Page 79 of The Christmas Keepsake
“I haven’t asked, but… Well, I don’t think Aunt Mauve will let us both stay.” Daisy was sheepish.
“You both can stay here. Of course, you can,” I told her, my heart bursting at the idea of having my daughter back.
“That’s not what I’m asking,” Daisy said, lowering her gaze. “I want to go back.”
“Oh.” Time slowed as my mind raced.
“Please,” Daisy whispered.
She was asking us to take her daughter so that she could return to chasing foolish dreams. She’d always accused me of loving the theater more than her, but hereshe was, loving the idea of being a famous actress more than the one of a loving mother.
I opened my arms and took the tiny human, holding her against my chest. Tears slid over my cheeks as I looked down at her.
“Her name is Mallory,” Daisy said quietly. Then she turned and walked away without looking back.
Life is a lot like theater. Full of unexpected plot twists, moments of high drama, and the occasional intermission. And, if it’s a good play, there’ll be a happy ending.
Mallory, you grew out of those little pink booties, but they are so precious to me. So much so that I made one into an ornament for my Memory Tree. When I see the tiny sock, my mind immediately goes to the first moment I met you. I knew life after that day would never be the same.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The theater is a weapon, and it is the people who should wield it.
—Augusto Boal
Mallory unlocked her front door, tired from the night’s festivities but also worried. She checked her phone again—still no response from Hollis. It wasn’t like him to go silent, especially when he’d promised to be at the event.
She kicked off her shoes and left them beside the door. Then she pulled up Savannah’s contact and paced the living room as the phone rang in her ear.
“Hey, Mal,” Savannah finally answered. “I just heard what happened. How’s Hollis?”
Mallory pulled the ponytail tie from her hair, letting her locks fall free along her shoulders. “What do you mean? I haven’t heard from him all night. He was supposed to be at the Memory Oaks event but never showed. Is he okay?” It was amazing how many worst-case scenarios could fill her mind in the time it took to ask the question and wait on Savannah’s answer.
“You didn’t know? Evan just spoke to Dr. Lynch. That’s the only way he knew.”
“Dr. Lynch,” Mallory repeated, pausing her pacing to stand still and try to process this information. “The veterinarian?”
“Yeah. Hollis rushed Duke to the emergency vet tonight. She said Hollis was upset, and she called Evan to check on him. She told Evan that Hollis was going to be searching for Buster.”
Mallory combed her fingers through the front of her hair. “Why? Is Buster missing?”
“You know as much as me now,” Savannah said. “Evan tried to call Hollis too, but he’s not responding.”
Mallory’s heart sank. “Duke means everything to Hollis.”
“I know,” Savannah said softly.
Mallory glanced at the clock—nearly midnight. As much as she wanted to rush to Hollis’s side, she doubted she’d be able to find him anyway. She knew from experience that when a person wanted to be alone, they’d find a way to disappear, just like she’d done in Eleanor’s Little Free Library. “Thanks for filling me in.”
“I kind of just assumed you already knew,” Savannah said. “Worrisome that he’s not answering you or Evan.”
Yeah. Mallory was even more worried, now that she knew it wasn’t just her that Hollis was avoiding. “I’ll drive by his house and check on him first thing tomorrow before my hospital shift.”
“I’m glad you’re being sensible and not trying to go over there now. There’s the most responsible friend I know,” Savannah teased.
Responsible. That was her.
After disconnecting, Mallory sat on her couch and debated throwing responsibility out the window and going out in the dark woods to look for Buster herself. It was a recipe for disaster though. The North Carolina woods had black bears and coyotes, and she had no clue where Buster’s last known location was to even decide where to begin looking. Feeling helpless, she fired off one more text:
