Page 8 of Christmas Wish

The sound of the phone ringing brought Charles back to the present.

“Hello?” Matthew’s voice flooded his ears.

Charles knew the lawyer – he seemed like a decent man who really cared about his clients. Still, he always spoke hurriedly, barely allowing anyone else to get in as many words as he did. He was doing the same thing now.

“Hello, Holly. How are you? Listen, I’m calling with some good news.” Without waiting for Charles’ reply, he added, “I finally found a realtor who could help you sell your grandmother’s bed and breakfast. I’d like to know when it’s convenient enough for you to meet him.”

Charles’ body almost stopped working.Holly was leaving? Is she selling Mrs. Dalenger’s B&B?Now, he understood why she hadn't unpacked completely.

Helpless, his heart ached. Charles opened up to her, and she wasn't even staying in Mistletoe as he had hoped.

Charles dropped the receiver without answering Matthew. He darted upstairs, pushed open the Holly’s door loudly, and started grabbing his clothes. His noise woke Holly, who stretched lazily.

“Good morning, handsome,” Holly uttered, smiling. Her face eventually soured when she saw what Charles was doing. “Leaving so soon?” she asked.

“I don’t know, you tell me. Areyouleaving so soon?” Charles countered coldly.

Holly’s face scrunched with confusion.

“I just got off the phone with your grandmother’s lawyer,” he disclosed. Are you selling your grandmother’s legacy before leaving?”

Holly took a deep breath. "I already told you that I don't know how to run this place. I haven't the faintest idea of how a business works. I flunked in school; I don't know how to do anything right. If I don’t do this, I'd just run the bed and breakfast to the ground. Please don't make me feel bad about it," she explained.

Charles dropped the shoe he was holding. “Holly, all your mother ever did was run. She left this place and never came back. She still isn't back yet. Do you want to follow her footsteps?” When Holly stayed quiet, he stressed, “Your grandmother was a fighter. I’m pretty sure she had no idea what she was doing half the time, but she persisted and kept on fighting until the end. Her blood flows through you – you can do this if you set your mind to it.” He sighed.

Holly’s face fell; tears filled her eyes. “I don’t know if I can. I just—”

"But you said you love this town,” Charles said, cutting her off. “This town has given you peace of mind and happiness, hasn't it? Are you just going to give up everything and leave?"

She pushed her hair back and wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t know,” Holly replied miserably. “I’m not sure about anything right now. Leaving just seems like the best idea.”

“And what about us? Are you leaving me, too? I thought we had a connection. You felt it, didn’t you? I’ve never been drawn to anyone the way I’ve been drawn to you, Holly. That’s not something that you can just abandon,” he said.

Holly remained quiet. Her lips were tightly pursed; there was a desperate plea in her eyes. But he couldn’t be fooled by it. Holly needed to make up her mind about what she wanted. Life in Mistletoe was definitely better than what she had in the city she came from. She was happy here, but she had to choose that happiness consciously.

"Well, in that case, I'll leave you to pack. Goodbye, Holly," he said, picking up his hat and walking out of the door. Sadness weighed him down, but Charles continued to put one foot in front of the other.

Chapter Ten

Holly

Holly sobbed quietly as she listened to Charles’ retreating footsteps. She wished her mother was here to tell her what to do. Alas, Ruth was still spending her holidays in Central America and fully supported Holly’s decision to sell the business. Now, she was conflicted. She loved Mistletoe and the peace it brought to her mind. Here, she didn’t have to worry about anything.

More importantly, Charles had given her something deep and beautiful. For the first time in Holly’s life, she felt wanted, needed, and completely alive. The short period she spent with him was enough to show her that all she had ever needed was love. With Charles, she was certain that she could conquer the world. Was that something she was willing to give up?

If Holly went back to Boston, she had nothing waiting for her. She already gave up on school and had nothing else to do. Wouldn't running her grandmother's business be exactly like the waitressing job she had planned on taking? She didn’t know anything about waitressing, and yet she was willing to try. Holly thought she could certainly do as good with her grandmother's business.

Charles had been right. No one had ever completely figured life out. Her grandmother probably made a lot of mistakes, and that’s exactly what Holly would do if she continued with her plan. And Charles? She couldn’t leave him right now – or ever. He felt right with her. Being with him was all that mattered to her – she couldn’t possibly lose that.

Jumping out of bed, Holly put on the dress she found on the floor and flew down the stairs. She couldn’t let Charles go; he was the best thing that ever happened to her. The freezing cold chilled her arms once Holly was out of the building, but she didn’t mind. She eventually caught up with Charles far down the street.

“Holly?” Charles turned around, surprised to see her running towards him.

Holly paused and bent low to catch her breath. “You were right!” she exclaimed, breathing hard.

He looked around to see if anyone overheard them. Luckily, the street was vacant; people locked themselves indoors to enjoy the warmth of their homes. “What did you say?” Charles asked.

Holly stepped up to him, her eyes milky with love. “You were right,” she repeated, her voice steadier. “I cannot let my grandmother’s legacy die, and I cannot leave you. I've spent the last few years of my life searching for my true purpose. My rough childhood made it incredibly difficult for me to live; I tried everything I could to be happy and successful, but everything I did proved to be wrong. I dropped out of college last semester; I failed so miserably that I couldn't continue. My mother begged me to follow through, but I knew that college would only exacerbate my unhappiness. I didn’t know that life had any meaning until I came here. You and this town gave me true meaning – I’d be foolish to just let that go. Maybe this is where life has always wanted me to be,” she said emotionally, her voice quivering due to nervous and coldness of the environment.

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