Holly Pointe & Candy Canes: A heartwarming feel good Christmas romance

by Cindy Kirk

  The second the thought entered her head, she dismissed it. The ski resort had excellent instructors. Besides, Graham would never let anything happen to the girls.

  “I wish I could be with them.”

  Faith didn’t realize she’d spoken aloud until she felt Mel’s hand on her arms. “Where?”

  Faith blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “You said you wish you could be with them.” Mel smiled. “Because I’m brilliant, I figured out that the ‘them’ you’re referring to is Graham and his daughters. But where they are today is unclear.”

  “They went to Jay Peak with Shawn and his family. I believe Ginny even went, though I’m not sure if she still skis.”

  Melinda inclined her head. “Did they ask you to go with?”

  “No.” Faith shook her head more vigorously than the response warranted. “Why would they?”

  “You like to ski.”

  “I do, but this is a family deal.”

  “You’re kind of like part of the family.”

  Faith put down the finely tipped calligraphy brush. “You and I both know that isn’t true.”

  “You want to be.”

  Expelling a breath, Faith gave up trying to work. Perhaps if she talked about the thoughts and emotions buzzing like a swarm of hornets in her head, she’d finally be able to concentrate. Right now, trying to work was an exercise in futility.

  “Do you want to go for a walk?”

  “Have you looked outside?”

  “There’s snow on the ground and more getting ready to fall.” Faith rose and began cleaning her brush with precise, experienced motions. “There’s always snow.”

  Melinda laughed. “Truer words.”

  “I’ve got some new snowshoes that I’ve been dying to try out. My old pair are still good.” Faith wouldn’t have asked if Melinda hadn’t been dressed for an outing.

  As her friend had grown up in this area, it was rare for her to be caught unprepared for whatever Mother Nature decided to throw at them. Which, according to forecasters, would be a blizzard by the weekend.

  “After all the cookies and fudge I’ve eaten recently, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to burn some calories.” Melinda, pretty as ever in a green cable-knit sweater that set off her peaches-and-cream complexion, rose and stretched. “Plus, I never realized how hard it is to work in a café and be constantly surrounded by food.”

  Faith laughed. “You’re still a skinny minny.”

  “Am not.”

  “Are, too.” The interchange reminded her so much of the twins that Faith’s heart flip-flopped. “Let’s get going before the snow starts again.”

  By the time Faith finished cleaning her brushes and she and Mel got the snowshoes on, small flakes had started to fall.

  There was an area not far from the shop where Faith often went that cross-country skiers used. They headed in that direction now and stayed to the edge of the woods, away from the skiers’ preferred path.

  The sky had turned gray, and the sun seemed to be having difficulty breaking through the clouds. After yesterday’s fun- filled magical day, the overcast seemed to match Faith’s mood.

  They strode along, settling into an easy rhythm developed only after much experience. Inhaling the robust scent of evergreen, Faith reveled in the tiny snowflakes on her face and the cool, crisp air. After several minutes appreciating the beauty that surrounded her, Faith felt herself settle.

  “I am in love with him, Mel.” Faith gave a little laugh. “I was with Thomas two years and was never sure I loved him. I’ve spent two weeks with Graham, and I’m sure. It’s a heckuva thing.”

  “I wondered.”

  Faith couldn’t believe Mel was showing such restraint. Normally, she was as tenacious as a badger, digging for details, asking question after question.

  “You…wondered?”

  Mel lifted a shoulder in a barely perceptible shrug, then placed her pole into the ground. “There’s a look in your eye when you say his name. I’m surprised you’re not shouting it from the rooftops.”

  “Yeah, that’s my style.”

  They both had to laugh. Faith had never been one to talk about men. Maybe because she hadn’t dated much since coming to Holly Pointe. Maybe because, as president of the chamber of commerce, she had an image to uphold. Or maybe it was because she was scared.

