BETH CLERK CLINIC_DIRECTOR EMMA GRETA JACK JACOB MARGIE MARK POPULAR_STUDENT_1 REPORTER SALLY SANTA SONG STAFFER TRUCK_DRIVER SALLY Graham, that's wonderful. Yeah, absolutely. I... I-- I'm thrilled. SALLY Yeah, it'll be great. It'll be great. I'm so excited. I’m-- I'm thrilled, and Buddy is, too. Yeah, I've got some illustrations already started, and, uh, I think you'll be very happy. Okay, well, I'll get you the signed contracts asap. Signed, sealed and delivered. Okay and thank you so much again, Graham. Buddy thanks you. I thank you. Okay. All right, you take care. Bye. SALLY Buddy, guess what? Guess what? You're gonna be a star! They loved it! Come on, Buddy. Good boy. Up you go. BETH So you sold the publisher the concept? SALLY Yeah. Yeah, it's going to be about a dog named Buddy born on Christmas Day. Thank you. I've got some of the illustrations done. I don't have the whole story, but Buddy's going to help me with that. Will you give me some celery, please? BETH I'm so proud of you, Sally. Dylan would be over the moon. SALLY Yeah. BETH Are those for Mom's stuffing? SALLY Uh, yeah. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it, but you're going to help me. Please? I need help. Yes? BETH Yeah, I'm taking Wednesday off. I will be your sous chef. SALLY Okay, good. Yes. SALLY It's been so warm, it's kind of hard to get into the holiday mood. BETH Not for Buddy. SALLY Yeah? Oh, yeah, you want this one? Or this one? Which one do you want? This one's much prettier. You like that one? You like this one? Is that the one you want? Oh, don't chew it up! You don't chew it up... no, no! BETH Here, give it to me. SALLY Buddy, come here. Let's go pay for it. We can't steal it, you little monkey. Unbelievable. Right? What is it, Buddy? Oh he does this every time we're in town. I know. Papa's on an adventure, honey. He's on an adventure. We'll be together sometime, I promise. Yeah... SALLY I miss him, too, Bud. Come on, Bud, let's go. All right? Good boy. You go home. Good boy. MARK Pardon me. Hey. What happened to photo club? EMMA I decided not to join. They only shoot digital. MARK It's tough being the new kid, huh? EMMA You know, they made fun of my "ancient" camera. MARK Old-school is good. Your old man is old-school. EMMA You're not that old, Dad. MARK Ah, I'm pretty old. Come on, inside I'll make you something. EMMA Dad, we've been open a month. I don't get it, where is everybody? MARK Well, they are currently down the road at the new drive-thru Starbucks. Don't worry, we'll turn it around. Can I get you anything? EMMA Uh, sure. Banana and blueberry? MARK All right, you got it. EMMA Dad, no! Not "The Smoothie Dance." Someone might see you. MARK What's that, you can't feel the music, huh? Huh? EMMA I know you do this just to embarrass me. MARK I live to embarrass you. EMMA Dad! MARK Say, that, uh, that Christmas tree lot, it just opened up over on Mulberry. What do you say we go over there and pick one up? EMMA You think it's a bit early? MARK I just thought it might be fun, you know? Just like old times. EMMA It'll never be like old times, Dad. MARK Well, we'll just… we’ll have to make do, right? All right. I'll make you one here. MARGIE One of these days, that rusty old thing is going to break down and strand you somewhere. SALLY I love Big Red. She never lets me down. MARGIE Honey no grown woman ever names her pick-up. You've been living out in the sticks too long. SALLY Ah, you worry too much. See them together? MARGIE I was going to call you last night because I heard the Cullen house is up for sale. SALLY Oh, yeah, I love that old place. MARGIE Mm-hmm, and it's so close to town. SALLY Margie, listen, I have spent so much of my life living on bases. When we bought that home, it was to set down roots. It's my own little acre of heaven. MARGIE Think about your social life. SALLY My what? My what? What is that? What's my social life? What social life is that? I have my art studio, my garden, my work, my solitude. I've got Buddy, and that's all. I'm happy. Life is good. But thank you so much for worrying about me. It's very sweet. MARGIE That's crazy. It should be snowing this time of year. SALLY Buddy does not like this kind of weather. REPORTER The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Wharton Creek and the surrounding communities. Lightning, high winds rain, and hail have been Road visibility is diminished as wind and lashing rain have been reported. SALLY Buddy? Hey, Buddy! Buddy? Buddy! Buddy! Buddy! Oh, no. Oh, no. Buddy? Buddy! BETH Hey, sis. SALLY Hi. Something’s happened to Buddy and I need your help. Can you help me find him, please? I'm sorry, you guys. BETH Yes. Uh… I'll be right back. SALLY Hey, babe, hi. No... No. Hi. No, he wasn't micro-chipped. I mean, he has a collar on that's got his name on it. It's just, everybody here knows him. I just never thought that this would happen. CLERK I'd advise you to keep making the rounds. Most of the shelters around here aren't set up to board animals more than a week. SALLY Okay. Uh, thank you. TRUCK DRIVER No! You scared the heck out of me, little guy. Buddy, huh? I've got some water in the back of my chariot, half a turkey sandwich. I bet you're starving, huh? Come on. Come on. Good boy. No way. Hey, Buddy, come on, boy. Come here. Come here, boy. Smile, buddy. Yeah… SALLY Buddy! Buddy! TRUCK DRIVER He seems a little sluggish. Paws look kind of bad. CLINIC DIRECTOR He's probably been doing a lot of walking. I'll have our staff vet take a look. TRUCK DRIVER I wish I could take him home. The old lady's allergic to everything. His name is "Buddy." CLINIC DIRECTOR Probably a thousand "Buddys" out there. TRUCK DRIVER Not like this one. Good luck, little fellow. CLINIC DIRECTOR Hey, come on. SALLY We visited every shelter within 20 miles from here, but it's just, just nothing. So, we decided to expand the search to-- to 40 miles, you know? JACK Anything on the missing pet finder? SALLY No, I just, I go online every day, but, um... there's nothing. I don't know, Jack. He's just, he's-- he’s been gone for-- for a week. JACK I wish I was there to help you, Mom. SALLY I know you do, baby, I know. Just, uh… just say a prayer, okay? JACK Yeah, I will. You know, I can almost smell your stuffing. SALLY Yeah. Grandma's recipe, right? BETH Hey, Jack! I made a Dutch apple pie in your honor. JACK Aw, thanks, Aunt Beth. SALLY You look skinny. Are you eating over there? JACK Mom, I'm okay. SALLY Okay, well, when you get back in June, we're going to have Thanksgiving, all the trimmings all your favorites, you hear me? JACK Listen, Ma, I gotta go. They're calling me. Happy Thanksgiving, Mom. Now, don't worry about Buddy, okay? He's going to find you. SALLY I know. You take care of yourself, you hear me? I love you, baby. I love you. JACK Yeah, I love you, too. SALLY Be safe. JACK I will. I love you, Mom. Bye. SALLY Bye. GRETA Dog food, wet and dry. 10 dog beds, 10 leashes... MARK Em? Your aunt and I are leaving! Why don't you come out and say bye? 