➶｡˚ part three of the RACING HEARTS series
Holly Lee is a Christmas lover. She adores everything about it. The twinkling lights making her heart beat with excitement. The beautiful time spent with her loved ones. The crunchy, sparkling sn...
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"I really can't stand snow," Max sighed as he put on his hat, noticing his sneakers getting soaked.
"If you had the right footwear for this weather, maybe you wouldn't complain so much. Suck it up," Holly remarked. She glanced at her cozy, warm boots, which she had bought a month ago; she had prepared in advance.
"I don't mind splitting the fee for parking in central London with you," Max said as he locked his car, and Holly responded with a nonchalant shrug.
"That was your idea. I advised you to park outside the center. The tube is fast."
"Well, I'm not using the tube during this busy time," Max muttered, rubbing his hands together. "Where's the nearest mall?"
"We're not going to the mall straightaway," Holly shook her head. "We're going to the Winter Wonderland."
Max stared at Holly for a moment, not saying a word. Then he burst into loud laughter. "Yeah, there's no chance you'll convince me to go there."
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Max let out a sigh. "But we'll be here for only thirty minutes, okay? Not a minute longer!"
"Let's grab some food!" Holly exclaimed, completely ignoring Max's question. "Then I'm gonna help you with the gifts."
Before he could say anything, Holly dragged him through the crowds of people. While Max kept looking around, he couldn't help but smile a little. Everyone seemed so happy with their mulled wine and food, talking to their family and friends. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Only maybe, though!
"Now, Max," Holly used a napkin to wipe away the sugar from her mouth, left by the perfectly made churros they had just eaten. Standing under the churro market's roof, they shielded themselves from the falling snow. "Tell me, what are your friends into? You mentioned one of them is a lawyer. What's her name?"
Finishing the last bite of his churros coated in milk chocolate, Max nodded. "Adeline. But we all call her Addy or Daddy Addy. She loves her work. Even though I know a lot of hardworking people, she really works her ass off to help people."
"Daddy Addy?" Holly laughed.
"She is the daddy of our group, really," Max responded with a chuckle, taking Holly's empty box (where only ten minutes ago were tasty churros with a chocolate sauce) from her hands and tossing it into a nearby bin.
"Thanks," Holly said as Max handed her over a few napkins to clear her hands.
She didn't expect Max to be this considerate and gentlemanlike. True, he had rescued a total stranger (her) from a disaster. Despite his grumpy face, there were gradual glimpses of a smile on his lips, especially when he thought Holly wasn't looking. She noticed a spark in his ocean-blue eyes whenever he gazed at the towering tree.
"What's your budget for the gifts? Before I start thinking," Holly asked, putting on her hat with a pom-pom before stepping out of the snow-free area under the roof.
"I don't really care about the budget," Max shrugged. He had bought a hat at one of the markets, and he was grateful that Holly had insisted. The snowfall was getting heavier.
"Are you, like, a millionaire or something?" Holly chuckled and then shook her head. "By the way, what do you do for a living?"
"I work..." Max began the sentence, and then he paused for a moment. She didn't know him at all—the anonymity felt refreshing. "I work with cars," he said.
Technically, he wasn't lying, right?
"I could tell from the way you were studying the car," Holly remarked, casting a glance at Max. However, due to his towering height (and her very short height), she had to look downward again to shield her eyes from the falling snowflakes.
"What do you do?" Max glanced down at the petite woman—she kept looking around the markets with a smile on her face. Seeing the smile on her lips, Max couldn't help but notice the dimples on her cheeks.
"I own a jewelry brand," she responded.
"Really? That sounds exciting," Max nodded. "How did you come up with the idea to start your own brand?"
"Well, I've always loved jewelry, but finding pieces that were minimalistic, affordable, and of high quality was hard. I don't come from a wealthy family, and I needed to work for everything I had or wanted since I was fifteen," she said. "Then, during the pandemic, I decided to start my own small business. It really blew up on my social media. Now I have twenty-four employees and a small boutique in Paris," Holly responded with only a little hint of pride in her voice. Max thought to himself that she was downplaying her achievements. This was truly impressive, though!
"That's amazing, Holly. You should be proud of yourself for doing something like this. Really."
Holly couldn't help but feel her cheeks turning scarlet. His words made her look up at him and ignore the snowflakes falling into her eyes. "Thanks, Max. I really appreciate it."
"Sure," he nodded with a smile. "By the way, we've been here for forty minutes. It's time to leave."
