Holly
“Is that your stomach?” Holly asked. A low grumble filled the elevator.
Aliyah shifted her feet uncomfortably. “Yeah.”
“Are you okay?” Holly asked. Beads of sweat popped out on Aliyah’s forehead and she looked pale. Her beautiful skin was usually a rich milk chocolate, but right now, she looked like she’d been Photoshopped into black and white.
“My stomach,” 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 Aliyah’s bag over her shoulder and followed behind at a much more human pace.
“Wow,” 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 tell it would be impressive in the morning.
The bathroom door to Holly's right slammed shut and Holly could hear Aliyah inside. It did not sound like a pleasant time.
“You okay?” Holly called through the door.
Aliyah just moaned and Holly shook her head.
“I’ll put your stuff in the room,” Holly told her, shouldering both bags and heading to the bedroom.
Two queen beds took up the bedroom facing a huge flat screen TV. The bed frames were wooden and heavy. The beds looked warm with thick down comforters. The pillows were soft and fluffy. Holly could barely wait to crawl into bed and snuggle down into the soft sheets.
She set their bags down, one on each bed. She opened her bag and pulled out her toiletry kit to put in the bathroom.
The master bath was huge. There was a big shower with two shower heads and a steam control function, but it was the tub that caught Holly’s attention. A big, beautiful soaking tub. It was deep and long enough that she could stay submerged sitting or laying down. She wouldn't have to choose between having cold shoulders or cold knees.
She was already planning on a long bubble-bath at least once this trip.
Holly grabbed some pink stomach pills from her toiletry kit and headed back to the living room. She could still hear Aliyah loosing her dinner in the bathroom. She tapped gently on the door.
“Medicine,” she called.
“It’s open,” croaked Aliyah.
Holly cautiously pushed open the door. As an elementary school teacher, she’d had her share of barf. It wasn’t her favorite thing, but she could handle it.
Aliyah looked miserable. Her dark hair hung limp around her pale-green face. “I don’t feel so good. I think the sandwich was a bad idea.”
Holly held out the pink tablets. “Here. I’ll go get you some ginger ale from downstairs. You want anything else?”
“A new body,” Aliyah groaned. “Or a time machine.”
“I’ll see what they have at the market.”
Aliyah began worshiping the porcelain god once again and Holly quickly escaped. She took the elevator to the lobby, figuring that there had to be a small convenience store there. There were always small shops with overpriced aspirin bottles and expensive energy drinks in hotels.
The fire in the lobby fireplace crackled and danced as she came down. Everything was warm and cheery. Soft holiday music played overhead and the smell of fresh-baked cookies still filled the air. The receptionist looked busy checking in new guests, so Holly decided to explore on her own. She followed the scent of the cookies, hoping they would lead to baking rather than a scented candle.
The scent came from real cookies on the end of a bar. She didn't get one, instead going for a drink. Two stainless steel drums etched with mountain scenes sat on the counter next to the cookies. Big heavy mugs waited next to the containers. Holly glanced around before taking a mug and pouring some liquid out from one of the containers. It was hot chocolate, the real kind, not the mix. Holly sighed with pleasure, filled up her mug the rest of the way, and took a sip.
It wasn’t the ginger ale she’d promised Aliyah, but she wasn’t going to say no to hot chocolate.
She moved down the bar, peering over the counter and looking around. She hoped to find some sort of drink fountain.
“You looking for something?” a male voice asked.
Holly spun, nearly spilling her drink all over the speaker. She managed to keep it all in her cup, which she was grateful for. It was the man she’d run into at check-in. The last thing she needed was to spill hot chocolate all over him as well.
“I’m actually trying to find some ginger ale,” Holly explained. “I didn’t want to bother anyone.”
The man smiled. He no longer wore the suit. Now it was comfortable sweat pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. His brown eyes looked more relaxed and he smiled easily at her.
