Chapter Twelve – Holly
Holly’s cheeks ached from smiling. For the past few hours, she’d been elbow-deep in cakes and customers, serving people alongside Mina and Carl while Daniel stopped it all from descending into chaos.
Which was no mean feat. The morning rush had been exhilarating, a blur of friendly faces, Christmas orders, and the constant ring of the register.
Now, as the afternoon lull settled in, Holly welcomed the chance to breathe.
The bakery display cases, which had been packed with pastries, now stood mostly empty, with only a few lonely tarts.
The wooden shelves behind the counter that had been piled high with an assortment of fresh loaves were empty save for crumbs.
“Well, team,” Daniel announced, glancing at the clock above the door, “it’s almost three. Time for us to pick up the munchkins.”
Holly hadn’t realized how quickly the day had passed. She wiped her hands on a towel, reluctant to leave this warm, fragrant space where she’d felt so immediately accepted. But excited to pick up the munchkins. She had missed them.
She gnawed her bottom lip. If she’d missed them after only a few hours while they were at school, how was she going to feel when she left town?
Holly ducked her head and went out into the back room to wash her hands. She didn’t want anyone to see the tears glittering in her eyes. As for leaving, she wasn’t going to think about that now. Not today.
Maybe tomorrow… or the next day.
Holly dried her hands and swiped her arm across her eyes before forcing a smile as she went back out into the storefront. Daniel was waiting by the door.
“Ready?” Daniel reached for her new red coat and held it open for her. Holly turned and slipped her arms into the sleeves, the brush of his fingers against her cheek as he adjusted the collar, sending a shower of sparks down her spine.
Without thinking, she leaned into the touch, her eyes fluttering closed for the briefest moment. She felt his breath catch, the small sound loud in her ear. Time suspended between them, fragile and electric.
“Don’t forget these!” Mina’s voice broke the spell as she thrust a white bakery box and a paper-wrapped loaf into Daniel’s hands. “Fresh sourdough and those chocolate cupcakes the kids love. Say hi to those little monsters for me.”
Daniel cleared his throat, his voice a touch deeper than usual. “Will do. Thanks, Mina. See you tomorrow, Carl!”
Holly followed him through the door, her heart still dancing to an uneven rhythm.
Outside, the winter air bit at her cheeks, a welcome coolness after the warmth of the bakery.
Bear Creek stretched before them, the main street lined with festive decorations and twinkling lights that would shine once dusk fell.
Snow crunched beneath their boots as they walked toward Daniel’s truck.
She wanted to take a snapshot of it and save it forever.
“It’s just so beautiful here,” Holly said, taking in the charming storefronts with their holiday displays.
“It is,” Daniel agreed, balancing the bakery goods in one arm while he unlocked the passenger door. “There’s no place I would rather be.”
Me neither, the voice in her head agreed as they reached his truck.
“Here we go.” Somehow, Daniel managed to juggle the cake box and open the door for her.
A man of many talents, Holly thought as she climbed into the truck.
Daniel closed her door and rounded the hood, and she couldn’t help but watch him—the confident stride, the breadth of his shoulders beneath his coat, the careful way he placed Mina’s offerings in the back seat.
When he slid into the driver’s seat, the cab suddenly felt smaller, more intimate. The scent of him—cinnamon and yeast and something uniquely Daniel—filled her senses.
“Do we have any plans for this afternoon?” she asked, adjusting her seatbelt. “After we pick up the kids, I mean.”
Daniel turned the key, the engine rumbling to life. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “As a matter of fact, we do. But it’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?” Holly raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “For the kids?”
“For all of you,” he said, pulling away from the curb.
The idea that he had planned something that included her made Holly’s heart skip. “Are you going to give me a hint?”
“Nope.” His grin widened as he navigated through town toward the elementary school. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
At the school, parents waited in clusters near the entrance, their breath forming clouds in the cold air.
But this afternoon, she didn’t feel so nervous, so out of place as they entered the school building.
Maybe it was the new clothes, or maybe it was because she felt more like she belonged after her day in the bakery.
As if she were becoming more and more a part of the fabric of the Brooks family life.
And then Maisie and Teddy spotted them in the hallway. Their faces lit up with twin expressions of delight.
“Holly! Dad!” Teddy barreled toward them, nearly knocking into a teacher in his haste. “You both came!”
“Careful, buddy,” Daniel laughed, catching his son in a one-armed hug.
Maisie approached more sedately, but her smile was just as bright. “Hi, Holly. Did you have fun at the bakery?”
“I did,” Holly said, touched that Maisie would ask. “It was so busy. And Mina taught me to make croissants.”
“Did you save us any?” Teddy asked, bouncing on his toes.
“Even better,” Daniel said. “Mina sent cupcakes.”
“Chocolate cupcakes!” Teddy’s eyes widened as he clapped his hands together. “This is the best day ever!”
