Holiday in Holly Oaks

Chapter 16

"Here we are, 6th and 51st," the taxi driver said. He pulled up to the curb and Tallie looked out the window. Even with her head arched back, she couldn't see the top of the buildings.

She sat back in her seat and took a deep breath. It felt like the first breath she had taken in the last twenty-four hours. Once she had decided to come to New York, she had discovered all the logistics and details she needed to take care of.

Holly Oaks had shown up like they had every time before and helped her with everything. They had covered at the store, they brought her parents dinner and offered to be back-up help if her mom needed assistance. They allowed Tallie to drive away from Holly Oaks feeling peaceful about leaving her parents.

But the peacefulness had only lasted until she had taken her seat on the train and then the nerves had set in. She had had more than two hours, between the train ride and the taxi ride, to worry about how Case would react and what she would say.

Now she had arrived. There was no more time to think through her apology and find the exact words that would make him forgive her. There was no more thinking. It was time to do.

She handed the taxi driver cash, grabbed her bag, and pulled her coat around her as she stepped out of the cab. Her stomach was a knot of nerves but she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She had made it this far.

Deep, steadying breaths kept her walk steadily as she crossed the wide sidewalk towards the large revolving doors. But halfway there she stopped when she recognized the figure waiting outside the doors. He had the collar of his sleek coat pulled up for protection from the window and his hair was stylized, but she would have recognized Case anywhere.

It startled her to see him outside. She had been counting on the elevator ride to give her a few extra minutes to finalize her apology. But here he was.

She could feel her heart rate starting to rise in anticipation and she tried to take a deep breath to steady herself. Her legs felt wobbly but she made herself keep moving.

Fifteen steps away, he turned and their eyes met. She held her breath, bracing for the worst before a warm smile spread across his face. Instantly, she knew that no matter how their conversation ended, it would be alright. She hadn't lost her friend.

"Tallie," he said, moving quickly to meet her. Tallie wasn't sure how to greet him but didn't have time to worry before he pulled her into a hug. He didn't hold on long and stepped back to look at her, his smile growing. "You came."

She could only smile back, relieved that she hadn't ruined their friendship. Then all her words came back to her and her apology began to spill out just as he began to talk. They were both so determined to say everything they needed to say, they tried to talk over each other until they both stopped and laughed.

"Case," she quickly started again. She needed to say what she had to say no matter how he felt about everything now. "Please forgive me for exploding on you. You didn't deserve it at all. You were trying to help and what you did was so kind and thoughtful and my fear kept me from seeing what you were truly trying to do. It was so awful how I treated you. Can you forgive me?"

She took a deep breath in. The apology had come out so fast, she had barely given herself time to breathe. She looked at him, hoping that he could hear how truly remorseful she was. He only smiled at her, as if their fight and her apology had happened years ago, and now it was just a story they laughed about.

"Of course," he said. "Will you forgive me for giving my opinion without asking if you even wanted it?"

"Case, you didn't do anything wrong," she said.