The Christmas Layover

by Robert Tate Miller

  Chapter Seventeen

  There were only a few flurries falling as Ally walked through Santa’s Village, heading back to Peggy’s. The lights were on and glowing on the cold Christmas Eve night, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Ally figured that the folks that weren’t at the community center were home tucked snugly away, children curled up in bed in their PJs, knowing that Santa was on his way and that morning’s light would reveal a pile of Christmas treasures beneath the tree. Ally remembered her own girlhood in Manhattan and trying her little-girl best to stay awake when her eyes were so heavy, a little worried that her apartment building doorman might not let Santa in.

  She wondered what the next Christmas would bring. Would her life be better, her crisis lifted, or would she be looking back wistfully on the crushed dreams of her career? And she thought of Jake and the look on his face as she walked away. She’d hurt him, but as she left the square and started up Nazareth Street toward Peggy’s she told herself it was for the best.

  She could already see the glow of Peggy’s house two blocks ahead when the lights of a car illuminated her from behind. Jake? Is he coming for me? No. You hurt him, Ally reminded herself. So, stop kidding yourself. Why would he come after you? She hadn’t seen a single other car on the walk back. A moment later, a green Honda CR-V rolled up beside her, and the passenger window opened.

  “Hey Ally?” Ally recognized Tina’s voice right away and stepped over to the car.

  “Tina. Hi.” Ally put her gloved hand on the door and leaned in the window. “What are you doing out? You should be at the dance.”

  “I saw you leave, and I wanted to check on you.”

  “That’s sweet,” Ally said, “but I’m fine.” Ally drew in a long breath. It suddenly dawned on her that, not only had she lost her career that night, she’d also thrown something far more valuable away. Jake. He’d been there for her, cared for her, gave her a hand when she needed one most. He’d been nothing but nice to her. And how had she repaid him? She’d left him standing with a broken heart on the dance floor.

  “Really?” Tina said. “Because you don’t seem fine.” Ally nodded. Of course she was right. “It’s freezing out,” Tina said. “Why don’t you hop in?”

  Once inside Tina’s warm car, the last twig of restraint keeping Ally’s dam of emotion in check snapped. The yogi felt her lower lip start to quiver, and she knew there was no point in fighting it. The sobs started coming in fits and starts. And Tina didn’t seem at all surprised. She drove past Peggy’s house, took a right on Shepherd Court, and started up a winding rise that finally came to a dead end at the top of Mars Hill, a mini-mountain that rose to just over eight hundred feet at its crest and was scattered with some of Bethlehem’s nicer homes.

  Tina pulled up to an overlook that gazed down on the sleepy town, put the car in park, and waited for Ally to finish her cry. Ally didn’t disappoint. She let it all out, sobbing so hard she literally shook, her hands crisscrossed on her shoulders, hugging herself. Finally, after a few more minutes, Ally chugged to a stop like a freight train pulling into the station. Tina didn’t speak or ask questions. She just waited while Ally caught her breath and composed herself. Ally looked out the windshield and noticed the sparkling view for the first time. The little town of Bethlehem lay below them.

  “Wow,” Ally said. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Yes,” Tina said. “I’m sure you can guess what teenagers use this spot for on weekend nights.”

  “Inspiration point?”

  Tina nodded. “When I was dating my now ex-husband, we were ‘inspired’ up here a few times.” Tina laughed. “Haven’t done that in a car in years. It really is a bit awkward and uncomfortable.” There was a lingering moment of silence, and finally Ally let out a long, smooth sigh.

  “My life is just…over,” she said. “I have to get back to L.A. to try and pick up the pieces. See if there’s anything left that’s worth salvaging.”

  Tina took Ally’s hand. “Listen,” she said, “I know sitting here tonight, it may seem as if your life has spun out of control, but my grandmother had a saying that I think fits this moment in your life. It used to annoy me when I was young and headstrong, but, as the years went by, I started to see the wisdom of it. Grams would say ‘don’t dwell on what went wrong, focus on what to do next.’”

  Ally looked at her. She hadn’t really given much thought to her next steps. Was there anything she could do to work her way out of the fix she was in? She looked back at the view, and the shimmering little town that lay before her on Christmas Eve suddenly brought her a glimmer of hope. Maybe all was not lost. Maybe it was just time for a hard reset.

  …

  The snow had stopped and the clouds had moved off by the time Jake arrived back at his pickup truck outside Charlie’s. He looked up at the thick field of stars winking in the night sky. His whole life he’d turned to the sky for comfort. Whenever he’d been sad about something as a boy, when his dad died, when he lost Kate, he went outside at night and looked up. There was something about the majestic vastness of space that helped put his problems into perspective. He sighed and thought of Ally and their dance kiss. He’d blown it with her, though he wasn’t sure what he’d done. Maybe he was right. Maybe she did think of him as just someone to help pass the time as she waited out the storm. Can that really be all I was to her? Was it wrong to kiss her? Had it scared her? The next day, she’d be getting on that waiting plane and heading back to L.A. I never should have let my heart out of its cage, Jake thought. I should have known better.

