The Christmas Layover

by Robert Tate Miller

  Well, Pastor Mike will be so upset. I’m not sure how to break it to him.

  Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll tell him.

  I think that would be best. By the way, the hotel called and said your check bounced, so they’ve canceled the reception.

  Thanks, Mom. I guess that’s one less call I have to make.

  Jake laughed. She was naturally funny, and he was impressed how she could turn something so tragic into a mini-stand-up routine.

  “You probably think I’m weird, huh?” Ally asked.

  “Not at all,” Jake said. “I think you’re kinda brave, actually.”

  “Brave? Wow, I’ve felt quite a few things the past twenty-four hours, but brave is not one of them. If you’d have said lost and confused and desperate, I’d have said check…check…check, but brave is way down on the list.” She met his gaze and smiled at him. Lovely smile, he thought. Jake looked away. She’s going to read my mind.

  “I can read your mind, you know,” Ally said. Jake felt his stomach clench. Maybe she really can.

  “Okay,” he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. “What am I thinking right now?”

  “You’re thinking you could use some help at Charlie’s again this evening.”

  Jake laughed. “That is exactly what I was thinking.”

  “So, how about me?” Ally asked. “Last night waiting tables was kinda fun, and I made nearly fifty bucks in tips. Plus, as you can see, I really need a job right now. Also, to be honest, I could also use the distraction.”

  “Okay,” Jake said. “If that’s your idea of a fun time, then who am I to stand in your way?”

  …

  After leaving Jake, Ally went back across the street to Peggy’s, where she had a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup with Peggy and Noel in the kitchen. Sitting at the table, laughing and sharing stories, Ally felt a strange sense of euphoria flow through her. What is that? she wondered. Maybe this is what it feels like when you figure there’s no way things can possibly get any worse. Maybe there’s some relief in reaching rock bottom. Noel informed her that Brian had called to announce that the airports would be closed at least another day. Ally had to think for a moment to even remember what day it was. She just shrugged at the news. She no longer planned on going to New York anyway. Why bother?

  After lunch, Ally realized how exhausted she was from the stress and announced she was heading upstairs for a nap, while Noel and Peggy settled into the den for a game of pinochle. Ally did a quick check-in with Devyn, who had no updates other than to say some of the clients were getting wind that something was up. Ally told her to just stand by and keep to the regular schedule until she heard otherwise. She reassured her manager that everything would be okay. That as long as they had the studio, they were still in business, and that was the most important thing. Then, Ally hung up, stretched out on the bed, and was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

  …

  “Shoot! You’re kidding me.”

  Ally had intended to sleep for twenty minutes tops, but, when Noel wiggled her toe and woke her up, it was just after four, and she’d been asleep for nearly two and a half hours. Remembering she had the Charlie’s Diner gig, she sprang out of bed and headed straight for the shower.

  “Knock. Knock. Mind if I tinkle?” Behind the waffle shower curtain, Ally winced as she heard Noel come in the bathroom and plop down on the toilet.

  “No problem,” Ally called out. She realized she hadn’t spent much time with Noel since they left the airport. Ally loved the feel of the warm water sluicing off her head to her neck and down her body. She closed her eyes and rolled her neck. She had to learn to relax again.

  “Seeing Jake again tonight?” Noel called out.

  Ally paused a moment before answering. “Depends on your definition of seeing. I will literally see him, but I’m not seeing him, if that’s what you mean. I’m helping out at the diner.”

  “Oh, that’s all I meant,” Noel said. “He seems like a nice guy. Though still on the mend, I’ll bet.”

  “The mend?” Ally asked from behind the curtain. Didn’t know he was broken.

  “From his fiancée dying.” Ally was stunned. Fiancée? Dying? “Peggy said it happened on Christmas Eve. Three years ago, I think.”

  “Oh,” Ally said, playing it cool. “I didn’t know about that.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Noel said from the toilet. Ally could tell from her tone that her roomie enjoyed having a scoop on her. “Her name was Kate. I’m not exactly sure what happened. Peggy didn’t want to go there. They’d just gotten engaged the night she died, I think.”

