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Chapter Thirty-Three
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๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2022-05-25 03:36:29
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Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Four
HollyโThere,โ Holly whispered, carefully placing the last piece of tape.She smiled at her work. The wrapping paper was neatly folded around the corners and sheโd even made the tape look nice. She wrote Nathanโs name in neat print on the corner. It was possibly the best wrapping sheโd ever done on a present.It was just a copy of A Christmas Carol, but it seemed like the perfect Christmas Eve present for Nathan. Sheโd agonized over which book to get him for the Christmas Eve tradition, but had finally settled on this one.It was tradition in her family to gift a book on Christmas eve. She was excited to share this tradition with Nathan. She was excited to share everything with him.Life was good. She tucked the book under the small tree in her apartment next to the other gift sheโd picked out for him. It was just a t-shirt with the name of the town and a printed mountain background. It wasnโt much, but she thought he would like it since he was moving his company here. It felt like a
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Five
NathanโMr. Reed?โ a soft feminine voice asked at Nathanโs office door. โI have some files for you. May I come in?โโSure,โ Nathan said, motioning forward. He was glad for the distraction. No matter what he did, he couldnโt seem to be able to focus on work. His heart just wasnโt in it.The woman came in with a stack of files in her petite hands. She wore a black pant suit with a soft, pale green undershirt that brought out the light green color of her eyes. He wasnโt sure what her age was. Her hair was so blonde it appeared to be almost silver against the black of her jacket.โWhy are you delivering files?โ he asked as she set down the folder on his desk. โThe mail-room usually handles that.โโIโm an intern,โ she explained. โAnd since itโs Christmas Eve, there just isnโt a lot to do right now. My boss said to find something to do.โโWhatโs your name?โ he asked her. Now that she was here, he found he liked having some company and didnโt want her to leave just yet. The office was too qu
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Six
HollyHolly sat before a roaring fire, watching the flames jump and dance around a yule log. She wondered if it would be appropriate to put another shot of rum in her hot cocoa or if three was already too many.She wanted to feel happy. It was Christmas Eve. She was warm and full of good food. Her father had made his famous pot roast and sheโd eaten enough mashed potatoes that she was probably at least fifty percent potato herself. There would soon be presents and cookies.There was every reason to be happy and content. But, all she could think about was Nathan.So, she sat on the floor in front of the fire and drank rum.It was her annual place to sit on Christmas Eve. Holly and Mark had already watched the old Claymation version of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Now they would exchange books as was their tradition.When Holly was a little girl, they used to do this every year. Her mother would pick out an educational book with beautiful pictures for her. One year, she got an encyclo
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Seven
HollyHolly didnโt want to open her eyes. She had the covers pulled up around her chin and her body was comfortably warm, but her face was cold. If she opened her eyes, that meant it was morning.And for the first time in her life, she didnโt want it to be Christmas morning.Her phone began to buzz, telling her that it was almost time to leave. She had to be at the store an hour before the party to get everything set up.With a groan, she sat up, swung her feet out of bed, and immediately regretted the decision. Her apartment was freezing. Even with socks on, her feet were cold on the floor. She hurried to the bathroom, changing her clothes as quickly as possible before the cold could set in.Luckily, sheโd had enough water that she wasnโt too hung over. Just a mild headache and she didnโt want any breakfast.She grabbed her things and paused at the small Christmas tree in her living room. Three presents sat under it. There was the big, bulky Christmas present for her father, a handma
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Eight
NathanThe walk up the small flight of stairs to Markโs office was the longest one of Nathanโs life. He could feel Hollyโs hand in his, but he still had to keep looking back and making sure she was real.They stepped into the office, and Holly closed the door behind her.โAre you really here?โ she asked, a hint of fear in her voice and eyes. โI thought you said you didnโt think this was going to work.โโIt wasnโt the way things were,โ he told her. โBut, I made changes. I hope I havenโt missed my chance.โโNo.โ She shook her head and smiled. โYou havenโt missed it. But I need to know you arenโt going to leave again. That weโre not just going to end up in the same place as before.โNathan reached into the back pocket of his Santa costume and pulled out a piece of heavy paper. He handed it to her.โThis says youโre the owner of Elements Computer Technologies,โ Holly said, reading the paper. She looked up at him still confused. โI thought you were always the owner.โโNo. Paradigm was the
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter One
HollyHolly Jones pulled out a red pen and started grading.โDid you seriously bring your grading with you?โ Aliyah asked, turning to look from the road to stare at her friend.โYes. And pay attention to the road, please,โ Holly replied, motioning to the twisting mountain road in front of them. โItโs snowy and this pass is always slippery.โโYes, Ms. Jones,โ Aliyah replied, sounding like one of their second-grade students. โYou know this is supposed to be a vacation, right?โโYes.โ Holly circled and marked the writing assignment of her student in front of her. โBut, Iโll feel like Iโm on vacation when these are done. I only have a couple left.โAliyah shook her head sadly. โYou work too hard.โโYou work just as hard as I do,โ Holly replied. She slid a finished page back into her folder.โIโm not the one grading papers right now,โ Aliyah said, turning on the windshield wipers to brush away the big snowflakes. It was snowing harder the closer they got to the ski resort.โThatโs because