'Tis the season. EMMA Speaking of, I've been thinking about presents. MARK Oh, yeah? I thought you were lobbying for a low-key Christmas? EMMA I thought it might be fun to start a darkroom in the basement. GRETA Like your Mom had in the old house? MARK Your mom would love that, Em. Why don't you put it on your wish list? EMMA Dad, I'm too old for wish lists. MARK Aw, you're never too old for wishing. Mrs. Carlson will be by after school. That essay, I proofread it. It's on the counter and, uh, dinner is in the fridge, if we're late. EMMA Dad, I can take care of myself. GRETA Atta girl. EMMA Go, have fun. MARK Yeah. GRETA Yes. Okay, you are coming with me. CLINIC DIRECTOR How many can you take, Greta? GRETA Uh, finding forever homes for 10 is the magic number. I'll take this koolie as well. MARK Hey, fella. What's your name? Buddy. Good name. We had a-- we had a Shepherd when we were growing up. Stella. She was a great dog. Oh, yeah, look at you. Look at you. CLINIC DIRECTOR Hey, he likes military guys. MARK Come on. Huh, Buddy? Huh? I was in the Reserves. Hey. Can I take him out? CLINIC DIRECTOR Sure. MARK Get to know his personality? Somebody wants to play. Oh, you see I have it, don't you? You want to play, don't you? Yes, you do. Yeah? You want to play some fetch? Yeah? Let's see what you got, huh? Here you go. GRETA Why don't you adopt him? MARK Oh, I'd love to, but I-- I just don't think that Emma's up for that yet. Someone's going to right? Come on. GRETA Oh, no. No, no. I told you, we have no room at the inn. There's no room in that van. It's full. MARK Good boy, good boy. EMMA Mom would have asked me first. Just because I'm 13, my opinion doesn't count? MARK Look, I'm sorry, hon', all right? But I had to make a decision on the spot, and that's what I did. EMMA Dad, he's sick. MARK No, he's-- he's-- he’s fine. His paws got a little bit beat up when he ran away. Your aunt said that she'll find him a permanent situation, but he'll be with us for, you know, a couple of weeks, tops. EMMA I'm sure he's a wonderful dog, but he deserves a real family, and I'm not sure that's us anymore. MARK Em, come on. EMMA I know what you're doing. Don't make me fall in love with you. You're just passing through. You any good with geometry? MARK Time to get up, kiddo. Has that been going on all night? EMMA Pretty much. I didn't have the heart to wake him. Need to go out, Bud? MARK Hey! Hey... thanks, Buddy! You’re a good boy. What a good boy you are, huh? What a good boy. You brought the paper for me. Yeah, that a boy. Hey. EMMA Hi. MARK It’s okay. Hey. EMMA Getting him ready for his new home? MARK That's the plan. I don't really think he needs this gauze anymore. EMMA I was just getting used to having him around. MARK Yeah, it's been great, hasn't it? EMMA Can I help? MARK Yeah, go ahead. He's lucky to have you taking care of him. EMMA This reminds me of when you brought Mom home from the hospital. Remember? We had to put the bed in the living room because she couldn't walk up the stairs anymore. MARK Yeah. She was happy to be home. EMMA I don't want him to go, Dad. Just look at him. He's so happy here. Can't we be his forever family? MARK That's a big responsibility. EMMA Buddy fits in like he's already a part of our home. MARK Are you sure, Em? EMMA Can we still call him "Buddy"? MARK Absolutely. EMMA You hear that, Buddy? SALLY I'll be honest with you, Graham, I'm finding it nearly impossible to work. Just, all I can think of is-- is where is he, and is… is he safe? Um, I know that you want the book by Christmas, but I just, I just don't know, with Buddy gone, if I can... Um, can I give you a call back? Yeah, okay. I'm-- I’m-- I'm really sorry, Graham. Yeah, thanks. Buddy! Oh, my God... Buddy... I-- I just, I don't understand how he got all the way to Monroe? I mean, that-- that's two hours from here. I didn't check the shelters that far. TRUCK DRIVER When I found him, I was driving west. Monroe was the first shelter that I came across. SALLY Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah that makes sense. Um… was he okay? Was he hurt or anything? TRUCK DRIVER Considering he was totally lost, he was doing pretty good. SALLY Oh, good. Thank god because he-- he-- he’s been missing for almost three weeks, now. TRUCK DRIVER Well, I felt terrible about leaving him there, but my wife’s allergic, and I just couldn’t bring him home. After a few days, I started checking online you know, looking for missing shepherds, and I found your posting. SALLY Well, I just, I can't thank you enough. And you deliver Christmas trees, too, that's... that-- that would only happen to Buddy. TRUCK DRIVER He sure seems like an amazing dog, Mrs. Brown. SALLY Yeah. STAFFER I'm not seeing anything in the log. The Clinic Director will be in tomorrow. SALLY Okay. Um, the-- the trucker said that it was sometime around Thanksgiving. Is there any way you could check around-- around that date? STAFFER Oh, wait a minute, here we go. We had a Shepherd named Buddy, probably about five years old? SALLY Yeah, that could absolutely be him. Um, he-- he's not here anymore? Where-- where would he be? STAFFER Boston. SALLY In Boston? GRETA Noah's Ark Pet Rescue, this is Greta. SALLY Hi um, my name is Sally Brown, and I'm calling about my German Shepherd. His name is Buddy, and I was wondering if he was still at your, uh, your kennel. GRETA Buddy, y-yeah. SALLY Yes, he wears a white collar, and it's got holly— GRETA Yeah with his name painted on the side? Ms. Brown, are you still there? SALLY Yeah, I'm sorry. Um... is he okay? GRETA He's... he's safe and sound. SALLY Good. Oh, my gosh, how did he get all the way to Boston? GRETA I rescue pets from shelters all over the East Coast and bring them back here and find homes for them. SALLY Oh. GRETA Ms. Brown, Buddy has been adopted out to a forever family. SALLY But he's-- he’s-- he's my dog. He's been my dog for five years. GRETA Yeah, I-- I-- I understand. I know how difficult this must be for you, but… SALLY No, you... I'm his owner. I don't— GRETA Look, I don't get calls like this very often, so I'm going to need to see his registration papers. SALLY I don’t-- I don't have registration papers for him. My-- my husband found him overseas and brought him back home. I can give you those papers. I'll do anything it takes. I just would like to bring my dog home. GRETA Okay, I'm going to need to get in touch with the family, and I need to warn you, this may not be as easy as you think. I-- I'll get back to you as soon as I've talked to the family. Bye. Where's Emma? MARK I sent her out to walk Buddy. So, what's the word? GRETA Her papers check out. In all the years I have rescued dogs, I have never had this happen. MARK Well, what am I going to say