Chapter Ten
“Don’t forget to clean up your station,” Holly called out to the class. They’d been working with acrylics for the last forty-five minutes, and paint splashes littered the room.
The Silverwood Art School for Children students finished tidying up and left the room. Holly moved toward Avery, who was wiping down the base of her easel.
“I love your painting.” Holly eyed Avery’s canvas. “That combination of colors is so tranquil.”
“Thanks.” Avery chucked her wet wipe in the trash and untied her apron. “It came to me in a dream.”
Holly’s eyes widened. “Ooh, an art dream. It’s so awesome when that happens.”
Avery grabbed her backpack. “You have them too?”
“Yeah. Not all the time, but when inspiration wants your attention, it will find you somehow, right?”
Avery giggled. “I like that.”
“Is your mom getting you today?” Holly asked as she walked with Avery out of the room.
“She’s feeling a little sick. Something she ate, I think. Or a tummy bug.”
“Oh, no. Well, I hope she feels better soon. So your dad’s coming?”
“No, Grandpa’s picking me up in his cool car.”
“Lucky you. He still owes me a ride.”
Avery smiled. “I’ll remind him.”
As they reached the hall, Holly grinned. As a former student of the school, Holly had been given the opportunity to take over from the owner—and her favorite teacher—Emily Weedleman, who had found Holly to be a great fit for the job. Apart from having a passion for everything artistic, Holly’s stint in the art world had been successful, even if it was short-lived. She had since discovered a fondness for working with children, too, and taking over the school was the perfect chance to do what she loved while putting her talents to good use.
Holly and Avery entered the lobby, where Holly took in the sight of a curly-haired toddler playing with a rag doll on the carpet.
“Samantha!” Holly approached the little girl. It amazed her how much she resembled Lucy.
“Aw, she’s so cute,” Avery said, crouching to touch Samantha’s curls. “I wish I could stay, but Grandpa’s waiting for me.”
“I’ll see you later, Avery. We’re coming over for Christmas Eve dinner.”
“Oh, good. See you then.” Avery waved as she headed out the front door.
“Hey, Holly.”
Holly turned to face Sean, who’d been on the couch checking his phone. He pushed his glasses up his nose and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair before standing to hug her.
“So good to see you, Sean.” She gestured at Samantha. “My goodness. She’s getting big.”
“And she’s getting demanding, too,” Sean joked.
“Is that right?” Holly crouched a little, facing Samantha. “Are you a little princess, Sammy?”
At the mention of her nickname, Samantha used the edge of the couch to pull herself to a standing position and extended her rag doll to Holly.
Holly took the doll. “What? You’re standing?”
“Yeah,” Sean answered. “We’ve gone mobile.”
“She’s walking too?”
“Well, she’s taken a few steps. Lucy and I hope she’ll walk freely by the time Lucy’s parents drive up for Christmas.”
Holly handed back the doll to Samantha. “If you’re as determined as your mother, I’m willing to bet you can make that happen. Can’t you, Sammy?”
“Hey, no pressuring my kid,” Lucy called out as she arrived from her classroom. “If you want her to be a flower girl, you’ll just have to postpone the wedding a few months.”
Holly laughed. “Don’t tempt me. Samantha would make an adorable flower girl, but Avery’s got the job covered.”
Lucy scooped Samantha into her arms. “Avery’s the perfect flower girl. And we just bought the cutest dress for Sammy to wear on your special day.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
The front door opened, and Kim charged in, shaking snow off her head. She held a to-go coffee in one hand and tended to her stray hairs with the other.
“You can’t tell me that’s a coincidence,” Kim said.
“What?” Holly asked.
“I saw Mr. Mason, a.k.a. Santa’s doppelg?nger, in the parking lot, and suddenly, it starts snowing. I don’t buy it. That man is definitely Santa. Or, at the very least, Santa adjacent.”
“Hi, Kim,” Lucy said to her.
“Oh em gee, is this your little one?” Kim smiled and waved at Samantha.
“Yeah, this is Samantha. And this is my husband, Sean.”
“Nice family, Lucy,” Kim said as she shook Sean’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Your wife and I have already bonded over food.”
Sean chuckled. “Lucy did mention she met her match. Nice to meet you, too.”
“Holly, hon, you ready to go?” Kim took a sip of her coffee. “Your mom’s waiting for us to pick her up.”
“I just have to get my stuff.”
“Do you need me to lock up?” Lucy asked.
“No, Gretchen is here. She’s sorting supplies and has the key.” Holly crouched again and smoothed Samantha’s hair. “Bye, Sammy. See you soon.”
“Say bye-bye, Samantha,” Sean prompted.
Samantha stared at Holly but didn’t say anything.