Maisie nodded eagerly, her braids bouncing. “And when we get home, Holly’s going to help me decorate my cookies, remember?”
“I do,” Holly said as they made their way outside.
“But first we’re going sledding!” Teddy thrust his hands into the air.
Daniel glanced at Holly and chuckled. “And there goes my big reveal.”
“Yay! Sledding!” Maisie slipped her hand into Holly’s. “Do you like sledding?”
“It’s been a long time,” Holly said. “But I am up for the challenge.”
They drove a short distance to the edge of town, where a gentle hill rose pristine and untouched, its blanket of snow glittering in the afternoon sun. Daniel parked at the bottom and hopped out, lowering the tailgate to reveal three sleds nestled in the truck bed.
“Here we go.” Daniel hoisted the sleds from the truck bed with practiced ease, setting them on the packed snow. Before he could say another word, Teddy and Maisie grabbed the biggest one between them and took off, scrambling up the hill, their boots kicking up powdery clouds.
“Last one to the top is a rotten egg!” Teddy shouted over his shoulder.
Holly laughed and snagged one of the remaining sleds. “They don’t waste any time, do they?”
“Never have,” Daniel said, grabbing the last sled. He gestured toward the hill with a playful bow. “After you, unless you’re afraid of being the rotten egg.”
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” Holly grinned and started trudging up the slope, her new boots crunching through the pristine snow.
The climb up the hill left Holly breathless as the deep snow made the going hard. Each time she faltered, Daniel was there, his strong hand at her elbow, steadying her without comment.
At the summit, Teddy and Maisie were waiting, their cheeks flushed from the cold. But nothing could diminish their excitement.
“Are we going to race?” Teddy asked. “Me and Maisie against Dad and Holly.”
“We can race later,” Daniel said, helping the kids into their sled. “After we’ve had a few practice runs.”
“Okay.” Maisie half turned to her brother. “Hold on tight.” Then Daniel pushed them off and stood back as he watched them go, their shrieks of joy puncturing the air.
“They make it look so easy,” Holly said as she came to stand next to him.
“Come on. Your turn,” Daniel said, gesturing to Holly’s sled.
She positioned the sled at the edge, suddenly nervous. “I’m not sure I remember how to do this.”
“It’s like riding a bike,” Daniel assured her, kneeling to steady the sled. “Your body will remember.”
Holly sat down, gripping the curved front with both hands. Daniel’s presence behind her was warm and solid as he positioned the sled.
“Ready?” he asked, his breath warm against her ear.
“Not remotely,” she admitted with a laugh.
“Perfect.” His hands gently pushed her shoulders. “That’s half the fun.”
The sled tipped forward, and suddenly Holly was flying.
Cold air whipped past her face as the toboggan gathered speed, racing down the pristine slope.
Snow sprayed up around her, catching the sunlight like diamond dust. A laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her—pure, unbridled joy that she hadn’t felt in years.
At the bottom of the hill, the sled slowed to a gentle stop near where Teddy and Maisie were already preparing for another run. Holly sat for a moment, heart racing, cheeks flushed with cold and excitement.
“Come on!” she called up to Daniel, who stood at the summit watching her with a smile that made her stomach flip.
He grabbed his own sled and pushed off, racing down to join them. He hit a small bump near the bottom, the sled tipping just enough to send him rolling into a snowbank. Teddy howled with laughter, and even Maisie giggled behind her mittens.
“Very graceful, Dad,” Maisie teased as Daniel emerged from the snow, his hair dusted white.
“I meant to do that,” he insisted, brushing himself off before helping Holly to her feet.
They spent the next hour racing down the hill, each run more exhilarating than the last. On the final run, disaster struck.
Teddy’s enthusiastic push-off sent him veering directly into Holly’s path.
She swerved to avoid him, her sled tipping sideways, sending her tumbling into a snowdrift.
Before she could right herself, Daniel’s sled crashed into the same drift, and suddenly they were all a tangle of limbs and laughter at the bottom of the hill.
“Pile on Dad!” Teddy shouted, launching himself onto his father’s chest.
Maisie followed suit, and Holly found herself caught in the middle of a family snow pile, Daniel’s arm somehow underneath her shoulders, Teddy’s elbow dangerously close to her ribs, all of them laughing too hard to move.
As their laughter subsided, Holly became acutely aware of Daniel’s proximity—the solid warmth of him against her side, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled down at her, snowflakes caught in his eyelashes. Something shifted in her chest, a recognition too profound to ignore.
She wanted to belong here, with these people. In this town. In this life.
Daniel helped her to her feet, brushing snow from her coat with gentle hands. “You okay?”
“Perfect,” Holly said, the word catching slightly in her throat. “I’m perfect.”
And for that moment, watching Teddy and Maisie race back up the hill for “just one more turn, Dad, please?” with the winter sun hanging low in the sky and Daniel’s warm presence beside her, it was true. She was perfect. This was perfect.
And that was the most frightening thing of all.