Page 32 of The Christmas Keepsake
“They’d say a whole lot,” he agreed, his voice low, making Mallory lean in. “These walls might tell on me.”
Mallory shook her head. “What do you mean?”
He looked off to the side and then back to her. “I didn’t go after school for Nan’s milk and cookies. Or for the help with my homework.”
Mallory crinkled her brow. “You certainly weren’t here for the plays. You begrudgingly took that role Nan gave you when we were fifteen.”
Hollis stared at her.
“Why did you come here every day?” she asked, suspecting she knew the answer.
Hollis opened his mouth, but before he could respond, the theater door opened again and three more cast members filed in noisily.
She greeted them, and when she looked at Hollis again, his back was to her and he was walking over to the table against the wall where she’d set up supplies for the night.
“Okay, everyone,” Mallory said. “I have scripts printed for all of you. Hollis will hand them to you.” She pointed. “Grab yourself a copy and start reacquainting yourself with your lines. It’s been a year since some of you have read them, and some of you are completely new. We’ll do a table reading once everyone has arrived. There is coffee in the pot on the table as well. And cookies. Help yourselves.”
Most of the actors were the original cast ofSanta, Baby, but some folks had moved. A couple had passed away. And a few were unable to reclaim their roles due to personal situations. That’s why Hollis was there to play Santa.
She knew he never wanted to act in another play. Not after the way he royally messed things up that one year as a teenager. He didn’t trust himself. Mallory trusted him though.
She stood there and watched Hollis as he prepared a plate of cookies and chatted with her Grandpa Charlie and Eleanor. Charlie had been in the play for the past decade, but not his new wife. In fact, until last year, Eleanor hadn’t gotten out of her house very much at all. She and Charlie were good for each other.
Savannah was here too, standing near the coffeepot, showing off her diamond ring to Maria Linley.
I wish Nan was here.
The thought sent Mallory’s mood into a nosedive. Nan wasn’t gone-gone. Mallory couldn’t grieve in a traditional sense because she still had Nan in her life, and Mallory was thankful for that. But Nan wasn’t the same woman who’d nurtured and raised Mallory anymore. She was different. The memories that made her who she used to be were gone.
More folks filed into the theater lobby until there were fourteen actors and two understudies for the larger roles. Once everyone had arrived, Mallory led them all to the Reading Room, which was one large open space with a long rectangular table where everyone sat and read through the entire script aloud. As the director, Mallory sat at the table’s head, where Nan usually sat.
The meeting essentially ran itself. Everyone here knew what to do, and Mallory was pleased that all the actors seemed to take their roles seriously, already delivering their lines with an appropriate level of emotion. When it came time for Hollis to say his lines, he ducked his head, seeming to hide behind the hand he had raised to his forehead.
“Ho, ho, ho!” he belted.
Giggles broke out around the room.
“Now, Hollis, don’t go spoiling this play like you did that one time,” a middle-aged woman, Esther Woods, said with obvious disdain.
All the actors around the table froze, their eyes wide as theyglanced at Hollis. He’d done his best to redeem himself, but it was difficult to live down anything in a small town.
Clearing his throat, he looked up and said, “I don’t intend to spoil anything. I read my line, didn’t I?”
“If you’re embarrassed to play the part, tell us now so we can find a new Santa,” Esther went on, ignoring him.
Mallory wondered if she should step in, but Hollis put on his usual charm.
“No need for that,” he assured the woman.
Esther turned to Mallory. “As the director, I’m sure you understand that it’s your job to ensure this play runs smoothly, the way Nan would have wanted it.”
Mallory’s lips parted. If she remembered correctly, Hollis had pranked Esther a few times in his rebellious youth, which probably played a role in her distaste for him. “I think Nan would approve of Hollis filling the role of Santa. She was a big believer in second chances.”
“Not as much as she believed in this theater.”
The actor seated next to Esther laid a hand on the woman’s arm and leaned to whisper something in her ear.
“Fine,” Esther finally huffed before fluttering a hand in the air. “Let’s move on with this reading.”
