Page 64 of Holly and Ivar
Holly:So we’re calling that progress?
Ivar:Definite Christmas miracle.Our team is basking in the praise.
Holly:Tempted to leave you both there to become small-town legends.
Ivar:Too late.Chad’s already halfway to honorary lumberjack.
Holly:[laughing emoji]
Holly:We’re drying off soon and will join you.Save me a gingerbread stout?
Ivar:Only if you promise not to enchant it.
Holly:No promises.
A laugh escaped.She couldn’t help it.
Across from her, Liv raised an eyebrow.“Texting anyone interesting?”
“Just logistics for tomorrow,” Holly said, but the heat in her cheeks gave her away.
“Uh-huh.”Liv’s grin was far too knowing.“Funny how logistics make you smile like that.”
Rowan laughed, tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear.“Who’s the lucky one?”
“Ivar,” Holly said, her cheeks turning redder.“We were talking about the tree.”
“Oh yes, the legendary spruce,” Liv said.“Quite the upset, having your brother win.”
Rowan chuckled.“You should’ve seen his face when Emma announced it.I don’t think Chad’s ever been so confused about being happy.”
“He handled himself well,” Liv said, sipping from her mug of cider.
Rowan nodded.“He did.It’s nice to see him laugh.”
The steam rose around them, softening the world to a haze.
“So,” Holly said, “you mentioned you’re a professor?”
“Environmental history,” Rowan replied.“Land use and conservation.It’s not quite thrilling dinner conversation, but I love it.Aunt Betty had a lot to do with that.”
“But you’re going to develop the land,” Holly said.It seemed so contradictory.
Rowan sighed.“I know.It’s complicated.Chad and I… we didn’t grow up close.This project is our way of reconnecting.”
“Tell us about Betty," Liv said."We all knew her, but not well.”
“She was wonderful.A bit eccentric, but in the best way.When I stayed with her, every day felt special.We’d walk in the forest or bake bread.”
“I only stopped by her place a couple of times,” Liv said.“It always felt like the walls had stories.”
“They still do,” Rowan said.“The attic too.”She laughed.“I found boxes of journals—dozens of them—dating back to the 1800s.I almost fell through the ceiling trying to get them down.”
Holly leaned forward.“Journals?”
Rowan nodded.“Old family journals, filled with notes, sketches, and strange little diagrams.I thought Chad might toss them, so I brought them to Mim at the library.She’s going to review them to determine if they belong in the town archives.”
“Good thinking,” Liv said.“Mim guards those archives like a dragon with a hoard.”
