Chapter Nineteen
No call back.
No message. No nothing.
Holly was climbing the walls. She thought for sure that Mr. Price would have checked his voicemail and realized the seriousness of the matter.
But as Monday gave way to Tuesday and morning gave way to afternoon, she was starting to think that perhaps she needed to consult another attorney.
But that would be hard because Mr. Price knew their family history. He’d been the one to draw up the will.
But if it took her reciting her painful family history, she would do it. There was no way she was going to roll over for Billie Jean and Roger. They would get the soap company and the apartment over her dead body.
The last two days had been very busy at the shop.
It wasn’t so much customers getting last-minute Christmas presents but rather friends who had heard what had happened at the Kringle Cup Café stopping by to make sure she was okay.
It was very sweet, but she hated the situation was public information.
Colin had been one of the people who had checked in on her. She’d assured him she was fine. But she could feel herself shutting down and pushing him away. And it wasn’t his fault. It was hers.
Tater Tot walked over to her and jumped up on her leg. She bent over and scooped him up into her arms. He pressed his head to her shoulder. She laid her cheek against the back of his head. He was just the sweetest.
Her thoughts turned back to Colin. She needed time, she told herself.
Once Billie Jean and Roger left town—once she showed them there was nothing they could take from her—she would get herself together.
She would be able to deal with her growing feelings for him.
But right now, she couldn’t admit those feelings to herself or him.
Buzz.
She pulled the phone from her back pocket. It was Colin again. Either he wasn’t working at the clinic that day or he was calling her between patients. She’d talked to him two times so far, once at lunch and once after lunch. She felt the hint of a smile pulling at the corner of her lips.
Colin was such a great guy. He deserved someone who didn’t have such a complicated life. It wasn’t fair to pull him into her troubles.
And that was exactly what she was going to tell him when the shop door swung open and in walked Billie Jean and Roger. Tater Tot began growling. Holly tightened her hold on him.
“We have something for you.” Billie Jean waved around some papers.
“Get out and take your papers with you.” The phone, still in her hand, stopped ringing.
“We aren’t going anywhere.” Roger paused to turn the sign on the door to Closed. “We don’t want to be disturbed.”
“We’ve tried to be friendly,” Billie Jean said. “We thought you would understand that you can’t take what doesn’t belong to you.”
Holly stood her ground. “Leave right now, or I’m calling the sheriff.”
“You aren’t going to scare us off.” With an angry glint in his eyes, Roger took a step forward.
His glare and his closeness were quite disconcerting. When her phone started to ring again, a quick glance let her know it was Colin. She pressed a button to answer the call.
“I want you to leave. Now.” She hoped that her voice came across as firm and not shaky like she felt on the inside.
“We don’t have to go anywhere.” Billie Jean stepped up next to Roger. “This is our property.”
“You’re our kid,” Roger said. “You’re supposed to listen to us. So, make this easy for everyone and stop fighting us.”
“I’m calling the sheriff if you don’t leave.”
“You go right ahead,” Billie Jean said. “But I’ve got papers here that say we are suing you for this business.” She looked around and curled up her nose. “Still looks the same. Oh, well, the new owner can fix it up.”
“We need to look at the financial books,” Roger said.
“No.” Holly struggled to hold on to Tater Tot, who was now growling in earnest.
As they continued to imply that everything belonged to them, Holly moved behind the counter.
She felt better having a barrier between her and them.
Who were these people? Because she just couldn’t imagine that she was related to them.
Her mother was nothing like her grandmother, who had the patience and kindness of a saint.
Holly’s arms were tired from holding onto Tater Tot, but she couldn’t let him go. She was afraid he would get hurt if she did. It was so sad that she could imagine either one of them kicking a dog. The thought made her stomach turn.
The next thing she knew there were red flashing lights outside the shop. Normally, this would freak her out. Today it was a blessing. Thank goodness Colin had paid attention and realized she needed some help.
Neither Billie Jean nor Roger noticed the lights as their backs were to the window and door. Holly tuned them out as they continued to harass her.
And then the door opened, and Sheriff Bishop stepped inside. There was a distinct frown on his face. Billie Jean turned to see who had entered. Her eyes momentarily widened, but she didn’t say anything.
“Go away,” Roger growled, not taking his gaze off Holly. “Can’t you read? The store’s closed.”
The sheriff ignored the man. His gaze moved to Holly. “I heard there is a problem.”
Roger turned. He muttered something under his breath, but she couldn’t make it out.
Holly nodded. “I need them to leave.”
“You heard the lady. Time to go.”
“We’re not going anywhere.” Roger grabbed the papers out of his wife’s hand. “We have a right to be here. This place doesn’t belong to Holly.”
Sheriff Bishop stepped forward and took a look at the papers. “That is for a judge to decide. Right now, you have to leave and don’t come back unless you’re interested in visiting the inside of a jail cell.”
Roger turned to Holly. “This isn’t over.”
“One more word to her,” the sheriff said, “and I’m locking you up.”
Roger focused on the sheriff, sputtering all of the reasons he had a right to be there. Sheriff Bishop handed the papers back to Roger. But Roger’s arms were waving around as he shouted. The papers fell to the floor.
Sheriff Bishop didn’t miss a beat as he directed them to the door. Just then Colin rushed inside. When his gaze strayed across Roger and Billie Jean, he paused and glowered at them.
“Keep going,” the sheriff said to his brother.
Colin hesitated before walking over to Holly’s side. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. Someone had my pickup blocked in, so I had to run across town.”
That explained why he looked so winded. She hated that she’d needed help from the Bishop brothers. Usually, she could take care of herself, but having to hold onto Tater Tot to keep him from getting hurt by one of them, she was very limited in what she could do.
