Page 22 of Holly and Ivar
Eight full hours.
Her watch confirmed it:the best sleep she’d had in months.
Perhaps there was something to this whole “taking a break” thing after all.Not that she’d admit it to Rita.
Her phone pinged with a text.Rita.Was the woman clairvoyant?
Rita:I sent you the minutes from last night’s meeting, as requested.But Holly, please.I know you’re there for work, but try to focus on a little relaxation, too.Include it on one of your to-do lists.And if you text me four times before 7 am again, I’m blocking you.
Holly:[saluting emoji]
She was scrolling through the meeting minutes, halfway through her bun, when she heard a long sigh behind her.Holly turned to see Liv at a nearby table, laptop open, brow furrowed.
With one more sigh, Liv closed the lid with a soft snap.
“I hope I didn’t disturb you.”Liv looked up apologetically.“But I’m getting so frustrated with this schedule.Organization isn’t my strong suit, which I suppose isn’t ideal for an innkeeper.”
Holly smiled.“The inn seems perfectly organized to me.”
“Oh, this place runs fine.It’s the Winterwood Christmas Carnival that’s got me tangled.So many moving pieces.Vendors, contests, volunteers.Last year’s coordinator quit, and now it’s all on me.”
Carnival chaos.Holly could almost feel the spreadsheets forming in her brain.She didn’t want to get involved, but the thought of leaving Liv stranded with a disorganized event made her twitch.
“May I join you?”
“Of course.”
Holly grabbed her coffee and half-eaten bun and slid into the chair across from her.“I might be able to help.Organizing is sort of my thing.Ask my assistant.I’m known as the queen of spreadsheets.”
Liv looked hopeful.“Really?You’re sure?I wouldn’t want to take you away from your project.”
“Nonsense.This will be a nice break.”She grinned.“Besides, after yesterday, I think I’ve earned an indoor activity.”
“Yesterday?”Liv poured Holly another coffee.
Holly hesitated, then laughed.“Your brother took me dog sledding.”
Liv’s eyebrows shot up.“He did?I’m impressed.Ivar doesn’t let just anyone take the sled.How’d you manage?”
“My family… where I live… I'm used to sleigh rides, but nothing like that.So I screamed.”Holly said honestly, then corrected herself with a small smile.“But mostly laughed.I haven’t done that in a while, and I think I kind of needed it.”
Liv’s expression softened.“That sounds exactly like him.He pretends he’s not a softie, but he’s all heart.I’m just glad he didn’t scare you off.Now, let me show you this mess I call a festival plan.”
She opened her laptop again, turning it so Holly could see.The document was a maze of notes, ice delivery times, vendor contracts, event schedules, and more.It was chaos.
“Okay.”Holly scanned through it.“Give me an hour and I’ll give you a checklist that’ll run smoother than Santa’s toy route.”
Liv blinked.“Are you serious?”
“I am.Trust me.I do this for a living.”
Liv shook her head in disbelief.“All right, I’ll bring you more coffee and get out of your way.”
***
An hour and four coffees later, Holly closed the laptop with a satisfied sigh.She’d built a color-coded schedule, linked the contact list to each event file, and created reminders for every major deadline.
She found Liv at the reception desk.“Here you go.”Holly handed the laptop over.“Everything’s updated.You’ll have this festival running like clockwork.”
