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“Careful there.” A pair of strong hands grip me by the elbows.
My spine stiffens and I slowly turn around and come face to face with none other than Jonas Noble. My knees buckle slightly.
“Whoa.” He tightens his grip, his dark eyes narrowing. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I must have found a slick spot.”
He glances around to look for the spot, and my cheeks flush anticipating the moment he catches me in a lie. But, he proves to be more of a gentleman than I would guess.
“Yeah, it gets pretty slick this time of year.” He releases my elbows. “Will you be okay getting all of those inside?”
“I’ve got them.”
“Are you sure?” Before I can protest, his lips curve into a half-grin that so surprises me, I go silent. “My dad did instruct you to put me to work.”
I give a short laugh. “Well, I suppose you could carry some of them.”
“With pleasure.” He takes the bulk of the boxed up cookies. He draws close enough that I catch a whiff of his masculine scent. It’s like a spicy mixture of orange and sandalwood.
He starts to step away and pauses. “Are you coming in?”
“I just need a minute.”
He studies me closely for a minute before heading back for the building. Releasing a breath, I wait until he’s inside before I follow.
Outside the door, the woman who was ringing the bell the other day is back, armed with her overly cheerful smile.
“Why, hello there again, Holly.” Her face crumbles slightly in concern. “You look like you’re a little down in the dumps. Is everything okay?”
I open my mouth and pause. “How do you know my name?”
“We met the other day. Don’t you remember?”
”I remember.” We must have exchanged names. And, darn it all, I can’t remember her name. I don’t want to be rude and admit it. “Sorry. Mental lapse.”
“Oh, I’m familiar with those. When you get to be my age, you have a lot of them. So, tell me. What’s going on?”
I want to protest, but something about this woman makes me want to confess everything to her.
I sigh. “This Christmas is turning out to be even harder than I thought it would be. My sisters are both on opposite sides of the country, leaving me alone for the holidays for the first time in my life.”
She nods sympathetically. “It’s hard to be alone this time of year.”
“It was always going to be tough. Our mom passed away earlier this year. She… she loved Christmas. She made it so special.”
I blab on about all of the little and big things she used to do to make the holidays extra cheerful for us. “I keep thinking about all of those holidays in the past and wishing I could experience it one more time.”
I sigh again. “I thought I could distract myself with my job. I thought I was a shoo-in for a huge promotion. But now someone else is here, and they’re probably going to get it. I don’t know. My head feels like it’s spinning all the time with all of these thoughts of the past and worries for the future. I can hardly keep them all straight.”
“Hmm.” The bell ringer nods thoughtfully. “If you don’t mind my saying, Holly, it sounds like you’re so caught up in the memories of your past and your plans for the future. Have you ever tried being more present?”
“Be present?”
“Absolutely. Forget the past. Forget the future. Just… take every moment as it comes and say yes to every opportunity to add some joy to your life.”
She smiles at me, and somehow the tension inside of me seems to go away. “It’s Christmas, after all. A time for joy. And a time for presents.”
FOUR
