Page 3 of The Christmas Keepsake
Hollis’s grimace shifted to a tiny grin. “You know that’s the pot calling the kettle black, right?” He relaxed his hold on his leg andlowered it to the bed. “Says the nurse who cares for everyone around her except herself.”
Mallory and Hollis had known each other since they were kids, and Hollis was best friends with Evan, who was married to Mal’s best friend. Over the years, they’d had their fair share of feuds, but they were on friendly terms now. “Tell me what happened?”
“I’m not one to startle easily, but the dog lunged at me. I stumbled backward into a pile of lumber, one piece of which had a six-inch nail bent at the perfect angle to rip my leg open.”
Mallory flinched. “Ouch.”
“Ouch is an understatement.”
“I’ll try to be gentle, but I can’t promise this won’t hurt,” she said.
He grinned some more, which wasn’t the response she normally got when she warned a patient of pain.
“Then I won’t promise not to scream.”
“This hall has been a mixture of screams all evening.” Her shoulders slumped. “Forget the pumpkin pie. All I want for Thanksgiving is peace and quiet… Are you up-to-date on your tetanus shot?”
“I’ve been working construction since I was eighteen. Do you realize how many times I’ve been in this ER?”
Mallory laughed at the question. The ER wasn’t her regular department, but she knew that Hollis had been all-boy and was now all-guy. “If I had to guess, you probably have a bench named after you somewhere.”
He watched her intently as she worked, swiping the wound with alcohol wipes and dousing it with antibacterial ointment. “Rehearsals forSanta, Babystart this weekend, right?” he asked as she applied the bandage.
Her gaze flicked up. “Yep. Please tell me you’re not backing out too.”
Hollis hadn’t held an acting role since he was fifteen, but hemanaged the stage props and did a lot of the heavy lifting. If he backed out, she swore she’d scream.
“Too?” he asked, narrowing his eyes as he tilted his head.
Mallory kept her focus on his wound. Now that it was clean, she reached for a bandage. “Mrs. Corban messaged me yesterday. I tried to get Maddie to take the open spot, but she’s got other priorities right now.”
“The newlywed life,” Hollis said with a nod, absently scratching the side of his beard. “Sam mentioned to me that Maddie missed being active, so I reached out to a friend of mine from my juvie days and connected her with Maddie.”
Juvie meaning when Hollis had been locked away in juvenile detention during his late teens.
“Renee is heavily involved in adaptive sports, and she runs a group here in Bloom and the surrounding communities,” Hollis said. “I think she could help Maddie find her groove again.”
Mallory looked up from his bandage. It had never occurred to her, but of course Maddie would be missing the outdoor activities that she’d always enjoyed. “That is so nice of you. Do you sleep?”
His brow lifted in question.
“You’re doing construction, rescuing and training dogs, doing stage work for the theater, and helping my sister find a new outlet. And,” she said, lifting a finger, “every time I visit Nan, you’re there visiting Pop.” Pop was Hollis’s foster grandfather.
“I can sleep when I’m old and gray. What about you?” he asked. “Why don’t you take that role in the play?”
Mallory shook her head. “I’m the director. I feel like I’m doing enough without taking on an acting role too.” Too much actually. Standing from the stool, she turned and started to walk toward the small metal rolling cart along the wall. She didn’t need anything specific, just space because the weight of responsibility on her shoulders was heavy, and sometimes it felt hard to breathe.
Hollis touched her hand before she stepped out of reach. “Hey. I know how hard you work, and I’ve seen how often you visit Nan when not many others do. I’ve watched how much you’ve supported Maddie since her accident, and even Savannah with her autoimmune condition. You’re everyone’s rock.”
Suddenly, she felt seen in a way she hadn’t been in a long time. Not since Nan had a clearer mind. “Then why are you questioning me about acting in the play?”
“I just remember how much you used to love being onstage, until I ruined it for you.” He looked down and then flinched, reminding Mallory that he was in pain.
“I’m going to need to glue this gash of yours.”
“It’s that deep?” he asked.
“Yep, and you’ll have a nice, new scar to match all the others. It’s not fair that men get sexier with scars and women have to cover ours with makeup.” The realization that she’d just called Hollis sexy hit her with a quick surge of heat through her cheeks.
