Page 38 of Holly and Ivar
“Actually, I’m not really,” she said, but the corners of her mouth tugged up.“Normal for me is a microwaved burrito for dinner and then a couple of hours of work before bed.”
“That’s not what I imagined #SantaLife to be like.Not that I ever thought about it.”
She laughed softly, the sound surprising even her.Being with Ivar was easy—too easy.
Before she could reply, a server appeared beside their table.She had thick auburn hair in a messy braid, a flannel shirt rolled to the elbows, and a pencil tucked behind one ear.Her name tag read Tess.
“Evening, Ivar,” she said.“Didn’t expect to see you out on trivia night.Who’s your friend?”
“This is Holly Kringle,” Ivar said.“Holly, this is Tess.Winterwood’s brewmaster number one.”
“Ah,” Tess said with a smile, turning to Holly.“So you’re the one looking at the Hale land.”
“I am,” Holly said.“Nice to meet you.What do you recommend on a night like this?”
“Well, the Irish stew will thaw your bones.And I’d pair it with our winter cider—maple-spiced with a hint of cinnamon.”
“Sold,” Holly said.
“I’ll have the same,” Ivar added.“And a pint of my usual.”
“Coming right up,” Tess said, scribbling on her pad.“Better hurry, trivia’s starting soon.”
“What does she mean by that?”Holly asked.
“I’m not much of a trivia guy.I haven’t been to one since I moved back.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.What about you?Is trivia big in the North Pole?”
“I do not live at the North Pole.I live in NED.It stands for the Northeast Division.And I have no idea whether trivia is big or not.So what’s your usual?”
“Imperial stout.”
“Of course,” she said with mock solemnity.“But I kind of pegged you as a maple IPA kind of guy.”
“And that means what exactly?”
“You’ve got a veryI’m from Vermontkind of vibe, that’s all.”
He smirked.“You and your vibes.”
“Yes, well, right now my vibe wants to ask you about California.Because that doesn’t seem to suit your vibe.”
Ivar hesitated, then exhaled.“Yeah.Well.That was a lifetime ago, or so it seems.I studied programming at college, wanting to go into gaming.We were a small startup with big plans.The hours were long.The pace was fast, and the deadlines were approaching.My girlfriend at the time was the lead designer.We lived and breathed code.”
Holly nodded, watching him closely.
“Then I collapsed one day in the parking lot,” he said.“Stress-induced heart arrhythmia.That’s what the doctors called it.”
“Oh my goodness,” she said softly.“What happened?”
“I spent a few days in the hospital, and for the first time in years, I didn’t open my laptop even though Cynthia had dropped it off.And when I finally walked out of there—this sounds ridiculous—a cardinal dropped a small pine branch on my windshield, and all I could think of was returning here.”
She blinked.“That’s oddly specific.”
“You’re right.It felt like a sign, so I listened.It made me realize I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life behind a screen, and I literally packed up my car that day, knowing I had to return here.”He rubbed the back of his neck.“When I told Cynthia I wanted out, she laughed, assuming it was a phase because of the collapse.After a couple of weeks, when she realized I was serious and staying in Winterwood, she got angry and took our prototype to a competitor before I could sign over my half.”