  “I thought I knew Thomas.” She heard the words tumble out, barely conscious of thinking them before they fell into the air. “I liked him, admired him and at one time thought we might have a future together. But then—”

  Mel didn’t fill in the blanks as she’d hoped, even though Faith had told this story before.

  “Then Mary got sick, and I had to come take care of her.”

  “You wanted to come,” Mel clarified.

  “I had to come.” Faith knew there was a subtle difference, but it seemed important. “Not had to in the sense that someone was making me do it. In fact, everyone was arguing the opposite. My family agreed that we should do as Thomas suggested and hire a medical professional to stay with her.”

  Melinda gave a snort. “As if she’d ever have agreed to that.”

  “Even if she’d been open to the possibility, I wanted to be with her.” Love and fear and worry and all the emotions Faith had experienced when she’d heard her grandmother had fallen rose up in a tidal wave of emotion. “I wanted to care for her. When I was growing up, she showed me so much love. She always had my back. Unlike my parents, who had such high expectations, Mary only had one. She wanted me to be happy. When she needed me, I had to be there for her.”

  “I’m glad you came back,” Mel said. “Glad I came back to run the café when my mom needed me. Otherwise, we never would have been friends.”

  Another blessing, Faith thought. Not only did she have a loving grandmother in this community whom she got to see every day, she had good friends.

  If she were to relocate to Gatlinburg, she would lose all that meant so much to her.

  “Now that we are friends,” Mel said, “nothing will change that. No matter where you live.”

  Yes, indeed, her friend was perceptive. But this wasn’t just about Dustin and Krista’s offer, or about moving to Tennessee to build her business. It was about Graham. And the twins.

  “I love his girls. As if they were my own.” Faith realized that it didn’t exactly fit with where the conversation had been going, but what she felt for Graham and his daughters was at the heart of her indecision.

  “I’m sure the girls love you. Kids always love you.” The eyes Mel fixed on her were filled with speculation. “Do you think Graham cares as much for you as you do for him?”

  “It feels as if he does, though I could be simply confusing love with lust.” She tried for a light tone, but her voice pitched too high.

  “I was in a relationship like that, back when I lived in Burlington. I thought he loved me.” Mel’s tone gave nothing away. “He didn’t.”

  Mel was more a closed book about what had happened in Burlington. Faith knew Mel had returned to help her mother at the diner, but something else had propelled her home, something darker.

  Faith had left the door open for Mel to bring it up, but so far Mel had refused to step through it.

  “Whatever decision you reach, Faith, whether it’s to return to New York City with Graham or take the big-business leap in Gatlinburg, the decision needs to be made with what you want in mind.”

  “That’s where it gets muddy.” Faith threw up her hands, sending her ski poles pointed out like two spears ready for battle. “I want Graham and the girls, though I’m not sure he’s thinking long term. I want to expand my business, but I worry I’ll end up in another dog-eat-dog environment like what I was in when I worked in New York. I love it here, genuinely love it here, but the thought of reaching more people with my inspirational messages and having more freedom to simply create excites me, too.”

  “Let’s talk perfect world.”

  Faith glanced around at t
he green of the trees laden with snow, a herd of deer in the distance. “This is perfect.”

  “Yes, it is, but that’s not what I meant.” Mel shot her a look that reminded Faith of Miss Symonds, her fifth-grade teacher who hadn’t put up with any shenanigans. “If this was a perfect world, and you could design your future, what would it look like?”

  Though the snow continued to fall, and stopping their walk, even for a minute, didn’t seem prudent, Faith paused to fully consider Mel’s question. “In a perfect world, I would marry Graham and live here with him and the girls. Maybe have a few more babies. He would work remotely, as would I. I’d do the design work for Dustin and Krista and be the voice and face of Faith Originals, but on my time. I’d fly wherever I needed to go and then return home. To my friends and family.”

  “That’s what I’d shoot for, then,” Mel said.

  “It’s pie-in-the-sky,” Faith told her. “It’ll never happen.”

  “People reach their dreams by going for those dreams. They don’t settle. They don’t let things happen to them; they make things happen.”

