Page 15 of A Christmas For Holly

Where was my anger?

Why the hell was Paul Hollister in Wishing Tree? Was he visiting Kai? Why didn’t I know that? The Haynes/Buchanans were all in each other’s business in various group chats, and I would have known Paul Hollister was in town. What did he want here? My mind raced, but before I could answer those questions, my niece tugged at my hand, pulling me back to the present.

“Uncle Lucas, can we build snowmen this weekend?” Alice asked, her voice full of that innocent excitement only kids have.

I tore my eyes away from Holly and forced a smile. “Of course, we can, squirt.”

I laughed, ruffling her hair as we walked back toward the bookstore. The shock of seeing Holly lingered in the back of my mind, but I shoved it down, focusing on Alice and the normalcy of the moment.

As we approached the bookstore, I glanced across the street at The Gift Emporium, which I co-ran with my brother, Duncan. I saw him inside, busy serving customers, and checked my watch—ten minutes before I was supposed to head over for my shift.

We stepped inside The Story Lantern, and Brooke was already heading my way. A sleepy Willow was on her hip.

“She fell asleep,” Brooke whispered and kissed Willow’s head. “So, I stayed to take Alice home.”

“You sure? Do you need my help with anything?”

“We’re all good. It’s N-A-P time,” Brooke mouthed the last part, smiling at me. “We’ll see you at the planning meeting?”

Planning? Shit, yeah, the meeting for the Parade of Light planning committee, the one I’d called, last-minute details.

Get your head straight, idiot.

“Of course,” I nodded.

She glanced at me curiously, but I smiled and waved as she left with her girls. Then, I headed to the back of the store. I needed a moment to process what had happened.

I found a quiet corner near the history section, away from the bustling customers and the cheerful chaos of the children’s area. I needed to ask Kai or Bailey what Holly was doing here, and I pulled out my phone, scrolling to our chat as Bailey’s name appeared on the screen.

BAILEY: Can you call me, Lucas? We need a favor. :)

I loved how Bailey used punctuation in his messaging, always throwing in a smiley face like a signature. That was Bailey—forever happy in his world and even happier now that he was married and settled with Kai.

I called, not bothering to text first. “What’s up? Is everything okay?” I asked as soon as he answered, a little sharper than I intended.

He was the youngest of the four Haynes boys, and if he were asking for help, then you’d better believe Duncan, Callum, or I would be at his side.

“Hey,” Bailey replied, his voice sounding tired and raspy. “It’s all good; I’ve got Kai’s flu…” He paused to cough, the sound rough and lingering. “Sorry, Kai’s sleeping, and I’m…” He stopped and sighed, the exhaustion evident in his voice.

“Bailey, you sound like you need to be in bed too,” I said.

“Yeah, maybe.” He laughed, though it soon turned into another cough. “But Boots keeps trying to snuggle with Kai, and I’m trying to keep him out of the room. Hey, Boots, leave Kai alone,” he whispered, and I could picture him shooing the cat away with a wave of his hand. “Anyway, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure, what’s up?” I asked.

“I got a message just now, or at least Kai did. It was… garbled, but it was Holly’s number. He said he’s in town, and Ithinkhe means Wishing Tree, but I’m not sure, and now he’s not answering any of my calls or ones from Kai's number.” Bailey’s voice dropped to a quieter tone, likely to avoid waking Kai. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you keep an eye out for him? And if you see him, just make sure he’s okay. He might not even be in town at all.”

“Oh, he’s here,” I confirmed.

“You’ve spoken to him?” Bailey sounded hopeful.

“Nope, seen him, though.”And his stupid-ass car.

“Thank god he’s okay. Can you find out where he’s staying? I’d do it myself, but…”

“Go to bed, and not in a fun way. I got this,” I finished for him. “I’ll find him.”

“Lucas?”

---