Page 73 of Holly Ever After

She leans back, clearly relishing the attention. “Her name is Erica. We met at a charity event a few months back, and we just clicked, you know? But we're both busy people. She's in finance and travels a lot for work, and I've got my hands full grading papers and planning lessons, so we just haven't committed to making it a thing yet.”

“Busy people? Jackie, you're a school teacher who complains about having to wake up before 10 a.m. on weekends. You have time,” I tease.

She snorts. “Speak for yourself, Miss Bestselling Author who's been cooped up in a cabin, too busy to even return my texts.”

“Okay, okay, you've got me there,” I admit, feeling the heaviness in my chest lighten ever so slightly.

“So,” she says, leaning in with a mischievous glint in her eye, “Are we both just tragically terrible at relationships, or what?”

I let out a laugh, this time a genuine one. “Speak for yourself. I was tragically terrible at something that wasn't even a relationship. You, at least, have something going.”

“Fair point.”

We both sip our cocoa, letting a comfortable silence settle over us. For the first time today, I feel like maybe, just maybe, things might eventually be okay. Not today, perhaps not even tomorrow, but someday.

“So, what now?” she finally asks, her tone softening. “What are you going to do?”

I sigh, staring down into the cocoa as if it holds the answers. “There’s nothing to do. I’ll have to speak to him again because this town isn’t big enough for both of us.”

She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Whatever you decide, you know I've got your back, right?”

I look up, meeting her sincere gaze. “I know. Thank you.”

“We could always go out and get drunk…or stay in and get drunk?”

I laugh. “I’m not quite at that stage just yet. Give me twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”

“It’s a date.”

Twenty-Nine

After leaving Jackie's place, my mood is only slightly improved. She always has a way of lifting me up, but some weights are just too heavy to fully shake off. As I sit in my car, keys in the ignition but not yet turned, I take a moment to just breathe.

I finally muster the courage to glance at my phone. My eyes immediately dart to the notification screen. Several text messages and missed calls, all within the span of a few hours. But not one from Sean. Instead, it's my family—mostly my father and Mark. My heart leaps in a strange blend of relief and worry. Relief because, in this fragile state, I don't think I can handle any more interactions with Sean; worry because multiple missed calls from family usually mean bad news.

I tap to call my father back, my fingers shaky as they touch the screen. The phone rings twice before he picks up.

“Holly? Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you.”

His voice is tinged with a sharp anxiety I don't often hear. My stomach sinks.

“Dad, what's wrong? What happened?”

“It's Brenda,” he pauses, taking a deep breath as if bracing himself for the words he has to say next. “She had a fall when Sean came to pick her up. She's in the hospital.”

My heart drops into my stomach, making it churn. Despite everything that happened with Sean, Brenda has always been a constant, a source of warmth and kindness in my life. I can't imagine her in a hospital bed.

“Which hospital is she in? I'm going there right now.”

“St. Michael's, room 237. But Holly, she’s going to be fine. You don't have to—”

“I'm going, Dad. I have to see her.”

I don't wait for his reply, hanging up and jamming the keys into the ignition. As I navigate through the streets, my thoughts are a messy swirl of worry for Brenda, guilt over my unresolved tension with Sean, and frustration at how complicated everything has become.

Pulling into the hospital parking lot, I take a few shaky breaths to steady myself before heading inside.

I make my way to her room. The door is slightly ajar, and I hesitate, my hand hovering over the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, I gently push the door open and step inside.

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