Holly versus Mr. Ivy by Amanda P. Jones
Chapter 22
Rhett
skills necessary to see an object and then get it down on paper. Holly most decidedly was one of those people. I stared at the drawing she passed me, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure it out.
There was a circle in the middle with squiggly lines underneath. That was it. Each round in the game lasted sixty seconds. Even a toddler could manage such a feat within seconds. What had Holly been doing during the rest of the round? Any other detail to indicate what this drawing was supposed to be would’ve helped.
Was it a sunset over the ocean? A hot plate? The moon? I wrote “good vibrations” and passed the book to Deidre. The timer went off, and Holly slid her notebook to me. I flipped the chart to the correct page. Holly had written “camping.”
Easy.
I quickly drew a tent, campfire, and someone roasting a marshmallow. The game continued until everyone had drawn and guessed the appropriate number of times.
“I’ll share mine first,” Noah offered. He flipped his book open, revealing his word: bellybutton. Holly had drawn a stick figure with an arrow pointing to the middle. I had guessed “stomach,” and Deidre had drawn a guy with a big gut hanging over his pants. Trevor had ended the round by guessing “beer belly.”
“Oh, come on, you guys!” Noah complained. “That word is easy. Holly, why didn’t you draw a little circle for the belly button or try to do a person instead of a stick figure?”
Holly shrugged. “I did the best I could.”
Noah threw his hands up. “Hols, you’re trying to screw me over so I won’t win. Trevor, trade places with me.”
Trevor shook his head. “No way. There’s a reason I sat away from Holly.”
“Rude!” Holly shouted. “You guys act like I’m the worst at this game. I’ve almost won a few times.”
I rubbed a hand over my mouth, hiding a smile. Growing up, I had always wanted siblings. The banter, the presence of an automatic playmate, and moments like this made me sad I hadn’t gotten to enjoy this side of a larger family. In some ways, being an only child had perks, but more often than not, I craved the connection of a sibling. It wasn’t until I met Jack in high school that I found someone who filled that hole in my chest.
Also, watching Holly be wild and free, unlike her restrained manner at work, deepened my attraction to her.
“Just because you got easy words and somehow managed to not screw it up, does not mean you’re good at Telestrations,” Trevor said. “I’m confused why you pick this one every month. We have dozens of other boardgames to play.”
Holly snatched the books out of everyone’s hands. “Fine. Then let’s move on.”
“No way,” Noah protested, smacking the table. “We’re playing until I win.”
Deidre patted my knee under the table. The other three continued to bicker. At one point, Holly and Trevor each had a hand on the game box, playing tug of war with it.
Deidre leaned toward me. “Did anyone warn you our game mornings are heated? I’m afraid our Irish blood makes us all extremely competitive. Holly chooses this one because it’s the one that gives her the most trouble, and until she conquers it, she won’t be satisfied.”
That sounded like Holly. I whispered back, “I’m afraid I was not adequately prepared for the nature of this visit, but despite the lack of warning, I assure you, I’m enjoying myself. You don’t need to worry what I’ll think about these three when we’re done.”
“Not even Holly?”
Had she caught me staring at Holly at some point during the game? My gaze had wandered in Holly’s direction one too many times. She’d put waves in her hair again, and the pink shirt she wore added color to her cheeks and accentuated her blue eyes. “I like this version of Holly. It’s very different from the one at work.”
“Don’t blame her for that. She’s always struggled with how to keep up in a man’s world. From growing up with these two to going into a profession that is male dominated, she doesn’t understand that by being herself, she’s more than enough. Instead, she controls everything, thinking it keeps her life in order.”
Based on the comments Holly had made about her management style, her mom nailed it. Holly thought by being controlling, she’d get the outcome she wanted. That wasn’t the case. If the staff could see this side of her, she’d only endear herself to them and make them want to work harder.
“I agree with you. Holly is amazing and needs to let others see that part of her.”
Deidre studied my face, then her eyes widened in understanding. “You’re good for her.”
I wanted to be.
The back door to the restaurant slammed closed. Excellent. Holly had arrived. I waited until the door to her office opened, until I heard the bottom drawer where she kept her purse closed, and until the roll of her chair indicated she was turning on her computer. I’d watched her routine enough to know exactly what Holly did every time she came to work.
Pushing my chair back, I stood and strolled to Holly’s office. Leaning against the doorjamb, I cleared my throat to get her attention. “Dewhurst family game days are quite the adventure.”
Holly dropped her face into her hands and moaned. “I’m so embarrassed.”
I dropped into the chair across from hers. “Why?”
She met my gaze. “You saw me. I turned into a screaming lunatic.”
She totally had. I bit back a smile. “Your mom told me how competitive you all are. I enjoyed it.”
“How?” she demanded. “You’d have to be as crazy as we are to think any part of that was fun.”
It had been fun seeing a different side of her. “If I had to choose between playing games with my parents or being thrown in with your lot, I’d choose yours.”
Her shoulders released some of the tension bunching them upward. “When you put it that way, it makes sense. I’m still sorry you had to see me like that though.”
I longed to walk around her desk, pull her into my arms, and show her how happy being around her made me.
“Holly?” I said softly. Tenderly.
“Hmm?”
“I liked seeing that side of you.”
Her cheeks tinged pink. “You’re not questioning my sanity?”
How could I when she had every right to question mine after Thursday night? I slowly shook my head. “No. I’m wondering how I can get that Holly to let herself out more often, especially here at work.”
She shot me a dry look. “I’m not going to turn into a competitive, yelling fool in front of the staff.”
Was she serious? My brows furrowed. “I did not see a yelling fool. If that’s what you think of yourself, we have some work to do. I witnessed someone who didn’t care what others thought about her and stood up for herself.”
She let out a disbelieving laugh. “You are good at twisting words, Rhett. Or maybe you’re just in denial. All the same, I thank you for your compliments on my distasteful behavior.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” she challenged, chin up.
“Deprecate yourself.”
She snorted. “Stop spinning your words to be positive when there isn’t anything nice to say.”
I was confused. Did she truly think she was a fool? “I think the Holly you think you are and the Holly I know are two different people.”
Her mouth gaped open. Closed. Open again. “I don’t know what you mean.”
I hadn’t come to her office to fight. Her defenses were up, and no matter what I said, she’d take my words the wrong way. It was time to retreat. “Thank you for letting me join your family. I had fun and hope we can spend time together again soon.” I stood and went back to my office.
Holly didn’t say anything; she just let me leave.
Every time I made progress lately, whether at the restaurant or with Holly, I was yanked back fifty feet. Constantly trying to dig myself out of the same hole left me defeated.
Just like Thursday night, my lungs seized, making it hard to breathe. I sat with my head in between my knees, counting each inhale and exhale. Don’t think about anything else. Keep your mind focused on getting air in and out. Nothing else. Falling apart right now was not an option.
Half an hour later, I managed to sit up and turn on my computer. Aaron and I were discussing The Boardwalk’s social media presence tonight.
That’s all I would focus on.
But Holly was never too far from my thoughts. She’d revealed her competitive nature with her family today, but she didn’t like that I had witnessed it. Maybe she wasn’t ready for us to be more than friends if she worried about how I would react every time we were together.