“Oh, boyfriend.” She frowned. “Then it’s probably not the best idea to buy another girl hot cocoa, wouldn’t you think?”
“I guess not. I’m sorry. My brain doesn’t seem to be working too well today. At least, not around pretty girls.” He winked.
“Now you’re flirting.” Holly looked as though she were fighting a smile.
Randy shook his head. “A terrible habit.” He reached out his hand again. “I’m Randy, by the way.” He chuckled.
“I know. I think we may have met before.” She shot a teasing wink.
“Oh, we have? I must be a lucky guy then.” He lifted his eye brows twice. “It’s not every day a beautiful woman remembers my name.”
“I’m sure your girlfriend does.”
Ouch. Yeah, he deserved that. Why was he standing here on the ice flirting with Holly anyway? It wasn’t like he was on the market or anything. But he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Holly had him captivated. He didn’t want to part ways with her. “Do you enjoy ice skating?”
“This is actually my first time. Which is why I haven’t ventured very far from the wall.”
“Oh, your first time? Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you having fun?”
“I am, actually.” Her smile widened.
“I can help you learn, give you lessons…if you’d like?” Please say yes.
“I…” She swallowed and glanced toward the small room where he’d said Lisa awaited. “I don’t think your date would appreciate that.”
“She’s so buried in social media right now, I don’t think she’d even notice, honestly. Besides, we’re friends, right?” He held out a hand.
She stared at it and shook her head.
“I promise I won’t try to kiss you or anything.” Not that he wouldn’t be thinking about it. What had come over him? His thoughts were completely inappropriate for someone already in a relationship. But perhaps that relationship needed to end. Sooner rather than later.
Her eyebrows shot up. “You won’t unless you want an elbow in your gut.”
“Ouch, you’re vicious. But something tells me it might be worth it?” Yeah, flirting again. “But, thanks for the warning though.”
She turned and began to slowly skate in the other direction.
He quickly caught up to her, his hand proffered. “Come on. Just try it,” he urged. “Unless…do you have a boyfriend?”
But she had said she was here with the singles group, so…
“No, I don’t have a boyfriend. But that shouldn’t matter to you since you’re not available. Unless you’re the type of guy who dates two girls at once. Which, in that case, I definitely wouldn’t be interested. I’m not into that type of thing.”
“No, I wouldn’t do that. But, I mean, if I weren’t seeing someone else, would you…do you think you’d go out with me?”
She giggled. Or perhaps it was more of a chuckle. “Maybe.”
“Maybe.” He nodded. “Okay, maybe’s good. It’s not ‘no,’ right?”
Besides, if Holly lived around here, and he took a job in the area, his parents would be thrilled. Lisa had talked about them moving up north, closer to her parents, if they ever married. It wasn’t that Lisa wasn’t a nice girl—she was—but he didn’t think “nice” had the makings of happily ever after like what his brother and sister-in-law seemed to be sharing. Not that he was all that sure about Holly, but he would like a chance to get to know her better. They’d seemed to have a few things in common so far.
However, prior to pursuing a relationship with Holly, he’d need to have a chat with Wesley. If the two of them used to date, that could pose a problem. How would Shannon feel about her brother-in-law bringing her husband’s ex-girlfriend into the family?
Randy suddenly noticed a hand waving directly in front of his face, and he blinked. “Sorry…Did you…were you saying something to me?”
“You really are out there, little brother.” Wesley bumped his shoulder.
“Wesley. I thought…” He glanced around but the vision of loveliness had disappeared. “Where did she go?”
His brother frowned. “She’s in the room over there, remember? You know the one where people rent the ice skates?”
“No, no. Not her.”
“Who? Are you sure you’re okay, little brother?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Where is Holly?”
Wesley frowned. “Holly?”
“The girl you used to date. Holly Remington. She was here. We were talking. I sort of crashed into her.” Or maybe crushed into her would be more accurate. Because he definitely had a crush on her.
“Oh, she was? I hadn’t noticed.” His brother hadn’t seemed to notice much of anything since meeting Shannon. He’d been on a cloud most days, especially since their baby arrived last year. Randy enjoyed being an uncle, but it likely didn’t compare to having your own kid, he supposed.
Randy spun around slowly, surveying the rink for Holly.
“I think I saw a group of people head out to the parking lot.”
“You did? Ah, man, I missed her.”
“What…why? I think I’m missing something here.”
“I asked her out.”
“You—what?
“I mean sort of. Not really.” He shook his head.
Wesley held a hand up to Randy’s forehead. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay, brother?”
Randy shoved his hand away. “I’m fine. I just…I like her. Like a lot. I mean…she’s hot. And adorable. And—”
“Randy, you have a girlfriend!” Wesley frowned.
“I know.”
“That you brought home with you from college.”
“I know.” Guilt ate at him.
“That you brought with you tonight—on a date.”
“I know,” he moaned.
“I thought…” Wesley shrugged. “I guess I don’t know what I thought. But I would think that bringing a girl home for Christmas would, you know, kind of mean something special.”