  Jake noticed movement coming from inside the diner and was surprised to see Robbie and Amelia sitting across from each other at a window booth. They were sharing a slice of pumpkin pie Louie had made that morning. He watched them for a moment. The young couple had the whole place to themselves; they were smiling, laughing. They seemed perfect together. Jake thought about tapping on the window, saying hello, but decided to let them be. Instead, he just got in his truck and drove away.

  Noel was asleep on the couch in front of the television when Jake came through the front door of Peggy’s house. Baby Chelsea was sleeping peacefully beside the couch in the bassinet that had come courtesy of Doc Baker’s nurse Dora. Jake found his mother in the kitchen sipping a mug of peppermint tea and watching the little TV on the counter. She didn’t seem at all surprised to see him.

  “Mom.”

  “Hello, Jake. How was the dance?”

  “Okay. Did you hear about the airports?”

  “Yes,” Peggy said. “It’s been all over the news. Poor Noel. There’s no telling when she’ll get back home to Brian.”

  Jake smiled. “You never know. Maybe she’ll end up with a Christmas miracle.”

  “What are you talking about?” Peggy asked.

  “Nothing,” Jake said.

  “I’m going to miss them,” Peggy said. “Not just Noel and Ally—all of them. It’s been a godsend having the passengers here. They helped us all realize how right the poet Yeats was when he said, ‘There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met yet.’ That’s never truer than at Christmastime. Hot tea?”

  “Sure, thanks,” Jake said. He went to the cupboard to fetch a mug, then took a pouch of peppermint tea from the teabag caddy his mother kept on the counter. “I think Ally’s with Tina,” Jake said as he dropped the bag in a green mug with a Rudolph nose. “At least I know Tina went to look for her after Ally abruptly left the dance.”

  “Left the dance?” Peggy said.

  “She was upset,” Jake said. “She’s being evicted from her yoga studio.” He fit the mug beneath the hot water dispenser in Peggy’s fridge and filled it three quarters to the top.

  “Well, then your sister’s the right one to be with,” Peggy said. “Tina always was the wisest one in the family.” Jake nodded. He knew she was right. “You’ll miss Ally,” Peggy said. Jake noticed it was not a question, but a statement. He looked at his mother. She wasn’t watching him; she’d moved onto the crosswo
rd puzzle from the Christmas Eve edition of The Bethlehem Bugle.

  He pulled up a chair across from her and sat down, placing his mug of tea on the table in front of him. “Maybe,” Jake said. Peggy didn’t look up. He thought how grandmotherly his mom looked with her reading glasses slipped down toward the tip of her nose.

  “Well, if you truly care for someone, then I think that narrows your choices,” Peggy said. “And that’s a good thing.”

  “What do you mean?” Jake said. He picked up the mug, took a sip of tea. It was still too hot.

  “If you’re not sure,” Peggy said slowly, “that’s when things get murky. At least you know, so all you have to do is decide. Do you tell her and risk your heart, or do you keep it to yourself and live with knowing you could have had true love…for the second time in your life? So, all you need to know is one simple thing. Do you love her?”

  Jake blew on his hot tea and took a sip. “That’s all I need to know?” he said. “It’s just that easy?”

  “It’s not easy,” Peggy said. “Nothing worth its salt is. But it is simple. Those two don’t always go hand in hand. So…do you…love her?” Jake looked at his mother, a long lingering look until, finally, he gave her the tiniest of winks, and she had her answer.

  Jake heard the front door open and put down his tea. Ally’s back, he thought. He looked at his mother. She was now watching him, her puzzle pencil poised in her right hand. She didn’t need to say a word. Jake got up as he heard footfalls on the steps heading up.

  By the time he stepped into the living room, Ally was already upstairs. Tina was standing just inside the front door in her winter coat and gloves. Jake looked from Ally as she disappeared down the hall to his sister.

  “She okay?” he asked.

  “Brother, will you take a walk with me? I think we need to talk.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  When Ally awoke on Christmas morning, Noel’s side of the bed was empty. She figured that her soon-to-be ex-roommate had slept on the couch downstairs. Noel worried that baby Chelsea’s late-night feedings would keep Ally awake, but Ally didn’t mind. Having the baby around was comforting, and she loved the moments when she got to cradle little Chelsea Rose.

