“We could work out the fine details later, but I think that’s a great idea. Maybe fund it with donations or something. I’ll bet some of the local businesses would help,” Holly said as she continued her thought. “I think it could work!”
“It’s a great idea. You’ll have to run it by Missy when she’s not busy. I wouldn’t go to her with it tonight, though. She’s probably got her hands full with all of this,” Wade said as he gestured towards the Fourth of July picnic.
“Agreed,” Holly said, nodding before taking a bite. “But she’s amazing at organizing these things. In a way, I think it’s part of what keeps the community strong, you know? Everyone having something to look forward to and do together.”
“There you are,” Brigid said as she and Linc approached them. “We were wondering where you disappeared to.”
“Sorry, I was helping Missy,” Holly explained.
“I thought you had to work tonight, Wade,” Linc said as he stepped up beside Brigid. The sun was falling lower in the sky, and the trees were beginning to cast long shadows across the park.
“I was lucky enough to get the evening off,” he explained. “So I decided to surprise Holly.”
“I bet she was happy to see you,” Brigid said with a grin. “Are you two going to be together tonight during the fireworks?”
“Yeah, if that’s okay with you?” Wade said. “I don’t want to encroach on any family time or anything like that.”
“No, that’s perfectly fine,” Brigid reassured him. “Holly’s old enough to choose what she wants to do, but if you want to ride home with us, just let me know. We’ll probably head out after the fireworks. I’m not as young as I used to be, and I like my sleep.”
Holly and Wade both nodded. “I can give her a ride home if she wants to stick around for anything else,” Wade said.
Brigid nodded. “Okay, well, have fun. We’ll leave you two alone.” She leaned over and kissed Holly on top of her head. “Love you, kiddo.”
“Love you, too,” Holly said before they walked away.
“How’s the birthday thing going?” Wade asked when they were gone. “Have they come around yet?”
“No, but I’m not going to stress about it anymore,” Holly explained. “I mean, there are plenty of people out there that have less and don’t get parties. I was just overthinking it.” Holly looked around at everyone and waved at a friend who was walking by.
“I have a good life, good friends, a great place to grow up in, and a whole lifetime of birthdays ahead of me. I was able to help some families and may have even come up with a program to help a lot more. That’s enough of a reason to celebrate. It’s like a gift in itself knowing what I’ve accomplished.”
“You’re something special, you know that, Holly Lewis?” Wade said as he sat his plate down and put his arm around her shoulders.
“Why thank you,” she said with a grin. “You aren’t too bad yourself.”
CHAPTER 21
Holly opened her eyes and sighed. Today was the day. She was sixteen.
She specifically remembered wondering what it would be like when she turned sixteen. As a little kid, she’d been under the impression that once you were sixteen, you were an adult. Of course, she knew now that wasn’t the case, but it had still kind of stuck with her. Now that the day had come, it felt a little surreal.
She tossed the covers back and looked at her phone. No messages or anything important. Lucky was still snoozing at the end of her bed, so she carefully stood up, hoping she wouldn’t disturb him. She padded out into the hallway. As she walked into the great room, she heard Brigid talking on the phone.
“It looks like she just got up. I’ll let you talk to her,” she said as she approached Holly with the phone to her ear. “It’s Fiona,” she said as an explanation while she handed it over.
“Hello?” Holly said, still groggy from sleep.
“Hey, sleepyhead. I know it’s not your usual time to work, but I was wondering if you could cover for me this morning. I had a few things come up that I need to take care of. You don’t mind, do you? If you have plans…”
“No, it’s fine. Just give me a few minutes, and I’ll head that way,” Holly said, cutting her off.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Fiona sighed. “I promise to make it up to you. I’ll swing by once I get it all taken care of,” she promised before hanging up.
“You need a ride? I’m about to head out, too,” Brigid said. “I have some stuff down at the station to work on with the sheriff. Linc’s taking a walk with Jett.”
“No, it’s okay,” Holly said, waving her away. “I can ride my bike.”
“Great,” Brigid said quickly as she grabbed her purse. “I have to go. I’ll see you later,” she said as she dashed out the door.
After it closed, she stared at it for a moment, almost willing Brigid to come back in and tell her “Happy Birthday,” but after a few moments she heard the car start and back out of the driveway. With a sigh she turned back towards her room to get dressed.
“They really did forget,” she said aloud to herself as she returned to her room, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
*****
“Thanks for giving me a ride home,” Holly muttered to Fiona. She’d covered the whole day for her and not one single friend or family member had come in to wish her a happy birthday. She’d thought that at least Wade would stop in, but then she remembered he thought she was at home. He probably assumed she was spending time with Linc and Brigid, instead of working all day by herself at the bookstore.
“It’s no trouble. It’s the least I could do, considering you were nice enough to come in and cover for me. I’m so grateful you didn’t have anything else going on. Otherwise I would have had to close the store for the day. You know how much I hate to do that,” she sighed as she shook her head.
“Nope, nothing to do,” Holly said as she stared out of the window. Aiden was asleep in the back, and she could hear him softly snoring. “I’m kind of a lame teenager.”
