café. It was the most popular spot in town.
He didn’t have to do anything but talk to the people as they lined up to sign the card. Once people signed it, they would message other people to stop by and sign it. In the end, the whole inside and back of the card were filled with heartwarming notes for Holly.
He hoped the card would show her that just because Roger and Billie Jean were her blood, it didn’t make them her family. But the people signing the card, they would be there for her. They would be her family by choice.
And he would be there for her—if she’d let him.
With the card signed, he stopped at his house to wrap the ornament. Then he headed to Holly’s apartment. He hoped she liked what he’d gotten her.
He had one more thing for her—his love. He was going to tell her he loved her. His stomach knotted up. He didn’t know how she’d react. He would take his chances. She was worth it.
But when he got to her apartment, she wasn’t home.
It had to be special.
Holly wanted a Christmas gift to show Colin that she was sorry for shoving him away. She wanted him to know that he was special to her—very special.
After closing the shop early, she’d tramped through the stores for a couple of hours. At one point, she’d spotted Colin but he hadn’t seen her. She’d ducked out of sight. She wasn’t ready to see him, not yet.
She’d browsed through the men’s store, but a sweater didn’t say special to her, nor did a hat or a shirt.
She’d even made her way through the candy shop.
Of course, there were a lot of temptations from peanut butter cups to watermelon drops.
And yet as delicious as the choices were, they still weren’t what she was searching for.
After leaving the candy shop, she walked along the sidewalk with no particular destination in mind. The snow began to fall, putting a light layer on the ground. It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
When she looked up, she saw Mr. Price heading toward her. A smile immediately pulled at her lips.
As they neared each other, she said, “Merry Christmas. Thank you again for coming back to town and helping me deal with Roger and Billie Jean.”
“I take it they haven’t bothered you?”
“No, they haven’t. I’m so glad you got my message.”
His bushy brows rose. “Your message? I didn’t get a message from you.”
“Then how did you know I needed your help?”
“He didn’t tell you?” When she shook her head, Mr. Price said, “Colin called me and explained the situation.”
“Wait. Colin called you? About me?”
He nodded. “Yes, he did. You have a great guy there.”
She smiled and nodded. But he wasn’t hers. The thought panged her heart. “He is the best.”
After they wished each other a good holiday, she continued walking until she reached the card shop. She meandered around, looking at the ornaments, the Christmas decorations, and the cards. She made her way to the back of the store.
It was there she found colorful gift bags, ribbons, and bows. And then she stumbled across a selection of journals. She paused and looked at them in shades of pink and blue, and then she spotted a black and white one with a paw print on it.
She picked it up and opened it. Inside were blank lined pages, and she could envision Colin writing stories of the animals that he’d helped. The thought made her smile.
She also picked out a pen set for him to write his stories. On the way to the checkout, she noticed a mug with a dog and cat on it. It too made her smile.
After she put everything on the counter, she realized she didn’t have anything to wrap it with. She asked the clerk to hang on a moment. Holly ran to the back of the store and grabbed a gift bag, tissue paper, and bows.
After she paid for her purchases, she made her way to the grocery store, where she picked up some dog and cat treats, as well as some apples and carrots.
With a smile on her face, Holly headed home. Were they expensive gifts? No. Would that matter to Colin? She didn’t think so. Colin was never one who cared about appearances. He cared more about how people treated each other and their pets.
She did hope that in some way, they would show Colin how much she cared about him.
She placed the gifts for the animals in a woven basket.
She loved how the carrot greens lay over the edge of the basket and fell down over the side.
The snack bags, she stood up in the back of the basket.
And then the apples. She arranged them on the other side of the basket from the carrots.
She affixed a large red bow on the handle, and it was done.
She wrapped Colin’s gifts in tissue paper before placing them in the gift bag. She also added the gift card she’d won to the Peppermint Courtyard. But there was something missing. It took her a moment, then she realized that she’d been in a card store and walked out without a card. Who does that?
She had some blank cards in the shop downstairs to go with the gift baskets. They weren’t what she wanted, but it was the message that mattered, right?
She told Tater Tot to stay. He didn’t like being left out of anything, but he sat back down. She ran to the shop. Minutes later, she returned with a small white card with a simple wreath on the front. Now it was up to her to make the card convey her feelings.
With a pen in hand, she stared at the blank white space. She had to decide between keeping things light or telling him what was truly in her heart.
The answer came instantly. After all he’d done for her, he deserved the full truth. And so, she began writing, and then she realized she was running out of room to write everything that was in her heart. Who knew she was so long-winded?
She finished with: Love, Holly.
Then she turned to Tater Tot. “Well, little boy, it’s time to go out in the cold.”
The pup gave her one of his side-eyed looks. He was not wild about the cold.
“It won’t be that bad.” She put on his red and green plaid coat as well as his little boots. When he whined, she said, “But we have to deliver these Christmas presents. They’re very special.”
She just hoped Colin would feel the same way. With Tater by her side, she drove to Colin’s house.
She turned on Christmas carols and sang. Tater Tot wasn’t a fan of her singing so he laid down and pretended to be asleep, but she knew he was anxious to visit with Colin’s dogs.
The drive was short. Once she parked, it took a bit for her to get herself, Tater Tot, and the gifts out of the car. At last, they made it up the slick steps to the front door.
With her heart racing, she knocked. There was a chorus of barks, but there weren’t any sounds of footsteps. When there was no answer, she knocked again. And there were more barks.
He wasn’t home. Disappointment slammed into her.