Chapter Twenty
Holly stretched and swung her legs over the bed. After slipping her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers, she trudged toward the kitchen. Her head was calling for coffee after a night of little sleep. The storm had eventually died down, but Holly’s adrenaline had taken longer to dwindle.
Before she reached the kitchen, she found Nick in the living room, pulling on his boots.
“Good morning.” Holly kissed him on the cheek.
Cupid sniffed her slippers and then looked up at her curiously, his tongue hanging out as he panted.
“Good morning,” Nick replied.
“Where are you off to?”
“I thought Cupid could use some fresh air after last night.” Nick grabbed a tennis ball off the table. “We’re going for a run up the mountain to toss the ball around a bit before I have to go to work.”
“It snowed a lot. Be careful on the roads.”
“We will.” Nick pulled on his coat.
Holly tilted her head. “Will Cupid be able to find the ball in all that snow?”
“He loves a challenge.”
“I think he gets that from you.” Holly fixed his dark gray scarf and then used it to pull him in for a kiss. “Have you seen my mom yet?”
“No. I think she’s still asleep.”
“Ah, okay, I’ll let her sleep in a bit. That wind was so loud, it echoed in my dreams.”
Nick pocketed the tennis ball. “Hopefully, the worst is over.”
She smiled at him. “Have fun on the mountain.”
“See you later.”
When Nick and Cupid left, all was quiet. Holly went into the kitchen, grateful the coffee had already been brewed. She poured a steaming cup and had just made her way to her laptop on the kitchen table when her phone buzzed.
“Hello?”
“Ms. St. Ives, it’s Marie from Blossom Boutique.”
Holly tensed. Something was wrong. “Yes?”
“I’m afraid I have some terrible news.”
She shook. Though Nick’s reassuring words had calmed her the night before, her nerves became frazzled all over again. “What is it?”
“The shop suffered considerable damage because of the storm.” Marie’s voice cracked as if she were holding back tears. “The front window was completely broken in from branches flying free in the wind. That let the snow in, and we don’t know if that had anything to do with the electrical fire or …” She trailed off and sniffled.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry.”
There was another sniffle on the line. “Eighty percent of our stock is ruined. Including your gown, I’m afraid.”
Holly couldn’t find her breath. Was this really happening? Marie continued to speak, but Holly could barely process anything she was saying.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Holly said. “This must be so heartbreaking. I hope your insurance covers the damages.”
“I hope so, too. And I’m sorry about your dress. I know your wedding is coming up in a few days.”
In four days, to be exact.
“Yeah, um … is there anything I can do?” Holly asked her. “Can I get another dress?”
“I’ve contacted the distributor, asking if the stock could be delivered to my home for the time being—you know, until I can get the shop renovated. But it would take at least a week for the shipment to arrive. I’m so sorry. I can offer you a refund.”
Whatever Marie said after that was lost in the buzz of Holly’s oncoming migraine. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the couch with her head between her hands, staring at the floor.
She thought about calling Nick to tell him what had happened but couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Holly had fallen in love with the gown she’d picked out. She was thankful her bridal party had taken their dresses home already. At least there was that. Still, her heart felt as if it were in a vise.
She was barely aware of her mother coming out of her room and studying her.
“Holly, is everything all right?”
Holly gaped at her mother. She opened her mouth to speak, but her vocal cords weren’t cooperating.
Vivian’s brow furrowed as she hurried to sit next to her daughter. She put an arm around her and rubbed her back. “Oh, baby. Don’t worry. Whatever it is, we can work through it.” She laughed. “Actually, my father—your lolo —used to say that to me, but he meant work as in actual physical labor. He said you’d be too exhausted to worry about your problem by the time you were done.”
Holly swiped her hair away from her face. “I guess that’s one way of coping.”
“More like avoiding.” Vivian smoothed down Holly’s strands. “Tell me what happened.”
“The dress shop called. The storm knocked out a window and somehow started a fire. They think it was electrical. But the shop and everything in it was destroyed.”
Vivian’s eyes widened. “Your gown?”
Holly burst into tears. “My gown.”
Vivian embraced her as Holly cried on her shoulder. She held Holly, slowly rocking.
“I can’t believe this is happening. First, my caterer, then Nick’s father has to go to the hospital, and now this. What am I going to do?”
“First of all, I’m very sorry this happened. That poor shop owner. What a tragedy.”
Holly nodded. “Yes, I feel so bad for her. That was her livelihood.”
“Secondly, you could wear a potato sack and still be the most beautiful bride there ever was. And probably make potato sacks trendy in the process.”
Holly snorted through her tears.
“And third, you have a backup dress that looks stunning on you.”
Holly lifted her head from her mother’s shoulder and wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “Right.” She sniffled. “The dress Auntie Seng made.”
“Good thing I brought it, right?”
Holly nodded, sniffling again. “Thank you, Mom.”
“Of course, my darling. Oftentimes, the harder it is for things to turn out how we want, the more we appreciate what we get instead.” Vivian kissed her temple. “As a side note, Nick’s father is doing fine.”
“I know. That’s true.”
Between defeat and exhaustion, Holly recognized a glimpse of hope. She embraced her mother and prayed the worst was behind her.