“No, you’re not lame,” Fiona said as they turned onto Holly’s street. “You’re just getting older.”
They pulled up in front of the house and Holly put her hand on the door. “Well, thanks again. I’ll have Linc pick my bike up sometime soon.”
“No worries,” Fiona said. “Actually, I’m going to come in really quick. I have to talk to Brigid about something,” she explained.
“Oh, okay,” Holly said. “You want me to get Aiden?”
“No, I got him,” Fiona said as she shut the car off. “But will you wait up for me?”
“Sure,” Holly nodded, although she really didn’t feel like it. Fiona hadn’t remembered her birthday either. All she wanted to do was run to her room and cry herself to sleep. She didn’t want dinner, and didn’t want to talk to anyone. If this was how it was going to be for the rest of the day, she’d rather be alone.
Fiona had gotten the car seat out and started walking up to the front door with Holly. “You don’t think Brigid’s gone, do you?” Fiona asked. “The house looks dark.”
“Maybe,” Holly said, hopeful. It would make being alone easier. “I guess we’ll see,” she said as she slipped her key in the lock and turned it.
As she stepped inside and flipped on the lights, she was overcome with the sound of a house full of people screaming, “Surprise!”
For a moment, Holly’s brain didn’t register what she was seeing. There were balloons, streamers, and a banner hanging from the ceiling. The front room was full of people, each one smiling at her.
“You mean…” Holly began, but she couldn’t manage to find the words.
“You didn’t really think we’d forget, did you?” Fiona asked from beside her. Holly’s mouth hung open as Brigid and Linc stepped forward.
“Did we surprise you?” Linc asked.
“I thought you were ignoring me,” Holly explained.
“Well, we kind of were,” Brigid began. “We had no idea how to talk abo
ut your birthday without giving it all away, so we just pretended like we were preoccupied.”
Brigid was smiling so big that it was as if she couldn’t contain it. “And that’s not our only surprise.” She pointed towards the crowd of people and standing in the front were her Aunt Katie and Uncle Allen from Missouri as well as her cousins, Lissa and Steven.
“Oh my gosh!” Holly cried out as she rushed over to them. “I can’t believe you’re here!”
“We aren’t the only ones,” Katie said as she pointed nearby. Sitting in Linc’s recliner was her grandpa from Missouri.
Holly rushed over and gave him a hug as well and told him just how happy she was to see him. As she looked up and started to take in the faces, she was flooded with emotion when she realized who all was there.
Plenty of friends from school, including Wade and Levi. Melanie, Brandon, Missy, Jordan, even George from the corner store. Holly didn’t know how they’d known who all to invite, and she didn’t care. She was touched. She’d never gone from one extreme emotion to the opposite so fast. It was hard to believe just a few minutes earlier she was ready to spend the night alone in her room, hoping to not see anyone for the rest of the day, and crying herself to sleep. Now, all of her favorite people were in one place, and she’d never been happier.
“Come on, let’s get this party started,” Brigid said as she led her over to her birthday cake. She saw a stack of gifts on a nearby table and more over in the corner. As Brigid lit the candles, someone shut the lights off and everyone began singing.
Holly had never heard that many voices singing “Happy Birthday” at once and certainly not to her. In the dark, she could only see a few people up close, but she could feel the rest of them. The love and thoughtfulness put into the party was almost more than she could take. She grinned as tears of joy slid down her face. Once everyone was finished singing, she blew out the candles, and everyone cheered as the lights came back on.
She spent the next hour opening gifts and eating cake. Eventually, she turned to Brigid and said, “How did you do all of this without me knowing about it?”
“It wasn’t easy,” she said. “There were a few times I was sure you’d figure it out, but we had to come up with a way to get you out of the house. That’s when we decided to have you go fill in for Fiona. I’m sorry you had to work on your birthday, but it was the only way we knew we could get you to stay put in one spot,” she chuckled.
“Well, it worked,” Holly laughed. “I was too busy being upset to even notice.”
“I’m really sorry about that,” Brigid said sadly. “I didn’t think it would hurt you so badly.”
“It’s okay,” Holly said. “Now that I know, I don’t mind. Really.”
“Good,” Brigid said. “Because we have one more present for you.”
“You didn’t have to,” she said shaking her head. “I’ve already gotten enough as it is.” She couldn’t believe all the great gifts she’d received. Gift cards, clothes, money, and so much more. She was already unsure of where to put it all and what to do with it.
“I think you’re going to want this,” Linc said from nearby. “But you have to close your eyes and trust us.”
Holly closed her eyes and felt a scarf go across her eyes and then being tied behind her head. “This is so we know you won’t peek,” Brigid explained. “We have one more present for Holly outside if you all want to go out and wait for us. Please, don’t say anything,” she said to everyone else.
Holly heard the door open and the sound of people going outside. “Are you ready?” Linc asked.
Holly nodded, and he helped her stand up. “We’re walking over to the front door,” Brigid explained as she took her other arm. “We’ll make sure nothing is in your way.”
They led her to the front door and opened it. Carefully, they helped her out onto the porch and decided to have her stay where she was rather than try to guide her down the stairs.