“There’s a drink station over here,” he explained, pointing to the other end of the bar. Tucked behind a potted plant was a traditional soda dispenser with cups and lids stacked neatly beside it.
“Thank you.” Holly hurried over and filled a cup with ginger ale. She smiled at the man. “I really appreciate it.”
He shrugged. “No problem. Your first time here?”
Holly nodded. “Yup.”
And probably her last. There was no way she’d be able to afford to come back here. Even though she was enjoying it, she knew it was way out of her price range.
“Be sure to try the waffles at breakfast,” the man advised. “They put just a hint of orange in them. They’re amazing.”
Holly grinned. “Thank you. Waffles are my favorite breakfast food. I’ll be sure to get some.”
The man smiled and gave her a wave before picking up his own drink cup and heading back to the elevators.
Holly watched him go, trying not to stare at his butt. The sweatpants accentuated the muscle underneath and told her that the man did not skip leg day.
“Aliyah would tell me to get his number,” Holly said to herself. She nearly went after the handsome man, but held back. She needed to take care of her friend. Maybe she’d run into the man again tomorrow over waffles.
It was possible.
HollyHolly stretched out in the soft bed and sighed with contentment. There was something magical about not waking up to the sound of an alarm clock. She snuggled into the fluffy comforter for a moment, enjoying the dark silence of the hotel room.Then she remembered that she was going skiing today. With a grin, she threw back the covers and got out of bed. The floors were heated and she nearly moaned with delight. She’d gotten so used to keeping her apartment cold to keep the heating bill down, she’d forgotten how nice it was to wake up and be warm.In the next bed over, Aliyah slept. She still looked pale, but better than the death-warmed-over look she had last night. The poor thing had spent most of the night in the bathroom dealing with the aftermath of food poisoning.No more gas station sandwiches for either of them.Holly tip-toed to the bathroom and enjoyed the heated tile floors in there. If she ever built a house of her own design, heated tile floors in the bathroom were de
MerryweatherThings were going well, Merryweather thought to herself. She busied herself behind the Ski Shoppe counter, making sure things were just so. She liked it when things were how they were supposed to be.She looked out and watched as the man found his way to the lift.The smile between them told Merryweather she was on the right track, but that they needed more time.Well, that just meant that Merryweather had to use some magic. She'd start small.Something to keep them talking. Something to give them the time they needed to find the love within them.HollyHolly turned to see the man from last night. Or at least, she was pretty sure it was him. It was hard to be sure with the dark sunglasses over his eyes.Either way her stomach did an excited flip-flop. The guy was cute.“Sure.” Together they glided out after a ski chair and waited for the next one to pick them up. Holly was grateful she managed to sit down on the chairlift seat gracefully. She only clattered her poles a li
NathanHe wasn’t quite sure why he invited her to ski with him.Maybe it was her smile. Maybe it was how easy it was to talk to her. Maybe he was lonely. Maybe it was the fact that she rocked the snow-bunny look.Whatever the reason, he was glad he’d asked her.They did three more runs, taking Lovely Lady twice and then Dragon Tamer. She kept pace with him easily. He was a decent skier and had taken lessons from some of the top names in the sport, yet she moved with an effortless grace that he admired.Plus, the conversation on the lifts was the best he’d had in weeks. She didn’t talk about mergers and expense reports. There was no mention of board members and equity payments.Instead, they talked about books. Her tastes were wonderfully eclectic, ranging from romance to science fiction and then to political thrillers. It seemed there wasn’t a book she hadn’t read. They talked about plots and stories. They connected on characters and laughed about things they’d read.It was one of the