Settling into the passenger seat of Holly’s car, Kim fastened her seatbelt and took a sip of coffee. “Samantha is so cute. I need some cuteness in my life.”
Holly pulled onto the main road. “What does that mean? You want a baby?”
Kim scoffed. “No. I don’t know what to do with a baby.” She wrinkled her nose. “No, I thought maybe a dog? Dasher and Cupid are pretty cute, too.”
“Kim, don’t forget you live in a small apartment on the fourth floor of a building in New York City.”
“A small dog?”
“Small dogs need to pee, too. Who’s going to walk it? You work full-time, plus overtime, and you live alone.”
“Well, maybe I’ll have to change that fact.”
“What?” Holly’s eyes widened. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Kim laughed. “Holly, you’d be the first to know if I were dating someone. And I would have brought him to the wedding.”
Satisfied that her best friend wasn’t keeping secrets from her, Holly concentrated on the road. There wasn’t much traffic between the art school and her cabin, so when she realized the car behind her was taking every turn she was taking, a chill ran up her spine.
“What are you doing?”
It took Holly a second to grasp that Kim was speaking. “What?”
“You keep looking in the rearview mirror.” Kim tapped the mirror as if Holly didn’t know what she meant.
“I, uh, I think that car might be following us.”
Kim wrinkled her brow and glanced over her shoulder.
Holly gasped. “No. Don’t look.”
“It’s fine. They can’t see me.”
“You don’t know that.” Holly shifted her grip on the wheel. “Could you see the driver?”
“No. This is a small town, though. Don’t you recognize the car?”
Holly stiffened her jaw. “No. You know what? Maybe I’m just imagining things.”
The turn for her street was up ahead. Holly could feel her heartbeat accelerate as she flipped the indicator.
I’m imagining things. I’m not being followed. There’s no way Grayson found me.
When Holly made the turn, and the car behind her continued to drive straight, she loosened her iron grip on the steering wheel and let out a relieved sigh. She felt like laughing at herself for being ridiculous.
Great. Kim has made me paranoid.
After pulling into her driveway, Holly saw her mom peeking out the front door. Holly waved, and Vivian came out in her thick coat, smiling as she approached them.
“Hey, Mrs. S.,” Kim said once Vivian had gotten in the back. “You ready for this big tree lighting thing?”
“I can’t wait.” Vivian buckled in. “Jake and I used to have so much fun at the festival. When they finally light up that tree? So beautiful.”
“Sounds awesome,” Kim said in her nasal tone. “So, is there, like, an afterparty or something?”
Holly didn’t answer. She was too preoccupied with the car driving behind them.
Is that the same car?
“You’re doing it again,” Kim whispered.
Vivian edged forward. “What is she doing again?”
Kim twisted in her seat. “She thinks someone is following us.”
“Really? Like in an action movie?” Vivian twisted to look behind them.
“Mom, stop looking.” Holly shook her head. “It’s probably my imagination.”
Kim leaned closer to her. “You don’t think it could be him , do you?”
“ Him who?” Vivian stuck her head between them. “Who’s him ?”
Holly shot Kim a warning look, but her friend apparently chose to ignore it.
“Grayson,” Kim replied. “Her ex.”
“Grayson?” Vivian placed a hand on the edge of Holly’s seat back. “Why would he be here? And why follow you?”
Kim turned more to face Holly’s mother. “He wants her back. He more or less warned me he was going to ruin her wedding.”
“But he doesn’t know where I am.” Holly fought to keep her voice calm. She didn’t want to yell, but the thought of Grayson being in Silverwood troubled her. “There’s no way he’d know where to look. I haven’t even mentioned Silverwood on social media. This is probably just paranoia triggered by you telling me what he said. I let it get to me, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?” Vivian asked. “It frightens me to think you might be in danger.”
“I’m positive,” Holly said, not just to convince her mom, but also herself. “He’s all bark and no bite. Trust me.”
“You’re right,” Kim agreed. “There’s no way that dummy could find you.”
Holly exhaled slowly. She didn’t want to believe Grayson could be a threat. She hadn’t mentioned him to Nick when Kim had told her about Grayson showing up at her office because she didn’t want him to worry. Plus, Holly had always made a point of not bringing up the topic of her ex-boyfriend to Nick. Leaving her exes in her past was important to her, and she didn’t want the thought of Grayson to dampen the joy of planning their special day.
Holly glanced in the rearview mirror once more. “See. That car veered off. They’re not following us.” She stretched her neck left and right, letting out a steady breath and telling herself it was all in her head.
As they approached the town square, Holly relaxed a bit more. The square was crowded, and it took her a moment to find a place to park.
Vivian unbuckled her seatbelt after Holly had parked. “Oh, I just remembered how fun this is.”
They all climbed out of the car. With the sun setting behind the mountains, the lights of the Christmas festival seemed intense.
