Chapter Twenty #2
“Mr. and Mrs. Claus. That’s cute, buddy,” Evan said in a teasing tone. “Real cute.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Hollis’s bad mood lifted a touch just thinking about Mallory.
“See?” Evan pointed in his direction. “There’s always a bright side, right? And I’m sure there’s a solution to this other situation. I mean, you have two men wanting to leave their life’s work to you. That’s a good problem to have.”
It didn’t feel good though. “Yeah.” He glanced over. “You haven’t gotten your tree yet. Don’t tell me you’re buying from the competition. Or worse, using an artificial tree.”
“Never. I wouldn’t dare pick out the tree without Savannah though. Picking out a tree is one of the most romantic dates a guy can plan with his other half.”
“Other half? Wow.” Hollis rubbed a hand along his cheek. “I’m still adjusting to the fact that my best friend says things like that. It’s a bit cheesy, if you ask me.”
Evan elbowed him. “Just wait. You’ll be speaking the same language this time next year.”
“What language is that?”
“The language of the happy and in love. If I was a betting man…”
Hollis humored him. “I think you are. What’re we betting?”
Evan looked at him thoughtfully. “If I win, you have to read one of the classic novels that my senior students read.”
Hollis’s best friend was a high school English teacher, but it wasn’t a shared interest. “All right.” Hollis nodded. “If I win, you have to adopt one of my rescue dogs next year.”
Evan side-eyed him. “I have a new puppy at home you know. Or my daughter does. Adding another dog to the mix is a big ask.”
Hollis shrugged. “And I only read thrillers and have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to books. Reading Dickens is a bigger ask.”
Evan stuck out his hand. “You’ll be whispering cheesy sweet nothings next year, so I’ll win this bet. Nothing for me to worry about.”
During Wednesday night’s dress rehearsal, Hollis stepped onstage in full Santa costume and faced Mallory. She was radiating a brightness he wished he could take credit for. He suspected a large part of her shift in mood was from running the theater. Directing. Even acting.
“It’s not up to you to make the whole world full of children happy, Santa,” Mallory said, reciting a line that Nan had written fifty years ago. She looked at him expectantly, making him realize that he had a line to deliver.
“I know,” he finally said, realizing that this role was made for him right now. He felt just like Santa, trying to satisfy everyone’s wish lists and neglecting himself. “Making others happy is what makes me happy.”
Mallory stepped closer and laid her hand on his shoulder. It was part of the stage directions. “All year long, you take care of everyone else. It’s my job as Mrs. Claus to take care of you.”
He looked at her, all dressed up in her costume, but all he saw was the girl he’d grown up with and the woman he had grown to love. “And then, if I’m caring for the children of the world and you’re caring for me… who’s caring for you, Mrs. Claus?”
He watched Mallory’s role slip for just a moment and wondered if she’d just felt the same way he did.
These lines were hitting close to home. Stepping toward her, he touched her cheek.
It was also part of the stage directions, but she was looking at him differently.
“There’s so much on our shoulders. I just want to make sure that the most important thing to me isn’t forgotten behind all the ribbons and bows. ”
Mallory’s eyes filled with tears. Either she was a good actress, which he knew she was, or these words were resonating in her personal life. “I can take care of myself.”
He tipped his head toward her. That wasn’t a line Nan had written.
Not even close. She was supposed to say she didn’t worry about being behind the scenes because Santa would always return home after his long trip around the world.
“I know,” Hollis said, responding to Mallory’s unscripted line.
“But I’m an expert in gift-giving, and sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone is allowing them to care for you.
That’s what I want this Christmas.” He cleared his throat and got back on the script.
“And after flying around the world, just know I’ll be back to do exactly that because you’re my greatest gift, Mrs. Claus. ”
Applause rang out from the small audience for the dress rehearsal made up of stagehands and understudies. Hollis doubted they’d even caught that change in lines.
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 I do, 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.”