to Emma? I mean, she's been through enough for somebody twice her age. This is going to break her heart. GRETA I know. This woman would like to meet with you. How do you want to handle it? SALLY "Dear Greene Family. I'm writing to you about the most amazing dog, but then you probably know that by now. We had a huge thunderstorm here last month, and it damaged our fence. When Buddy got out and ran away, I was devastated. He's been my companion, my muse, and my best friend ever since my husband died two years ago. He was originally Dylan's dog, and they were inseparable. My husband survived three deployments overseas without so much as a scratch, only to come home and have a heart attack while he was out jogging. For my son and me, Buddy is our last connection to him. Please find it in your heart to let him come home for Christmas. Sincerely, Sally Brown." EMMA Buddy, come on! SALLY Hello? MARK Hello, my name is, uh, is Mark Greene. I'm calling about Buddy. SALLY Hi, um, how is he? Is-- is he okay? MARK Oh, yeah, he's doing just fine. SALLY Good. Good, uh, good... Thank you so much for, uh, getting back to me. I wasn't, um... wasn't sure that you would, Mr. Greene. So thank you so much. I, uh, I've just, I've been really very worried about him, and-- and thank God you and your family took him in. Um... this may seem a little odd. I want to make sure that this is my dog, my-- my Buddy. MARK Well, didn't, uh, Greta confirm with you? SALLY Yes, I know. I-- I-- I just want to be certain, if that makes any sense. MARK Well, um I—I-- I could try and get a picture to you. My-- my daughter's taken quite a few. SALLY Okay. I-- I would appreciate that very much. MARK Sure. SALLY Would it be too much to ask if I could come and see him? I-- I just live an hour away in-- in Warm Springs, and-- and I could drive down in a moment's notice, if that would be okay. MARK Um, you know, I'm—I’m just, I'm just not sure about that. SALLY I don't mean to intrude, um, but… MARK No, you know what, I just-- I'm just going to be candid with you here. My daughter's been… been through a lot over the last little while. She lost her mother two years ago, and I am, uh... well, I feel hesitant to make any decisions without talking to her about it. I'm trying to take care of my girl. SALLY Okay, thank you very much. I appreciate it. Good night. MARK Em? EMMA There you go. MARK There's something we gotta talk about. Your aunt came by yesterday with some news. Buddy's owner has surfaced. EMMA What do you mean? We're his owner. MARK Well, there's a woman in Warm Springs-- EMMA Nobody's taking Buddy away from me. MARK I think you should read this. EMMA He's our dog. MARK I know, and I've been wrestling with this all night, but we have to do the right thing. EMMA There is no right thing, Dad. No matter what we do, somebody's going to get hurt. I feel sorry for this woman, I really do-- MARK Look, she's got a history with the dog. It was her husband's. We've only had him for two weeks. She just wants to come and see him. EMMA She wants to take him, doesn't she? MARK Hey… Em... MARK Sally? SALLY Yeah. Uh, Mark? MARK Yeah. SALLY Hi. MARK Please, come in. SALLY Thank you. I, uh, I was a half hour early, so I've just been driving around the block in circles. MARK He sure likes his toys. SALLY Yeah. You should see my house. It looks like a pet shop exploded. MARK He, uh, likes to play hockey with the pillows. SALLY Oh, yeah. Yeah... Uh… so, uh, is he here? MARK Well, actually, Emma just-- just took him for a walk. He was full of all kinds of anxious energy this morning, so... It was like he knew. SALLY Oh, yeah, trust me, he knew. That dog knows everything. MARK Well, they'll be back in a minute. Can I offer you anything? A glass of water or something? SALLY That would be nice, thank you. You have a-- a beautiful home. MARK You should have seen it before we moved in. My daughter thought I'd lost my mind. SALLY Oh, yeah? Ah, thank you. Well, it looks like you've done a lot of work. It's beautiful. MARK Yeah, we were stripping wood for weeks. The kitchen demo was a nightmare. We were washing our dishes in the tub, there for about a month. SALLY That right? Yeah, that sounds like my husband, Dylan. Every weekend, it was a new project. Go away on an errand, come home and the bathroom was demolished or a wall was missing, just on a whim, you know? You guys and your power tools, always trying to fix the world. EMMA Okay let's do the other side again, ready? Good... MARK Are you okay? SALLY Yeah, I'm fine. Can I..? MARK Oh, yeah. SALLY Buddy? Buddy! Come here! Hi, Buddy! Hi! Hi! Here, come here, Buddy. Come here. Hi, Buddy... Okay... Come here. Go get it. He looks really healthy, like nothing's even happened. MARK Yeah. Yeah, he wasn't eating much when he got here, but he's turned into a bit of a chow hound now. Have you had him since he was a pup? SALLY My husband found him outside of his barracks in Beirut on Christmas morning, had no idea where he came from, or how old he was so we just decided that Christmas Day would be his birthday. Buddy's a lucky dog. How often does an animal find two loving homes in one lifetime, right? MARK I know. Sometimes they don't find one. Hey, Em, you're kind of quiet. You got any questions? EMMA Not really. SALLY A photographer, huh? Is that what you are? EMMA It's just a hobby for now. MARK Her mother was a freelance photographer for Manhattan Style and Living magazine." EMMA This was her camera. SALLY Nice. You shoot in color or black and white? EMMA Black and white. SALLY Ooh, a purist. You shoot in color, you get pictures of people's clothing. Black and white, more of a picture into their soul. You're lucky. Not everybody has an artist's eye like that. EMMA Are you here to take him home? MARK Em... SALLY It's all right. You know what, Emma, I, uh... first I just wanted to make sure that he was-- he was healthy and safe-- and you guys are taking good care of him, which you are. MARK The three of us are just going to talk about it, okay? EMMA Dad, can I be excused? MARK Of course. I guess the three of us are not going to talk about it. SALLY I can't even imagine what she's going through. MARK Sally. SALLY Yeah. MARK Honestly, I don't know how we're going to reconcile this. She's had to shoulder a lot over the last two years, and I don't really feature hurting her more. SALLY I-- I hear you. I-- I get it. It's just, uh... How about we... How about we talk in a few days? Is that doable? MARK Yeah. SALLY Okay. Hey, Buddy. Paw? You be a good boy, okay? This isn't goodbye. Okay? I love you, Buddy. You-- you have my cell and my home phone number and my email, okay? MARK Yeah, yeah, I-- I got all that. SALLY I, uh… I'd like to say goodbye to your daughter, if I could? MARK Yeah. Hey, Em! Why don't you come out? Sally's leaving. SALLY I just wanted to say thank you. EMMA Thank me? I didn't do anything. SALLY Well, you took in a stranger when he needed a home. Not a lot of people have a heart as big as that. So thank you so much. Buddy, come! Good boy, you go inside with Emma. MARK You're good with kids. SALLY I've had a bit of practice. I write, uh, children's books, too. MARK Yeah? You're, uh... you're "the" Sally Brown. SALLY Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that. MARK It didn't click until just now. We have-- we have most of them inside. SALLY Oh, no kidding? MARK My wife used to read them. To Emma. SALLY Wow, that's-- that’s great. