Free Mistletoe and Magic by Carolyn Hughey, Gina Ardito

same kind of issues her sister has, but she took her father’s death pretty hard, too.”
     
    ~~~
     
    An hour later, Dr. Bean was calling Mallory back into the office. Both girls were sitting in the room. The seat in the center was left vacant for Mallory. She could tell that Jenny had been crying, and the thought squeezed her heart. She reached out for both their hands.
    “You have a lovely family,” Dr. Bean said.
    “Thank you.”
    “After talking to each of you, I have a good idea of what is happening in your lives. Today has been an emotional upheaval for all of you having to relive those days over again. But we’ve made great progress. I’d like to cut it short here because I don’t feel we need any more discussion right now. I’d like you to go home and digest our meeting. Our next step is something my patients find extremely helpful. It’s a written exercise I want you to do.”
    Lacey groaned. “Homework?”
    The others laughed.
    “Sort of. But this will be an easy assignment, Lacey. No one gets to see it but you.” She gave her a stern look. “And that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do it, young lady,” Dr. Bean warned. Lacey rolled her eyes and made a face. “Mallory, on your way home, I want you to stop at the store and pick up three journals for recording your feelings,” she said. “Each day, I’d like you to write your emotions, whether it’s anger, sadness or happiness—it doesn’t matter. Just write it. Then I’d like you to stop and think about the situation and how you think it could be improved. Use this journal as your sounding board. Now here’s the caveat: You are not to discuss the contents of your journal or show it to anyone. The objective here is to transfer your problems to the journal. My patients have had great success with this method because they were able to unload their problems on paper and not worry about being judged by anyone. Just remember, it’s solely for you. Be completely honest because it won’t work if you hold anything back.”
    “That sounds like a great idea,” Mallory said. “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll stop on the way home.”
    “Good. Let’s schedule your next appointment for later in the day so the girls don’t have to take off from school.” She stopped talking and focused on Jenny for a brief moment. “I’m giving each of you my business card, and I want you to call me whenever you need to talk to me. I may not be able to converse with you right away, but I will call you back.” She looked to each of them. “Okay?”
    “Oh darn,” Lacey said, snapping her fingers together. “I thought we could get more time off from school.”
    “I’ll just bet you were,” Dr. Bean said, “but I’m sorry. I can’t contribute to your delinquencies.” She looked to Mallory. “How about same day, next week?” she said, glancing at her datebook. “Three-thirty sound good?”
    Mallory checked her calendar. “Sure. That’ll work out fine.”
    “Good, because I’ll be out of town the following week celebrating Christmas with my family.”
    “I think that should work out well. If it turns out to be an issue, I’ll call the office and let you know.”
    Dr. Bean walked them to the door, resting her hand on Lacey’s shoulder.

 
     
    CHAPTER TWELVE
     
     
    Mallory waved to the girls as they boarded the school bus. When the driver closed the door, she waited for the girls to sit down, and then made a beeline to the shower. She was wearing jeans today to decorate the tree at AJ’s. Excitement danced through her veins at an alarming rate convincing her AJ was more than just a passing fancy. Was she falling in love with him? How could that be so soon?
    She stepped inside the shower, her mind filled with a host of thoughts. Thinking back to last evening, she pictured Jenny’s docile mood. The poor kid seemed mentally exhausted and especially clingy to both her mother and Lacey. Mallory loved every minute of it, but she wished she knew what was