  Ally felt a lump in her throat. She’d been so caught up in her Tim crisis, she’d been so focused on herself, and yet here was Jake—her surprise new friend—hiding a pain she couldn’t even imagine. “That’s so, so sad,” Ally said.

  “Yeah,” Noel said. “So sad.” Ally heard her flush the toilet. The shower flow slowed for a second and then went back to normal. “Well, too bad you won’t be around tonight, Ally. Peggy and I are doing a Gilmore Girls marathon.”

  “Yeah,” Ally said. “Too bad.” She was distracted, couldn’t get her mind off what Noel had just told her about Jake and his fiancée.

  After her shower, Ally threw on a dark gray turtleneck over a pair of jeans. She checked her look in the mirror, adjusted her hair, and put on a smidge of eyeliner. No wonder Jake seemed so stiff and distant at times, and particularly now, so close to Christmas. Who wouldn’t be?

  …

  “Amelia’s ten seconds out.”

  Jake caught sight of Amelia through the frosted diner window. She was crossing the street, heading straight for Charlie’s. Robbie was busing a center table and immediately left his bus pan half full and bolted for the kitchen. Jake smiled and shook his head. He figured, if the boy could hold out another week or so, the pretty coed would be heading back to college, and he’d be home free. Jake glanced at the wall clock as Amelia jingled through the front door. It was quarter past five, and no Ally.

  “Hello Mr. Nelson.”

  “Hi Amelia. How’s the family?”

  “Great, thanks. To-go order?”

  “Got it right here.” Jake fetched her brown bagged takeout order from the pickup window.

  “Robbie working today?” Amelia asked. Jake nodded. Boy, if you had a lick of sense you’d know this girl likes you.

  “He’s on break,” Jake said.

  “Oh, well please tell him I said hello.”

  “Will do.” Jake heard a familiar voice say hello to Amelia on her way out and looked up to see Ally coming through the door. He felt a sudden surge of energy. She looked so sexy in that tight-fitting sweater.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “My short nap turned into a long one.”

  “It’s fine,” Jake said. “Business hasn’t picked up quite yet.”

  Jake was impressed by how Ally seemed to just meld into the life of a restaurant server without so much as a hitch in her gait. She was a natural at the diner, and she’d managed to charm both staff and customers. He even noticed that old George Brown, the crusty retired school teacher who, as far as Jake knew, hadn’t cracked a smile since his wife Betty died two years earlier, seemed to light up when Ally stopped at his table. Old George sat up a little straighter when Ally was on the job, and Jake couldn’t help but notice the old codger tipped her thirty percent, twice as much as he tipped Libby.

  Jake also noted how quickly and easily Libby, Robbie, and Louie took to her. Libby was usually a bit territorial when it came to Charlie’s, but not with Ally. Maybe that’s the yoga working its magic, Jake thought. Is Ally doing some Jedi mind trick? He smiled at the thought as he rang up a bill at the register, and then realized Ally was looking at him.

  “What are you smiling at?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Libby said as she passed by on the way to put in an order, “do tell.”

  “I’m not smiling about anything in particular,” Jake said. He felt his ears burn red
.

  “Then, that’s a little weird,” Ally said. “Right, Libby?” She winked at him and seemed to enjoy his embarrassment.

  “I agree,” Libby said. “People that smile for no reason need to have their heads examined.”

  “Are you two ganging up on me?” Jake asked. He was glad to see that Ally had relaxed a little bit. She no longer seemed as troubled as she was earlier. Maybe there’s something to that yoga stuff, Jake thought.

  The dinner crowd was down slightly from the night before, but there were still customers waiting to be seated. Jake thought Ally seemed happy as she moved from table to table, refilling mugs of coffee and glasses of soda and water, taking and bringing orders, chatting and laughing and teasing customers. She made it look like she was born in a waitress apron.

  “Sure you don’t want to stick around after the airports reopen?” Jake asked her as she brought a bill to the register to ring up. “I can always use a good waitress.”

