Chapter Ten
Art, especially the stage, is a place where it is impossible to walk without stumbling.
—Anton Chekhov
The winter temperatures were mild tonight, even for North Carolina. It didn’t feel like Christmas if Hollis could sit on his back deck without so much as a jacket. On a sigh, he relaxed into his deck chair and closed his eyes just for a moment. He was still wound up from tonight’s play rehearsal.
He shouldn’t let Esther Woods’s comments get to him, but she’d said those things in front of the entire cast, and no one had stood up for him. Not one person.
Maybe he should back out. He didn’t want to bring any negativity into this play. Nan would never have stood for Esther’s behavior tonight, but this was Mallory’s first time serving as the director. Things needed to run as smoothly as possible.
Hollis opened his eyes when something pressed against his lower leg. “Hey, Duke.” He patted his dog’s head. “Are you sensing that I’m in a mood tonight? It’s okay. I’ll be okay.”
Duke leaned more heavily into his calf muscle, his brown eyes wide and sad.
Dogs were incredible animals. They had to be the most empathetic. That’s one thing that drew Hollis to them. He’d seen how much they could help.
Maybe instead of playing Santa in this play, he should be focusing on the plans for expanding Popadine’s Tree Farm. He’d love for things to progress while Pop was still around to see it.
Hollis’s phone buzzed from the patio table beside him. He glanced over and saw Mallory’s name. It was a text.
Mallory: You disappeared tonight before I could catch you. You okay?
Hollis picked up his phone and tapped his finger along the screen.
Hollis: You know me. Things just slide right off my back. It was a good rehearsal. Nan would be proud of you.
Dots began bouncing along the screen.
Mallory: She’d be proud of you too, Hol. And she would have put Esther in her place if she’d been there.
Hollis: You think so?
Mallory: I know. I’m not letting you back out of the play. You’re the kind of guy who sticks to his word. I’m holding you to that.
Hollis was honored that she would think that highly of him. He tapped out another text.
Hollis: Ho, ho, ho.
Mallory: That’s better. See you tomorrow night.
Hollis: I’ll be there. Hey? I have a question.
He’d heard something from Mallory’s brother-in-law, Sam, who sometimes helped out with the deliveries on the farm. He hoped it was a false rumor, but considering the source was Mallory’s own sister, he doubted it.
Hollis: Are you really considering selling the theater?
There was a delay in Mallory’s response, and Hollis realized he was holding his breath. Was she really considering such a drastic change?
Mallory: I can’t work extra shifts indefinitely to keep Nan at Memory Oaks. And I’m a nurse, not a theater director. Maddie thinks it might be best.
Hollis’s heart broke at the thought, but he understood. His main concern was what was best for Mallory. What would make her happiest?
Hollis: If that’s what you decide, I’ll help you in any way I can.
Mallory: You really are a lifesaver this holiday.
Hollis woke early the next morning to put in some extra training time with Buster before heading over to one of the current construction sites.
December was usually an off month, but one of the guys had called out sick yesterday, leaving Matt and the crew scrambling to make their deadline.
In Hollis’s experience, deadlines were like dominoes.
Once you missed one, all the next scheduled jobs fell behind as well.
Hollis took a walk through the rows of trees with Buster off-leash.
Buster had proven that Hollis could trust him not to go anywhere without his verbal okay.
On the first couple walks, Hollis had rewarded Buster frequently and immediately, and he only made Buster walk a few minutes before allowing him to have freedom.
Hollis was working on Buster’s self-control though.
He could see in Buster’s alert eyes that he was eager to take off, chasing the wind.
But he showed restraint, waiting for permission.
“Good dog,” Hollis said, his words coming out with a puff of white air.
Hollis stopped walking and faced Buster. “Sit.”
Buster folded his body onto his hind legs, his gaze fixed on Hollis.
“Good boy,” Hollis said again. He didn’t need treats anymore.
Buster would still get them, of course, but they weren’t required for Buster’s obedience.
“Stay.” Hollis held up a hand before walking away from Buster, leaving the dog right where he was.
When Buster started to return to all fours, Hollis gave another firm command. “Stay.”
Hollis waited a moment longer, wondering what was going through his foster dog’s mind. I’m not leaving you, buddy. Not anytime soon, at least.
“Come!” Hollis finally commanded, patting his hand to his thigh.
Buster took off toward him, practically flying into Hollis’s open arms as Hollis squatted to meet him.
“Good boy, good boy.” Hollis laughed at the dog’s attention. This time he reached inside his pocket and pulled out a treat. Straightening again, he nodded at Buster. “Run free!”
With a happy bark, Buster ran circles around Hollis before racing off to weave through the trees.
Hollis did one more training session with the dog before going inside the house to shower and get dressed for work. He added an extra layer of clothing because the weather had finally gotten the memo that it was December and the temperature had plunged accordingly.
Growing up the way he did, Christmastime had tended to be when Hollis acted out the most. In hindsight, he understood why.
It was the season of hope, and the one thing he’d wanted most back then—a family—had seemed hopeless.
He wished he could give the little boy he’d been a great big hug and tell that kid that things would work out.
It would take until he was seventeen and nearly out of the system altogether, but the family he’d hoped and dreamed of every Christmas would finally welcome him in.
Matt was the father figure he’d always dreamed of.
