Page 63 of Holly and Ivar
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The tree looked even bigger strapped to the flatbed than it had standing proudly in the clearing.
“This is going to be a pain to unload,” Chad muttered, arms crossed, surveying the majestic pine.
Ivar smirked.Chad, despite his complaining, was more relaxed than Ivar had ever seen him.Their plan was working.They’d managed somehow to crack his carefully built cynicism.“I didn’t hear you complaining when you won.”
“I didn’t realize I’d signed up for… this.”Chad waved his arms at the back of the truck.“Where’s your sister anyway?Isn’t she in charge of this festival?”
“She and Holly took Rowan to soak in the inn’s hot tub.You, however, have been volunteered.”
Chad muttered something under his breath that Ivar chose not to decode.
They’d barely backed the truck into the designated spot when a crew of townsfolk descended—cheerful, mittened, full of brewery-fueled enthusiasm.
“Here comes our hero!”Emma declared.
Chad blinked.“Is she talking about me?”
“Yeah.”Ivar handed him a pair of gloves.“Try to enjoy it.You earned this weird parade.”
As the tree was carefully raised into place, with strings of lights and cheerful commentary, Chad didn’t retreat.He didn’t grimace much and even laughed when a kid asked if the star should be ‘eco-certified.’
And Ivar noticed the way Chad smiled more around the town’s Maple Mug proprietor.
“You good?”Ivar asked once the tree stood tall, glowing from a thousand lights.
Chad hesitated, hands in his coat pockets.“It wasn’t the worst day I’ve ever had.This last bit was surprisingly fun.What is it about this place?”
“Winterwood will have that effect on you,” Ivar said.“Now, to the Sugarhouse.”He noted the confusion on Chad’s face.“It’s a brewery.”
“Now that’s more like it,” Chad said.
The warm lights of the brewery spilled across the snow.Inside, Tess and Marty had cleared space for the ad hoc tree crew, and someone shoved a craft brew into Chad’s hand before he could protest.
“To Chad,” someone toasted.“Savior of the town’s Christmas aesthetic!”
Chad shook his head, amused.“That’s a stretch.”
Ivar clinked his glass against Chad’s.“It’s the best tree we’ve had in years.Take the win.”
They slid into a booth, the scent of pine sap clinging to their jackets.Ivar watched Chad take it all in—Emma laughing in the corner, Marty handing out samples of a new mulled beer blend, Eli, a born storyteller, sharing tales around the fire.
For the first time, he saw it reach him.
This wasn’t just a town.It was a home.A place that made space for people.Even unlikely ones.People like Chad.
People like him.
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spa-la-la-la-la
Holly
Hollysankdeeperintothe hot tub, listening to the laughter from the Sugarhouse that drifted up through the cold.She was wondering if Ivar was there yet when her phone buzzed on the side table.A knowing smile tugged at her lips before she even picked it up.
Ivar:No casualties setting up the tree.Chad even carried the saw.
