Tis the Season for Love

Chapter One

Holly

“I’m so glad I was able to drag you out of the house,” Harley exhaled, plopping down onto a chair and slurping at her smoothie. “It’s been way too long since we last had H’s united time. I miss you.”

We lifted our pinky fingers and locked them together, just like we’d been doing ever since we’d come up with the silly nickname back in kindergarten almost thirteen years ago. She was so right; it had been way too long.

“I miss you, too,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a recluse lately.”

“Hey.” She reached for my hand. “It’s not like I don’t understand why. I just wish you’d let me be there for you, especially at this time of year when I know you’re missing her more than ever.”

I sighed and laid my head on her shoulder. This was going to be my first Christmas by myself. It had always been just my mom and me, the two of us versus the world, and Christmas was our special time. After I graduated high school, my mom finally started dating. She met Lucian Kane, an awesome guy, and I’d been ecstatic for her. But Lucian was from Florida, only in Connecticut for a summer. After he proposed, she moved there to live with him. She asked me to go with her, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave my home.

We were planning to spend the holidays all together, but storms had been blowing through Connecticut for four days straight. My small town practically barricaded by snow. Their flights had been delayed, and then cancelled because the airports had finally shut down yesterday morning.

Thanksgiving was one thing, but Christmas—I wasn’t sure how I was going to celebrate without my family. My plan had been to hole up in my house and watch movies all weekend long. I was in a degree program for business and graphic art and had a summer project I could work on. Even though it was basically done. The degree was really a formality, though, I’d been working from home as a graphic artist for a year before I was done with high school. And, I had a ton of work to catch up on. But then Harley had barged in, ranting and raving about how it was Christmas Eve and we hadn’t done any shopping together like we did every year. Before I knew it, I was bundled up and headed to the mall with her. It was the first time in too long since I’d truly enjoyed myself. I was lucky to have a friend like her in my life.

“Your mom wouldn’t want you moping around on her favorite holiday.”

I laughed. “My mom really does love the holidays.”

“Obviously, since she named you Holly,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

I followed her lead, not wanting to spoil what had been a great morning on a day I had expected to suck beyond belief. “Hey, it’s better than your dad loving his motorcycle so much that your parents named you Harley.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she drawled. “Like I haven’t heard that from you before.”

“Only about a million times.”

“You know what else I’ve heard about a million times?” she asked, jumping up and dragging me to my feet. “Ho—”

“Ho! Ho!” the mall Santa finished off for her as we neared the North Pole display in the middle of the mall.

“Oh, no!” I tugged on my arm, trying to back away from her.

“C’mon! It’ll be fun,” she insisted, refusing to let me go.

“We’re too old to go sit on Santa’s lap,” I protested. “Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, they’re not going to let us do it.”

“Sure they will.” Harley pointed towards the female elf managing the line. “Kayla will make sure we get in.”

“Crap,” I muttered, recognizing one of Harley’s friends from high school. They’d been on the cheerleading squad together for years, which meant Harley was right—it didn’t matter that we were a good ten years older than the biggest kid in line, they weren’t going to turn us away.

With the sympathetic gleam in Kayla’s eyes as she looked from Harley to me, there would be no way for me to get out of this gracefully. Forcing a smile onto my face, I made small talk until it was our turn. Harley went first, eliciting a giggle from me when she started to sing “Santa Baby” as she settled herself on Santa’s lap. By the time she hopped off, there was a blush staining his cheeks and I was giggling so hard I almost couldn’t make my way up to where he was sitting.

“It’s your turn now. No excuses.” Kayla nudged me forwards.

“Alright, I’m going,” I huffed.

“Sorry about this,” I mumbled.

“No apologies needed. Your friend there was the most entertaining visitor I’ve had all season.”

“I’m sure she was. She’s quite the handful.”

“You can say that again,” he agreed, his eyes darting over to where she stood for a moment.

I peered more closely at his face and realized the mall Santa wasn’t quite as old as I’d originally thought. And he definitely wasn’t as soft and round as the padding made him seem, if the bunched muscles of his thigh were any indication. I had a feeling there was a hot guy under that suit, one who was interested in my best friend.

Interesting. Maybe our little visit to Santa was more about her than me.

“What are you wishing for this Christmas?”

Santa’s question drew me out of my thoughts about him and Harley. My mind blanked for a moment. I couldn?

??t think of a single thing I wanted this year. Well, except for one thing…

“My Christmas wish isn’t a what. It’s a who,” I whispered.

“Me, too,” he admitted softly, right before Harley helped me off his lap and wrapped her arms around me.

“Oh, Holly. I’m so sorry for pushing you into this. Of course your Christmas wish is to be with your mom.”

Maybe it should have been, but it wasn’t. The person I found myself wishing for was quite a surprise. It was someone else’s face that instantly came to mind. A boy I’d tried not to think too much about over the past few years. The only boy I’d ever dated, back in my freshmen year of high school.