A Holiday Proposal

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  “Nothing. I saw her at a distance.”

  “Oh. So you didn’t talk.”

  “No. She was wearing scrubs and looked to be in a hurry, so I didn’t bother her.”

  He resumed eating. Holly was truly a mystery. He liked her, but Todd’s warning that she was a heartbreaker remained fresh in his mind.

  * * *

  Holly sat beside Elsa on the bench in the partially enclosed heated area of the train platform. “What’s the matter, Holly? You don’t seem like yourself tonight.” Elsa chuckled. “I suppose I don’t know you that well, but still, something seems off.”

  “You’re an observant woman, Elsa. My mom called me this morning and the conversation didn’t go well.”

  “Ah, I see. I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll be praying for you. I know it’s tough, but you’ll get through this.”

  “Thanks. I’ll take all the prayer I can get.” Holly needed to mend the rift with her mother and believed it would only happen with God’s help. Why did Mom refuse to respect her as an adult, and why would she think Holly could blow off work and drive her to Wenatchee? The whole thing was beyond comprehension.

  She checked her watch. “Eight more minutes, that is, if the train is on time.”

  Elsa grinned, the red of her coat bringing out her rosy cheeks. “Thanks for everything, Holly. You’ve made my stay in Leavenworth a time to remember. I will never forget your kindness, and if I stop here again I’ll be sure to look you up.”

  “I’d like that.”

  A train whistled in the distance. The women stood.

  “Do you have the bag of food I packed?” Holly worried her bottom lip. Would Elsa see the twenty-dollar bill she’d placed at the bottom of the sack? The woman had finally accepted a ride to the train station, which pleased Holly.

  Elsa hefted her backpack and grasped the brown bag. “Right here.”

  Train lights lit the tracks, the whistle sounded and the roar of the engine filled Holly with excitement. Brakes squealed and the train drifted slowly by them until it finally came to a stop.

  A door opened and the conductor stepped out. The few people waiting for the train rushed toward him.

  Elsa turned toward her. “Well, this is it. Thanks again for everything.”

  Holly pulled the older woman into a hug. “Take care of yourself, and if you can, let me know you arrived safely. I wrote my email and phone number on a card and slipped it into your lunch bag.”

  Elsa nodded and waved as she strode toward the train that would take her home to her family.

  Holly’s throat thickened, and she blinked away tears. How had she come to care for a stranger overnight? A familiar voice grabbed her attention. She looked to her right and spotted the voice’s owner. Her pulse jumped. What was Matthew doing here? She didn’t want to talk to him after yesterday. Why his words hurt so much she couldn’t explain. All she knew was that they stung, and she couldn’t face him—not yet.

  She wasn’t a heartbreaker. If anything, others broke her heart. Not the other way around. Of course, Todd was the one who had said it; Matthew just repeated it. Maybe she was being too hard on the man. He was only guilty of being honest. Her heart thawed a little, but she would still be cautious.

  April stood nearby with Ava as the little girl jumped up and down. Matthew had his arm around the shoulder of another man who looked familiar, but under the glow of dim streetlights she couldn’t be sure. She had to pass by the group to get to her car. Ducking her head, she took a quick peek. Must be John, their younger brother. Although she’d never met him she’d seen him around when they were in school, and there was no mistaking the similarities between him and Matthew. She skirted past the group, unwilling to interrupt the reunion.

  “Holly?”

  Holly’s heart stuttered. She stopped and turned slowly. “Hi, Matthew.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I dropped a friend off. I see your brother came in on the train. Is he here for Thanksgiving?”

  “Yes. It’s almost like the old days when Mom and Dad lived in town and we celebrated the holidays together. But things change.”

  “They aren’t coming?” She kept her tone light.

  “They moved to Florida to escape the cold.”

  She met Matthew’s deep blue eyes under the glow of the street lamp. What beautiful eyes they were—ack. She couldn’t go there. She quickly averted her gaze. “I should be going. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.” She hustled away before Matthew could say anything further.