NathanThe snow was falling hard enough that the restaurant didn’t have many patrons. It was on the top of a mountain. The only way to get to it was by chair-lift or a snowmobile. As such, they practically had the place to themselves.“Just wait until you try their hot chocolate. It’s amazing,” Nathan told her. “You’ll love it.”“I can’t wait,” she replied with a grin. “I love hot chocolate. It’s one of my favorite drinks in the whole world.”They left their skis outside and hung their jackets on a wooden peg inside the heavy front door. Warmth from multiple fireplaces made the room comfortable after the cold outside. Yet another Christmas tree sat in a position of honor. Nathan ignored it.The restaurant was styled like an old log cabin. The furniture inside was rustic, but the windows were huge. The hostess sat them at a small table in front of the main window overlooking the ski basin.“Wow,” Holly whispered. She sat staring out the window at the incoming storm over the craggy peak
HollyLunch was amazing. And not just because of the food.While the food was delicious, it was the company that made it spectacular. Holly found herself laughing and smiling while she ate. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling.If this were a first date, she’d be inviting him up to her room for a drink.“I’m really sorry to bother you,” the waitress said, standing at their table. “But, we need to close. The snow’s coming down too hard for us to stay open much longer.”Holly glanced outside through the huge window. White, fluffy flakes floated down and swirled around like the inside of a snow-globe. Already it looked like there was several inches of fresh powder.“Of course,” Nathan replied. He looked over at Holly. “You interested in doing a couple more runs? Or we could go to the hot-spring. I have a private pool reserved for the weekend.”“That sounds tempting.” Holly bit her lower lip. A hot spring with Nathan? Nathan in a swimsuit? She wanted it.“We could skip the skiing,” Nathan of
Holly“There you are,” Merryweather said as soon as Holly walked in. “I was afraid you were going to be late.”“For returning my gear?” Holly asked, handing the skis, poles, and helmet off to Merryweather.“No for your hair appointment,” Merryweather replied. “I’m managing a couple of stations today. The snow has us a little short-handed.”“Oh.” Holly nodded as she sat down on a small wooden bench and took off her boots. She groaned with pleasure at the sensation of loosening the boots. They fit perfectly, but they were still ski boots and made to keep her ankles immobilized. It felt good to move them again.“Come with me,” Merryweather said, motioning Holly to just leave the boots on the floor. “I’ll take you up.”Holly slid on her regular snow boots from the small storage area and followed Merryweather into the lobby. They went past the check-in desk and up a wide staircase. The hotel was quiet.“What do you think of the snow?” Merryweather asked as they walked. “The weatherman is s
MerryweatherThey were perfect for one another. Merryweather could see the strands of love starting to bind them together. The magic of love mixed with the magic of Christmas, making a heady combo for Merryweather to work with.She rubbed her hands together once again, excited at the possibilities before her.Love like this didn’t happen every day. This was where magic came from.Holly“Hot damn, girl!” Aliyah whistled when Holly walked into the bedroom of their suite to grab her shoes. “Where did you get that dress?”“It was from the hotel. Kind of a fluke thing,” Holly replied. “You like it?”“Like it? I love it. It’s perfect. It’s like it was made for you,” Aliyah told her. “You look like a freaking princess.”Holly looked over at her friend, taking her in. Aliyah was still in bed, a big silver bowl in the bed with her. There were saltines and ginger ale on the nightstand.“You doing okay?” Holly asked, feeling guilt creep in at leaving her friend.“I’m doing great,” Aliyah assured
NathanWhen Holly said she was a teacher, he’d assumed private tutor or possibly college professor. He didn’t expect her to actually be a public school teacher, let alone the one he was giving an award to. He hadn’t paid any attention to the name of the recipient for tonight’s award. He never did. He learned it two seconds before the speech and promptly forgot it once the applause came.He wouldn’t be forgetting the name this time.He took his seat next to her, sipping on champagne and excited about the evening. This award just became a lot more fun.“So you’re Nathan Reed?” she asked him. Her green eyes held a touch of concern, as if she were no longer certain of him.“The one and only,” he replied.She looked like she was about to say something, but their food arrived. He was still full from lunch, so he didn’t plan on eating much. He looked over to see Holly had her fork and knife ready, but pausing at the plate.She set her fork down and turned to face him. Her brow was serious an