Page 66 of The Christmas Keepsake
Evan pushed his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. “It was hard when June came to live with me after her mom passed. June wanted to live with her grandma on the WestCoast. Her grandma wanted her to live there too. Some part of me wondered if a good man would let his daughter go where her heart wanted to be. If I was a bad man for keeping her with me. Another part told me that a good man would care for his daughter.”
“Of course,” Hollis said.
“What I realized is there is no black and white. It’s all gray. A good man weighs his choices and does what he thinks is best, hurting as few people as possible in the process.”
Hollis shook his head. “People are hurt either way.” He kicked the dirt at his feet. “I guess the path forward is the one that hurts me and not them.”
“Being the martyr is never the answer.” Evan patted his back. “Leveling the tree farm is absurd. You love the farm the same way Pop does. And it’ll allow you to take in the dogs. Matt will understand. Just sit down and talk it out.”
Hollis shrugged. Talking to Matt was definitely the right thing to do, but disappointing or upsetting Matt was the last thing he ever wanted. “You thought we were going to discuss Mal and me, huh?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Claus. That’s cute, buddy,” Evan said in a teasing tone. “Real cute.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Hollis’s bad mood lifted a touch just thinking about Mallory.
“See?” Evan pointed in his direction. “There’s always a bright side, right? And I’m sure there’s a solution to this other situation. I mean, you have two men wanting to leave their life’s work to you. That’s a good problem to have.”
It didn’t feel good though. “Yeah.” He glanced over. “You haven’t gotten your tree yet. Don’t tell me you’re buying from the competition. Or worse, using an artificial tree.”
“Never. I wouldn’t dare pick out the tree without Savannah though. Picking out a tree is one of the most romantic dates a guy can plan with his other half.”
“Other half? Wow.” Hollis rubbed a hand along his cheek. “I’m still adjusting to the fact that my best friend says things like that. It’s a bit cheesy, if you ask me.”
Evan elbowed him. “Just wait. You’ll be speaking the same language this time next year.”
“What language is that?”
“The language of the happy and in love. If I was a betting man…”
Hollis humored him. “I think you are. What’re we betting?”
Evan looked at him thoughtfully. “If I win, you have to read one of the classic novels that my senior students read.”
Hollis’s best friend was a high school English teacher, but it wasn’t a shared interest. “All right.” Hollis nodded. “If I win, you have to adopt one of my rescue dogs next year.”
Evan side-eyed him. “I have a new puppy at home you know. Or my daughter does. Adding another dog to the mix is a big ask.”
Hollis shrugged. “And I only read thrillers and have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to books. Reading Dickens is a bigger ask.”
Evan stuck out his hand. “You’ll be whispering cheesy sweet nothings next year, so I’ll win this bet. Nothing for me to worry about.”
During Wednesday night’s dress rehearsal, Hollis stepped onstage in full Santa costume and faced Mallory. She was radiating a brightness he wished he could take credit for. He suspected a large part of her shift in mood was from running the theater. Directing. Even acting.
“It’s not up to you to make the whole world full of children happy, Santa,” Mallory said, reciting a line that Nan had written fifty years ago. She looked at him expectantly, making him realize that he had a line to deliver.
“I know,” he finally said, realizing that this role was made for him right now. He felt just like Santa, trying to satisfy everyone’s wish lists and neglecting himself. “Making others happy is what makes me happy.”
Mallory stepped closer and laid her hand on his shoulder. It was part of the stage directions. “All year long, you take care of everyone else. It’s my job as Mrs. Claus to take care of you.”
He looked at her, all dressed up in her costume, but all he saw was the girl he’d grown up with and the woman he had grown to love. “And then, if I’m caring for the children of the world and you’re caring for me… who’s caring for you, Mrs. Claus?”
He watched Mallory’s role slip for just a moment and wondered if she’d just felt the same way he did. These lines were hitting close to home. Stepping toward her, he touched her cheek. It was also part of the stage directions, but she was looking at him differently. “There’s so much on our shoulders. I just want to make sure that the most important thing to me isn’t forgotten behind all the ribbons and bows.”
Mallory’s eyes filled with tears. Either she was a good actress, which he knew she was, or these words were resonating in her personal life. “I can take care of myself.”
He tipped his head toward her. That wasn’t a line Nan had written. Not even close. She was supposed to say she didn’t worry about being behind the scenes because Santa would always return home after his long trip around the world. “I know,” Hollis said, responding to Mallory’s unscripted line. “But I’m an expert in gift-giving, and sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone is allowing them to care for you. That’s what I want this Christmas.” He cleared his throat and got back on the script. “And after flying around the world, just know I’ll be back to do exactly that because you’re my greatest gift, Mrs. Claus.”
Applause rang out from the small audience for the dress rehearsalmade up of stagehands and understudies. Hollis doubted they’d even caught that change in lines.
