by Irene Brand
Chapter Fourteen
The rest of the double date passed in a peculiar blur. After a quick lunch, Holly announced she had to return to the shop and urgently needed Owen’s help to set up a new window display. Van teased her about her Christmas store “emergency,” and Lindy looked crushed. But owing to Holly’s persistence and Owen’s over-eagerness, the two of them finally made their escape.
That afternoon, after Van and Lindy had gone on their not-so-merry way and Owen had indeed given her some assistance decorating the window, Holly put the finishing touches on the display. The hay under the new manger scene was too clumpy, so she picked up the figurines, patted the straw down to make it even, and then one at a time returned the Biblical characters to the display. Lastly, and reverently, she placed the baby Jesus figurine back inside the manger. Being surrounded by all things Christmas was a daily joy for her as well as an inspiration, especially around the holidays. As her father always said, “Christmas is the greatest of all holidays since it represents the greatest of all mercies.” And that was something all humans could embrace.
Suddenly, someone hammered on the shop window, pulling Holly out of her reverie.
It was Van, and he held a rolled-up wad of papers in his hand. “I have something for you,” he said in a singsong voice.
“Come on in,” she mouthed.
Once inside the shop Van helped Holly out of the display window and wrapped his arms around her.
“And what do you have?” Holly asked. “Is that part of the book?” Wow, that was fast.
“It’s still rough, mind you. But I know you wanted to read some of it.”
“I do. Very much.” Holly reached out for the papers. Van held onto them a second longer as if he couldn’t bear to part with the pages, but then he released them to her. “I’ll take good care of them. I promise.”
“I hope this is what you expected.”
“I’m sure it will be. I’ll read it right away, and then I’ll call you.”
“Okay then.” Van gave Holly a kiss on the tip of her nose and left the shop.
Holly put on some new Christmas music—her favorite, Josh Groban’s Noël album—and then scooted back down inside the display window to unroll the pages. Then she stopped. A shiver ran through her. Oh, no, no, no. What if she hated the way Van wrote about her life? What would she say to him?
As Holly waited for her courage to build up again, her thoughts drifted back to the other half of their double date—Owen and Lindy. Why did she keep thinking about them? They made a charming couple. In fact, if Lindy were chocolate, she’d be a Belgian truffle—the imported kind with mousse. But it had been more than a little intriguing to see the interaction between the truffle and her friend. In spite of Lindy’s beauty, talent, and boundless adoration, Owen hadn’t seemed impressed. In fact, he apparently felt the opposite, since he’d said very little about the date while they worked on the window display. And more importantly, he’d used the teddy bear code words, which could only signal disaster.
Holly had to admit the amusement she felt was tinged with relief. But why? She wanted the best for Owen—for him to fall in love and marry. It was the same thing Owen had always wanted for her. Then why had the double date been so disjointed, so full of cross-purposes? Perhaps Owen was concerned that if either of them married, it would break up their friendship. It was a concern she’d had more than a few times.
In a moment of bravery, Holly once again unrolled Van’s manuscript. He’d given her only six pages. Hmm. Van certainly didn’t trust her with much of his rough draft. Holly shrugged off the disappointment and began reading at the top of page 290:
The unforeseen happened; a plot twist of heart-changing proportion arrived like a cloudburst after a long dry summer. I fell in love with the heroine. Would I become the hero in my own book? Only Holly could decide; my fate, my joy, was in her hands. Would she say yes? Would she marry me?
The pages of the manuscript fell from Holly’s hands and landed on the wings of the angels. A proposal of marriage? Inside a book no less. Pretty romantic stuff. Was it real? Surely it wasn’t a joke.
Then another dispiriting option shadowed her thoughts. Van had admitted weeks before that he might need to add bits of fictional material to the story if it started to sag in places. Perhaps the proposal was a way for Van to jazz up the story a bit. Or a lot. He could always take back the proposal later, but in the end it would still offer an avalanche of conflict and intrigue for his book.
