Page 43 of The Christmas Keepsake
Mallory tilted her head. “You’d even take the roles of the ladies in ball gowns? I’m not sure I have a gown that will fit you.”
Hollis loved the teasing glint in her eyes, a spark of life, even though the burden on her shoulders was heavy lately. “How about we just keep the actresses in the fancy gowns happy so that they don’t quit.”
“Probably a good idea.”
“Yeah.” Nervousness bubbled up inside him. “I have another good idea.”
She lifted a brow. “Do tell.”
“Hot chocolate,” he said.
“Now?” She looked taken aback.
“Why not now? I’m always in the mood for hot chocolate in the winter. Plus we have a lot to celebrate.”
“Celebrate?” she repeated, looking unconvinced. “What are we celebrating?”
“You. The way you’ve been such a rock star in organizing this play. Your grandmother would be so proud of you. You’re making plans to take care of her, and you’re basically just kicking butt being you.”
Mallory crossed her arms over her chest. “First off, the play is a mess. I’ve already had two people drop out, one because they don’t believe in my ability to pull this off. And the only way to take care of Nan is to sell the place she loved the most in the whole world, whichmy sister, Maddie, is in favor of. We’re selling our grandmother’s legacy.”
“Well, in my mind, you’re a rock star,” Hollis said. “And rock stars deserve hot cocoa. So what do you say?”
Mallory glanced around the empty theater and looked at him again. “Only if I can pay. I owe you so much at this point. Not only for me, but for connecting Maddie with your friend. She’s texted me a few pictures this past week. She’s cycling again. And she’s talking about rock climbing.” Mallory released a laugh. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Nervous, but in a good way.”
“There’s a difference between being excited for others and doing things for yourself, to fulfill yourself.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“What makes you happy? That’s what I’m interested in.”
Chapter Thirteen
Life is a play that does not allow testing. So, sing, cry, dance, laugh, and live intensely, before the curtain closes and the piece ends with no applause.
—Charlie Chaplin
While sitting up in bed, Mallory lowered Nan’s journal to her lap and leaned her head back against the wall. There was so much she never knew about Nan’s life. How amazing that she was meeting the younger version of her grandmother as the older version was slowly disappearing inside herself.
Closing the journal, Mallory placed it on the nightstand beside her. She was forcing herself to read just one entry at a time, no more. She wanted to savor these stories. She was about to turn the bedside lamp off and go to sleep when her cell phone vibrated against the table’s glass surface. Mallory flicked her gaze at the clock. Ten p.m. She reached for her phone and glanced at the screen.
Hollis:Good night. Thanks for having cocoa with me earlier.
Their outing had been brief on purpose. Otherwise, Hollis might have considered it a date. Nan had warned Mallory againstfalling for him when they were younger, before the thought had even crossed Mallory’s mind.
“I love Hollis. I do,” Nan told Mallory with a small frown. “But he’s had a hard life. Hollis has been hurt far more than we even know. And the thing that life has taught me is that hurt people hurt others. It’s just the way of life. That boy has never had love so he’ll never know what to do with it when some foolish woman hands him her heart.”
Foolish woman.
Mallory remembered being shocked by the phrase. From Mallory’s experience, Nan wasn’t a judgmental person. Now that Mallory had started reading Nan’s story, however, Mallory wondered if Nan had been thinking of herself when she’d said those words: hurt people hurt people. Nan had been hurt in her life, and Mallory was only beginning to learn the depths of that pain. Nan had never hurt anyone though. Or Mallory wouldn’t have thought her grandmother would have.
Even though Mallory had ignored her attraction for Hollis, when she was around him, her heart still kicked a little harder. She’d enjoyed having hot cocoa with him tonight. He’d flirted with her, but he hadn’t done anything out of line. Hollis was a complete gentleman.
Maybe Nan wasn’t right about everything. Maybe Hollis had been hurt in his childhood, but Matt and Sandy had been good to him. Mallory believed that people changed. She believed that loved conquered all. She had also believed that, if her heart was in the right place, everything would turn out okay, and look where that Pollyanna-mindset had gotten her.
Picking up her phone, Mallory tapped out a reply to Hollis.
Mallory:I enjoyed it as well.