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Two
NathanNathanโs phone buzzed like an angry hornet on the leather seat. Nathan didnโt even glance at it. He kept his eyes on the road. Snow flurries danced in front of his headlights as he sped along the dark road toward the ski resort.The heated seats kept him more than comfortable. The engine hummed with power as he shifted into a lower gear to accelerate up the mountain road. Behind him, two black SUVs struggled to keep pace with his silver all-wheel drive Ferrari.The phone continued to buzz and he continued to ignore it as he focused on speed and taking the turns. He pushed harder, taking the icy turns just a little bit faster. The car slid, but he stayed in control.He was on vacation now and there was no way he was going to let anyone ruin that for him.It had been a rough month. He needed this.He took the corner and the ski resort came into view. It was only then that he stopped driving like a madman. Blue Aspen Resort and Spa was one of his favorite places to ski. Heโd skied
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Three
HollyโIs that your stomach?โ Holly asked. A low grumble filled the elevator.Aliyah shifted her feet uncomfortably. โYeah.โโAre you okay?โ Holly asked. Beads of sweat popped out on Aliyahโs forehead and she looked pale. Her beautiful skin was usually a rich milk chocolate, but right now, she looked like sheโd been Photoshopped into black and white.โMy stomach,โ Aliyah whispered. She swallowed hard and stared at the elevator buttons, willing the elevator to get to their floor faster.When the silver doors opened, Aliyah bolted, leaving behind her bags as she sprinted down the hallway. Holly put Aliyahโs bag over her shoulder and followed behind at a much more human pace.โWow,โ Holly said, coming in the front door of their hotel room.It was bigger than her apartment.The style was elegant western. Wood furniture with rustic accents decorated the living room, but the main appeal was the huge windows overlooking the ski slope. It was too dark to see the full view, but Holly could tel
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25
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Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Eight
NathanThe walk up the small flight of stairs to Markโs office was the longest one of Nathanโs life. He could feel Hollyโs hand in his, but he still had to keep looking back and making sure she was real.They stepped into the office, and Holly closed the door behind her.โAre you really here?โ she asked, a hint of fear in her voice and eyes. โI thought you said you didnโt think this was going to work.โโIt wasnโt the way things were,โ he told her. โBut, I made changes. I hope I havenโt missed my chance.โโNo.โ She shook her head and smiled. โYou havenโt missed it. But I need to know you arenโt going to leave again. That weโre not just going to end up in the same place as before.โNathan reached into the back pocket of his Santa costume and pulled out a piece of heavy paper. He handed it to her.โThis says youโre the owner of Elements Computer Technologies,โ Holly said, reading the paper. She looked up at him still confused. โI thought you were always the owner.โโNo. Paradigm was the
Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Seven
HollyHolly didnโt want to open her eyes. She had the covers pulled up around her chin and her body was comfortably warm, but her face was cold. If she opened her eyes, that meant it was morning.And for the first time in her life, she didnโt want it to be Christmas morning.Her phone began to buzz, telling her that it was almost time to leave. She had to be at the store an hour before the party to get everything set up.With a groan, she sat up, swung her feet out of bed, and immediately regretted the decision. Her apartment was freezing. Even with socks on, her feet were cold on the floor. She hurried to the bathroom, changing her clothes as quickly as possible before the cold could set in.Luckily, sheโd had enough water that she wasnโt too hung over. Just a mild headache and she didnโt want any breakfast.She grabbed her things and paused at the small Christmas tree in her living room. Three presents sat under it. There was the big, bulky Christmas present for her father, a handma
Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Six
HollyHolly sat before a roaring fire, watching the flames jump and dance around a yule log. She wondered if it would be appropriate to put another shot of rum in her hot cocoa or if three was already too many.She wanted to feel happy. It was Christmas Eve. She was warm and full of good food. Her father had made his famous pot roast and sheโd eaten enough mashed potatoes that she was probably at least fifty percent potato herself. There would soon be presents and cookies.There was every reason to be happy and content. But, all she could think about was Nathan.So, she sat on the floor in front of the fire and drank rum.It was her annual place to sit on Christmas Eve. Holly and Mark had already watched the old Claymation version of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Now they would exchange books as was their tradition.When Holly was a little girl, they used to do this every year. Her mother would pick out an educational book with beautiful pictures for her. One year, she got an encyclo
Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Five
