Page 95 of The Christmas Keepsake
“Hollis told me. It’s not my barn anymore though. It’s his. I know he’ll take care of the place.”
Mallory knew that too.
“A play in a barn? How unusual,” Nan commented. “Was there hay everywhere?”
“A little here and there,” Mallory said. “It added charm.”
“You’ll have to take me next time,” Nan said. Then she looked at Pop. “Or maybe you could take me. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Pop reached for Nan’s hand and gave it a squeeze, causing Mallory’s heart to squeeze too. “We’re good friends.”
Nan’s cheeks flushed.
“Actually, Nan,” Mallory said, “we’re planning to perform the play here next weekend.” Francis had agreed to host, and the cast had all agreed as well.
Nan drew a hand to her chest. “A play? Here?” She looked at Pop and reached for his hand. “Ralph, did you hear that?”
Pop slid his gaze to meet Mallory’s, maybe wondering if she knew his shared history with Nan. Mallory hadn’t, but she did now. And she was so grateful. “I did hear it, Nan,” he said. “Want to be my date?”
Nan looked pleased by the invitation.
Mallory felt like she was eavesdropping on two young lovebirds. “I, um, need to go. I was only dropping in to say hello.” As she rose to leave, Nan caught her hand with surprising strength. “You should visit more often, dear. Every day if you can. This is a wonderful place to be.”
The words resonated through Mallory like a struck bell. Nan was always right, even when lost in her current fog. Memory Oaks wasn’t an ending place. It was where life continued to unfold, where connections deepened, where love persisted against all odds. Where memories settled like old friends.
Mallory’s pace picked up along with her resolution as she approached the front desk again. “Francis? I think I do know someone who may be interested.”
Francis looked up from her paperwork. “You do? Who?”
Mallory’s heart raced with sudden certainty. “Me.”
Francis’s eyebrows shot up. “You?”
“I’ll bring my résumé by later today,” Mallory promised. “But first, I need to see a man about a Christmas tree.”
Back in her car, Mallory gripped the steering wheel as emotions crashed over her. Her grandmother’s story had taught her so much—about love, about timing, about courage. When you find real love, you don’t let it slip away. You grab it with both hands. You fight for it with everything you have.
Yes, Hollis had let Mallory down once. Or twice. But no one else challenged her the way he did or supported her dreams as fiercely. No one else saw straight through her defenses to the person she truly was—and loved her anyway. No one else made her feel so completely herself.
She turned her car toward Popadine’s Christmas Tree Farm, her grandmother’s journal entries echoing in her mind. Life was too short for holding back, too precious for pride. The past had given her its lessons. Now it was time for Mallory to write her own love story.
As she drove, more snowflakes began to fall, dusting the world in possibilities. Mallory’s excitement grew, her assuredness, leaving her more certain with every mile. Sometimes the greatest Christmas gifts weren’t wrapped in paper and bows. The best ornaments weren’t store bought, but instead little sentimental trinkets. Sometimes the best roles weren’t played out onstage, but in a barn, in real life. At least that’s what Mallory was hoping as she cut the engine and stepped out of her car.
Buster darted in her direction first. Trained, Duke waited for Hollis to give him the okay. Duke was slower than normal, still healing from his injuries. Both dogs greeted Mallory with tail wags, sniffing her hands and legs as she stood there, waiting for Hollis to slowly approach.
“I’m so sorry, Mal,” he began.
She raised a hand to stop him. “Here’s the deal. Next time life goes sideways, you need to promise to turn to me, okay?”
“I promise.” He reached for her hand and held it in his. “You can lean on me and vice versa. Just like Santa and Mrs. Claus.”
Mallory liked the sound of that. “Did you know thatSanta, Babywas really about Nan and her first love?”
Hollis crinkled his forehead in a thoughtful expression. “I didn’t know that.”
“Mm-hmm. This holiday season has brought quite the revelations.”
He stared at her. “I have a revelation of my own. I love you, Mal.”