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it. MARK Buddy will be okay, all right? SALLY Yeah, I know. I know he will. It's just me. I, uh... Thank you very much for letting me come by. I appreciate it. MARK That's fine. Yeah. Take care. SALLY They're good people, and they're taking very good care of Buddy. BETH That must have been awkward. SALLY Yeah, I kind of felt like an intruder in their home. BETH Legally, they can keep him, right? SALLY Yeah. I mean, it's all up to Mark. He's a single dad. Handsome. He's a good man. You can tell it in his eyes. Did I mention that he was good-looking? BETH I haven't heard you talk about someone like this for a long time. It's like you like him. SALLY Oh, please. I was just kidding. I really haven't given it any thought. I just want him to give my dog back. BETH Do you trust him? SALLY What, with Buddy? BETH With everything. SALLY I just pray that he makes the right decision. GRETA So what happens next? MARK I really don't know. There's no manual on how to deal with a mess like this. She was very sweet to Emma, though. I appreciated that. She's actually a children's book author. GRETA Oh. Self-published? MARK No, she's, uh, she's big-time. GRETA Oh. MARK You know, Buddy's mom is famous in that world. Emma couldn't believe it. GRETA Well, that's cool. What's she like? MARK She's very pretty. She seems like a nice woman. It would have been a heck of a lot easier if she'd have been awful, you know. GRETA You're being awfully brave. MARK About what? GRETA You fell in love with that dog the minute you saw him, and now... this woman wants to take him away? MARK Well, what are you gonna do, right? JACOB Hey, Emma. EMMA Jacob? JACOB Awesome dog. Can I pet him? EMMA Sure. Buddy's super friendly. JACOB I've always wanted a dog like this. My mom's a cat person. Have you started your paper for Mrs. Wallace's class yet? EMMA "My Best Christmas Ever?" It feels like an assignment for third-graders. JACOB Besides, hasn't everything already been written about Christmas? Between Dickens and Dr. Seuss? EMMA I'm focusing more on my book report for her. It's a bigger part of our grade anyway. POPULAR STUDENT 1 Whatever. EMMA See you guys around. Come on, Buddy. JACOB Emma! Don't pay attention to those nimrods. I'm reading To Kill A Mockingbird. EMMA I love Harper Lee. My dad has a first edition. JACOB Someday, I'm going to get Atticus Finch glasses. EMMA They'd look cool on you. JACOB Thanks. Well, see you around. EMMA I had the coolest thing happen in town today. MARK Mm-hmm? EMMA I ran into some kids from school. There's this cool kid, Jacob. I didn't even know he knew my name, but he started talking to me, all because of Buddy. MARK Well, good things happen with that dog around, right? EMMA Have you talked to that lady? MARK Sally? EMMA What are we going to do, Dad? I feel sorry for her, but Buddy's a part of our family now. MARK I don't know, hon'. I don't have the answers. I… I wish that I did. You know, you and I will have to work it out together. So... tell me about this boy. Hey, what's up, partner? Huh? What are you doing? SANTA Oh, what a great dog. What's his name? MARK Buddy. SANTA I love Shepherds. They're the best dogs ever, right? Can I pet him? MARK Yeah, go ahead. He'll be your friend for life. So, uh, where are you guys from? SANTA Santa's Village up on Main. We're Santa's helpers. We like to have lunch once in a while and compare our war stories. MARK Well, I'll tell you what, the coffee's on the house for all the work you guys do this time of year. You knew exactly what you were doing, didn't you, Buddy? I should change the name of this joint to Buddy's. Hi, you've reached Mark. Please leave a message after the tone. What are we going to do, Buddy? Hmm? What are we gonna do? Emma... It's time to get ready for bed. EMMA I had the best dream about Mom. MARK Yeah? I dream about her all the time. EMMA I'm glad we have these pictures. MARK She lived for the holidays. She had a very generous spirit. EMMA Remember how she used to bake cookies for everybody in the neighborhood? Even the people she didn't know. MARK Yeah. EMMA She'd know what to do, Dad. MARK About what? EMMA Buddy. I've been thinking about it a lot. I have this paper due, "My Best Christmas Ever." And then a thought came what if my best Christmas ever hasn't happened yet? MARK Well, what would be your best Christmas? EMMA To have you and me and Mom together for Christmas, as a family again, but I know that can't happen for us. But it can for Buddy. Buddy has a chance to go home. He needs to be with his Mom for Christmas. That would be "His Best Christmas Ever." MARK That's the most beautiful gift that you could give him. I couldn't be more proud of you. I know your mother would be, too. All right, you, uh, you get ready for bed. EMMA I'm going to miss that sound. MARK There you go, come on. SALLY Buddy! Hi! Hi! Hi! MARK Hey. SALLY Thank you so much. This means the world to me, Emma. It really does. Thank you. Good boy, come here. Give it to me. Oh, yeah, you get it. I know. EMMA Dad, that's just like he does at home. MARK Yeah. SALLY Yeah? He could do this for hours. You leave that outside. House. Good boy. After you. MARK Thank you. EMMA It smells like a bakery in here. SALLY Oh, yeah? I'm getting ready to send a shipment of some care packages over to the troops. My son is stationed in Afghanistan. I'll take your coats. MARK I was in the Reserves. There's nothing quite like getting a care package from home. I'm sure your son feels the same way. SALLY I pray for the day when he gets back. That way, I'll have both my boys at home. Right, Buddy? Uh, well, can I get you guys anything? Some hot chocolate maybe? Does that sound good? EMMA Yeah. MARK Can I give you a hand? SALLY I would love that. Do me a favor, Emma, and keep Buddy out of these boxes. There are cookies in there, and he's got a sweet tooth. MARK You know, you needn't have gone to all this trouble. SALLY Oh, no, no, no. It's absolutely my pleasure. It's the least I could do. I mean I really honestly could have picked up Buddy. MARK Well, truthfully, we wanted to see where Buddy lives, just to know that we'd done the right thing, but I can see we did. SALLY Well, I'm glad you think that. MARK So, what can I do? SALLY Uh well, you could sift the cocoa, I