She quickly pulled on her jeans and sweater, running a hand through her tousled hair in a futile attempt to make it somewhat presentable. As she padded toward the door, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and had to stifle a laugh. Her hair was a wild mess, her sweater was inside out, and there was a distinct purple mark on her neck that hadn’t been there the night before. She looked thoroughly disheveled, but there wasn’t time to do anything about it now.
The knocking came again, more insistent this time. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” Mack called out, her voice still rough with sleep. She glanced back at Holly, making sure the noise hadn’t woken her, before opening the door.
“Look, we don’t need a wake-up call. It’s Christmas morning, the car rentals aren’t even open ye—” Mack’s words died on her lips as she found herself face-to-face with two strangers. They weren’t Maude or any of her team she’d come to expect. Instead, a middle-aged couple stood before her, looking just as confused as she felt.
The woman, petite with graying hair and kind eyes, spoke first. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice tinged with embarrassment. “We must have the wrong room. We’re looking for our daughter, Holly. The receptionist said she was in Room Fifteen, but…” She trailed off, her eyes taking in Mack’s disheveled appearance with growing uncertainty.
Mack’s brain, still foggy with sleep, took a moment to process the information. Then it hit her like a bucket of ice water. These weren’t just any strangers—they were Holly’s parents. The parents Holly had been so nervous about reconciling with. The parents who would be shocked if they knew their daughter was sharing a bed her. But she couldn’t lie to them, could she? They’ddriven all the way here from Minneapolis and must have left in the middle of the night.
“Um, no, you’ve got the right room,” Mack finally said, her mind racing. “Holly is here. She’s just…still asleep. There were no more rooms left, and she kindly offered to share her room with me,” she added, hoping that would look better to them. “If you could give me a minute to wake her up?”
The couple exchanged a look that Mack couldn’t quite decipher. The man, tall and distinguished-looking with salt-and-pepper hair, nodded stiffly. “Of course,” he said, his tone polite but cool. “We’ll wait out here.”
Mack nodded, closing the door perhaps a bit too quickly. She leaned against it for a moment, her heart pounding. This was not how she had envisioned starting Christmas morning.
Taking a deep breath, she crossed the room to Holly’s side of the bed. Holly was still sound asleep, oblivious to the chaos that was about to unfold. Mack hated to wake her, especially like this, but there was no avoiding it.
“Holly,” Mack said softly, gently shaking her shoulder. “Holly, wake up. We’ve got company.”
Holly stirred, mumbling something incoherent before burrowing deeper into the covers. Under different circumstances, Mack would have found it adorable. Now, it just added to her growing anxiety.
“Holly, seriously, you need to wake up,” she said, her voice more urgent this time. “Your parents are here.”
That did it. Holly’s eyes flew open, wide with shock. “What?” she gasped, sitting up so quickly she nearly headbutted Mack. “My parents? Here? Now?”
Mack nodded, stepping back to give Holly space. “They’re waiting outside. I told them I’d wake you up.”
“Oh my god,” Holly groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Oh my god, oh my god. This can’t be happening.” Then shescrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over the tangled sheets in her haste. She darted around the room, snatching up pieces of clothing and pulling them on haphazardly.
“Where’s my bra?” she asked, her voice edging on panic as she lifted pillows and peered under the bed. “And my sweater?”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Mack couldn’t help but smile at Holly’s frantic search. She spotted the missing bra hanging from the bedside lamp—how it got there, she couldn’t quite remember—and handed it to Holly. “Here,” she said. “And your sweater is…ah, over there, by the inflatable Santa.”
Holly snatched the items, muttering a quick thanks as she continued to dress. Mack watched her for a moment, wishing she could do something to ease Holly’s obvious distress. “Hey,” she said softly. “It’s going to be okay. Take a deep breath.”
Holly paused, meeting Mack’s eyes. For a moment, the panic in her gaze softened, replaced by something warmer. “Thank you,” she said. “How do I look?”
Mack stepped closer, gently smoothing Holly’s hair. “You look beautiful,” she said. “Are you ready for this? I told them you were kind enough to share your room with me, so they might not think anything of it. I mean, of you and me together…”
“Oh, they will. They’ll know.” Holly took a deep, shaky breath. “But that’s the whole point, right? That I need them to accept who I am.” She moved toward the door, pausing with her hand on the handle. She looked back at Mack, a question in her eyes. “Should you… I mean, do you want to…”
Mack understood the unspoken question. “How about I get us coffees while you catch up with your parents?” she suggested. “Do they like cappuccino?”
“Yes, they do. Thank you so much.” Holly waited until Mack had put on her boots and coat and stopped her before she was about to head out. “Wait…” She kissed her softly, lingering for just a moment. “Thank you for last night.”
“No, thankyou.” Mack squeezed her hand, opened the door, and slipped out, giving Holly’s parents a polite nod. She heard greetings behind her; Holly’s mom sounded emotional, and Mack had a feeling everything would be okay. Things seemed to have a way of working out lately.
The streets were quiet, most of Watertown still asleep on this Christmas morning. It had stopped snowing—a fresh layer had fallen overnight, transforming the town into a picture-perfect winter wonderland—and the network was back so she was able to check her messages; nothing from her parents or her sister yet.
She was getting home today; she could feel it. Now that the storm had subsided, she’d take anything she could. A flight, a rental car… even a bus. Lost in thought, Mack almost walked right past the Mistletoe Diner. A cheery “Merry Christmas!” from Marty, who was outside, clearing the path to the entrance, snapped her back to reality.
“Merry Christmas, Marty. You’re up early.”
Marty chuckled. “Christmas waits for no one! Besides, there’s breakfast to prepare. Will you and Holly be joining us later?”
“I’m not sure yet. Holly’s parents showed up unexpectedly this morning, so I’m just here to grab a few takeout coffees, if that’s okay?”
Marty’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh my! So, what can I get for you this fine Christmas morning?”