“I know. I just…I guess I’m changing my mind about Lisa.”
“Why? She seems nice. You can’t just do that to a girl, little brother.”
“Okay, please stop with the little brother. You make me feel like I’m two years old.”
“My point’s the same.”
“She’s not my soul mate.”
Did Wesley just snort? “Your soul mate.”
“I don’t know how to describe it. I just feel like I had this instant connection with Holly. I’ve never felt that way about a girl before.”
Wesley nodded. “I get it. I understand completely.”
“You do?”
“Yes, little brother. That’s exactly how I felt when I met Shannon.”
Excitement ricocheted through his chest like fireworks exploding. “Are you serious?”
Wesley laughed.
“She’s the one then, right?”
His brother shrugged. “Maybe.”
“But you said…never mind. Okay, I need her phone number. Like right now.”
“Whoa. Slow down there, little brother. I think you have something to take care of before you go diving head first into another relationship.” He motioned toward the waiting room.
“I know. I will. I’m taking her back home tomorrow.”
“You’re cold, man. You don’t want to like wait till after Christmas and slowly break the bad news to her?”
“Why would I do that when I know Holly is the right one?”
“It’s just…Lisa could already have dreams of marrying you. Something like this can be devastating for a girl.”
“Oh.” He paused and frowned. “It can?”
“Yep.”
“Then what should I do? I mean, it’s not my intention to hurt her.”
“Pray about it.”
“Pray. You’re serious?”
Wesley rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m serious.”
“Okay, I can do that.”
Wesley shook
his head. “How many girls have you dated, Randy?”
“How many?” He frowned, then shrugged. “I don’t know. At least a dozen or so.”
“I wasn’t referring to just the girls in high school.”
He shoved his brother. “Okay, maybe a few more. I haven’t been dating all that much in college. Too much bookwork to do.”
“You do realize that Holly hasn’t really had that many boyfriends. At least, not since I’ve known her.”
“I can’t see how. She’s a knockout.”
“She’s choosy.” His brother eyed him carefully. “And pretty serious about her faith.” Had there been a slight accusatory tone behind Wesley’s statement, or was that just Randy’s conscience bothering him?
He crossed his arms. “I’m serious about my faith.” Why did he feel like he had to defend himself?
“Mm…hm.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“How many times did you attend church over the last few years since you’ve been away at college?”
“Quit with the ‘holier than thou’ attitude already, Wesley.”
“I didn’t say a thing about myself. We’re talking about you. Answer the question.”
He shrugged. “Half a dozen, maybe. I didn’t really feel comfortable going to places I didn’t know.”
“I see. And how often did you read your Bible?”
“Seriously, Wesley?” He hadn’t been prepared for an interrogation.
“So, I’m guessing the answer would be…?”
“Rarely, okay? It was rarely.” Randy gritted his teeth. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not serious about my faith.”
“I think Holly may see it differently, little brother. Faith without works is dead. There has to be fruit.”
“Is she really that…Christian?”
“I have no idea how to even quantify that statement.” Wesley frowned his disapproval. “Can someone be too Christian?”
“Well, yeah, I think so.”
“How?” His brother challenged.
He shrugged. “By going to church a gazillion times a week. By not having a life.”
His brother adamantly shook his head. “I don’t think Holly’s the right one for you then. Nope.”
“What? Why not?”
“Like I said, she’s serious about her faith.”
“What’s it to you, anyway? It’s not like you didn’t dump her and marry Shannon.”
“We weren’t even dating anymore when I met Shannon. But I do care about her. She’s a friend and a sister in Christ. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black if I ever heard it.”
“I had no intentions of hurting Holly. We just weren’t right together. That’s why I didn’t court her very long.”
“Court? Did you just say court? What is that, some Amish thing you picked up from Grandma and Grandpa Stoltz?”
“No. Her family believes in courting.”
“What does that even mean?”
“No kissing. Or touching. Chaperoned dates, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.”
A slow smile spread across Randy’s face. Surely his brother was pulling his leg. “You’re kidding, right?”
Wesley shook his head. “Totally serious.”
His smile turned the opposite direction. “So, if we date…or court, then I wouldn’t even be allowed to kiss her?”
“Nope.”
“So, you guys never kissed?”
“Nope.”
“Oh. Wow. You’re not even joking, are you?” He had to admit that he took pleasure in the thought that Wesley hadn’t kissed Holly. But…
“Nope.” Wesley placed a hand on Randy’s shoulder and seemed to be studying him carefully. “If you’re serious about this, little brother, then pray.”
THREE
Holly sipped her tea as she and Mom sat in the living room enjoying the roaring fire. It was something they often did on winter nights. It usually included a book, but Holly’s mind was too preoccupied to read right now.
“What are you smiling about?” Mom asked.
Holly turned abruptly at her mother’s voice. “I had fun tonight.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you didn’t sprain your ankle or anything.”
“Yeah, me too. I did get knocked over though.” She chuckled at the thought.
“Oh, no.”
“It wasn’t a big deal.” At least, the getting knocked over part wasn’t a big deal. But meeting Randy? Yeah, her poor heart was still pounding. Hopefully, Mom couldn’t perceive it.
