AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ONE
HOLLY
Ending the call, I stare at my phone in disbelief.
Ivy, my older-than-me-by-ten-minutes sister, is apparently—and inexplicably—in Alaska. Not only that, but tomorrow morning I’m driving my younger-than-me-by-ten-minutes sister Merry—or Mere for short—to the airport so she can attend a wedding in Vermont.
Meanwhile, I’m standing outside a parking garage in downtown Denver trying not to freeze my toes off.
And it’s December 21st.
The unimaginable is happening. For the first time in our twenty-seven years on Earth, the Carol triplets will be celebrating Christmas on their own. Oh, I know it’s perfectly normal for most adult siblings to spend the occasional holiday alone.
Not us. Christmas is our thing. It’s always been our thing.
I mean, our mom was so obsessed with everything Christmas, she named her miracle triplets Ivy, Holly, and Merry.
Now they’re leaving me. Not that I can blame them for wanting to be anywhere but here this Christmas. It’s our first one without Mom. We lost her suddenly six months ago, and… It’s been hard.
Still, I thought we were moving on with our lives. I thought we were getting to a place where we could be okay just the three of us. I guess… I was wrong.
So wrong, I assumed we’d all be in a good enough place to celebrate our mom’s favorite holiday together. Just like old times.
A fresh, raw wave of grief fills my chest, and my bottom lip quivers. I catch it with my teeth and take a deep breath in through my nose.
It’s going to be okay. At least I have my job. And at least I have our office Christmas party. We hold it every Christmas Eve. I know spending Christmas Eve with your co-workers sounds lame at best and pathetic at worst. But it’s actually a lot of fun. And since I took over planning duties a few years ago, the annual Christmas Eve parties have kind of become ragers.
I have reasons to suspect this particular party to be especially exciting.
Ike Noble, the owner of Noble Outwear, who is my boss and mentor, is retiring in the new year. He hasn’t officially announced who will be his successor, but he’s given plenty of hints that I’ll be very happy with what he’s decided. He’s dropped just as many hints that he’ll make a big announcement at the party.
I’m no mind reader, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to make the connection. Why else would he have been grooming me to take his job for the past couple of years if he didn’t plan to choose me?
The thought of seeing “HOLLY CAROL, CEO” on the door to the big corner office immediately erases my melancholy.
Yes, Christmas is going to look very different this year. But with so much to look forward to in the future, that doesn’t mean it has to be blue. I just have to get through this month, and I’ll have so much to look forward to in the new year.
With that, I turn on my heels and make my way back to the Noble Outwear office. As I walk, I mentally redecorate my new office. It has floor to ceiling windows and a view of the mountains. Maybe I could pick furniture in muted bluish gray tones so it’ll match the mountains when they’re at their snow-capped and most beautiful.
I’m so caught up in my thoughts, I nearly run into an older woman ringing a bell outside of the building.
“Oh.” I stop myself just short of taking her—and the red bucket she’s holding—out. “I’m so sorry.”
“That’s okay, sweetie.” She flashes me a bright smile that seems to light up her whole face, and her blue eyes sparkle. For a second, I feel like I’ve met her before. “You must be in a hurry to get where you’re going.”
“Yeah, well.” I catch myself staring at her for a few moments longer than I should. It’s hard to explain, but there’s something so familiar about her. She… almost looks like Rose Nylund fromThe Golden Girls.
That must be where I’m getting that feeling of déjà vu.
“It’s still no excuse to run into people.” I glance at the sign next to her bucket. “You’re raising money for the local shelter?”
“That’s right. It’s so wonderful to be able to pass on blessings, especially this time of year.”
“It is.” I instinctively dig into my purse and pull out the few dollar bills I have. I wish I had more cash on me. “Here, this is all I have. But will you be around for a while? I’d like to give more.”
“Don’t worry.” Those sparkling eyes of hers flicker a little. “You’ll see me again.”
I give her a little nod, that strange feeling still brewing inside of me. Shaking it off, I climb into the elevator.