Holly lowered her head in shame. That didn’t sound right. Van was never crafty or false. So if he did mean what he wrote, then how would she respond? Did she love him in return? She certainly felt a growing affection and fondness for Van, but did love always follow such emotions? Surely talking it over with Van would be the wisest move, and he was only a phone call away. Holly reached for her purse outside the display window, dug out her cell phone, and pushed in Van’s number.
He answered right away. “So, what did you think?”
“Did you mean it for real, Van?” Holly tried not to sound pathetic and shaky, but she wasn’t used to proposals of marriage.
“I meant it for real, my darling.”
Holly could imagine him smiling on the other end.
“Surprises are good, right?”
“Some are.”
“And so what are your thoughts about this particular surprise?” Apparently it was Van’s turn to have a trembling voice.
Now came the moment of reckoning. What will I say, God? “It’s a proposal that is not unwelcome.”
“Hmm. You sound like my attorney.”
Holly chuckled. “The word love should not be given out lightly. When I say it I want to mean it.”
“You’re right, you know. Once you name a thing it’s pretty powerful stuff. Take as long as you need, but…”
“But?”
“Please don’t keep me in my agony too long.”
“I’ll try not to.” Holly cradled the phone in her hand, wishing Van were there next to her. “Do you think we’ve known each other long enough? I mean, I know we’ve dated, and we’ve had lots of phone chats, but—”
“Who’s to say what is enough or not enough? I know what I feel for you is real. By the way, before I ever wrote the proposal I got permission from your father.”
“You did? What did he say?”
“He said he found me to be a decent Christian man, and he approved of my asking you.”
“Oh?” Holly could hardly believe all that had transpired. And her father had managed not to spill the beans. Shocking. “Is that all Dad said?”
“He also said if we get married I’d better take very good care of you or he’d come after me with a horsewhip.”
Holly laughed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.”
“I can tell your father loves you. And I do too. In fact, if I could lay out all the scenes of my life and pick the finest, the ones that matter the most to me, I would pick all the moments we’ve been together.”
“No one has ever said anything so romantic to me before. I have an odd question, though.” She looked around, glad that no customers were milling around at the moment and relieved that her father was still working in the back room.
“Yes?”
“What happens with the story—if I were to say no to your proposal? Would you add it to the book or delete this whole part?”
“If I took it out, I would feel as though I were cheating my readers.” Van cleared his throat. “So, that’s it. No matter what you say, yes or no, and no matter how painful your reply might be—I will share the truth.”
“I admire that.” Holly touched her cheek with the back of her hand. How had it all happened? They were so different. And yet.,,
“I admire you too.”
“Oh, yeah? And what do you admire about me?”
“The whole of your life. The way you care for your father. The way you think of others. The way children light up in your presence. You dazzle everyone like Christmas morning around th
e tree.”
“I do?”
“And you ease my poor phobic mind.”
Holly chuckled. “And how could I possibly do that?”
“As you know, I have a list of quirks a mile long, and among them is a tendency to obsess about what other people think of me, which is why I gave up public speaking. But you’ve made me so fearless I called my booking agent yesterday and told her to start lining up engagements.”
“So I make you courageous, huh? That’s wonderful. I’m glad. I’d no idea I had such power.”
“You’re my Athena.”
Holly pursed her lips. “Wait a minute, wasn’t she supposed to be the Greek goddess of warfare?”
“Yes, but Athena was also the goddess of heroic enterprises.”
Holly grinned. “I’ve never thought of myself as a champion of anything, really. Just a shop girl. Certainly not a Greek goddess. You say such sweet things.” Irresistible things. Words as pretty as the sound of that flute of yours.
“I’m going to miss you.”
“Miss me? Why?”
Van paused. “I’m going back to Houston today.”
“You’re going to leave me right after a marriage proposal?” Holly’s shoulders drooped. “But you just got here. Are you upset because I didn’t give you an answer?”