After locking up the house, Hollis climbed into his truck and sipped his coffee, noting the subtle layer of dread he felt facing a day of construction ahead.
He didn’t love the work anymore. He was supposed to be done.
It was going to be a difficult transition for Matt, but Hollis hoped that Matt would adjust and support him the way he always had.
Ten minutes later, gravel crunched under Hollis’s tires as he pulled up to the Maynard property. He parked beside a towering oak under an umbrella of branches, and then he pushed open his door and stepped out.
“It’s cold out here,” Matt said, walking toward Hollis, wearing a heavy jacket.
Something about the way Matt looked this morning gave Hollis pause. He was pale, amplifying dark bags under his eyes. He worked harder during the holidays. Everybody seemed to.
“Sure is,” Hollis said. “How’re you today?”
“Good.” Matt rubbed his gloved hands together. “Just wishing I was inside my own house by the fireplace and drinking coffee instead of out here, to tell you the truth.”
“Sounds nice.” But the words also sent off alarm bells in Hollis’s gut. Matt usually got his adrenaline from the jobs, not a coffee mug. Hollis glanced around. “Where are the others?”
“On their way. I asked you to meet me earlier than the rest of ’em.” Matt gave Hollis a meaningful look.
“You wanted to discuss something?” Hollis asked, feeling his body stiffen and his mind become more alert as it prepared.
“Yeah.” Matt gave a quick nod. “You’re at the top of my list for taking over the company when I retire,” he said, jumping straight to business. “I don’t need to tell you that you’re the son I never had. Not biologically, at least. In every other way, I think of you as my son. So does Sandy.”
Hollis’s throat tightened.
Matt patted a hand on Hollis’s back. “And I’m proud of the man you’ve become, Hol.” He took a long breath as he turned his attention to the Maynard Farm and beyond. “Construction is hard work, and I’m not sure I can handle the physical part of it much longer.” Matt glanced over.
Hollis smiled at him, but inside, he was frowning.
He’d already told Matt many times about his plans going forward.
Hollis had saved the money, made the contacts, and his mind had been set.
Now he felt like he’d been hit over the head with this opportunity with Matt’s construction crew.
Anyone in his shoes would be grateful for it.
“Wow.” Hollis searched for the right words that wouldn’t offend Matt but also wouldn’t commit to what Matt was offering.
“I feel honored that you’d think of me.”
“Of course you’re the first person I think of. You’ve earned this. There’s no one else I would even feel comfortable leaving the construction crew in the hands of. It’s only because of you that I can even consider stepping back.”
A sense of panic grew inside of Hollis like an unruly weed springing out of nowhere. He pulled a breath into his lungs, but he only felt more suffocated.
Another truck crunched along the gravel, grabbing both of their attention.
“There’s Rodney.” Matt made a show of glancing at his watch. “I asked Rod to get here an hour ago to help me unload the supplies.”
It occurred to Hollis now that Matt didn’t usually ask Hollis to get to a site early because he knew Hollis worked with his dogs during the morning hours.
He always had one or two fosters that he trained in the early morning, just like he had Buster this morning.
Matt had always worked with Hollis to support Hollis’s dog training “hobby.” That was the word Matt always used, and now it felt like a slap in the face.
“Better late than never,” Hollis said quietly, talking about Rodney.
Matt scoffed. “Since when did you become Mr. Positivity? Must be the Santa role that Mallory Blue somehow managed to get you to play.” Matt’s brow lifted subtly.
“I don’t even need to ask how she got you to agree to put on a red velvet suit.
My main question is how you got her to give you the role. ”
That question kind of felt like a slap in the face as well. If Hollis was a stand-up guy enough for Matt to offer his entire construction crew, why wouldn’t Mallory offer him the lead in Nan’s play? “Trust me, it was her idea. Not mine,” Hollis joked, feeling anything but jovial.
“Hmm. Maybe that crush you’ve had on her all these years is finally being reciprocated, huh?” Matt chuckled.
Hollis cleared his throat and decided not to respond. He didn’t let things ruffle his feathers as much as they used to. But he still had to bite his tongue some days and work at not letting the Hollis of old, the one who acted before thinking, out.
Matt started to walk toward Rodney but stopped and turned back to Hollis. “Hey, I’m meeting with the Anderson family this evening to discuss a project they have for us early next year. Want to come with me?” Matt asked.
Hollis kicked the dirt at his feet as he tried to find the best response for the moment, until he could think about what Matt had said. Matt already knew that Hollis didn’t have plans to return to working construction full-time.
“Don’t tell me you’re still planning on opening that dog place.” Matt chuckled, leaving Hollis breathless. He didn’t wait for Hollis to respond. Instead, Matt headed toward Rodney, tossing out comments about Rodney’s tardiness.
Hollis stood there frozen, despite his hat and heavy flannel jacket. Matt had always supported him in every way that counted, except in this one. Why didn’t Matt understand Hollis’s passion for training dogs?
“Come on, son. Let’s get this show on the road!
” Matt called to Hollis over his shoulder as he walked toward his parked truck, which was closer to the site.
The supplies needed to complete today’s job were loaded in the back and needed to be pulled off in preparation for the work.
And, in Hollis’s mind, this was his last official construction project, whether Matt liked it or not.