Semua Bab Meet-Cute Me Under the Mistletoe: Bab 21 - Bab 25

*Holly*A few days later, I felt a little strange, I had to admit, going to a diner with my love interest and his ex-girlfriend's parents. It felt like I had crossed some kind of line, but Patrick assured me that despite Emily’s behavior, her parents were good people. We could trust them, and they might be our last bit of hope at getting her to leave us alone.I let Patrick lead me by the hand into the restaurant. He laced his fingers naturally through mine, and I wondered if his heart wasn’t going as crazy as I felt. He was so casual about it, but this was the first time we’d held hands like this.And my heart was beating anxiously on top of that. We’d just made it to the table where Emily’s parents were waiting for us. The two of them looked kind enough. The lady was probably nearing fifty, and she wore her hair short and dyed a mahogany red color. She donned a pair of bit pearl earrings on her ears and a matching pearl necklace around her neck. The man’s hair was short and thinning

*Holly*The last few days had been a wild ride. But Glen and Pam confirmed that Emily was officially sent off to work at one of their companies on the coast. I was relieved, but the biggest weight was lifted off Patrick. He was like a whole new man. When I first met him, I thought he was lighthearted and cool and kind, but now, he was even more so. And those times he’d been a little flirty with me were just the tip of the iceberg. The man was the definition of suave. But mostly, it was the light in his eyes that shined the brightest. The blue in them became iceberg-clear. It was like a mirror of peace and happiness when I looked into them. I caught myself slipping into them again and again. After the Emily ordeal, we’d had a couple of days of work to put under our belts, but it was officially the day before Christmas Eve, and it was time for the biggest festival of the whole season. It was even grander than the Santa Claus Ball. Instead of being localized at the auditorium, the part

*Holly*I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Christmas. Usually, it was just me and my parents out at their house making cookies and watching Christmas movies. But this year, we had a couple of extra people to celebrate with. Early that morning, Patrick picked me up at home. This time, he gave me a twenty minute warning for his arrival so I had plenty of time to get dressed. It helped that I was already awake anyway. The excitement and anticipation of the day woke me up with the sun, so I had all of the time in the world. I ran out to his truck as soon as he pulled in the driveway, not even giving him the chance to be a gentleman and come to the door. He got out anyway and greeted me with a warm kiss that made my heart flutter. He opened the passenger side door for me and picked up Carol to put her in my lap. “You’re ready early,” Patrick said. I shrugged nonchalantly. “You know. It’s just my favorite day of the year and all, so I’m not really excited or anything.”He laughed