  “I wish…” Faith didn’t continue the thought, because a yearning deep inside her made it difficult to breathe, much less talk.

  “That’s how it all begins.” Mel reached over and gave Faith’s arm a squeeze. Her arm and Mel’s mitten were both crunchy with snow. “With a dream and a wish. Go for it, Faith. What do you have to lose?”

  * * *

  If Graham had thought a day on the slopes would slow down the twins, he was mistaken. They chattered a mile a minute on the drive back to Holly Pointe.

  “I’d love it if you could stay for dinner.” Ginny, riding in the front seat of Shawn’s large van, glanced over her shoulder. “Morgan should be home, so I’ll start dinner right away.”

  “I hope she brings us a bunch of candy,” Colten, one of the boys, said.

  “She went to the Candy Cane House today,” Shawn said. “So that’s pretty much a given.”

  Cookie-making. Fudge. Candy. Graham’s head spun as he thought of all the activities taking place under the massive roof. He wondered if Faith had been there today, helping, though she’d mentioned going into the shop to get some stuff done. Which reminded him of the campaign he’d put off while awaiting inspiration.

  “We’re having sloppy joes.” Ginny smiled. “A favorite of the men in this car.”

  “I like ’em, too, Gramma,” Charlotte told her.

  “With pickles,” Hannah said.

  “I’d love to stay, but—” When he saw the joy on his daughters’ faces fade, he clarified, “The twins can stay for dinner. This is a working vacation for me, and I haven’t been doing much working. I have some business I need to attend to first.”

  Graham thought of the out-of-the-blue text he’d received from Dustin earlier today. They were to meet at the Busy Bean at five to discuss “business.” A cold chill ran up his spine. If he lost this account…

  He shook off the thought. Whatever it took, he told himself, he’d make it happen.

  “Last night, we decorated the tree,” Charlotte said for what had to be the zillionth time.

  “Yeah, we heard.” Colten groaned. “You put an angel on the top.”

  Charlotte’s chin jutted out. “Not just an angel, a beautiful angel.”

  “Don’t forget the part about how you sang around the tree.” One of the boys in the back row—Graham wasn’t sure which one, since all their voices had deepened—snickered.

  “You’re a poopy-head.” Tears glistened in Charlotte’s eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

  “Now, there’s no need for name-calling.” Graham wondered if this was what Tiffany dealt with every day. Probably not to this extent, since there were no older brothers.

  It struck him again how far removed he’d been from the day-to-day. In the past couple of years, the nanny had been more of a parent to his children than he’d been.

  Graham jutted out his jaw, mirroring Charlotte’s earlier move. That ended now. When he returned to the city, he would take a more active role in his children’s upbringing. Not simply because they deserved to have a father in their life, but because he wanted to be there.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After reluctantly agreeing that the twins could not only stay for dinner but also spend the night, Graham left Ginny’s house and drove to the Busy Bean. Snow now fell steadily in thick but small flakes.

  The slick road conditions had Graham wondering if he should have called ahead. Would the coffee shop still be open?

  As he drew close, he saw lights shining like a beacon through the plate-glass windows facing the street. Dustin’s Jeep sat out front, covered in a blanket of snow. Graham wheeled his vehicle in next to it.

  Bells jingled as Graham stepped into the building. The warmth was as much a welcome relief as was the hand Dustin raised in greeting from a table in the far corner.

  After grabbing a cup of coffee, Graham crossed the room and pulled out a chair. “I don’t envy you that drive back up the mountain.”

  Dustin only shrugged. With scruff on his cheeks and hair in need of a trim, he looked more like an NHL hockey player than a successful businessman.

  “I’m glad you could make it.” Dustin flashed a smile. “This shouldn’t take long.”

  While his smile was friendly, something in the man’s tone had an icy ball forming in the pit of Graham’s stomach. He told himself not to jump to conclusions. He’d been given four weeks to come up with a new campaign, and the month was only half over.

