Page 5 of Holly and Ivar
He looked up.Gwen Brooks stood beside his table, coffee in one hand and her phone in the other, radiating the unmistakable energy of Winterwood’s number one real estate agent.
“Mind if I join you?”she asked, already pulling out the chair.
“Go ahead,” he said, knowing resistance was futile.
“So how’ve you been?”she asked, settling in.
“Good.Busy.”
“Oh, me too—always!Closing a deal this afternoon.First-time buyers.Nervous wrecks, poor things.They’re buying the old MacKenzie place on Third.Remember their son, Mac MacKenzie?I’ll never understand why his parents named him that.Anyway, he’s in Maine now—fishing charters, three kids, can you believe it?”
Ivar nodded politely.“I played hockey with him in high school.”
“Of course you did.”She took a sip of coffee, eyes sparkling with the thrill of gossip.“Now listen, this is just between us.”
He leaned in.“Okay.”
“You’ll never guess who contacted me.The Hale estate.”
He blinked.“Miss Hale’s place?”
“Exactly.Her grandniece, a professor in Seattle, inherited it, and she doesn’t want it.Wants to sell the whole property, and she’s hired me as the agent.”
Ivar’s stomach dropped.Five thousand acres.Untouched forest bordering state land and interlaced with trails that locals had used for generations.
“Are there any restrictions?”he asked carefully.“Because if a developer buys it—”
Gwen lifted a manicured hand.“Don’t know yet.But let’s be realistic.No one buys that kind of property to leave it wild.I’m not saying I support development,” she added quickly.“My boys ride their bikes through those trails.I love it there too.But I have three teenage boys eating me out of house and home.College in a few years, too.At least for one or two of them.I’m not going to deny that this commission would help me.”
He managed a thin smile.“Understandable.But the wrong kind of developer would be disastrous.Maybe the council can do something.”
“I’ll reach out.”She sighed, setting her coffee down.“It’s complicated, Ivar.I love the woods too.But the only constant is change, right?”
Before he could answer, she patted his arm, gathered her coat, and leaned close.“I’ll keep you posted.”Then she was gone, leaving behind the faint scent of expensive perfume and the echo of too many words.
Ivar sat back, watching the snow swirl beyond the window.Around him, the Maple Mug carried on as usual.George muttered over his crossword; Emma filled mugs; Mim straightened the flyers on the board.
So why was he certain his world was about to change?
CHRISTMAS EVE COUNTDOWN
DAYS
4
winter where?
Holly
Hollycheckedthetimeon her new watch.Five minutes early.
For good measure, she tapped the face and checked her heart rate.Normal.
Good.Because she was nervous.
She’d been summoned to her father’s office a month before Christmas Eve.Meetings this close to the big night weren’t unusual, but a lone summons?Not exactly a good sign.Dad and Aunt Shelly must be concerned about that dip in production on her last report.But she was prepared.They could implement a twenty-four-hour production cycle and streamline shift rotations.
“Ah, there you are, my dear.”Her father appeared at the end of the hallway, his voice warm and booming.“Perfect timing as always.Shelly’s already inside.”
