AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And he’d stolen her money! She’d saved for years to be able to afford this holiday.
“There’s some good news, though.” Crystal’s face brightened with a smile. “We’ve had a last-minute cancellation.”
“You have? That’s awesome!”
Or was it? How was she going to pay for it a second time? Holly didn’t exactly have a spare $5000.
“It’s for a room on the third floor, so it has an amazing view of the square. Let’s get it booked out to you before it’s snapped up on the website.”
She did some quick calculations in her head. She could put it on her credit card, and hopefully the hotel would come good and get the money returned to her so she could pay it off.
Blowing out a breath, she nodded to Crystal. “I’ll take it.”
They’d barely started when a swirl of cold air displaced the cozy warmth of the reception area, and a single woman pushing a wheelchair battled her way through the door.
Holly hurried over to help her and smiled at the angelic-looking girl with her bright golden curls, who looked to be about ten years old. “We saw all the fairy lights,” the little girl chattered excitedly. “And tomorrow, we’re going to see Santa’s grotto, and then on Christmas Eve, we’ll get to watch the parade. It’s going to be so much fun.”
The woman quoted the booking reference, and Holly walked back behind the desk, and moved the mouse to activate the screen again to get the details.
Frowning, she double-checked the room requirements and asked the woman her name.
“Is there a problem?” she asked, seeing the frown on Holly’s face.
Holly bit her lip. “I’m afraid this reservation is for a week’s time. Wednesday 27th, not Wednesday 20th.”
“What?” The woman said weakly. “No, that can’t be.”
Holly swiveled the screen so she could view the details for herself, and the woman dropped her head into her hands. “We’ll miss everything,” she mumbled, her words muffled by her fingers. “All the events will be over by then.”
“Mummy, what’s happening?” the little girl asked, the excitement seeping out of her voice, replaced by uncertainty.
Holly closed her eyes. She could have been that little girl, so excited to see the Christmas village. Hell, she had been. And she knew just how crushing it was to lose that dream. “Let me see what I can do,” she told the wilted mother when she opened them.
Crystal looked at Holly inquiringly as Holly found an accessible ground-floor room that was wheelchair friendly. “Was this room booked specifically?” she finally asked Crystal, not seeing any special requirements on the booking form.
“No,” Crystal confirmed. “What are you thinking?”
“The couple who reserved this room haven’t booked in yet. Could we swap them to the third floor?”
“You mean to the room you…”
Holly swallowed. “Yes, the room that just had the last-minute cancellation.”
Crystal looked at Holly for a long moment, and Holly shrugged and said quietly, so only Crystal could hear, “They need it more than me.”
“But what will you do?”
Holly sighed. “Well, if you don’t mind me leaving my luggage here temporarily, I think I need to go and find some food, and while I eat, I’ll see if anywhere else has vacancies."
CHAPTER TWO
Amidst the festive atmosphere, Holly sat by the window of a small café, her breath fogging up the glass as she gazed out at the snow-covered world outside. Though surrounded by merriment and joy, and all the things she’d imagined she might find here, Holly’s own holiday season seemed to be doomed.
So far, every hotel she’d googled online was booked solid, and the recommendations given to her by the helpful waitress had all proved to be a bust.
It wasn’t quite a dead loss. Working in the industry, Holly knew it was possible some places might have cancellations or rooms that had been held back, which didn’t appear on the booking sites, but for those, she’d have to ring or visit.
A couple of hours later, however, whatever hope Holly had been holding onto was pretty much extinguished, and a low-key panic was trying to morph into something greater.