“It’s not that at all. I just figured that after the recent news about your mother, it might be too soon for you to make a decision like this. You’ll need some time to search your heart. I know you’ll want to talk to your dad about this—and God. I don’t want to get in the way of that process. Then when you say yes—well, if you say yes, I’ll know I hadn’t coerced you into it. Although coercion is always an option.”
Holly smiled. “When will you return?”
“Three weeks, but I’ll call you every day.”
“Promise?”
“I promise,” Van said. “And really, even though my hotel room is comfortable, I always feel like I’m on vacation. I need time at home to finish the rough draft and then get some serious editing done.”
“I hope you get it done quickly. By the way, you’re not leaving without a proper good-bye. Are you?”
“Proper, meaning a kiss?”
“Yes.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Van said. “I’ll have you in my arms in less than two minutes.”
“Where are you?”
“In the sandwich shop.”
Holly laughed. About sixty seconds later she met him at the front door in a rush of excitement. Was that heady feeling the beginnings of love, or was her heart playing tricks on her, knowing the dream of having a family had finally been placed within her grasp? Some part of her wanted to say yes to Van before he had a chance to drive away, but the commonsense part of her knew marriage was not to be entered into lightly.
Van encircled her with his arms.
“You act as though I’ve already said yes.”
Van buried his face in her hair. “I couldn’t help imagining it.” He eased back and traced his finger along the curves of her face. “How art thou, Holly Rose?”
“Doing very well indeed.”
“You won’t forget me while I’m away, will you?”
Holly tugged on his collar. “Now, how could I do that?”
Van tucked her hand inside his. “Because sometimes life turns our heads in unexpected ways.” He kissed her once more and then walked backwards toward his car, never taking his eyes off her. “Good-bye, my darling.” After one more solemn wave, Van drove away.
Holly stepped back into the shop feeling giddy and swept away. But was she falling in love or merely aloft on a cloud lined with silvery words? Perhaps Van’s idea—that they spend some time away from each other to test their relationship—had been a good one. For some reason she didn’t seek out her father to give him the latest news. But why would she hesitate?
She rubbed her earlobe as her gaze rose to the ball of mistletoe. The ribbons were loose, and the Christmas heirloom dangled precariously, about to fall. She’d not yet had a chance to fulfill her dream of kissing under the family mistletoe, not in all her thirty years, and now was not a good time for her dream to fall apart. Holly grabbed a stepladder.
Chapter Fifteen
Van looked in his rearview mirror. Holly had gone back into the shop before his car was out of sight. Not a good sign. He certainly wanted to leave his proposal in the hands of Providence, and yet tipping the scales in his favor sounded promising too. He would enlist Holly’s dearest friend to help his cause. Fortunately he knew just where Owen lived. The guy worked from home, so he was sure to be there.
When Van pulled up to Owen’s house, he was surprised by what he saw. The home appeared well built and situated ideally in a lush valley, but the structure was rustic and small. He wondered what the guy did with all the extra cash he made in the stock market.
Van walked up to the porch, knocked on the door, and then had some serious second thoughts. Maybe the guy didn’t like him well enough to promote his cause. He waited a moment longer while negative scenarios proliferated like rabbits. No one answered the door. Good. He should let it go. Now. His clever idea for soliciting romantic help from Owen suddenly seemed ludicrous. Just as Van turned to leave, the door opened. No one but God heard his groan.
“Hi, Van.” Owen crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”
Van coughed. “I just wanted to, you know, ask you something.”
“All right.” Owen opened the screen door. “Do you want to come in?”
“I don’t have the time, but thanks. I’m on my way back to Houston.”
“But I thought you just arrived.” Owen stepped out onto the porch. “Does Holly know you’re leaving?”
“Yes, she does.” Van took in a long, deep breath. “Listen, I know we don’t know each other well, but I already feel as though I can trust you.”
A flicker of something unreadable lit Owen’s expression and then disappeared. “Thank you.”
“So I wanted to ask you a favor.”
“All right. Depends on what it is, I guess.”
“Fair enough.” Van looked at his shoes and then back at Owen. “I proposed to Holly today.”