“What is that yummy smell?” Kim asked.
The three of them entered the square, where twinkling fairy lights decorated every stand and booth.
“That could be anything,” Holly replied. “There are so many delicious things being sold here. Roasted nuts, popcorn, crepes, churros—”
“Stop.” Kim laughed. “You’re making me want to move here just for this festival. It’s absolutely the cutest.”
Delighted laughter and enthusiastic conversation tickled Holly’s ears.
“I agree. Everything looks and smells so good,” Vivian exclaimed. “And look, there’s your father’s sleigh.”
In the center of the square, the glorious sleigh Holly’s father had built stood atop a red carpet in front of the unlit Christmas tree. Fairy lights were attached to it but not yet switched on, and Holly bet they were connected to the switch that would light the tree.
The little stage set up near the tree was adorned with lustrous green garland and bright red ribbons. Festivalgoers filled the area, buying treats and warm drinks.
Holly and her group passed a stand selling herbs and spices. The aroma reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since that morning.
The cheery holiday music that played over the loudspeakers stopped abruptly, and then two seconds later, a small brass band performed “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Spotlights shone on the stage, and Silverwood’s mayor, Margie McGuire, stepped up to the mic. She waved at the crowd. The fur of her winter coat hood fluttered in the wind, but the woman’s auburn hair barely budged an inch.
The crowd applauded as the band’s song ended.
“That’s the mayor,” Holly whispered to her mom and Kim.
“Well, good evening, citizens of Silverwood,” the mayor said into the mic.
The applause grew and then subsided when Mayor McGuire raised her hands.
“Thank you. And welcome to this year’s tree-lighting ceremony. I’m particularly fond of this time of year, and I’m sensing, from all those smiling faces out there, that you are too. Before we begin, I’d like to bring up on stage someone you might be familiar with. Mr. Nicholas Mason Senior.”
Vivian moved closer to Holly. “Oh, did you know he would be up there?”
“No.” Holly wiggled her fingers at him. “I had no idea.”
“Last year,” Mayor McGuire continued as she put a hand on Mr. Mason’s back, “your amazing and generous support was integral in helping Mr. Mason receive the medical help he needed. Not only did you all pull together to get our glorious tree ready in time to win the state-wide decorating contest, but your dedication to donating the grand prize to fund Mr. Mason’s treatment showed the true spirit of Christmas.”
The crowd whooped and hollered.
“And, of course, we can’t forget the team that made it all happen and gained a moment of fame for our town: the Silverwood Alaskan Malamutes.”
Nick, Rachel, and the owners of the other Malamutes climbed the stage individually with their dogs on leashes. Nick nodded to Holly. The nine Malamutes sniffed each other, tails and tongues wagging, and some playfully pawed the other.
The crowd went wild, and the band played a quick chorus of “Jingle Bells.”
Holly hoped none of the dogs would begin to howl. If one started, the rest would join in, and no one would be able to hear anything else. Luckily, the Malamutes seemed to be on their best behavior.
“To continue in the spirit of giving, I am happy to bestow the honor of lighting the festival tree to our very own Nicholas Mason Senior.”
Holly smiled, clapping for her future father-in-law.
“Thank you, Mayor McGuire.” Mr. Mason gave her a half-bow. “And thank you, fellow citizens. I can’t believe I’ve never done this in all my years in Silverwood.”
He chuckled, and laughter bubbled through the crowd.
“It’s a privilege to light this year’s tree.” Mr. Mason rubbed his palms together and reached for the box sitting on the podium. The box contained a big red button, which Mr. Mason pushed with bravado.
Vivian gasped as the lights on the tree came on. For a minute, everyone was silent, and Holly felt as if magic filled the air. The crowd applauded, and the band played another song.
The mayor and everyone on stage waved as they walked out of the spotlight and joined the masses. As amusement and conversations started up again, Holly glanced around. Her skin crawled as if someone were watching her, causing her to rub her arms and scan the crowd.
It’s probably just someone I know spotting me from across the square.
But she didn’t see anyone special looking her way. Holly shivered and moved closer to her mom, anxious for Nick to hurry through the throng of people to join them.
“Are you okay?” Vivian asked.
Holly didn’t want to seem any more paranoid than she already was, and she didn’t want her mom to worry when there was probably nothing to worry about.
“I’m just cold,” Holly lied.
When she looked around again, she spotted Nick heading her way. As he wound his way through the crowd, saying an occasional hello to those he passed, Holly’s muscles relaxed.
“Hey,” Nick said as he reached her.
Cupid sniffed Holly’s boots and sat beside Nick. Before she could utter a response to Nick’s greeting, Holly wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. She had the urge to be still and let the relief set in.
Nick placed a kiss on her head. “You good?”
She buried her head in his shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”