Page 19 of A Holiday Lift
After a few more minutes, Dean enters, and the look on his face says it all. “You lost it?”
“No, but I have to leave for Tokyo.”
“When?”
He closes his eyes. “I don’t know, but I should be getting on a plane right now.”
“Dean, it’s Christmas,” his mother says.
When he looks back at me, I can see the regret. “I know. Believe me and . . . God!” he yells in frustration. “I had it all planned.”
His mother walks over, and places a hand on his shoulder. “Nothing is ever broken that can’t be fixed. We’ll . . . well, we’ll do it today.”
“Do what?” I ask.
Dean comes in front of me, his hands taking mine. “I had a plan. When I asked you to marry me, that was only part of it.”
I blink a few times, not really sure what the heck else there is to it. “Okay . . .”
“See, I made a promise to you in that elevator. I promised that Christmas would be your favorite time again. I wanted to make you love it again.”
“You have,” I assure him.
“I want every memory from this year on to be filled with joy, Holly. I want you to think of us—of all we’ve shared and all that’s still to come.”
“Dean, you’re not ruining Christmas by going away. It’s a day. A single day in the expanse of our lives together. I love you, and I know that you’re not leaving because you want to.”
He shakes his head. “If I have to get on a plane tomorrow, then we’re going to make this happen today.” There’s so much determination in his voice that I don’t know how to respond. “Go into the bedroom, and don’t come out until I get you, okay?”
“Uhh, okay?”
He kisses me, ignoring that our mothers are standing right there, and then turns me. “Go. I have a lot of work to do.”
10
Icall the maintenance worker, Nick, who pried us out of that elevator. “Dean? Is everything still set for tomorrow?” he asks.
“Actually, no. I have an issue and need to see if you can get here today.”
“Today? You’re going to get married today?”
“Yes, I have to go out of town unexpectedly.”
He makes a few noises as though he’s moving around. “I guess I can. When do you need me?”
“Three hours?”
“Snow is coming down pretty bad, but I’ll get there. Don’t you worry. I won’t leave you stranded.”
I laugh because he’s who saved us last time, and it seems that, once again, a bit of snow and some luck is going to save this holiday season.
“I’ll let you know where we’re having it since all my plans are being changed.”
“All right. I’ll see you later today.”
We hang up, and I go in where both our mothers are. “Okay, Charlie will be here, what else do we need to get done?”
“I called the florist,” Holly’s mother informs us. “She can deliver wherever we need her to in the next hour. She was already done with everything.”