“What is that wistful look for?”
Holly shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t know. I just…I met someone.” She couldn’t hide her smile.
Mom quickly sat at attention. “Someone?”
“Well, technically we kind of already know him.”
“Him?” Now Mom’s curiosity was definitely piqued. “Who?”
“Do you remember Wesley’s younger brother? Randy?”
Mom nodded slowly, hesitantly. “Those Stoltz boys are handsome young men.”
“Yeah, they are.” She couldn’t hide her smile if she wanted to. She’d been over the moon when Wesley had approached her father to ask to court her a few years ago. But that hadn’t worked out. Maybe Randy, though…
“But hasn’t Randy been off at college?”
“I guess so.”
“I don’t think he’s been attending a Christian college,” Mom said. Holly heard the disapproval in her mother’s voice.
Holly shrugged. “Maybe they don’t teach his major at a Christian college.”
Mom’s head tilted. “What’s his major?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know.”
“I don’t think that young man had a very good reputation in high school.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember your brother Jason’s old girlfriend? Ansley?”
“Yeah. What about her?” She’d never say so, but she never cared too much for Ansley. She seemed too into herself.
“I’m pretty sure your brother mentioned that Randy Stoltz was the one who turned her head, causing their breakup.” Mom’s lips flattened. “He played the field.”
Holly frowned, not sure what Mom meant by that. “Meaning…?”
“Let’s just say he’s dated a lot of girls. Not just Ansley.”
That didn’t surprise her in the least. Of course a handsome young man like Randy would have garnered lots of attention of the female kind. Especially if he attended public school.
“Maybe he’s changed.” Holly didn’t know why she’d said that. Just the fact that he’d brought a girl home from college and he was flirting with her when his girlfriend wasn’t around, was enough to know that he hadn’t changed.
“I suppose he could have. It’s not likely though.” Mom was right, of course.
But everything about him appealed to her. He was kind, handsome, funny. Handsome.
“Did he ask you out?” Mom’s voice shook her out of her daydreaming.
“Um, he kind of had a date with him.”
“I think I’m missing part of this story.”
And, of course, she wasn’t about to share everything with Mom. She just wouldn’t understand. “She wasn’t on the ice. She was on her phone in the skate rental room. He sort of crashed into me and we started talking. I enjoyed his company.”
“He’s not the right boy for you, Holly, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Her lips turned down. “How do you know?”
“Do you want a husband who’s dated, kissed, and possibly been with a bunch of different girls? A man who, by the sound of it, might not be faithful?”
“We were just talking, Mom.” Well, technically, they were flirting with each other most of the time. But Mom didn’t need to know that. Had he been with a bunch of different girls? The thought unsettled her.
“Uh-huh.”
Holly sighed. She’d never been so attracted to someone
in her life, not even to Wesley. But Mom was right. Randy was clearly off-limits. Likely someone who would use her and break her heart. And after her brief courtship with Wesley, she wasn’t sure she could endure another Stoltz brother heartache again.
Oh, but she was sure she’d be dreaming about Randy tonight. She wondered if he’d be dreaming of her as well. She secretly hoped so.
~
Several hours later, Randy lay in the darkness, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Pray… Pray... Pray...
He was a coward, plain and simple. Not only had he not even begun to pray about Holly, but he’d failed to break up with Lisa.
Maybe Wesley was right. Maybe he should wait until after the holiday. But if he did, he wouldn’t be able to spend any time with Holly during his winter break. He’d go back to school for his final semester, then she’d likely forget he even existed. Maybe even find someone else.
He couldn’t let that happen. If he broke up with Lisa, he could at least spend the rest of his winter break getting to know Holly better. Then if they hit it off, they could communicate by email or text or phone or old-fashioned letters, even. For some reason, he got the feeling she’d enjoy the letter thing.
Yeah, it was selfish of him, but he craved Holly’s attention. He’d thought of little else since they’d met. Holly Remington. Even her name was gorgeous.
That was it. He would break up with Lisa. Right now. It wasn’t fair to string her along when his heart and mind were clearly fixed on Holly.
He hopped out of bed and shuffled down the hallway in his socks. Hopefully, Lisa hadn’t fallen asleep yet. He quietly knocked on her door, not wanting to awaken his parents. Mom would think he was trying to get away with something, sneaking to Lisa’s room after everyone else had retired for the evening.
But nothing could be further from the truth. In his mind, he’d already relegated Lisa to the friend zone.
“Lisa,” he whispered into the door’s crack. “Are you still up?”
He heard shuffling, then Lisa opened the door a smidgen. “Randy?” She yawned. Probably a light sleeper.
Great, he’d woken her up. “Can we talk?”
“Now?”
“Yeah, in the living room. I have something on my mind.” He led the way. Hopefully the setting with the crackling fireplace wouldn’t seem like a romantic gesture. Perhaps he should have suggested the kitchen table instead. Oh well.
Unlikely Sweethearts (An Amish Christmas Story) Page 2