  Taking a long drink of his steaming brew, Graham ordered himself to settle. It must have worked, because when he spoke, his voice gave no indication of his inner turmoil. “What’s up?”

  “I like you, Graham. And, I must say, I appreciate a man who wants to get right to the meat of the matter.”

  Graham took another sip and waited.

  “You and Faith have become pretty close since you arrived in Holly Pointe.”

  Obviously, this was merely a lead-in to talk of the campaign. Graham kept his tone offhand. “What’s not to like?”

  “I like her as well. My wife considers her a good friend. Which is where this gets tricky.” Dustin blew out a breath.

  Graham wondered if it was him, or was Dustin talking in circles? “I don’t follow.”

  “Has Faith spoken to you about our offer?”

  Tricky area. Was the deal supposed to be confidential? If it was, Faith had given no indication. “She mentioned your proposition.”

  Relief washed across Dustin’s face. “I thought if you and she were as close as I thought that she would have. It’s a great opportunity for her.”

  “It’s an amazing offer,” Graham agreed, wondering at the sudden chill creeping up his spine.

  “It’s a great opportunity for her,” Dustin repeated, “but she’s hesitating.”

  Graham sat back, fingers wrapped around the ceramic mug, and waited for Dustin to get to the point.

  “I don’t know why she can’t see it.” Frustration crept into Dustin’s voice. “Perhaps you could help her understand this kind of deal doesn’t often come around.”

  “I don’t see why it matters.” Then, deciding that might have been too blunt, Graham backpedaled. “I mean, it’s not as if she’s essential to your business.”

  In Graham’s mind, them hiring Faith would be like finding an employee who fit. Dustin had to know that, in this day and age, there wasn’t usually just one employee who fit, but many.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. There’s something about Faith. She firmly believes her inspirational messages and sayings make a difference.” Dustin’s expression softened. “She’s what my grandmother would call ‘good people.’ You and I both know that while a person can possess inner goodness, that goodness doesn’t always come across on the screen.”

  Graham nodded, reluctant to say more until he was certain where this conversation was headed.

  “When Faith was on our
show, ratings went through the roof.” Mimicking Graham’s earlier move, Dustin leaned back in his chair. His eyes remained as sharp as a shark’s.

  In that moment, Graham got a taste of what opposing players must have experienced when they tried to block this man’s shot. When Dustin saw something he wanted, he was all in.

  “I know Faith’s work is important to her. Most of the time, to achieve this kind of deal she’d have to give up creative control, but Krista and I would never do that to her. We want her to always be her…just bigger.” Dustin shook his head. “Faith doesn’t seem to understand we’re offering her the opportunity of a lifetime. She passes on this one, and she’ll be stuck in this town forever.”

  Graham couldn’t hide his surprise. “I thought you liked Holly Pointe.”

  “I do like it. It’s like coming home when we’re here over the holidays or on a ski vacation. The boys love the freedom of the small town during the summer, and my wife has dear friends here.”

  “Faith being one of them.”

  “Yes, Faith being one of them.”

  “What are you asking me to do, Dustin?”

  “Like I said, you’re a bottom-line kind of guy. So I’ll lay it out for you.” Dustin downed his coffee as if it were a shot of whiskey. “For the life of me, I can’t figure out how to persuade Faith to accept what we’re offering. I’m thinkin’ you might be more persuasive. If you are, I won’t forget it.”

  “Since I’m a bottom-line kind of guy, you’ll need to spell this out even further for me.”

  Irritation flashed in Dustin’s gray eyes. He was a good guy, someone Graham had liked instantly. Only now did Graham see he possessed that no-holds-barred, I’ll-get-what-I-want instinct so prevalent in the business world.

  That drive had served Dustin well on the ice and would serve him well as he and Krista continued to build their empire.

  Leaning forward, Dustin rested his forearms on the table. “Convince Faith to accept our offer. I have no problems with her getting that attorney brother of hers to look over the contract and make changes. Bottom line, we want her on our team. Best for her. Best for us.”