  “Holly, wait!”

  Footsteps crunched in the icy snow. She turned. A bolt of excitement zipped through her. Matthew jammed his hands into his coat pockets.

  “I wasn’t going to bother you, but since you’re here, I guess it’s meant to be.”

  “What are you talking about?” Cold seeped through her coat and she forced her teeth to not chatter.

  “Sorry. The bakery has been extra busy because of the holiday and I imagine once the Lighting Festival begins in December we will be slammed. I’m looking to hire a temporary employee and thought you might be able to help. I noticed a woman at the church yesterday who looked like she could use a little help. The two of you were sitting together.”

  Holly’s eyes widened. “Oh, you mean Elsa. You’re observant. She’s had a rough time of it.”

  “Is she looking for work?”

  “Not anymore. She went back to Chicago on this evening’s train.”

  His face fell. “Oh.”

  “I’m sorry, Matthew. You would have loved working with her. She’s a really sweet woman.”

  He nodded, his mouth pressed in a straight line.

  She rested a gloved hand on his arm. “If I hear of anyone looking for work, I’ll send them your way.” Holly removed her hand from his arm and ignored the niggling in the back of her mind that pushed her to ask what had changed between her and Matthew. He’d been so friendly before the meal yesterday that she thought he was interested in her, then his remark about his heart being safe from her changed everything. How could a few little words cut so deeply? Evidently she’d misjudged the situation. Not that it mattered, since she wasn’t interested in a relationship. But it did matter very much—what had she done to cause him to turn away from her? They’d been on the path to friendship, but he’d all but squashed that.

  Matthew cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder at his family. “Guess I should get going.” But he stayed planted in place.

  “Okay.” She started, took a step toward her car and stopped. “Will your brother stick around for the Lighting Festival?”

  “Doubtful. He’s on break from college.”

  She nodded. “Too bad. But I suppose you’ve all been to it a hundred times.”

  “Maybe not that often, but we went every year growing up.”

  “Me, too. See you around, Matthew.”

  “Holly, hold up a sec.” He took a few steps closer and stood almost toe to toe with her. “I—uh...”

  “Yes?” She raised a brow. It wasn’t like him to be at a loss for words. Cold seeped through her boots causing her to shift from side to side.

  “Did you fix things with your mom yet?”

  Her face hardened and then relaxed. She had, after all, sought counsel from him. “Not yet. I’ve tried, but things are still strained.”

  “Will you be okay at Thanksgiving?”

  Her stomach knotted. “I’m working this year, so I won’t be having the meal with my family.” Just one more thing to irk her mother.

  “I’m sorry. That must stink to work on a holiday.”

  “It is what it is.” Her teeth chattered. “I’ll see you.”

  “Okay.” Pity mixed with understanding crossed his face before he walked to the parking lot in the oppos
ite direction of her car.

  What did he know about a dysfunctional family? She didn’t want his pity. No, she wanted a friend who accepted her just the way she was, flaws and all, but maybe Matthew wasn’t that kind of guy. It seemed those kind of men didn’t exist. At least she hadn’t met one.

  Chapter 12

  Holly dismissed Matthew from her mind and started her car. She would stop by her parents’ on her way home from the train station since she still needed to talk with her mom. Good thing they were night owls and wouldn’t mind an unexpected visit. She didn’t expect a miracle, but it would be nice to have the tension alleviated between them.

  She pulled up in front of their house...and saw Jessica’s car sitting in the driveway. Why hadn’t anyone told her Jessica was in town? Guess Mom convinced Jessica to come this direction instead of taking the bus to Wenatchee. She rested her hands on the wheel. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to stop. Then again, Jessica was reasonable and might make a good ally.

  Holly squared her shoulders, grabbed her purse and got out. Taking a bracing breath, she strode across the shoveled walkway and knocked on the door.

