Holly and the Framed Friend

by Dianne Harman

  It was wonderful how inclusive everyone had been. By the end of the night, Holly had become good friends with Chloe and they’d promised to keep in touch. That was also the night that Chloe told everyone she was dating Steven. She’d realized just how much she’d been missing out on by being so strict with herself. She vowed that her senior year was going to be a memorable one. She didn’t want to finish up high school with her nose stuck in a textbook all year.

  There were more people paired up at the bonfire. Some of the girls they’d investigated had asked the guys they’d had their eye on and they’d said yes. Leah, who wisely didn’t come to the party, even got the courage to ask out Jayce, a guy who she’d apparently been wanting to ask out for a long time. Holly had thought it was mind blowing how many girls had allowed their jealousy of Chloe and fear of rejection to stand in the way of asking out their guy of choice.

  Katie and Allen had taken everyone out to see the sights just as they’d promised, and Holly had filled her phone with so many photographs that she eventually had to email some of them to herself just to free up more memory in her phone. They visited the Wildlife Museum and Aquarium as well as the drive through caverns. They even took a day trip down to Branson and had a blast listening to and seeing some country music stars. It had been overwhelming, but fun, all rolled into one. All in all, it had been an amazing trip.

  Before she left, she was able to visit her grandpa once more. They talked about her mother and in some ways, she felt that a burden had been lifted from his shoulders as well. By the time she’d left, he made her promise to call him every once in a while, so he could keep up with what was going on in her life.

  Just the fact that he cared enough to ask her to call him made Holly feel as though her heart could explode. It was all a bit overwhelming for a girl who had gone from having no one to suddenly having an aunt, uncle, cousins, and a grandfather.

  When she got back to Cottonwood Springs, she put the photo she’d had taken with him in one of her new frames and placed it prominently on the shelf in her room. He looked so happy and pleased with his arm around her.

  “Holly, I think your boxes have arrived,” Brigid called from the great room a few days after she’d return to Cottonwood Springs. Holly had been in her room putting her new pictures in frames and trying to find a place for everything. She hurried out into the hall just as Brigid was opening the door for the delivery man. Holly began to count the boxes as they were being brought in. Before he was finished bringing them in, it seemed as though there were a lot more than she’d remembered.

  “This is a lot of boxes,” Brigid said, echoing Holly’s thoughts. “It looks like Linc moved in all over again,” she chuckled.

  “I don’t remember there being this many,” Holly said as she began to unstack them.

  “Look, this one has a letter attached to it,” Brigid said as she moved one of the boxes. Holly began to pick at the tape that held it down until she was able to lift a corner and pull it off. The handwriting looked familiar and when she opened the letter Holly realized her aunt had written it.

  Dear Holly,

  We were all so glad to have you come and visit. Anytime you want to come back, you just let us know. It was wonderful getting to know you and hear all about your home in Cottonwood Springs.

  You may be thinking that this looks like a lot more stuff than what you had set aside, and it is. Your grandpa was going to write a letter to explain, but his handwriting isn’t quite what it used to be, so he asked me to do it for him. Not long after you left, we stumbled upon a little more stuff that we thought you might be interested in.

  If you don’t want some things, please don’t feel as though you have to keep them. These were from your mother and your grandmother. We thought you might like to have them. We tried to make it pretty obvious who they came from. Take your time and go through them slowly. I’m adding a few pages to explain a few things.

  Lastly, I want to thank you for making me face my past. It was much easier to just shut the door on what had happened and try to forget it, but obviously I couldn’t. But in the end, that did nothing but hurt all of us, your mother most of all. I won’t make that mistake again. Thank you for being the catalyst to getting us talking about everything. It was long overdue.

  Allen and I have been talking, and we think we’d like to come visit you, someday, not right away, but someday. I’d like to see where you and my sister lived. Please give my love to Brigid and Linc and make sure they get my apology for sending so many boxes. If Brigid is anything like me, she’s probably looking at the stack of boxes I sent and wondering where she’s going to put it all.

  Like I said, you don’t need to keep everything. These items are just things. Keep only what makes you happy, because that’s what you deserve. Take it from me, holding onto something that brings you pain will never allow you to heal. Only by pulling the bandage off the wound, and looking at it directly, can you really move on.

  I’m still sorry for not being there all those years ago when you needed me, but I can’t go back in time. If you need anything, anything at all, call me and I will do whatever I can to help. The kids are already asking when they’ll get to see you again. Obviously, you’ve made quite an impression on all of us, and we consider you a part of our family. Don’t ever forget that.

