Chapter 5
5
“ H ere’s a table for your items,” Kai said, her breath coming out in small clouds in the cool morning air. Despite Marina’s concerns, she felt good about doing this for Holly. She rubbed her hands together and blew on them.
The only space left was a small table on the edge of the market.
The morning sun sparkled off tinsel garlands strung between market stalls, but this table was in a shaded, cold part of the market that didn’t have as much traffic. Kai wished there had been a better spot, but space had been limited, and the holiday market filled up fast.
Nevertheless, Holly seemed grateful. “I don’t know how to thank you for this. I was supposed to be in Los Angeles by now.”
Kai took the top box from a stack they’d wheeled in with a dolly from Brooke’s vehicle. She put it on the table. “This show isn’t as large as the one you planned to do, but it’s something. I hope you’re not disappointed.”
“It’s not that. There’s someone I hoped to meet there.”
Now they were getting somewhere, Kai thought. “A boyfriend?”
“No, someone I want to find.” Holly shook her head and placed her other boxes on the table. “It’s not important. Who shall I pay for the space?”
Kai waved a hand to dismiss the offer. “Normally, that would be Cookie, who manages the farmers market and the new holiday market, but when she heard you were stranded, she comped your spot. It’s the last one.”
“She did that without even knowing me?”
“Well, you know me,” Kai said brightly. “And that’s practically the same thing.”
A smile played on Holly’s delicate features as she spread a metallic threaded cloth over the table. “So, I’m curious—why help a stranger like me?”
Kai shrugged. “I like to stay busy.”
“Doesn’t your baby keep you busy enough?”
“I like getting out and seeing people. And my husband is taking care of Stella today.” Kai glanced around. “People are arriving now. I should help you set up.”
When Holly agreed, Kai reached for a carton. Sometimes, it was easier to talk to strangers than friends, and Holly seemed receptive.
“For years, I performed with touring Broadway shows,” Kai began. “I know what it feels like to land in a new city every few weeks. When I was on the road, I needed to see more than the inside of a theater or hotel room.”
Holly nodded as she listened. “That sounds exciting, though I can see how it might get old. Were you homesick for Summer Beach?”
“Whenever I had time off, I stayed with Ginger. But I was gone for months at a time.” Kai spread a banner across the table. “How is this?”
“That looks nice, thanks.” Holly angled her head. “How did you handle the traveling?”
Kai thought about that. “Between rehearsals and performances, I would slip away to explore the city. Small gestures meant a lot to me in that nomadic life. Maybe it was a cup of coffee served with a smile and a few words. Or a recommendation for a hidden bookstore or the best sushi. Each kindness made me feel a little less lonely. So, I figured you could use a friend for however long you’re here.”
“I’m glad you understand,” Holly said, her voice thick with emotion. “This means a lot to me.”
Kai reached up to flip the edge of the canopy back. Sunlight streamed in like a spotlight. “I don’t think we need this overhead covering unless it rains. And let’s angle the table for better viewing.”
Christmas music drifted throughout the market, and Kai hummed along while positioning Holly’s charming snow globes and glittering tree ornaments.
“Isn’t that “Happy Holiday?” Holly asked.
“Sure is. It’s from Holiday Inn , which was a 1942 movie and later, a musical.” Kai grinned. “I have a weakness for old songs and show tunes.”
“We all have our gifts.”
“You sure do.” Kai stepped back to admire their handiwork. “Your work is unique—and so beautifully crafted.”
The young woman’s ornaments glittered in the sunlight. Her snow globes held tiny, exquisite worlds within their crystal spheres.
Surveying the display, Holly clasped her hands. “This looks perfect, though I might be biased.”
Kai noticed again how their visitor had an ethereal quality about her. She looked like a Christmas elf who’d wandered away from Santa’s workshop and found herself on the beach.
“We Need a Little Christmas” began playing, and Kai hummed to the familiar refrain. She caught Holly watching her with amusement.
“And this one?”
“It’s from Mame , another musical,” Kai explained. She sang along to it.
When that song ended and another began, Kai said, “This is Judy Garland with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from Meet Me in St. Louis . That was one of my long-running parts.”
Holly adjusted an intricate ornament. “You love musical theater the way I love crafting.”
“Stick around Summer Beach long enough, and I’ll cast you as an elf in our community theater.” Kai winked. “You’ve already got the look.”
They were still laughing when a woman spied the display and hurried toward them. “Oh, my goodness, it’s you. Holly from the Phoenix gift show.”
Holly’s eyes lit with recognition. “Beverly, it’s so good to see you. What are you doing here?”
“I live in Summer Beach, and I can’t believe you’re here. I have to tell you something amazing.” The other woman hugged her, emotion catching in her voice. “That ornament I bought from you last year, the one with the woman’s face that looked so much like my mother’s? Mom had passed away a few months earlier, so I hung it on my tree and...well, this might sound odd, but everything in my life changed after that. It was like having a piece of my mother with me. I keep it out all year now. It’s my lucky talisman.”
Beverly leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “But here’s the incredible part. My sister bought one of your ornaments too, and she just realized that the house painted on it is exactly like the one she bought here three months ago. She hadn’t even seen the house when she bought the ornament. Isn’t that wild?”
A blush crept across Holly’s cheeks. “I just paint what I see,” she murmured. “From memory, I mean.”
Beverly looked perplexed. “But how could you have known?”
“I have a photographic memory for images,” Holly added quickly. “If I see anything posted on social media, for example. Or in the newspaper. Maybe that’s where I saw your mother’s photo. The house might have been listed in the ad section.”
“Maybe,” Beverly said, inclining her head. “But what’s truly remarkable is the impact your artwork has had on us. I can’t explain it, but I feel such a rush of good feelings every time I touch the ornament.”
A slow smile lifted Holly’s lips. “That must be your mother’s love. It will never leave you. Maybe you’re just more aware of it now.”
“I heard people use objects to focus attention,” Beverly said. “Sort of like meditation.”
Kai watched Holly carefully, Marina’s concerns about her springing to mind.
Across the market, Brooke was arranging her organic produce, unaware of this extraordinary conversation. But this was so personal that Kai was hesitant to share it.
“Would you choose one for me?” Kai asked suddenly, surprising herself.
Holly studied her for a long moment, then reached for a snow globe, shook it, and handed it to Kai. “This one is for you.”
Kai’s fingers trembled as she took it. Crystalline snow swirled in lazy spirals, and when it settled, she gasped.
Inside the globe, a tiny figure in a familiar red dress sat at a piano with miniature sheet music scattered around her feet. A palm tree arched overhead, and an ocean wave curled beside it. But the piano was eerily reminiscent of one she knew.
Kai breathed out. “That piano looks like the one in Ginger’s home. My mother taught me to play on it.”
“Then it’s yours,” Holly said softly. “All my pieces eventually find their owners.”
The snowflakes in the globe settled, but now Kai’s world was shaken.
“How did you know?” she asked, but Holly was already helping Beverly find the right gifts for her daughters.
Kai lowered the snow globe. At once, she felt like she was seeing everything around her with heightened clarity.
The market sparkled with holiday decorations, but Kai suspected Holly could see what most people couldn’t. That might be unnerving to many.
Maybe that’s why Holly made up stories about her gift.
As Kai tucked the snow globe into her bag, she wondered if Holly could see what others hadn’t seen yet .
Kai let out a breath. Marina was never going to believe this.