  “Don’t think I’m not tempted,” Ally said. “If only I could figure out a way to combine yoga and waiting tables, I’d be in heaven.” She winked at him as she handed him the order slip. “Or, as you refer to it—new-age hooey.”

  …

  “Libby, you mind locking up tonight?” Jake asked.

  “No problem, boss.”

  Ally checked the Santa clock on the wall and noticed it was just after ten. The last customer had just walked out, and she was thoroughly exhausted—but in a good way. Waiting tables at Charlie’s kept her from thinking of Tim and Brooke, her frozen credit card, and her canceled wedding. She didn’t have the luxury of worry or hand-wringing. Maybe her life was crumbling, but table four needs a refill. No time for shattered dreams. Mr. Davis needs ketchup and some more napkins. A troubled and uncertain future must move to the back burner because the toddler boy in the window booth just spilled a glass of chocolate milk.

  Ally felt energized at Charlie’s, and, though the idea scared her a little, she knew a good part of that was Jake. She just loved being around him. He had a way that made her feel calm, as if, somehow, improbable as it seemed, everything would be all right. Yes, he could be a bit withdrawn, but at least she knew why. And his gentle way and easygoing manner had a calming effect on her, even making her forget—for a moment—that her life had hit the iceberg and was sinking fast.

  As she wiped down tables near the end of her second diner shift, Ally thought about what Noel had told her about him, about how his fiancée had died. She watched him saying goodbye to a customer at the door and wondered what that must have felt like. When she’d first met him, Ally was certain Jake wasn’t her type. She smiled as she remembered the town mouse and country mouse story she’d read in grade school. It fit them perfectly.

  She sighed as she flipped the wet dish rag over and again thought of his tragic loss. Would Jake ever be able to open his heart again?

  Chapter Ten

  “Thank you,” Ally said.

  Rather than going straight back to Peggy’s, Ally had suggested a detour through Santa’s Village on the green. Even though it was after ten at night, there were still people milling about, listening to the Christmas music pumping through the speakers. Even Santa was still on duty, and there was a short line of kids waiting to sit in his lap. Ally smiled as she and Jake strolled up to the food cart and bought a couple of hot cocoas.

  “Thank me for what?” Jake said, taking a sip of cocoa.

  “For letting me work at the diner. Not only have I made some pretty good tip money, but it’s been fun.”

  “I should thank you,” Jake said. Ally noticed he had a tiny smudge of whipped cream on the tip of his nose. She reached out, wiped it off with her pinkie, and tasted it. She noticed Jake flush and avert his gaze. What was that about? Is he really that bashful? They strolled over, climbed the three steps into the Victorian bandstand, sat on the railing, and looked out over the holiday festivities. They sat in silence for a moment, sipping hot cocoa, and Ally was fine with that. She thought how, despite their obvious differences, it sure was easy to be with Jake. She didn’t want to be clichéd, but it felt like she’d known him more than two days. Two days? Really? That’s it?

  “I heard what happened to your fiancée,” Ally said at last. “I’m sorry.” She had thought how she might draw him out gradually, but decided she might as well just come right out with it. She felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. Hope I didn’t overstep.

  “Thanks,” Jake said. He looked at the cup in his hand, then over at Santa, who was taking a photo with a crying toddler. Ally didn’t know if she should follow up or just leave it at that. She was curious but didn’t want to push him. “I met Kate when I was three years old,” he said. His voice was soft and reflective. “She gave me my first black eye. We were in the park, and I wanted a turn on the swings, but Kate wouldn’t get off. I told her that she was supposed to share, at least that’s what I had been taught. Her response was to ball up her little fist and pop me right in the eye.”

  Ally laughed. “An inauspicious beginning.” Jake smiled. She loved his smile.

  “Yes. We grew up together, dated all through high school. Kate was my first kiss, my first love, and my first broken heart. When I got into Harvard, she broke up with me…tried to pretend she didn’t love me anymore. I knew what she was doing.”

  “She was giving you your freedom,” Ally said.

  Jake nodded. “Kate got into three Ivy League schools but decided to stay local. She studied horticulture and landscape architecture at Colorado State. She loved trees and dreamed of owning a tree farm right here in Bethlehem. Kate loved the outdoors. She found walls confining.”