  With all my love,

  Katie

  “That’s sweet of her,” Brigid said after Holly finished reading the letter aloud. “And she’s right, that was the first thing I thought when I saw how many boxes there were. Linc’s going to be surprised when he gets back home.”

  “I’ll get them moved into my room here in a few. Katie’s probably right. I should go through them slowly, so I can really take in each item. You never know what I might find.”

  “That’s very true,” Brigid said as she pulled Holly into a hug. “Don’t worry about them being out here. They’re not bothering me. Take all the time you need. You can spread them all out if you like. It’s interesting to see where you came from, and I’ll learn right along with you.”

  Holly smiled at Brigid. “Thank you. For everything.”

  “No thanks necessary. You said you found out that Chloe’s best friend was the one who framed her?” Brigid asked as she knelt down to scratch Jett on the head.

  “Yeah, Lissa and Steven said Chloe and Leah have at least started talking to each other again. They don’t know if they’ll ever be best friends again, but at least for now they’re being civil to one another,” Holly said as she sat down on the floor by one of the boxes.

  Jett lumbered over to her and sat on her lap, inviting her to pet him. She laughed as he almost pushed her over. “Geeze, Jett. I’ve been home a couple days now. I’ve already told you I missed you a million times. What more do you want from me?”

  “I’d say he wants to hear it a million and one times,” Brigid said with a laugh. “You know, I had a wonderful honeymoon, and it was a great trip, but I’m very glad to be home and back to normal.”

  “Me, too,” Holly said. “Missouri was beautiful, and I had a ton of fun, but Cottonwood Springs is my home. I’m glad to be here.”

  “Honey, no one is happier than I am that you’re here,” Brigid said, as she hugged Holly while a warm tear of happiness trickled down her cheek.

  *****

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  ABOUT DIANNE

  I live in Huntington Beach, California, with my husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, and my boxer dog, Kelly. My passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever I have a little free time, I am either in the kitchen, playing with Kelly in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book I'm reading.

  Her other books are available below:

  Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel

  Amazon: Coyote in Provence

  Amazon: Cornered Coyote

  Amazon: Coyote Series

  Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop

&n
bsp; Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove

  Amazon: White Cloud Retreat

  Amazon: Marriage and Murder

  Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6

  Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District

  Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy

  Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold

  Amazon: The Death Card

  Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School

  Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band

  Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast

  Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave

  Amazon: Murder in Cuba

  Amazon: The Blue Butterfly

  Amazon: Trouble at the Kennel

  Amazon: Murdered by Words

  Amazon: Murdered by Country Music

  Amazon: Murder at the Big T Lodge

  Amazon: Murdered in Argentina

  Amazon: Murder on the East Coast

  Amazon: Murder at the Clinic

  Amazon: Murder at the Polo Club

  Amazon: Alexis

  Amazon: Trouble at the Animal Shelter

  Amazon: Murder in Calistoga

  Amazon: Murder on Bainbridge Island

  Amazon: Murder & The Movie Star

  Amazon: Murder in Whistler

  Amazon: Murdered by Plastic Surgery

  Amazon: Murder in Seattle

  Amazon: Murder after Midnight

  Amazon: Murder in San Francisco

  Amazon: Murder at Le Bijou Bistro

  Amazon: Murder at the Courthouse

  Amazon: Murder at the Gallery

  Amazon: Murder at the Waterfront

  Amazon: Murder at the Gearhart

  Amazon: Murdered by Superstition

  Amazon: Red Zero 1

  Amazon: Red Zero 2

  Amazon: Red Zero 3

  Amazon: The Professor’s Predicament

  Amazon: Murder at the Church

  Amazon: Holly and the framed friend

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  COMING SOON!

  PUBLISHING 4/17/19

  MURDER AT THE ALAMO

  BOOK FIVE OF

  THE COTTONWOOD SPRINGS COZY MYSTERIES

  http://getbook.at/MATA

  Al’s past is catching up with him...40 years in the mob and karma has his number.

  He’s a marked man, but a tip-off buys him some time. Can he catch his would-be murderer before they catch up with him?

  It’s a game of cat and mouse...will Al live to see his new husky puppy Spike grow up? Or will Red be lying vigil by his coffin?

  Find out in the latest nail-biting installment of the Northwest Cozy Mystery Series by a two-time USA Today Bestselling Author.