Page 51 of The Christmas Keepsake
Mallory stared at the discard pile. The things there were physical representations of the memories that Nan was losing. Savannah was right. Trashing them wasn’t the right thing to do. Mallory wasn’t sure what was, which was becoming a theme in her life these days.
“Subject change,” Savannah said, visibly perking up. “I need the deets on what’s going on with you and Hollis. Are you two official yet?”
Mallory rolled her eyes, even as she felt a small smile lift the corners of her lips. “We’ve had one date, Sav.” Mallory held up a finger for emphasis. “One.”
“And? Are you going out again?” Savannah leaned in as Mallory narrowed her eyes.
“I’m on to you. You didn’t come to help. You came over to interrogate me.”
Savannah laughed. “Isn’t that what friends do? Interrogation. Aka, best friend talk.”
Mallory sighed. “I have too much going on in my life right now. Too much uncertainty. Hollis and I are just having fun. That’s all.”
“Fun?” Disappointment flashed in her expression. “Does he know that?”
“Of course. His life is the same as mine.”
Savannah looked confused. “What are you talking about? Hollishas had the same job since he was a teenager. He’s as steady as they come these days. Or do you know something I don’t?”
Mallory tossed another card in the bin. “See? More interrogation. Why don’t you tell me about what’s going on with you and Evan?” Mallory effectively flipped the conversation to Savannah and partly listened as she cleared out the bottom drawer of the desk and her thoughts splintered into a million directions, one of which was Hollis and the date they’d had this past weekend.
Before she knew it, an hour had passed and Jimmy knocked on the office door, looking less friendly than he had earlier.
“Hi, Jimmy. Everything okay?” Mallory asked, her heart dropping as she took in his demeanor. Instead of smiling, he wore a deep frown that made him look ten years older.
“Afraid not.”
“What is it?” She really couldn’t take any more bad news, but from the look on Jimmy’s face, that’s exactly what she was about to receive.
Jimmy glanced at Savannah and back to Mallory. “Maybe we should discuss this privately?”
Savannah shook her head and reached for Mallory’s hand. “I know you like to handle things on your own, but I’m not allowing it. I’m staying.”
Mallory was relieved by Sav’s insistence. It was getting harder to carry life’s burdens on her own. “Thank you,” she whispered before turning to Jimmy. “Bad news before the good. Give me the bad news first.”
His frown deepened. “I’m sorry to say there is no good news.”
Once Jimmy had left, Mallory paced back and forth in the empty theater, her heels echoing off the worn wooden stage. Her hands shook as she ran them through her hair, her mind racing with panic.
“What am I going to do, Sav? You heard Jimmy. The theater isn’tsafe for the production. There are leaks in the pipes, and some of the wood under the flooring is wet. There’s mold in the air. We can’t perform here. All this work, all Nan’s hopes… it’s all falling apart.”
“Just stop for a second,” Savannah said. “Stop pacing and look at me.”
Mallory gulped a breath and faced her best friend.
“We’ll figure something out, okay?” Savannah said. “It’s not the end of the world.”
No. Just the end of a world that Nan had created. A world that Mallory had grown up in and had adored.
“I’ve been killing myself trying to make this work. Every night, I’m up worrying about money, about Nan, about this damn play. And now… now it’s all for nothing!” They probably wouldn’t even be able to sell the theater, which meant no money to keep Nan at Memory Oaks. This was the worst possible news.
“It’s not for nothing,” Savannah said firmly, getting up and stepping closer to her friend. “You’ve been doing an amazing job. We’ll put our brains together and figure it out. Maybe Maddie has an idea. I’m sure she’d want to know what’s going on.”
Mallory nibbled on her fingernail. “Maddie won’t be sad that we’ll have to cancel. Trust me.”
“Cancel? Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” Savannah asked.
Mallory didn’t think so. If the theater was shut down, then so wasSanta, Baby. The actors would be so disappointed. Everyone would.