NathanโMr. Reed?โ a soft feminine voice asked at Nathanโs office door. โI have some files for you. May I come in?โโSure,โ Nathan said, motioning forward. He was glad for the distraction. No matter what he did, he couldnโt seem to be able to focus on work. His heart just wasnโt in it.The woman came in with a stack of files in her petite hands. She wore a black pant suit with a soft, pale green undershirt that brought out the light green color of her eyes. He wasnโt sure what her age was. Her hair was so blonde it appeared to be almost silver against the black of her jacket.โWhy are you delivering files?โ he asked as she set down the folder on his desk. โThe mail-room usually handles that.โโIโm an intern,โ she explained. โAnd since itโs Christmas Eve, there just isnโt a lot to do right now. My boss said to find something to do.โโWhatโs your name?โ he asked her. Now that she was here, he found he liked having some company and didnโt want her to leave just yet. The office was too qu
Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Four
HollyโThere,โ Holly whispered, carefully placing the last piece of tape.She smiled at her work. The wrapping paper was neatly folded around the corners and sheโd even made the tape look nice. She wrote Nathanโs name in neat print on the corner. It was possibly the best wrapping sheโd ever done on a present.It was just a copy of A Christmas Carol, but it seemed like the perfect Christmas Eve present for Nathan. Sheโd agonized over which book to get him for the Christmas Eve tradition, but had finally settled on this one.It was tradition in her family to gift a book on Christmas eve. She was excited to share this tradition with Nathan. She was excited to share everything with him.Life was good. She tucked the book under the small tree in her apartment next to the other gift sheโd picked out for him. It was just a t-shirt with the name of the town and a printed mountain background. It wasnโt much, but she thought he would like it since he was moving his company here. It felt like a
Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Three
NathanNathan sat in the empty office, staring at his bank account numbers on his phone.He was down ten million today, but the market looked like it might swing up by the end of the day. A ten million dollar fluctuation was nothing, but it was worrying. He hadnโt had a good up day since meeting Holly.He could see the choice in front of him. Holly or the money.The money had always been there for him. Since the beginning, money had given him what he needed. It wasnโt his family that had made him successful, it was the fact that he liked seeing the numbers in his bank account go up.He wished he could have both worlds, one of business and one with community and friends. He knew it couldnโt be. It had to be one or the other. That was the way it had always been, and up until this moment, the easy choice had been the money.He wanted to forget the smiles on the childrenโs faces today. He wanted to forget the warmth of the town. The way everyone said hello and treated him like heโd always
Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-Two
NathanLucy stood, hand on hips, dressed in dark red and with murder in her eyes.โThere you are,โ she scolded. โWhere have you been?โNathan frowned, not understanding. There was no meetings until later in the day. Heโd double checked.โWhat do you mean?โ he asked her.โI messaged you. We need to talk,โ she said. โDidnโt you get my text?โNathan fumbled for his phone and found two missed messages from Lucy. He had been so caught up in designing the laptop in his head, heโd neglected his phone entirely.โWow. Sheโs even more in your head than I thought,โ Lucy said, crossing her arms. He knew she was referencing Holly. The way she said it twisted Nathan the wrong way. No one should talk about Holly like that.โWhat do you want, Lucy?โ Nathan asked her. He could feel his time in the R&D department slipping away from him.โWe need to talk. In private.โ She turned on her heel and began walking. โFollow me.โNathan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Gregory.Gregory grunted.Nathan had to ag
Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty-One
NathanNathan couldnโt remember the last time he was this happy.He couldnโt remember the last time that his mind had felt this unfettered and his soul didnโt feel like it needed to escape his body.And it was all because of Holly.She was magic. She was everything he wanted. And right now, he had a glimpse of a beautiful future.He would continue to work on Elements. She would come and visit him in California, and he would show her everything the state had to offer. For once, he was excited to share his wealth with someone and not be worried that they would try and take advantage of him. He knew Holly would never do that.Then he would purchase a house here in Devonsville. They would move in together after an acceptable amount of time, but sooner rather than later because her apartment was tiny. They would build a life together. They would live happily ever after.He could see it all coming together like something out of a fairy tale. He was Prince Charming and she was his snow bunny
Love Under the Mistletoeย ย ย Chapter Thirty
HollyโYouโre coming to the parade today, right?โ Holly whispered, her head cradled on Nathanโs bare shoulder. He smoothed her hair with his hand against his head. The room was still blissfully dark with only the edges of the curtains showing any hint of morning light.โI am. I made sure to schedule it with Lucy and everything,โ he replied.She grinned, snuggling into him. This was heaven. She was warm, safe, and completely satisfied. If it werenโt the fact that sheโd been looking forward to this parade for the last month, she would happily stay in bed with Nathan for the rest of her life.She wondered what their future looked like. Would there be more days like this? She knew it wouldnโt be perfect or easy, nothing worth having ever was, but she hoped there would be days like this. Perfect, content days.โWhat are you doing for Christmas? Since youโre working, will you be staying here?โ Holly asked.Nathan shrugged beneath her. โI think so. Would you like me to stay?โShe sat up and
