Page 56 of The Christmas Keepsake
“Where do you want me to take you?” he asked once he was behind the steering wheel. I heard the tremor in his voice. He was worried that I’d leave.
I laid the rattle in the middle console and reached for Mickey’s hand. “Take me home. Our home.”
Chapter Seventeen
I am confused by life, and I feel safe within the confines of theatre.
—Helen Hayes
Mallory swiped tears from her cheeks as she clutched Nan’s journal and read aloud, whispering the words. She doubted anyone else could hear her, but she didn’t want to be found right now. She wanted to stay hidden, tucked away in the Finders Keepers Library. After driving around Bloom and trying to figure out what to do, she’d found herself here of all places, surrounded by books, even though the only book she wanted to read right now was her grandmother’s journal.
“I slept in the bed and Mickey slept on the couch for the first week after Michael’s funeral,”Nan wrote.“Then, slowly, we grew back into what we were. It was a process and it didn’t happen overnight.”
Mallory’s eyes blurred, and she took a moment to close them and attempt to settle her emotions. Then a text pinged from her phone lying next to her on the floor of the little library. Mallory didn’t even want to look at her screen, but she did, almost reflexively.
Hollis:Meet me at 212 Blue Cedar Road. 6:30.
Mallory quickly blinked past her blur of tears and reread themessage. That was the address of the barn on Popadine’s Tree Farm.What’s going on?The very last thing she felt like doing tonight was seeing Hollis. Yes, last night’s date had been lovely, but she was in no mood for romance right now. All she wanted to do was crawl under her covers and disappear.
Hollis:You owe me, remember?
He’d picked some time to collect on debts. With a sigh, she closed Nan’s journal and dropped it back into her bag—the revelations of Nan’s last entry reverberating through her. Why had her grandmother never mentioned Michael? This whole time, Mallory had assumed the baby Nan was carrying in these entries was Mallory’s mother, Daisy. But that wasn’t the case.
Mallory’s phone pinged again. Looking down, she felt a fluttery feeling in her chest at the sight of Hollis’s name.
Hollis:We’ll have heaters, but wear something warm just in case.
“What is he doing?” Getting up quickly, Mallory dusted off the bottom of her pants. She just wanted to be alone. But because of Hollis busting into her business, she couldn’t. On a heavy sigh, she stepped out of the library.
“Would you like a cup of hot tea, dear?” Eleanor asked as Mallory came closer.
Mallory hadn’t even seen her there. The older woman was sitting on the back porch with a colorful blanket wrapped around her and an open book in her lap. “I would love a cup, but I actually have somewhere I need to be right now. Next time.”
“Of course.” Eleanor closed the book she’d been reading. “Savannah was looking for you earlier. From what I hear, everyone has been looking for you, dear. Except your grandpa Charlie. He’s the one who told me you were here.”
Mallory wasn’t surprised. She’d always had the most special bond with Charlie. Maybe that was why she’d been avoiding him lately. He could always look at her and see through her pretense of being fine.She loved her grandfather, but she didn’t want to worry him. Just like her sister, Maddie, Grandpa Charlie was leading his own life with his new spouse.
This was Mallory’s problem to solve. No one else’s, and certainly not Hollis’s.
Mallory glanced around. “Did you tell them where to find me?” Because no one else was here—just she and Eleanor.
“I told everyone who asked that a woman who wants to be alone should be… Are you feeling better?”
Mallory’s shoulders felt tight as she shrugged and let them fall by her side. “Not exactly.” As soon as her honest answer came out, she forced a smile. “But it’s okay. I’m fine.”
“I doubt that.” Eleanor looked at her knowingly. “Come back anytime. For tea. Books. A listening ear.”
“Thank you.” Mallory waved and took the path around Eleanor’s house, walking toward her car. Once she was seated behind the wheel, she cranked the engine and directed her car to the address that Hollis had texted.
She didn’t doubt his intention, but she wasn’t up for facing anyone tonight. There was too much raw emotion swirling around her chest, making it tight and uncomfortable. Ten minutes later, she pulled onto a gravel path that led to Popadine’s Tree Farm.
Why did Hollis invite her to meet here at a tree farm of all places?
Mallory followed the dirt path and parked behind Hollis’s truck, near a large open barn. She blew out a breath as she pushed open her driver’s-side door, grabbed her coat, and stepped out. The cold air nipped her cheeks and the tip of her nose.
She followed the sound of voices, stepping into the large candy-apple-red barn and stopping to scan the cast members gathered inside, all chatting and prepping to run lines. What was this? She’d canceled tonight’s rehearsal. Why was everyone here?
Mallory scanned the interior of the barn. She didn’t think she’dever even been inside before. It wasn’t part of the tree farm business, and Pop had only recently had it built prior to his health decline. The space was large and open. It was also surprisingly warm, despite the dropping temperatures outside.
