Chapter Eleven
Abreak-in?
Things like this didn’t happen in Kringle Falls. At least it didn’t used to happen.
Colin couldn’t help but think of Belle Sinclair’s dog being stolen right out of her house. Was this some sort of crime wave breaking out in his hometown? The thought left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
He glanced over to see Holly’s hand already on the door handle. He needed to stop her, but he couldn’t do that and keep the pickup from sliding out of control on the icy roadway.
“Holly, you can’t go rushing in there. We need to call the sheriff.” Colin pulled the pickup to the side of the road.
“You call.” With Tater Tot tucked under her arm, she opened the door before the truck was stopped.
“Holly! Wait!” He tramped the brake. The pickup slid across the sheet of ice on the road.
Without bothering to park, he threw the pickup into Park and jumping out. By then, Holly was already across the street. What did she think she was going to do?
He rushed to catch up to her. His finger had barely grazed her upper arm when the door to her apartment opened. In the glow from the light next to the doorway, he was able to make out a man and a woman. They didn’t appear to have anything in their arms. He supposed that should be a relief.
Holly came to a halt on the sidewalk. Tater Tot started to bark while Holly remained silent. Was she afraid? Perhaps. It wasn’t every day you find strangers walking out of your home.
He stepped past her. “You need to stop right there.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m calling the sheriff.”
“Don’t.” Holly’s voice was soft but firm as she stepped up beside him.
“Holly, do you recognize us?” The woman wore a too-bright smile.
He turned to Holly. He wondered if she knew them, because he sure didn’t. In fact, he’d be willing to swear that he’d never seen them before.
He still had his phone in his hand. He was ready to call his big brother Parker, who was the town’s sheriff. His gaze moved between Holly and the people claiming to know Holly.
After a few awkward moments passed, Holly said, “You look like your pictures. What are you doing here?”
Pictures? Wait. Were these her parents? His gaze moved back and forth between Holly and those people.
The woman stepped toward Holly. Tater Tot growled.
Colin instinctively took a sidestep, as though to stop these people if they got too close to Holly. The woman’s eyes lifted to meet his. Her displeasure with his interference was obvious on her thin face.
Her face was covered with deep lines, as though she’d lived a tough life. And when she smiled once more at Holly, the smile didn’t look natural. It was as though she weren’t used to smiling, and so her face looked as awkward as she must have felt.
“I just want to talk to my daughter.” Her unspoken intention was to tell him to get out of her way.
He crossed his arms. He wasn’t budging. “You can talk from there. She isn’t hard of hearing.”
The woman’s friendly mask slipped, and a scowl came over her face. Her eyes were filled with anger. But in a blink, she resumed her fake smile. “Holly, can we go inside? It’s cold out here.”
“I’m good here.” Holly’s voice didn’t sound like her. It was deeper than normal, and there was a firmness to it. “What are you doing here?”
The man stepped forward with a frown on his face. “That’s no way to speak to your mother. After all, we came all of this way to see you.”
Holly’s voice was matter-of-fact. “You’re six months too late for Gran’s funeral.”
While Holly’s voice was devoid of emotion, her eyes were telling a different story. Colin wasn’t sure if she was in shock or if she was afraid of them. Either way, he was there for her. Whatever she wanted, he would make sure it happened.
“Uh… We meant to make it,” her mother said.
“But we had a business opportunity present itself, and we couldn’t say no.” Her father lifted his chin, as though their excuse couldn’t be challenged.
“How did you get in my apartment?” Holly’s gaze shifted between her mother and father.
Her mother sighed. “We went to the house first. Imagine out surprise when we learned that you sold it without saying anything to us.”
“And imagine my surprise when you didn’t show up for Gran’s funeral. Oh, wait. I wasn’t surprised.”
The woman fidgeted with her purse strap. “Anyway, this was our apartment before it was yours.” She pulled out a keyring from her purse and showed Holly a key. “See.”
Holly held out her palm. “Give it to me.”
“What?” Her mother frowned. “No. I won’t.”
Holly stepped up to the woman as Tater Tot resumed growling at her parents. “Give me the key. Now.”
There was a strained moment before the woman yanked the key off the ring and handed it over. Holly took it and stuffed it into her pocket.
“What are you doing here now?” There was absolutely no friendliness in Holly’s voice.