guess? MARK I can do that. SALLY Okay. MARK Ah, a molinillo. SALLY I don't think I've ever met anyone who knows what that crazy thing is. MARK Well, we sell a lot of hot chocolate at this time of year at the shop. SALLY Oh, yeah, right. MARK Yeah. I read somewhere that the, uh, the Mayans considered the Molinillo to be a magical instrument. That they believed that the "spirit of the drink" was in the froth. SALLY Really? Good manners and well read, no wonder Buddy likes you. MARK Yeah, he really appreciates the well-read part. SALLY Uh, excuse me, I need the... Excuse me, sorry. MARK Sure. Not at all. SALLY I haven't had a man in the kitchen helping me out in a long time. MARK I find that hard to believe. SALLY Yeah… It's true. MARK No dating? SALLY Well, seems like a very strange word. No, there-- there... there hasn't been anybody. Just, us… No, I kind of feel like that part of me is-- is, uh... is lost. If that makes any sense. MARK Yeah, I mean, uh, I've heard stories of this happening to people, but, you know, you never think it's going to happen to you. SALLY No. Yeah, nothing in the world could have prepared me for this. But, um, what am I talking about? Rambling. That's what happens when you live alone for a really long time. MARK It's okay. SALLY Uh, we're ready for the milk? MARK I believe we are. SALLY Nice and warm. MARK Great. SALLY All right. SALLY I’m sorry. MARK Oh, all right. Yeah. SALLY I'm sorry. I just didn't know I was going to get a floor show. MARK Yeah, it's professional hazard, you know? SALLY Oh really? MARK Yeah, a little thing I do for Emma at work. SALLY Oh, yeah, that's... yeah, your sister Greta told me that you have a coffee shop. MARK Yeah. Yeah, Serious Brew. We offer a little bit of razzle dazzle, a little bit of Fosse with every drink. It embarrasses the heck out of Emma. SALLY Well, we live to embarrass our kids. MARK Exactly, right? Or at least they think that until they have children of their own. SALLY Phew, it is hot in here. I forgot to turn off the fire on the stove. Are we good? MARK Yeah. SALLY And this is Buddy's favorite napping spot. MARK Yeah? SALLY …otherwise known as my studio. MARK Wow, and look at all these Capaldi Book Awards. Can I have Emma up to have a look at them? She's an avid reader, thanks to your books. She'd be blown away. SALLY Yeah, absolutely. MARK Great. Emma, why don't you come up here and see this? EMMA I have James in Wonderland. SALLY Oh, yeah? EMMA I made Mom read it to me about 10,000 times. MARK Probably more. EMMA Buddy comes from a famous family. SALLY Yeah, well, he's going to be the star of my next book, too. MARK Oh, yeah? What's it about? SALLY Um, it's about how Buddy brings good luck wherever he goes. MARK Yeah? SALLY I don't really have the whole story yet because it's been a little difficult to write with him not being here, but he's back, and so I think that the end is forthcoming. MARK Well, you've-- you’ve certainly captured his essence here. SALLY Thanks. MARK Have you got a title? SALLY Oh, no. Inspiration has yet to strike. Any suggestions? EMMA What about, Buddy's Most Excellent Adventure? SALLY I love it. MARK Or, uh... Buddy, The Christmas Shepherd? EMMA Dad, that's great. MARK Right. SALLY I like that. That's actually really good. It's a perfect play on words. Thank you, Mark. EMMA Dad used to work in advertising. SALLY Oh, yeah, did he? What's an ad man doing owning a coffee house? MARK Ah, it's a long story, but maybe that's better for another time, actually. It's a school night, so we should probably get going. SALLY Ah… Well, there you go. MARK The tour. Life imitates art. SALLY Kind of. Come. MARK I've been dreading this all day, huh? Yeah. SALLY Well, I can't thank you enough. You've given me the best Christmas present imaginable. EMMA Could we come and visit? SALLY Absolutely. Anytime you want, that door is always open, okay? EMMA Bye, Buddy. I'm going to miss you. MARK Hey, how you doing, pal? All right. See you. Come on, sweetheart. SALLY Yeah. MARK You okay? EMMA I don't know what it is about Sally. I feel like I've always known her. MARK How so? EMMA Maybe it's from reading her books since I was a kid. Like meeting a pen pal. MARK I can see that. She's a remarkable woman. EMMA We're never seeing them again, are we? MARK I don't know, hon'. SALLY I don't want them to go either. Come on. Come on. MARK A comb through the hair, young lady? EMMA Dad, I can't find my iPad anywhere. It has my notes for my book report on it, and it's due this week. MARK Okay, did you, uh, did you take it with you yesterday? Maybe leave it in the car, or at Sally's? EMMA I did my homework in the car. I don't remember that much. I was such a mess. I'm sorry, Dad. I messed up. MARK Don't worry about it. We'll find it, all right? Grab your stuff. Let's go. SALLY Okay. Hey, Graham? Guess what? He's back. Yeah, yeah, he's home. He's-- he’s healthy and happy and it's-- it’s all good. Up to his old tricks. Yeah… Yeah, I absolutely will get you what I have before you go away for Christmas. Yeah. Yeah, I'm just happy to be writing again. I have to call you back, Graham. Buddy, what are you into? What is this? Uh, Graham, I'm going to have to call you back. Okay, all right. I'll speak to you soon. Bye. MARK Hello. SALLY Hey, Mark, it's Sally Brown. You're never going to guess what I found under the tree this morning. MARK If I was to hazard a guess I would say that you found Emma's tablet? SALLY Yes! I have no idea how it got there. Buddy found it. MARK Actually we've been running around all morning in a-- in a dither looking for it. She's got a book report that's due on Friday and it's on that thing. SALLY Oh, no, I'm so sorry. Well, listen, I could email the report or even drop it by if you want. MARK Oh, I don't want you to go to that kind of trouble. SALLY Oh, come on, after all you've done, of course I can. MARK All right, I'll tell you what, make you a deal. Perhaps we could meet half way? There's a wonderful little Christmas Market in Framingham. What do you say? 7:00 at the coffee kiosk? SALLY That sounds good. I'm looking forward to it. MARK Yeah, me too. Thanks. SALLY Okay, we'll see you later then. MARK Bye. MARK You're a saint for doing this. Emma wanted me to tell you that you had, quote, "saved her life." SALLY I'm happy to help out, really. MARK How's Buddy doing? SALLY Oh, back to his old tricks. Same old routine. MARK Yeah. SALLY I know this was hard for you and Emma, and... I wish there was a way we could— MARK Give him a scratch. Tell him we miss him. SALLY Absolutely. Every chance I get. MARK This coffee's all right for a kiosk. You can taste the smokiness. SALLY I… I taste black coffee. MARK Okay... All right, it's like that, right? You got to let it sit on your palate. You know, allow the bouquet to come to life. Inhale... You know? SALLY I'm not much of a connoisseur, so you lost