Page 63 of Grump Hard
I’m trying to decide where to go next, when I see it, a light blazing from high in the air, up in the town hall tower room. It’s like someone’s trying to send a signal to Santa.
Or a signal to the town that she’s okay…
My heart stops, only to lurch back into motion with a sharp jerk.
It’s Holly. It has to be. She’s there, at Town Hall, just like the night she caught me trying to steal that stupid peg leg.
I start running, or at least try to, but the snow makes it feel more like floundering through knee-deep mashed potatoes. Every step is hard won, and my legs are shaking with exhaustion, but I don’t slow down.
I keep moving, keep pushing, keep fighting through the storm.
She’s in there. She’s safe. And I need to get to her.
Finally—finally—I reach the steps, fight my way up to the front door, grab the handle, and haul it open.
The first thing I see is the fire in the large stone fireplace dominating the lobby. Then, there, beside it, silhouetted against the flames…Holly.
“Thank God,” I croak, certain I’ve never meant the words this much.
She jumps to her feet, spinning to face me as the wind gusts in. “Luke?”
Before I can speak, the storm knocks me forward, slapping me to the floor before slamming the door closed behind me.
Snow cascades off my coat, my hair, covering the hardwood before it starts to melt in the heat.
“I love you,” I rasp, the words breathy as I begin to shiver, and my head spins in a way that warns I might not be conscious for long. “I might be about to pass out, but I love you. I’ve loved you since you put your head on my shoulder at the tree lighting. Maybe even before. I’m s-sorry for being an idiot who didn’t know how to pull his head out of his ass. B-but it’s out now. Fully out and ready to f-fight for you.”
The words echo in the sudden silence, as I lie there, dripping and shivering and slowly realizing that I really am about to pass…
Eighteen
Luke
Warm…
I’m so deliciously warm.
I drift slowly toward the surface of my mind, too comfortable to worry about opening my eyes right away. There’s no rush, not when the blankets are perfectly heavy and being half-asleep feels so nice. My bedroom is even more peaceful than usual this morning. The only sounds are the gentle pop of the dying fire and, more distantly, the howl of wind outside.
Sounds like the storm is still raging.
The storm…
Memories float to the surface in fragments. The pub. The panic in Willow’s voice. My desperate search through the blizzard. Struggling up the steps to the town hall. Holly by the fire, the relief filling my chest as she spun to face me and then…
Then…nothing.
I try to remember how I got from the town hall back to my bedroom in the mansion, but my brain is sluggish. I feel like I’ve been drugged. Or like I hit the gym hard after a month off and not nearly enough protein beforehand.
I’m wiped out. Still, I should get up. Check on my brothers and sister, ask what happened last night. Make sure Holly is okay.
Holly…
More memories flood in.
I’m pretty sure I told her I loved her.
And then I passed out? I think?