“Well, honey”—her mother’s voice took on a sugary-sweet tone—“it was my mother who died. We wanted to come back and take care of things.”
“She died six months ago.” Holly’s expression was unreadable.
“We explained that, honey.” Her mother took a step forward. When Holly took a step back, her mother said, “It’s all in the past. We’re here now. Let’s go upstairs so we can settle in. It was a long trip.”
Holly shook her head. “You aren’t staying here.”
“Yes, we are.” Her father stepped forward. “I don’t understand this hostility. I thought you’d be happy to see us. Now let’s go upstairs.”
“No.” Holly walked through the snow to get around them. She gave her parents a wide berth.
Colin followed her. When she came to a stop in front of the door to her apartment, she glanced over at him. The surprise shone in her eyes. If she thought he was leaving her alone with these two, she couldn’t be more wrong.
Her parents turned to her. Their lips were pressed into firm lines, as if they were holding back their words of frustration because Holly wasn’t falling into their arms.
“Where do you expect us to stay?” her father asked.
“I don’t know.” Holly sighed, as though she were tired of dealing with them. “That’s not my problem.”
Her mother stepped forward, but when she saw the formidable look on her daughter’s face, she stopped. “I can’t believe you sold the homeplace and moved here. You should have consulted me before doing any of this.”
Holly glared at the woman. “If you cared, you would have been here.”
“We had business to take care of.”
Holly shook her head. “I’m not talking about when Gran died. You should have been here years ago. Things have changed.”
“Holly, you’re just tired. Get some rest. We can talk in the morning.” Her mother sent her a tentative smile.
When the woman stepped forward with her arms outstretched, Holly held up her palm. “Stop.”
It was just one word, but it was enough to get her mother to do exactly that.
Holly turned and entered the building. Her parents hesitated on the sidewalk, as though considering following her inside. Colin couldn’t think of a worse idea.
“You should go now.” He wanted to tell them to keep going, straight out of town, but he resisted the urge.
Perhaps her mother was right. In the morning, Holly might decide to let her only family back into her life. He couldn’t see that happening, but stranger things were known to happen. Either way, it was Holly’s decision. And whatever she decided, he would have her back.
They are back.
They are back.
Holly’s heart was pounding as her breath came in rapid succession. She rushed up the stairs to her apartment. She felt as though her life had been blown up again. And she realized that was not the normal response when one saw their parents. Nothing about her life had been “normal.”
Tears of frustration stung the backs of her eyes. She blinked repeatedly. She refused to give in to them. Her parents weren’t deserving of her tears. The truth was that she’d already shed enough over them.
What were her parents doing there? And why were they in her apartment? She looked around but didn’t see anything disturbed. That was a relief.
She stepped into the kitchen and placed Tater Tot on the floor. He raced to the living room window and stared out into the darkness as he barked. It was as if he were warning her parents to stay away.
When he noticed her looking at him, he ran over to her. Tater jumped up, putting his paws against her thigh. She was tempted to pick him up and cuddle him. There was something about having his tiny body in her arms that always made her feel better.
And that was when she knew what she needed to do. She reached for her phone and called Merry. The phone rang once, twice…
By the fifth ring, it switched over to voicemail. “Merry, this is Holly. I was checking in to see if you have found Tater Tot a new home. It’s been a few days now. Anyway, please give me a call back and let me know. Bye.”
She slipped the phone back into her pocket.
She still couldn’t figure out what her parents were doing in Kringle Falls.
She didn’t believe they were there just to visit with her.
They could have seen her a million different times throughout her life, but they never had time. What made this different?
All of a sudden there were hands on her upper arms. She jumped.
“Relax.” Colin’s voice was soft and close to her ear. “They’re gone.”
She leaned back against him. She let out a pent-up breath. “I can’t believe they’re in Kringle Falls.”
“Are you okay?” His arms wrapped around her mid-section. “Can I do anything?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine.” She didn’t feel fine. Her heart had longed to jump into her mother’s arms, while her mind warned her that her parents always had an agenda that centered around themselves. “I, uh…” She glanced around. “I need to…”
“Find the Christmas decorations,” he said.
She moved out of his embrace. “I’m not in a Christmas mood.”
“Don’t let them ruin the evening. We were having some fun. And there’s a tree in my pickup just waiting for some lights and ornaments.”