  “So, you obviously didn’t stay broken up,” Ally said.

  “We did for a few years. I kicked off my career in New York, got my company off the ground. Kate came back here and started her tree farm. I tried to keep in touch, but Kate didn’t seem that interested. I heard she was dating some guy who lived in Denver, so I figured it was all over. Then, my dad got sick, and I had to come back. Kate knew how hard it was on me and Mom, and she was there for us. She helped out any way she could. Mostly, she was just there. I may have started a multimillion-dollar business, but I hadn’t the first clue about how to run a diner. Kate had been a waitress at Charlie’s all through high school, so she’d come and help out, show me the ropes.”

  “She was there,” Ally said.

  “Kate was someone I could talk to. We’d go take walks by the lake, and I’d let it all hang out. It felt so easy to be with her, so right. I realized I loved her, that I always had. So, I asked her to marry me. It was Christmas Eve and snowing, and we were standing beneath this big old blue spruce in the square.” Jake tipped his cup of cocoa toward the towering Christmas tree. “I can still see the snowflakes glancing off her flushed cheeks.” He’s a poet, she thought. I can see it, too. She could picture the scene, see Jake and Kate that snowy night.

  “And she said ‘yes,’” Ally said.

  “Oh no,” Jake said. He flashed that blue-eyed smile again. “Not at first. I had to ask her three times that night.”

  “Wow,” Ally said. “She really made you work for it.”

  “Oh, yeah. It was right after my dad passed, and Kate wanted to make sure it wasn’t my grief talking. She wanted to make sure I was serious. I finally convinced her I was. We decided we’d get married right here—in this very gazebo.”

  Ally watched Jake look around as if he was picturing the wedding day that never was, as if he were imagining lifting the veil from his beautiful bride and kissing her lips.

  “We were going to invite the whole town,” he said and then leaned back and breathed a long sigh. “Made those plans right here that night, and on the walk back to her house.”

  Ally just looked at him. She wanted so much to take his hand, to offer comfort.

  “Little did I know that night, but she was already dead.”

  Ally gave him a searching look. What is he talking about?

  �
�It was that very afternoon,” Jake said. “Kate was leaving the diner. She’d stopped in to say hello and was off for some last-minute Christmas shopping. She crossed the street and, just as she reached the other side, slipped on a patch of ice and went down hard. Hit her head on the curb.”

  Ally heard Jake take a deep breath and look down at the steps. She could tell the pain was still fresh and deep. “Frank, our mailman slash mayor, saw her go down and helped her over to Doc Baker’s. By the time I heard about it and got there, she was sitting up, said she was okay. She laughed about being a ditzy klutz. Doc tried to get her in for a full examination, but Kate refused. She said she felt fine, that it was just a little ‘bump on the noggin.’ She seemed fine to me, assured me she was good to go. I’d forgotten all about it by the time of the proposal that night. We talked some about our future plans on the walk back from the square. We were holding hands, and I felt this incredible sense of peace and hope. It was as if every dream I’d ever had in my life had come true in one amazing moment.”

  Ally felt herself grow teary. She tried to imagine what Jake had gone through that night.

  “I remember, when she kissed me goodnight,” Jake continued, “Kate said, ‘we’re going to have a wonderful life together, Jake Nelson. I love you so much, I think I’m going to need another heart to hold all that love.’” Ally smiled and noticed that Jake was smiling, too. “I kissed her goodnight one last time and watched her go inside her house. She turned back at the door and blew me a kiss.

  “Then she went to sleep that night and never woke up. Doc Baker said it was a brain hemorrhage.”

  Ally looked away. The unimaginable heartbreak, she thought—for Jake, for Kate’s family, for the whole town. One moment they were planning a joyous wedding, and the next they were burying the bride. She swallowed and suddenly felt her problems diminish in scope. I wish I’d known you, Kate, she thought. I think we would have been friends.

  Ally felt at a loss. She looked at him and then reached out and took his hand. Jake looked at her hand in his and then just smiled. “Ready to go back?”