Page 67 of The Christmas Keepsake
Thirty minutes later, they were back in their normal attire and locking up the barn.
“What are you doing now?” Hollis asked, fishing for some extra time with Mallory.
She tilted her head. “I’m heading home… unless you have an offer I can’t refuse.”
“I was wondering… Do you want to head over to the theater and see what the crew and I did today? We’re nowhere near finished, but we checked off a few of the line items.”
Mallory’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Hollis could see the wheels turning in her mind. He held up his hands. “There’s no possible way to finish and have the play at the theater this year.”
“I’m not sure I’d want to switch back anyway. It’s perfect the way it is this year. But maybe next. I mean…” She trailed off.
“Mallory Blue, don’t hold back with me. Don’t you know I can read your mind at this point?”
She grinned up at him. “I sure hope not.”
There was something flirty in her tone.
“It’s true. In fact, I know exactly what you’re thinking right this second.”
She blinked and visibly swallowed. Why did she look so nervous?
Hollis wobbled his head side to side. “Or I could be self-projecting that you’re thinking about kissing me again.” He nodded and looked away. “Yeah, that’s probably the case.”
Surprising him, she reached for his hand. “Actually, you’re right on the mark.”
Hollis’s heart thumped against his ribs. “This is such a bummer.” He didn’t let her have time to take insult. “Because I made a bet with Evan that I wouldn’t turn into some cheesy love-stricken guy. If Ido, he wins, and I’m stuck reading a Charlie Dickens classic along with his senior class next year.”
The corners of her lips curled. “That is a bummer,” she agreed before leaning in closer.
He mirrored her movement. Then he lifted his hand to touch her cheek, just like he had in his Santa suit onstage not even an hour earlier. He wasn’t acting anymore though.
His gaze dropped to her lips, which she parted as she watched him, flicking her eyes to his mouth as well. He’d been thinking about kissing her again since that shopping trip more than a week ago. He’d been unsure if that’s what she wanted, and in fear of losing her as a friend, he’d kept things platonic, pretending that it hadn’t happened. Now, however, he found himself leaning in. It was too late to change his mind. The pull was too strong.
“Hollis,” she whispered.
He froze, his heart sinking to the Santa boots that he was still wearing.
“Here.” She pushed a sprig of mistletoe in his direction. “If you hold this over our heads, we can pretend like we had no choice. If things don’t work out, we can always blame it on the mistletoe.”
He glanced down and took the sprig but didn’t hold it over their heads. “If you need to, you can blame me.”
Chapter Twenty-One
You just have to be open and ready, and let it all happen.
—Angela Lansbury
Electricity zipped from Mallory’s lips all the way to her toes. A million thoughts raced through her mind. As the kiss evolved, her hands acted separately from her mind and reached up to frame Hollis’s bearded cheeks, her fingers sinking into the softness. Their first kiss had been… nice. This time, however, had Mallory feeling weak in the knees. She felt like the ground was falling away. Like she was flying.
As if sensing that she needed grounding, Hollis slipped a hand around the small of her back, holding her in place.
It was confirmed. Hollis Franklin was indeed a very good kisser.
Pulling away, she looked up at him in a dizzy haze. She should probably say something, but at the moment, she couldn’t find any words.
“I’ve heard that actors and actresses tend to fall for their costars,” Hollis said, still standing very close to her. “Just so you know, that’s not what this is. Not for me, at least. I’ve always had feelings for you, Mal.”
