At last, she could take a full, deep breath.Her head ached.And she felt nauseous.All she wanted to do was go home, curl up on the couch with Tater Tot, and watch something relaxing on television.She didn’t know two people could talk that much.
Instead of going into the shop like she normally would do, she went to the apartment.She rushed upstairs and ran to Tater Tot’s crate.He greeted her with a wagging tail.When she opened the door, he ran into her arms and licked her face.
She scooped his little body up into her arms and moved to the couch.They sat there in the quiet, and she ran her hand over his back repeatedly.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said.“This is my childhood Christmas wish come true.I should be happy.I should be excited.And all I am is relieved to be here with you.”
Tater Tot lifted his head and once more licked her face.Holly lowered her head and rested her cheek against the top of his head.She stared straight ahead and noticed the bare Christmas tree.It made her think of Colin.
Without giving it much thought, she reached for her phone.She dialed Colin’s number.It rang once, twice, and then switched to voicemail.For a fleeting moment, she thought of leaving him a message, but on second thought, she ended the call without a word.
She sat there for a few more minutes with Tater on her lap.And then she said, “I think you and I need to get back to work.”
“Arf-arf!”
She couldn’t just sit there and let her parents’ appearance in her life upset her.After all, they were making an attempt to establish a relationship with her.She had to make an attempt too.
Chapter Fourteen
Ithadbeenaday that wouldn’t stop.
At least that was how it felt to Colin.After the emergency appointment that morning, he’d barely made it home, when he got called back to the clinic.This time for an intestinal blockage.
Charlie Baker brought in his black lab, Smudge.This wasn’t the first time Smudge had eaten something he wasn’t supposed to.First, they’d tried some non-invasive procedures to retrieve the sock, but it was too far in his digestive track.
After it was determined there was only one way to retrieve the sock, Colin called in only necessary staff.They were used to it.In fact, he had two teams, so they alternated who was on call on the weekends.He made sure they were well-compensated for the intrusion on their time off.
The surgery went without any complications.But he stuck around afterward to monitor Smudge.He was concerned because it was a big surgery for the playful dog.And even though he had told Charlie to go home and he would call him when the surgery was over, Charlie had remained in the waiting room.They talked for a while, and then Charlie grudgingly went home alone.Smudge would stay at the clinic and be monitored over the weekend.
It was late in the afternoon when Colin finally grabbed his phone from his desk and saw that there had been a missed call from Holly.She hadn’t left him a message, and that left him wondering what she had wanted.
When he checked the time she’d called, he noticed it was after lunch—after her meal with her parents.He wondered how it had gone.For Holly’s sake, he hoped everything went well.But he didn’t trust Roger and Billie Jean.They’d had Holly’s entire life to come back.Why now?
He went to dial Holly’s number but hesitated.He slipped the phone into his pocket.Perhaps he should do this in person.He checked the time.If he hurried, he should be able to catch her at the store just before she closed up.
When he arrived, there were at least a half dozen people in the shop, filling their shopping baskets.When Holly spotted him, she smiled and held up a finger for him to wait for her.He nodded.
While she attended to the customers, he made his way around the shop.She had such a wide array of soaps.He liked that not only did she display their components but she also listed what the soaps were good for, such as dry skin or oily skin.She’d even added some alternative uses for the soap, such as a way to deodorize drawers or to repel animals from chewing on furniture.
In the end, he picked out a basket and a few bars from wood sage to sandalwood.He wouldn’t mind giving them a try.
After the last customer checked out and headed for the door, he moved to the checkout counter.He placed the soaps on the counter before turning to add the now-empty basket to the stack of baskets at the end of the counter.
Holly’s eyes widened as she looked down at his purchases.“You don’t have to buy these.”
“Well, I’m not just going to steal them.”
She rolled her eyes.“What I mean is that you don’t have to feel obligated to buy anything.”
“I don’t.I looked around, and I saw a lot I’d like to try.I thought I’d start with these.”
Her questioning gaze met his.“You’re sure.”
He nodded.“I’ll be back to try some others.I like that you have those signs above each, explaining different uses for the soap.I never would have thought of any of them.”
She smiled as she rang up his purchases.“Glad you found them helpful.They were actually my idea.Gran wasn’t so sure about it.She thought it might confuse some people.So, we didn’t do it.But now that the shop is mine, I’ve made a few changes here and there.Gran always said when it was my place that I should go ahead and make it my own.”
“I’m sure she would be proud of how you’ve changed things.”
