Chapter 32
HOLLY
December
November had gone by in the blink of an eye.
Frosty mornings greeted me when I emerged from my warm bedroom on the farm.
Everywhere I looked, there were twinkling lights.
Days were peppered with hot drinks in festive-themed mugs.
Christmas songs played in every shop and on the radio.
I fell asleep to Hallmark festive romance movies and the book on my bedside was a spicy Christmas romcom that I’d seen all over social media.
Birch Tree Farm had been transformed into a winter wonderland and I was exhausted from the work but it made me more proud than anything I’d done in my career so far.
I had built it with my own bare hands, alongside Willow, and it had been a labour of love.
The last few days of November had been crazy.
We had worked all hours. The ice rink had arrived and it was a perfect fit next to Mistletoe Lane.
We’d marked out a trail for people to walk from the polytunnels to the ice rink and with Dylan’s help, draped fairy lights in between trees to form a pretty canopy with new stones on the ground.
Portaloos had been set up. There was a space for the Birchbrook Café van next to the ice rink with benches for people to sit on and enjoy food and drink while watching people skate.
We had put fairy lights in the birch trees lining the drive for people to enjoy on the way in.
And we’d put a Christmas tree by the ice rink so that would be lit up as well.
The area that had caused the most concern was Santa’s grotto as Willow hadn’t been able to find someone to play Santa.
But she’d had a last-minute brainwave to move her two Shetland ponies, Blossom and Jasmine, into the tunnel for a photo opportunity next to the sleigh and the post office.
One of the young guys Willow hired to work had agreed to wear an elf costume and supervise the ponies and the photo spot. They looked great with the sleigh and the presents, and I knew it would be a big draw for people.
The first of December was upon us before we could catch our breath.
We had decided to just open for late afternoon and evening on the first day.
We wanted to make sure there were no teething problems by having a shorter day to start off with, but still have everyone enjoy the full experience of the lights once the sun set.
The rest of the time, the winter wonderland would open from 2 to 8 p.m. until Christmas Eve, after which it would close for the season.
Before it was time to open though, Dylan’s family were arriving for their early Christmas.
And I was in my bedroom about to talk to Angela, my old colleague, on the phone.
It had been a week since Karl from the newspaper had alerted me to Grant’s shady dealings and I’d been trying to contact Angela ever since.
I thought back to the conversation in the café.
I had felt sucker-punched when I realised Grant had claimed I’d stolen money.
It all made sense in that moment why Wynter Wishes hadn’t had much work.
He hadn’t just bad-mouthed me; he had told people I was a criminal!
I was still stunned that he could be that devious and nasty.
I had been so scared that Willow would tell me to get the hell off of her farm.
That Paul would believe Grant. And Karl would write an article telling everyone to never hire me.
But the opposite had happened. I was still wrapping my head around it.
The fact they had believed and trusted me had meant so much, I was still replaying their words over and over again.
Especially what Paul had told me.
When I had relayed the conversation for Georgia on FaceTime, she had also been ready to go in to see Grant all guns blazing, but I had told her I’d handle it. She then asked if I had swooned over what Paul had said, and I’d faked having to help Willow with something.
Because I had swooned.
And that was terrifying.
Every time I’d seen Paul since, we’d been surrounded by people and I’d treated him just like an old friend.
He hadn’t asked me to do anything just the two of us.
He hadn’t phoned or made any move to touch me.
He was treating me like a scared deer that could bolt at any second.
And I couldn’t blame him in the slightest. It was how I felt.
Every time I thought about being in his bed, I was both desperate for more, and scared as hell about it happening again.
He was being careful; I was being a coward.
And I had no idea who would blink first.
‘Hi, Holly.’ Angela picked up my call and sounded wary. ‘Sorry it’s taken time to call you back but work is… busy,’ she said after pausing to try to find the right word. I took that to mean ‘stressful’. I remembered how full-on working for Grant Rivers had been.
‘I understand. I just wanted to tell you that I found out what Grant has been saying about me and why.’ I told Angela about the email he’d sent to Karl and then, for the first time, I finally told someone from the company that Grant had made a pass at me, going on to explain that although he’d then backtracked, he’d been annoyed with me ever since.
There was a long silence. ‘I’m sorry, Holly,’ Angela said finally.
‘That’s awful. He does make inappropriate comments that put me on edge.
I’ll be honest, I try hard not be alone with him.
I don’t doubt it wasn’t the first or last time he would try something like that.
’ She sighed. ‘And now he’s trying to ruin your future. What are you going to do?’
‘Karl, the local reporter here, wants to write an article about it all if I’m amenable. He wanted to know if you’d be willing to go on the record that he has been telling clients to not hire me. And if you knew of anyone else that Grant has targeted in this way, if they might speak to us too?’
She sighed. ‘I can’t get any more involved, I’m sorry, Holly. But I need this job. Grant will end up doing to me what he’s done to you,’ Angela said, sounding upset.
Disappointment made my chest sag but I knew she felt bad. ‘It’s okay, I understand.’
‘What will you do?’
‘Honestly, I don’t know but I can’t keep letting Grant do whatever the hell he likes to people.’
She sighed. ‘I really want to help you.’
‘It’s okay,’ I reassured her. ‘I just don’t want Grant to do this to anyone else in the future.
I want him to realise he can’t get away with this behaviour.
I have stayed quiet in the past,’ I said, thinking about how much I kept things inside.
I never told my dad how I felt, or my mum, and I didn’t speak up at school.
Grant was like another school bully. I didn’t want to be silent again.
‘I’m not doing it again. I need to do something. ’
‘I think you’re really brave.’