As she stood there, watching as the sheriff ushered those people out the door, she felt her heart being crushed. How was it possible they’d given her life? She didn’t think she was anything like them. At least, she hoped she didn’t resemble them.
Those were the two people in this world who she was supposed to be able to trust, to lean on. Her stomach roiled. She wished they’d never darkened her doorway.
All she wanted to do now was close the shop, take Tater Tot home, and curl up with him on the couch.
In fact, she didn’t see why that couldn’t happen.
Now that the sheriff and the others were outside, there was no reason she couldn’t lock the door.
After all, the Closed sign was already in the window.
She turned to Colin and held out Tater tot. “Can you hold him?”
When Colin held out his hands. She placed the pup in them. At least now Tater Tot had stopped growling. Instead, he was now washing Colin’s face with his tongue.
She’d almost made it to the door when it opened. The breath hitched in her throat. Please, don’t let it be more trouble.
When she saw that it was Merry Kringle, Holly released a pent-up breath. “I’m so glad it’s you.”
Merry’s brows rose. “Is everything okay? I saw the sheriff pulling out when I walked up.”
“Uh, yeah. It is now.” She could already feel the tension in her shoulders easing. “What can I do for you?”
Merry smiled. “It’s what I can do for you. I’ve found the perfect family to take Tater Tot. I just stopped by to pick him up.”
“Oh.” It was all she could manage because it felt as though she’d just been sucker-punched.
Colin walked up to them with a wiggly Tater Tot in his arms. As she looked at the sweet pup, tears stung the backs of her eyes. She blinked them away. She wasn’t going to cry. Not now. Not in front of them.
Colin and Merry exchanged pleasantries. All the while, Holly was trying to deal with the shock that Tater Tot was leaving and never coming back. The crack in her heart kept growing, and she didn’t know how to stop it.
She swallowed past the painful lump in her throat. And when she spoke, she hoped her voice didn’t crack with emotion. “Merry came to pick up Tater Tot. She, uh…. She found him the perfect home.”
“He’s going to love it,” Merry said. “They have a five-year-old son and a fenced-in backyard.”
Colin sent Holly a puzzled look. Before he could say anything, Holly said, “Can I hold him?”
Colin handed Tater Tot over. She hugged the pup’s warm body to her chest. He rested his head beneath her chin, as though he sensed this was their last moments together. The crack in her heart grew larger, and the pain radiated out of her chest.
Just keep it together for a little longer. She swallowed hard. And then she whispered, “You be a good boy.” Her voice wavered. “I know you’re going to love your new home.”
She stopped there. She wanted to tell him she would miss him. She wanted to say she loved him. But she couldn’t because she was about to lose her composure.
She had to keep it together. This was best for Tater Tot. After all, she didn’t even know if she was going to have a roof over her head for much longer.
She handed Tater Tot over to Merry. The pup sent her a look, as though he didn’t understand why this woman was holding him. She wished she could explain it to him, but she just couldn’t formulate the words without breaking down in tears.
And then she thought of something. “I have a whole bunch of Tater’s stuff upstairs. I can go get it for you.”
Merry shook her head. “That’s not necessary. You can drop it by the pet shop when you get a chance.”
Holly nodded.
“Well, I won’t keep you. I saw the Closed sign on the door. I was hoping I could catch you before you left.” Merry moved to the door with the pup. “I appreciate you helping me out. Tater Tot looks like he had a good time with you.”
Holly nodded, not trusting her voice.
“Well, thank you.” And then Merry exited the building.
Tater Tot was gone. The dream of having loving parents was gone. Her grandmother was gone. Soon this business would be gone. And soon her home would be gone.
She locked the front door and then turned to walk back to the counter. The weight of the day landed on her shoulders, and she felt herself stumble. Colin reached out. His hands gripped her shoulders.
She righted herself. She only had herself to rely on. She had to get it together, but not today. Right now, she was grieving her losses.
“Holly, why did you let her take Tater Tot?” Disbelief rang out in his voice.
“It was the right thing to do.” She kept her back to him. She didn’t want him to see the tears pooling in her eyes. “He wasn’t mine. And he’s going to the perfect home.”
“It might be perfect for another dog, but not for Tater Tot. He bonded with you. And even if you aren’t willing to admit it, you bonded with him. You two need each other.”
“I’ll…” She paused and swallowed, hoping to keep her emotions at bay. “I’ll be fine.”
“What can I do for you?” His voice was full of concern.
“Thank you for your help, but you can go now.” She was relieved she was able to get the words out.
“I don’t want to go. I can do whatever you want…even if it’s just to go upstairs and sit quietly on the couch with you.”
It was so sweet of him, but she couldn’t let herself get in any deeper with him. She couldn’t forget Roger’s threat to take this place away from her. Everything in her life felt as though it was up for grabs.
And she was busy putting up walls around her breaking heart. It was the only way she knew how to survive this juncture in her life.
She stopped in front of the checkout counter. She braced her hands on the edge of it. She lowered her head. “Please just go. And don’t come back. There’s nothing here for you.”
“Holly…”
“No. Colin just leave.”
There was a tense moment where neither of them said anything. And then she heard his retreating steps. The door unlocked and then it opened. When it closed, she turned around.
Her gaze spotted the papers Roger had been waving around. She went and picked them up. She didn’t read them. Not now.
Instead, she glanced at the front door. Part of her wished that Colin had ignored her request and come back, but he hadn’t. He was gone.
A tear splashed onto her cheek. She tried to tell herself it was for the best, but it didn’t feel that way. Another tear fell onto her other cheek. In fact, she never felt more alone in her life.