  The door swung wide, and her dad grinned. “Holly, this is a surprise. Come in.”

  She stepped into the too-warm house and closed the door. “I saw Jessica’s car. Is everything okay?”

  His look didn’t give anything away. “Fine. She’s in the kitchen with your mom.” He motioned toward the television. “Want to watch with me?”

  Her dad was the consummate TV junkie, but she supposed that was better than some things he could be doing. “Maybe later, thanks. I was hoping to talk with Mom.” Holly planted a kiss on his cheek and sauntered toward the laughter. She pushed through the swinging kitchen door, and the laughter ceased. “Hi.” She looked from her mom to her sister. “Don’t let me stop the fun. What’s so amusing?”

  Her mother frowned. “You had to be here.”

  Holly stifled a sigh. She refused to fall into the pit she so often did where her mother was concerned.

  Jessica wore a grin. “I didn’t know you were coming over. Join us.”

  Holly shot a grateful look at her sister. “Thanks.” She noted that they each held a cup of hot chocolate. “Mmm, smells delicious. Is there any left?”

  “On the stove.” Jessica stood. “I’ll get it. Have a seat.”

  “Sit. I can serve myself.”

  Their mother pushed from the table. “Holly is more than capable, Jessica. I’ll leave you two to visit. I have laundry to fold.”

  Holly frowned. “I was hoping to talk with you, Mom.”

  “Oh. I guess you can help fold.” The frown deepened as she spun and scuttled from the kitchen.

  Jessica’s eyes urged Holly to follow their mother. Had Mom been complaining about her? She wouldn’t be surprised.

  “Come join me when you’re finished.” Jessica thumbed through a magazine.

  Holly pursed her lips and followed their mother to the laundry room, where a stack of towels was piled. She stopped at the folding table. Mom’s silence unnerved her. She certainly wasn’t making this easy, but Holly wasn’t going to let this drop. “I’m sorry I upset you this morning. Are you still angry that I wouldn’t drive you into Wenatchee?”

  Silence.

  She stopped herself just in time from rolling her eyes. Why is it, Mom brought out the juvenile in her? She reached for a solid white towel and folded it corner to corner. “You know I love you and Dad, right?”

  Her mother shrugged.

  Great. Playing the victim again. Holly pushed down her growing frustration and set the towel aside. “Because I love you, I think it’s important that we clear things up between us. I was on my way in to work when you called this morning. I couldn’t take you to Wenatchee. I’d get fired if I blew off my shift like that. Even if you can’t understand why my job is important to me, surely you can see why I need to work. I can’t afford to get fired.”

  “I hear your point.” Her mother folded a washcloth and set it on a stack of several others. “I guess when you put it like that, I understand.” She pursed her lips and reached for a large bath towel.

  A concession! Holly wanted to smile, but knew her mother would take it as gloating, so she schooled her face. “Also, I’m sorry I neglected to return your calls when Jessica miscarried.”

  “You ought to be. That was inexcusable.”

  Holly winced inwardly at the edge in her tone. “I want to be there for you when you need me.”

  Her mother raised a brow, as if to question the validity of Holly’s words. Would Mom ever cut her some slack?

  “There is a way you can help me be there for you.”

  Mom’s hands stilled and she faced her with curious eyes.

  “In the future, if you would leave a message when it’s something important, I’d know to get back to you right away.”

  Her mother shook her head and resumed folding. “That’s not the kind of thing you leave in a voice mail.”

  “Okay, but at least tell me you need to talk to me, and I’ll call you back as soon as possible. When you don’t leave a message, I figure you didn’t really want anything.”

  “I would think my calling you would be enough to tell you I need to talk to you.”

  Holly ground her teeth. There was no getting through to Mom. “Fine. I will assume that every time you call me from now on it is super important and will drop everything to return your call.” Frustration seeped into her tone.