me on that one. MARK Try my double mocha latte blanco milkshake, it'll make you a believer. SALLY I think I can hear the commercial jingle right now. Well, sounds decadent. The next time I'm in Waltham, I'm going to expect a life-changing coffee experience, please. MARK I'll do my best to deliver. Shall we sit? SALLY Yeah. Why did you leave Madison Avenue? MARK Uh, well... I was doing well there, work-wise-- really well, I guess, but after Lauren died, I just decided that "really well" wasn't enough. So, I quit my job, and I wanted Em to be close to my family in Boston, so I moved here. SALLY So, you know, you asked me this the other day, and I'm going to ask you, have, uh, are you dating again? MARK Well, with moving from New York, and trying to start a new business, and Emma, I... No. You know, it just... Dating takes a lot of time. SALLY Oh, my goodness, and it's so much work. Seriously, I don't even know why we do it anymore. MARK No, they should ban it. SALLY It's nice to talk to someone who understands what I'm talking about. MARK You fall in love, and you get married. Not to be naive, but you assume that you're going to be with that person forever. SALLY I used to love to ice skate. MARK Oh, yeah? You wouldn't catch me dead out there, not this guy. SALLY Really? MARK Yeah. SALLY Arms out to your side. MARK This was a terrible idea, Sally. SALLY No, it's a great idea. Put your right foot behind you at a 60-degree angle and push off with the inside of that edge. Right there, like that. MARK And I'm going to do all of this at the same time? SALLY All of it at the same time. All at the same time. MARK You know, interestingly enough, I was born without a center of gravity. SALLY Really? MARK And thus I cannot skate, I cannot dance, and I cannot ski. SALLY Sounds like a horrible life. I got you, don't worry. You're fine, doing good. MARK You're beautiful, you know that? SALLY Stop, you're silly. Oh! Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? MARK You know what? SALLY That's what happens when you say silly things. MARK It's nice down here. SALLY No, no, no, you gotta get up. There's other skaters. It's rude, you've got to get off the ice. MARK All right. SALLY Okay, all right. Ooh, sorry. MARK That’s all right. SALLY We almost bonked heads. Okay, you know we're going to go to the outside track now. MARK I don't think that's a very good idea. SALLY No, it's a great idea. One loop, all the way around. No crashes, no falls, no accidents, and nobody gets hurt and stop making me laugh, it's distracting. MARK Hey, kid. EMMA Hey. Yes! MARK Yeah, Sally, uh… Sally said she hopes that you get an "A" on your report. EMMA I will now. MARK Perfect. EMMA Dad, you're limping. MARK Yeah. Why don't you mind your own business? Against my better judgment I allowed myself to be convinced that I should go ice skating with Sally last night. EMMA You went ice skating? MARK I went ice skating. EMMA Sally got you on the ice? MARK She did. She got me on the ice. Might have went down a few times. EMMA I don't believe it. MARK Believe it. She is, uh, also going to come over for a drink tomorrow night. She's bringing Buddy. EMMA Yes, Buddy. But, Dad, you just saw her yesterday. Why's she coming over? MARK Well, we had a... we… you know, we had a good time, so we thought it might be fun, right? EMMA Good job, Dad. MARK Good job for what, Em? Oh, you're a funny kid. You're really funny. EMMA Buddy, come here! SALLY Hi, Emma! He's been so excited about this all day. You’re—Mark you're limping. What's-- what’s going on? MARK You did this to me. You're a terrible person. SALLY I what? MARK Yes! SALLY Oh, from ice skating, are you kidding me? EMMA I don't know how you did it. I've been trying to get my dad to go ice skating with me since I was little. SALLY Yeah? Well, he showed great potential, but he's, uh, he’s got a lot of work to do. Know what I'm sayin'? MARK Potential. SALLY Um, guys, I-- I hate to tell you this, but you do know that Christmas is just a little bit away. You couldn't put up a papier-mâché angel? From fresh crepe, maybe, a little something? MARK No, I've been on her case for about three weeks now to get a tree. SALLY Oh, yeah? EMMA We've been busy. SALLY Well, I gotta tell you, you happen to be in the presence of the best Christmas tree shopper in the world. MARK Is that right? SALLY Mm-hmm. MARK Is there anything that you're not good at? SALLY No, no, no, no, not me. Buddy over there. Mm-hmm. I promise you, he will pick out the best Christmas tree on the lot. Now, mind you, it will be the most expensive. Dad, sorry about that but he's got champagne taste. EMMA I don't know. SALLY Come on. MARK Why not, right? Why don't we go get ourselves some holiday cheer? SALLY Yeah! Bring your camera, too. I bet you get some-- some great pictures. EMMA Okay. SALLY Human drama at its best, right? EMMA Yeah, let's do it. MARK Come on, pal. It's kind of amazing that you got her to do this. SALLY I remember not wanting to put up a tree, or celebrate anything, actually. MARK So what are the chances of us convincing you to join us for dinner? SALLY Oh, I've got a big shipment of care packages going out early in the morning, but thank you. Maybe another time? MARK Cheers. SALLY Oh, I think we may have gotten something. EMMA No way. This is way too expensive. I know it's beautiful, and I love this blue spruce, too, but… No, no… Buddy, no! Can somebody help me? JACOB You okay? EMMA Yeah. Jacob, what are you doing here? JACOB It's my uncle's lot. I help out after school. Hey, Buddy. You want this one? EMMA No way, my Dad would freak if he saw the price tag. JACOB It's one of the nicest trees on the lot. Just came in from Vermont. I think it might be on hold for a customer. EMMA Sorry, Buddy. We'll find something else. JACOB I don't see a "hold" tag. Maybe they canceled. EMMA It's okay. JACOB No, it's a beautiful tree, Em. You've got great taste. Do you want to see if they could cut you a deal? EMMA Sure. Buddy's going to drive me crazy. JACOB I stopped by study hall the other day looking for you. EMMA You did? JACOB I was in the gym watching them set up for the Christmas dance, and... that stuff usually doesn't get to me, but I started thinking about going— EMMA Oh, uh, you'll have a great time. JACOB I mean... with you. SALLY All good on this side! MARK Good. Hey, Buddy. SALLY All right. MARK Good to meet you, Jacob. Thanks. JACOB Thanks, Mr. Greene. Emma, I'll send you a text about the dance. EMMA Okay. JACOB See you. EMMA Bye. SALLY Now, he's cute. Buddy, come on! MARK Come on, boy! Atta boy. SALLY Come on, Buddy! Up! EMMA Good boy, Buddy. Good boy. SALLY I know, right? Nothing like a live tree, huh? EMMA My dad really likes you. SALLY What? No, it's Buddy. No one can resist falling head over heels for that dog. EMMA No. He lights up when he's around you. SALLY Okay. MARK I think we can get