We said goodbye after that and I felt better for at least telling Angela exactly what had happened between Grant and me. She was nervous and I couldn’t blame her. Look what had happened to me after I left; she was still working for him. Maybe now she would be more careful around him at least.
At least Angela had believed me like Willow and Paul had, and I thought Karl did too, although he needed facts.
My mum had believed me when I told her about being unhappy at school.
I’d wanted to run when Karl told me what Grant had emailed me.
But I was still here. I had stuck out that awkward conversation. I took a breath.
Maybe I could finally stop running from my past.
* * *
The farmhouse was suddenly crowded for lunch.
I walked in to find Willow, Dylan and Maple the dog along with two men that were clearly related to Dylan, Sabrina with her husband and daughter, Daisy and Blake, the two young people from town that Willow had found to help work the winter wonderland, the two men in charge of the ice rink we’d hired, and Paul.
‘It’s all hands on deck,’ Willow said when she spotted me, handing me a plate and waving to the spread on the kitchen table.
‘We all need to fuel up for the opening.’ She leaned in closer.
‘That’s Dylan’s dad, and his brother Nate,’ she said in a hushed tone, pointing them out.
Dylan’s dad was distinguished-looking and wore a suit, which was jarring in the comfortable farmhouse, and Nate was as handsome as Dylan but stood slightly away from the group, just watching.
He was dressed slightly more casually at least. ‘I can’t believe they came on opening day but when are things not chaotic around here?
’ She went over to offer them another sausage roll.
I went to the table and filled my plate and grabbed a cup of coffee, then my feet seemed to move of their own accord over to Paul.
He looked good with a faint line of stubble and I instantly remembered how smooth his skin had felt on mine when we’d kissed with a passion I hadn’t known I possessed.
He was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt with chunky boots and a beanie, of course.
I eagerly breathed in his familiar pine mixed with gingerbread scent.
‘Hey,’ I said, which sounded a bit pathetic after everything we’d been through.
‘It’s come around fast, hasn’t it?’ Paul said, sipping his coffee. ‘How are you feeling about it?’
‘Everything seems to be in place,’ I said.
‘I’m going to do a final walk-through after this.
I did one with Willow first thing but I just want to be sure.
And she has her hands full with all these people.
’ I looked down at my plate, Paul’s piercing gaze just a bit too much to handle.
His eyes had always seen me so clearly, and that was disconcerting.
‘Want to join me?’ I asked casually. But it would be the first time we’d been alone since he’d told me in the café that he was there for me.
The problem was I hadn’t relied on anyone apart from myself since I was eighteen.
‘Sure,’ he replied just as casually.
I liked that Paul was a man of few words in moments like these.
‘Hey, guys…’ Willow called out then and we all turned to where she stood with Dylan, who had a supportive arm around her.
‘I just wanted to say thank you to you all. It’s been a crazy few weeks getting this all ready but Mistletoe Lane looks amazing and I think everyone is going to have lots of fun enjoying what we’ve created.
It was a bit of a rush…’ She made a grimace in my direction.
‘But we did it. And I wanted to say a special thank you to Holly, who has been nothing short of a superstar. I was teeny bit stressed before she got here, wasn’t I? ’ She grinned up at Dylan.
‘A little bit,’ he said with a chuckle.
I smiled and was really touched she was thanking me specifically.
‘But Holly, you kept me calm and helped me bring my vision to life in a way that has shocked me – just how perfect is it?! This was our biggest undertaking yet event-wise and a really short time to do it all in. Thanks, Holly, and everyone here for helping to make it happen when I needed help the most.’ She gestured to her bump.
I mouthed a ‘thank you’, my face flushed from her praise. I had thrown my heart and soul into this and I was so happy it had paid off for us.
‘Babe, you wanted to say something too?’ Willow asked Dylan.
Dylan smiled as he touched Willow’s arms, looking every inch the proud boyfriend.
‘Willow continues to surprise me every day with her creativity and her way of making this farm even more special to visit, but also for me to live and work here,’ he said, glancing at her with eyes full of love.
‘And I am so excited for our son or daughter to experience it all along with us soon. Family is important here on Birch Tree Farm.’ He turned to his family beside him.
‘I wanted to say we’re so happy to have my dad and brother here to celebrate Christmas early with us, and that we’ve come to think of all of you in this room as family too.
We hope you feel the same. So, all this is to say, let’s have a magical first day of December here on Birch Tree Farm, right, babe? ’
Willow smiled. ‘Here’s to the start of the festive season!’ She raised her mug of coffee and we all lifted ours in a toast too.
‘Congratulations,’ Dylan’s dad said when the group started to disperse.
‘I can’t believe I’m going to have a grandchild.
’ His eyes lit up and for some reason, seeing him emotional made me think about how if I ever had a baby, my dad wouldn’t know about it.
I watched as he shook Dylan’s hand but Dylan pulled him into a hug and then his dad kissed Willow on the cheek.
‘My wife would have been so happy,’ he added in a choked voice.
‘We’re so glad you’re here,’ Willow said. ‘Dylan has missed you both.’ She eyed Nate, who was still silent. ‘I hope you’ll see how happy we are.’
‘I belong here,’ Dylan added. ‘But I want you both to be part of our life too. What do you think?’ He looked at his brother.
‘That would be good,’ Nate said stiffly.
Paul leaned in towards me. ‘Am I as grumpy as that guy?’ he asked in a low voice.
I choked out a half-giggle, half-cough. ‘I think you maybe have been,’ I said.
‘Shit,’ he replied.
‘You’re a big softie now,’ I joked, turning to him, startled by how close he was to me. I couldn’t avoid those warm eyes of his drinking me in like I was his favourite thing to look at.
‘I’m not sure I have much to be grumpy about any more,’ he said with a shrug.
And inside, I melted like a snowwoman in spring.