“Excuse me?”
“I proposed.”
“Marriage?”
“Is there any other kind?”
Owen took a step closer to Van, his frame looming over him. “And did she say yes?”
Van swallowed. “She’s going to spend some time thinking and praying about it. And, of course, talking to her father and friends, I’m sure. Since you’re her oldest friend, I thought you could help me out by—”
“By convincing her to marry you?” Owen sat down on a bench.
“Well, maybe you could just mention my various qualities. The good ones, that is. Remind her of all the advantages there are to marrying me.” He waved his hand. “Never mind. You don’t know me all that well. But maybe you could champion me a little. I love her, Owen. I only came to Noel in the hopes of writing Holly’s story. I never meant to fall in love.” Van ran his fingers through his hair. “I realize that phrase is worn out, but it’s as true as if I’d been the first person ever to say those words.”
“You seem sincere.” Owen twiddled his fingers.
“So, may I count on you for your support?” Van cringed, thinking he sounded more like a man on the campaign trail than a man in love.
Owen paused. A long pause. So long, in fact, the man must have been about to decline his request.
Should he have spent more time getting to know Owen before trying to get his approval? He’d hoped that setting Owen up with Lindy would garner him some points, but then again, Owen hadn’t seemed all that enamored with Lindy. Like the publishing business, love was unpredictable. Who knew what was going to be a blockbuster or a bomb? Unfortunately his foray into matchmaking had been the latter. But perhaps Owen was at least grateful he’d made an effort. “You’ve hesitated so long I’m thinking maybe you don’t approve o
f me.”
Owen rose from the bench. “I’m sure you understand I have to think of Holly first. She seems to care for you. But I’m concerned about her happiness. Long-term happiness. So if you think you can give her that, I’ll try to be fair in my remarks.”
“I would always do my best to make her happy, but of course there are no guarantees in this life.”
Owen frowned. “For someone who has a gift for words you suddenly sound awfully businesslike. Or maybe noncommittal would be a more accurate term.”
Van shook his head. “I love Holly. I always will. It’s just that life is full of—irregularities.”
“Meaning?”
“No matter how hard we try to make other people happy in this life, they may choose unhappiness. I can only tell you how I will feel. What I will do.”
Owen seemed to bristle at his comment. “It’s in Holly’s nature to choose joy, so I doubt that problem would ever come up.”
Even though the day was cool, sweat trickled down Van’s shirt. “Do you think you could—well, I’d hoped you might—”
“I won’t twist Holly’s arm if that’s what you’re trying to say.”
Van put up his hands. “Not quite the words I would have chosen, but—”
Owen pointed his finger at Van. “I will give you this. Both of us want the same thing for Holly. We want her to be happy all the days of her life. I will agree to this—to do everything in my power to make that happen.”
Those weren’t the words Van had wanted to hear, but he guessed they were all Owen was going to offer. “Thank you.” He reached out to Owen.
They shared a firm handshake, but something dangled in the air between them. Was it a challenge? Van doubted it. Owen was probably just acting like Holly’s big brother—watching out for her. Then again. What if Owen’s feelings for Holly went beyond friendship? He had spoken her name with such passion. But if that was the case, Van couldn’t feel sorry for Owen since he’d had so many years to make up his mind. He’d had plenty of chances to propose.
After sliding behind the wheel of his Lexus, Van dismissed his worries and plugged in his vocabulary CD. In his rearview mirror he could see a kid—who must have been one of Quigly’s neighbors—trying to pull a load of bricks in a red wagon across the meadow in front of his house. To the boy’s credit he kept pulling, but it became obvious the wagon wasn’t going to budge another inch. It was one of those situations that could easily double as a life lesson. Great. Van hated those teachable moments even more than he hated bad book reviews. And those pesky life lessons usually popped up when he did something wrong. Am I out of sync here with Holly? Trying to force something You haven’t ordained? He’d learned over the years—and usually the hard way—that life whirled along better when he let God lead the dance.