this thing through the front door. SALLY All right, let's do this. Okay, watch out, honey. MARK Want to grab the front end here? The top, I guess. SALLY All right, okay. Oh, Buddy... this is a good one! EMMA What are you doing? SALLY Oh, my god... Okay. MARK You be traffic cop there, Emma. EMMA Okay. SALLY All right, where are we going? EMMA To the right. SALLY To the what, to the right? EMMA No to the left! Your left, the other left. SALLY This is... Oh, it's not gonna... MARK You know, I think this was an ill-conceived plan. EMMA Maybe we should take it through the kitchen door? SALLY No, I think it'll be okay. You know, I do this every year. Let's take it from the back in first, right? Here, we got it? MARK Come on out. SALLY Okay. MARK All right, there we go. SALLY There we go. EMMA Okay, here we go. SALLY Let's stuff it in there. EMMA I think we got it this time. SALLY Here we go. EMMA Here we go. SALLY Okay, a little bit to the right. Gotta go to the right, gotta go to the right. Go to the right. Loosen it up there, baby. Loosen it up, Em. To the right, to the right. MARK How we doing? Could it be good now? SALLY Yeah. EMMA Is it good? Okay. Can I come out? MARK You got it? You good? EMMA He likes that I'm done down there. MARK Yeah? EMMA I think that's good. MARK That got it? All right. SALLY Buddy, come. Come? Good boy. MARK You heading out? SALLY Yeah. Yeah, I think you guys got it. Looks good. MARK I'll walk you out. SALLY Okay, bye, Em. EMMA Bye. SALLY Good boy. MARK We have said goodbye an awful lot for two people who just met. SALLY Yeah. I just, I've got to get home. I've got that shipment in the morning, so... MARK Well, when do you-- when do you figure we'll see you again? SALLY Uh, well, I'm really racing a deadline on my book. The editor in Boston wants me to have a rough draft by Christmas, so I'm sure I'll be swamped. Uh, Buddy, come. MARK He's looking pretty pretty comfortable there. SALLY Yeah, he never does this. Hey... I know, Buddy, but we've got to go home. We've got to go home. Buddy, come. Come. Buddy, come here. Ah, ah, I don't know where you're going. Hey. Here, Bud. Go. Go on, up you go. It's like he didn't want to go. Well, maybe he's... been confused. All this, your house, my house, and back and forth. MARK Ah, he's just having a good time, and he doesn't want to go. Isn't that right, Buddy? SALLY Oh! MARK So you're, uh, you’re going to be back in town to see your editor, is that right? SALLY Uh, maybe the 23rd, yeah. MARK Oh, well, that's, uh, that’s the same night as Emma's dance. If you're around, maybe come by for a drink. I'm sure going to need one by the time I get her out the door, you know? It's her first dance. SALLY Yeah, well, I'll, uh, I'll see how my schedule goes. MARK All right. SALLY Sounds good. MARK Yeah. SALLY Take care. MARK See you, Buddy. SALLY Hey. Scooch over, I'm driving, Buddy. BETH Well, why didn't you just admit that you really like him. SALLY Not too much change, okay? I just, I want to look like myself. BETH You know what? Just let me do my thing. Okay? So what are you so afraid of? SALLY I don't know. When we were decorating the Christmas tree, I just, I just felt like I'm not... I'm not ready, I don't know. BETH Not ready for I don't know, some happiness in your life? SALLY It felt as if... I was instantly a part of their family, boom, just like that, and-- and-- and I just feel like that's... It scared me, okay? Yeah, it scared me. It's too much, too soon. Mark is…he's the first guy that I’ve-- I've-- I’ve had any kind of feelings for since... BETH Yeah, but you know what? Getting cold feet is not a really big deal. I mean, it just means you're feeling something, and that's a good thing right? SALLY Yes, he's a... Mark is a-- a good guy. He's a very good guy. BETH Look you want to see Mark again, and you want to look nice, and now that Buddy's home, there's nothing standing in your way. It's time to start living again. SALLY It's just a really big step. BETH Well, it's not a marriage proposal. SALLY No. BETH And you're not buying a house together. SALLY Oh. BETH Uh, all you're saying yes to is… a cup of coffee. SALLY It's a milkshake. He's-- he’s a milkshake kind of guy. BETH Okay. Even better. EMMA Dad! MARK Yeah? EMMA If you call Jacob and tell him I'm sick I'll do the dishes for a year. MARK Though that is a-- is a very enticing offer, I'm going to have to decline. EMMA He's early! Tell him I have food poisoning. Uh… Tell him I ran away! MARK Hey, Sally. Hey, Buddy. Come on in. Come on in. I wasn't expecting you. SALLY Is it okay? MARK Yeah, of course. SALLY Good. Phew! MARK Excuse the chaos here. Emma's still getting ready. SALLY Oh, yeah? Oh, good, she's still here. I was just downtown with my editor. MARK Oh, is that right? Did you finish the book? SALLY Ah, well, I gave him the final draft, so I hope he likes it. MARK That's great. EMMA Did they cancel the dance because of the storm? MARK Not yet. SALLY Hi, Emma. Are you almost ready? EMMA Uh, no, but hopefully I will be within the next four years. SALLY Hmm, okay, well, we won't keep you long. Buddy and I wanted to bring you and your dad something for Christmas, and I've given it a lot of thought. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough for what you did. EMMA Can I open it now, or should we wait till Christmas morning? MARK Go ahead. SALLY Absolutely. Oh, just tear into it. Get it. EMMA The bow is... SALLY Ah, there we go. EMMA Oh... MARK Wow, it's-- it’s beautiful. It's the original, we can't accept that. SALLY Well, you know the publisher's got a copy of it. The original belongs here. MARK Well, thank you. SALLY Especially because I couldn't have finished it without you. MARK Well, we will hang it in a place of honor. EMMA Over the fireplace, Dad. That way, we can see it every day. MARK All right. Why don't we do it now? SALLY All right. Got it? MARK Can you bring the other one down? EMMA Yeah. MARK All right. EMMA Okay. MARK All right. Let's hope it fits. EMMA Yeah. SALLY Does it? Oh, there we go. EMMA It does. It's beautiful. MARK It looks great. EMMA If he shows up early, can you guys stall him? This could take a while. MARK Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, kid. EMMA Know what, Dad, that is so not comforting. MARK That is not what I... I did not mean... SALLY Poor thing, it's her first dance. Mine was a disaster in crimson taffeta, I gotta be honest. MARK Can I get you anything? You want—you want an eggnog? SALLY Sure. MARK Yeah? All right. SALLY That'd be great. Your tree-- The tree looks beautiful! MARK Thanks! EMMA Oh, no, this is not happening! SALLY Uh, would you like me to look in on her? MARK You know, that would-- that would be-- that would be great. Yeah. SALLY Hey, Em? Uh, permission to enter? EMMA Uh, sure. SALLY Hey. Can you use an extra set of hands? EMMA I wish I was tall like you. SALLY I'm