Page 27 of The Christmas Keepsake
Mallory turned and waved, turning back to Hollis excitedly. Once again, her face was close.
Linda had put on a great party, but she’d forgotten one detail that Hollis wished he had right now—mistletoe. An excuse to kiss the woman in front of him was all he needed.
Someone tapped on his shoulder. “Mind if I cut in, young man?”
Hollis turned to see Nan standing there holding onto a rolling walker. Her eyes were twinkling as she met his gaze.
“Of course not, Nan,” he said, surprised to see her.
“Grandma!” Mallory released her hold on Hollis and cautiously gave Nan a hug. “Hi.” She pulled back and looked at Nan.
Hollis worried for a moment that Nan might get frustrated if she didn’t recognize Mallory.
“Excuse me, dear.” Nan smiled brightly. “I hope you don’t mind if I steal your date for a dance?”
Mallory shared a glance with Hollis. “Oh. Of course not.” She gave Hollis a nod. “In fact, I think I’m going to go find Pop to dance with.”
As Hollis began to dance with Nan, he waited to see what she would say.
“I went to a dance once,” she finally said, looking up at him. “I think.” Her brow wrinkled.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Mm.” She looked younger as she swayed, lost somewhere between her past and the present moment. “I don’t remember his name, but I recall how he made me feel.”
“How’s that?” Hollis asked, encouraging her to keep talking.
Nan held on to him firmly as the festive music played. “Love feels like falling. Terrifying and futile to try and stop.” She closed her eyes for a moment.
Hollis wondered if she was thinking of Mickey. Of course, she was. That was her late husband. As they swayed, her eyes closed, her wrinkles seemed to soften, and an expression of peace washed over her.
“I’m floating,” she said quietly.
Hollis suspected she was lost in a memory when usually she was lost without them. He didn’t let go when the song ended, and neither did she. Not until she looked at him again, a thin sheen of tears in her eyes. “Nan? You okay?”
She looked confused and upset, and Hollis’s stomach knotted in dread.
“Nan,” a man’s voice said from somewhere behind Hollis.
Hollis turned toward his grandfather, who’d tapped his shoulder. “Pop.”
“May I have this dance?” Pop asked.
For a moment, Hollis thought his grandfather wanted to dance with him. But then Pop reached for Nan’s hand, and Hollis stepped away.
Nan’s confusion shifted subtly as she looked at her new dance partner, her eyes becoming clearer. Nan and Pop had always known each other. They’d both grown up in Bloom. Even so, most were strangers to Nan these days, and Hollis hesitated to leave Pop to possibly upset Nan.
“Don’t you have someone else to go find?” Pop glanced over his shoulder and winked at Hollis. “I think I saw her at the punch bowl.”
Hollis turned to look in that direction, and sure enough, Mallory was there, preparing a cup of bright red punch. He looked at Pop again, but his grandfather and Nan were fine. Laughing even.
“Thank you for the dance, young man,” Nan said, and Hollis got the message. He wasn’t needed, not here. Instead, he was needed more at the refreshments table. Or, rather, whatheneeded was there.
The rest of the evening passed in a whirl of music and laughter. Hollis found himself dancing with resident after resident, each one eager to share their splintered memories of Christmases past. He even danced with Eleanor as Mallory danced with her grandpa Charlie.
“You need to come visit me sometime soon. We’ll have a cup of tea, and I’ll loan you a book,” Eleanor said, holding on to him tightly. She’d fractured her pelvis a couple of years back, and Hollis knew she was still a little unsteady on her feet.
“Not sure I’ll have much time for reading in the future,” he said honestly.