“Are you ready?” Linc asked.
“Umm, I think so,” Holly said, sounding unsure. She could hear people laughing.
“Whenever you’re ready, you can take off the blindfold,” Brigid said.
Holly’s hands went to the scarf and lifted it from her head. There, sitting in the driveway was a Volkswagen Beetle just like the one on her vision board. This one had been painted a pale baby blue and looked a little restored.
“What?” she asked in a shocked voice. “Are you serious?”
“Completely,” Linc said. “She’s all yours. We all pitched in and bought it, plus we had to get a little work done to it. Fiona picked out the color,” he explained.
Holly rushed down the stairs as she heard the sound of pictures being taken and a few people saying “Happy Birthday.”
“You all got this for me?” she asked as she touched it and turned around. Her friends and family nodded.
“You mean so much to all of us,” Wade said as he stepped forward. “You’re always so kind and helpful to everyone. We all did what we could to give back something to you. Hope you like it.”
“Like it?” Holly gasped. “I love it! Thank you so much everyone! This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.” As she looked around at the people standing there, she did a double take. She swore she’d seen her mother standing at the edge of the crowd, smiling happily. But when she looked back, she was gone. Holly knew that meant that even if her mom couldn’t be there physically, she was still there in spirit for her.
One by one, Holly went around to each person and personally thanked them for everything. She didn’t know how she’d gotten so lucky having all these wonderful people in her life, but she was thankful for each and every one of them.
EPILOGUE
“Guess who passed?” Holly asked excitedly as she climbed into Linc’s truck where he and Brigid had been waiting for her. Holly had just finished taking her driver’s exam at the DMV office and had passed with flying colors.
“Great job!” Brigid said happily. “So now it’s official. You’ve got your license.”
“Well, I got the little paper thing,” Holly said as she buckled her seat belt. “The actual license will come in the mail.”
“That doesn’t seem like as much fun as it was when we were younger,” Brigid said as she turned to Linc.
“No, it doesn’t,” he admitted. “But now they do all that security stuff and have computers involved. In our day, we were too busy trying to make fake IDs and stuff so we could buy cigarettes and beer.” He looked from Brigid to Holly, both of whom were giving him the “evil-eye” look. “Well, not me, of course. I was an angel, but the other guys were trying.”
“Uh huh, yeah. Sure,” Holly said with a chuckle. “Somehow, I find it hard to believe you were an angel, Linc. I mean, you still act like a kid.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said with a smile. “Let’s get some ice cream to celebrate. What do you say?”
“I think that sounds amazing,” Brigid said. “How about you, Holly?”
“As hot as it is, that’s a great idea,” she agreed. Linc started the truck and they pulled out of the parking lot, heading for the ice cream shop a few blocks away.
“Now that you can drive on your own, what’s the first thing you’re going to do?” Brigid asked.
“Honestly, I have no idea. Probably just drive myself to work,” Holly chuckled.
When they pulled up in front of the ice cream shop, they saw Missy and Jordan sitting on a bench in front of the store enjoying ice cream cones.
“Hey guys,” Jordan said with a wave. “How are you doing?”
“I just got my driver’s license,” Holly blurted out as she jogged over and showed them the slip of paper from the DMV. They looked it over and smiled at her.
“Great job,” Missy said with a smile. “Now I can have you drive me places when I don’t want to,” she laughed.
“Let me pay for your treat,” Jordan said. “Sounds like it’s time to celebrate.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Linc said.
Jordan stood up and joined him by the door. “It’s my pleasure. Brigid, Holly, what will you have?”
“I’d like a hot fudge sundae,” Holly said happily.
“I just want a vanilla cone,” Brigid said.
“Coming right up,” Jordan said as he and Linc disappeared inside.
“How are things over at the church?” Brigid asked Missy. “It’s been a while since we’ve had time to catch up.”
“It’s going great, thanks to Holly. I’ve been looking into this idea she had, and I think it’s really going to happen,” she said beaming. “The funding is there. I just need to make sure I can get the helpers and the supplies organized. So basically, right now it’s just taking care of the details.”
“You didn’t tell me you’d been doing things for Missy,” Brigid said in a surprised tone of voice, as she turned and looked at Holly.
“There’s been a lot going on,” Holly admitted. “It all started when I helped her find out who took the food from the storage room at the church.”
“I don’t remember hearing anything about that,” Brigid said, her brow furrowing. “Did you file a report? I’d think I would have heard about it at the sheriff’s office.”
“No, I didn’t,” Missy said. “I didn’t think it warranted all of that. You see, I could tell that whoever took the food was simply hungry. I didn’t want them punished for that. Instead, I had Holly help me find out who it was.”
“Right, and when I found out who had done it, I also found out there was a real unmet need in our town. It seems like far too many families struggle to feed their kids over summer vacation. They qualify for free lunches, and sometimes even breakfasts, through the school year, but when they’re home…,” she shrugged. “There’s nothing for them. That’s where my idea for having lunches at the church during summer vacation came from.”
Holly Lewis Mystery series Box Set Page 37