not tall. Bet you're going to be taller than I am someday anyway, and you know what, tall is highly overrated, and a quick fix. You know how? What are you wearing? EMMA Um I'm wearing this. SALLY Perfect. I love it. That'll be gorgeous, nice and colorful. All right, where’s your shoe closet? EMMA Shoe closet? SALLY Every self-respecting woman has a shoe closet. What’ve we got going over here? Let’s see. Wow! Yours seems to have exploded. All right, what have we got here? Too summery! Ah, not going to work. Sneakers? Ah, not dressy enough. Cowboy boots? Do we want to do cowboy boots? Nah, don’t think so. Oh! How about these? Those are adorable. Those would go, right? EMMA Yeah. SALLY You dance in those? EMMA Yeah, I can. SALLY Those will go great, and give you an inch or so. EMMA Okay. SALLY All right, and how about this? Why don’t we go into the bathroom and lose those curlers? What do you say? Losing the curlers and trying something different, that sound good? All right. EMMA Your hair looks nice. SALLY You think so? My sister talked me into it. I'm not very adventurous, but I'm, uh, I’m working on it, you know? Okay…maybe if we try a little up-do? What do you say? Try that? You twist it around a little bit, and put it up with a little bit of something coming down. What do you think? EMMA If you can do it, then I can, too. SALLY All right, you got a deal. Maybe if we put a pretty flower or a pin in there, what do you say? EMMA Okay. SALLY Okay. Ooh, how about that one? That one's pretty. EMMA It was my Mom's. SALLY Perfect then. EMMA Who is that girl? I don't know her. SALLY Sure, you do. She's been there all along, she just needed a little coaxing. Let's try it. EMMA Okay. MARK Is that my little girl? EMMA Dad, you're embarrassing me. MARK You look like your mother. EMMA Thank you. MARK Where did you find that? EMMA It was in Mom's jewelry box. MARK Yeah? EMMA Is it okay that I'm wearing it? MARK Of course. Nothing would make me happier. SALLY Is it a family heirloom? MARK When Lauren and I were first married, I, uh, was deployed to Germany, and, uh, it was during the holidays so I wanted to get her something for Christmas and I sent her that. EMMA She always used to wear it this time of year. SALLY Well, it couldn't be more perfect, could it? MARK That would be your gentleman caller there. SALLY Okay, shh, keep it cool, play it cool, play it cool. MARK How you doing, Jacob. JACOB Good, how are you? MARK Not bad. How are the roads out there? JACOB It's coming down really hard. The plows are already out. MARK That's quite an eyeful you're wearing there. JACOB My mother was horrified when I found it in the attic. She had to have two glasses of chardonnay. But wait, there's more... MARK Wow. All right, come on in then. SALLY Shh. JACOB Wow. You look... unbelievable, Em. EMMA Thanks, Jacob. You too. We should probably get going. SALLY Uh, wait, a photo opportunity. This is a moment, this occasion. We need to get a picture. Stand over there before you get out of here, escape. Let me get my picture-taking thing. Okay, let's, uh... we all say, "Rudolph the red-nosed German Shepherd!" JACOB "Rudolph, the red-nosed German Shepherd!" EMMA "Rudolph, the red-nosed German Shepherd!" SALLY Nice. JACOB What about you, Sally? SALLY Oh, no, no, no. No, no, we're just visiting. MARK No, come on. Yeah, will you take the picture? EMMA You're practically part of the family. Come on. SALLY No pictures— MARK Ah, come on come on. SALLY All right, well, Buddy, you've got to be in it, too. SALLY Come here. Come here, Buddy. Come on, come on, Buddy. Yeah, come. Come and sit. You come and sit. You sit. Good boy. JACOB Sally, could you move a bit closer to Mr. G.? SALLY Sure. JACOB Closer. MARK Oh, come on, get the shot there, Ansel Adams. SALLY All right, there we go. You guys go. MARK I love you. EMMA I love you. MARK You have fun. SALLY You guys have a good time. EMMA I will. Thank you, Dad. MARK Okay. SALLY Bye, Em. EMMA Bye. SALLY Don't forget your jacket, sweetheart. EMMA I won't. SALLY Okay, honey. They look so cute, don't they? Okay, well, she's off, and it's late, so... MARK You want to stick around and have a cup of tea, or...? SALLY No, no, no, that's okay. We-- with the weather like this, we should get going. MARK You know, you can stay if you'd like. We have a guest room. Em and I can make you breakfast in the morning. SALLY That's, uh... We just—we-- we couldn't impose. MARK It's no imposition. SALLY It's fine, and besides, Big Red you know, he's gotten us through worse, so, uh... Buddy! Where are you? Okay, go, Buddy. MARK Careful there. SALLY Whoa... MARK Here, here. SALLY Yeah, yeah, yeah. Buddy, Buddy, Buddy, come! Come on! The snow is throwing him off. SALLY Whoa! You okay? MARK Yeah, I'm good. Come on, pal. SALLY Good boy. Up! Up, up, up. Good boy. Good boy Buddy. MARK You... you feel this, right? I mean, I'm not alone in this, am I? SALLY No, but I'm not 18 anymore, and I'm not good at this. MARK Neither am I. SALLY I just need to go slow. MARK Yeah. SALLY Come on. It's okay. It's okay, Buddy. It's okay. You stay. You don't want to come out here. Okay. MARK Hello? SALLY Hi, Mark, it's Sally. I'm so sorry to be calling, but but, um, I've got a bit of an emergency. MARK Where are you? Are you okay? SALLY We are at Ninth and Main. Buddy and I are fine. We're fine, it's just, it's, uh... it's the truck. MARK Okay, I'll, uh, I'll come find you. SALLY Okay. Thank you. You stay. No, no, you stay. SALLY I can't believe it. I think it's electrical, and-- and everything is closed because of the storm, so maybe you could take us to a hotel? SONG I’m lost without you MARK Are you crazy? I'm not going to take you to a hotel. SALLY Well... I... I shouldn't have left again. I... I panicked, I'm sorry. I just still feel frozen inside. MARK Look... there's a reason we met. Out of all the lost dogs and rescue shelters in the world somehow, we found each other. I'm going to take you home. Both of you. SALLY Okay. MARK Come on, let's get him. SALLY Come on, Buddy. EMMA I had a great time tonight, Jacob. JACOB You were the prettiest girl there, Em. EMMA Merry Christmas, Jacob. JACOB You too. MARK Hey, kid. EMMA Buddy? What are you guys doing here? SALLY Well, Big Red finally gave up the ghost on me so, uh, we're just going to hang here tonight. That okay? EMMA Are you kidding? Absolutely! MARK We, uh, found the star. Want to put it up? EMMA Sure. MARK How was the dance? SALLY How was it? We want details. Was he a gentleman, I hope? EMMA Yes, he was a gentleman. SALLY Good. EMMA We had a great time. We danced every dance. SALLY Every dance. Slow dances, fast dances? EMMA All of the above. SALLY Okay. Wow... There's a bunch of presents down here for you. I don't know... EMMA Is there? SALLY But this has my name on it. EMMA It does. SALLY Yes. EMMA Cool. SALLY Oh my goodness, I knocked down a present.