  “That is no way to speak to me. I’m your mother.”

  Holly tossed up her hands. “I don’t know how to talk with you, Mom. Everything I say or do lately is wrong.”

  “That’s not true.” Her mother picked up the stack of folded washcloths. “By the way, I invited Thomas from church to our Thanksgiving meal. Be sure to wear that stunning green dress. I heard from his mother that he really likes it on you.”

  “I can’t believe you’re setting me up with a guy on Thanksgiving. Holidays are for family and friends.” She barely knew Thomas and had no desire to get to know him, at least not in the way her mother wanted.

  “Thomas is a friend, at least his mother is. I’ve invited his parents, also. Wear the dress or don’t. I was only trying to help.”

  “Thank you. I’m glad you included all of them. About Thanksgiving.” She’d hoped to clear the air between them before dropping this, but that may never happen at this rate. “I know this is sort of last minute, but I have to work.”

  Her mother’s head whipped around. Her face held shock. “All day? We could have our meal at six if that works better for you.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Although, I’m not sure Thomas will be able to come then.”

  Guilt pressed down on Holly. She really wanted to please her mom. If being there for the meal would do that, she’d do anything she could, regardless of Thomas. “I will do my best to be here by six, but it will depend on how busy the hospital is. Sometimes I have to stay late if there’s an emergency and they need extra hands. I’ll do everything I can to be here, though.”

  Mom tossed a rag onto the table. “Don’t bother. If you can’t commit then we’ll have dinner without you at our normal time.”

  “But—”

  “I know your job is important to you. Apparently it’s more important than your family or finding a husband.”

  “I never—”

  “No—don’t worry about us. We will get along just fine without you.” Her mother reached for several more towels and whipped one end to the other.

  “You’re not being fair. I want to be here. I’ll do my best to come as close to six as possible. I just wanted you to understand that if the hospital requires me to stay later, I will have to.”

  Her mother stopped her frenetic motions and stared at her. “Are you sure you want to co
me?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Fine. I’ll tell everyone dinner has been moved.”

  “Thanks.” She gave her mom a quick hug. “I’m going to visit with Jessica before I leave.”

  “Good idea. I’ll just put these away.” She hoisted a stack of folded towels and walked from the room.

  Holly blew out her breath and let her shoulders sag. That hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped, but at least they were talking. She found Jessica in the kitchen sitting at the table nibbling on a snickerdoodle cookie.

  “How’d it go?”

  Holly shrugged, took the pan from the stove, poured the steaming chocolate drink into a tall skinny mug and flipped the burner off. She joined Jessica at the table. “Have you noticed that Mom is more unreasonable than usual?”

  “Not really, although she has been short-tempered with Dad. I wouldn’t worry, Holly. You know how she gets around the holidays.”

  True. Their mother always had been irritable and high-strung this time of year. Neither of them could ever figure out why, but that had to be the reason she was being so difficult these past few weeks. Normally she wasn’t quite this unreasonable. Holly reached for a cookie. “Who made these?”

  “Mom bought them at Matthew’s bakery. Ever since she tried his rolls, she’s been singing his praises.”

  Holly was half surprised Mom hadn’t invited Matthew to Thanksgiving dinner. She took a bite. “Mmm. How are you doing?”

  “Fine. I’m looking forward to Thursday and then shopping on Friday. Mom and I are taking the train to Seattle on Friday morning and spending the weekend.”

  Why hadn’t they included her? “That sounds like fun.”

  The kitchen door swung open and their mom hustled in. “Oh, good, you saved me a cookie.”

  “I reserved you a ticket to join us, in case you’re free.” Jessica reached for another cookie.

  “You ruined the surprise.” Their mom wagged a finger at Jessica.

  “I had to. This isn’t the kind of thing you spring on a person.”

  A smile tugged at her mom’s lips. “I suppose you’re right. It should be a good time. We will Christmas shop and visit some of the sights.”