  She lay in bed and tried to focus. It was Christmas Day. Travel day. Time to go home, though there was no relief in that. Only dread. She was at least glad the plane was heading back to L.A. Better to face the music sooner than later. When she was with Tina the night before, Tina had gotten a text that the plane was scheduled to leave at two in the afternoon. Ally had sixty days to figure something out before she was locked out of the studio she’d worked so hard to build. She rolled over in bed and sat up so she could see out the window. The sun was up and shining brightly through the pane. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was just after nine. She still had a good five hours before her flight home. She lay back down for another moment, gathering her thoughts, and then rolled out of bed.

  Ally lingered in the shower, letting the hot water roll down her face and body. She was going to miss that shower, that room and house, and the feelings of tranquility and serenity she’d had in Bethlehem. She thought of Jake again and felt a deep regret for the pain she knew she’d caused him. It’s for his own good, she told herself as she turned off the water.

  And she almost believed it.

  Ally heard the voices as she came out of the guest room and started for the stairs. She was dressed and packed to go. She’d even checked under the bed. The mix of voices that drifted up from the living room weren’t totally familiar. She recognized Noel’s and Peggy’s, but there was a man’s voice she couldn’t quite place, though it was familiar.

  “Ally!” Noel jumped up as Ally came around the corner into Peggy’s living room. “I’ve been waiting for you to come down! You’ll never believe what happened!” Noel gave Ally a hug and then led her over to where a short, stubble-faced, balding man was sitting on the couch cradling baby Chelsea. Nearby, sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace, was a young man who looked to be in his late twenties. He had a cup of coffee in hand and was wearing a white dress shirt with a gold bowtie hanging loosely around his neck. He stood up when he saw Ally. Ally looked at the man holding Chelsea and smiled.

  “Brian,” she said. She knew him right away. He started to stand up. “No, it’s fine,” Ally said. “You’ve got Chelsea Rose. I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I know you.” What in the world is he doing here? Ally wondered. And how did he get here?

  “Same here,” Brian said. “Ally Ally Ally is all my NoNo ever talks about.” NoNo? Ally thought. Cute nickname. Ally was still confused at the surreal scene. How did this happen?

  “So, I have to ask,” Ally said, “how in the world did you get here?”

  “Well,” Noel said, “you’ll never believe it.” At that moment, Peggy came in from the kitchen. She had a replacement bottle for the baby.

  “Oh, Ally. There you are,” Peggy said. “I made you breakfast.”

  “So, Peggy,” Noel said, “Ally wants to know how Brian got here.”

  “That’s right,” Ally said. “Unless it was a Christmas miracle. Then it requires no explanation.”

  “I suppose it was something of a miracle,” Peggy said. “That’s where Patrick comes in. He drove Brian out all the way from New Jersey. Patrick, say hello to Ally.” They all looked at the young man now standing in front of the fireplace.

  “Hello,” he said. He was formal and reserved.

  “Hello, Patrick,” Ally said. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas,” Patrick said and then sat back down. Ally wondered about the quasi-uniform he was wearing. Was he a friend of Brian’s, a relative?

  “Come outside with me,” Peggy said. “And I’ll show you.”

  Still puzzled, Ally followed Peggy out on the front porch. There was a long black car parked just on the other side of the gate. What in the world is a stretch limousine doing in Bethlehem? she thought. She looked at Peggy, who could obviously see the confused expression on her face.

  “Jake,” Peggy said. “Patrick is a driver for Gold Star Limousines. He picked up Brian in New Jersey in the wee hours of yesterday morning and drove for some thirty hours straight to get him here in time for Noel and Brian to spend Christmas morning together. It was Jake’s Christmas present to them.”

  “Wow,” Ally said. “That’s…that’s some gift.” She felt a welling up of joy flow through her. It was the most thoughtful gift she’d ever heard of, and it could only come from a man with a good and selfless heart.

  “Yes,” Peggy said. She rested a hand on Ally’s arm. “That’s just Jake.”

  “So, Brian’s going back on the plane, too?” Ally asked. “Will there be room?”

  “Oh, no,” Peggy said. “Noel, Brian, and the baby are staying here through New Year’s, then Jake will take them to Denver to catch their flight home.”

  “Oh,” Ally said. “Wow. That’s great.”

  “And we all sure wish you’d do the same,” Peggy said. “Christmas is a time to spend with the ones you love,” she said. “And we all love you, Ally.”

  Ally felt her eyes moisten. How very tempting it sounded—spending an old-fashioned Christmas and New Year’s in Bethlehem. But she knew she had to get home. She had to find a way to get her life back on track, and she knew she could never be worthy of a man like Jake until she did.

  “Thank you, Peggy. But I just can’t. I’ve got to go back to L.A. When that plane leaves this afternoon, I need to be on it.”

  Peggy took Ally’s hand and squeezed it. “I understand.” Peggy turned and headed back inside, leaving Ally on the porch alone. Ally stepped down into the yard and noticed that the snow from the night before had blanketed the yard and hedges and parked cars with a couple inches of fresh Christmas white. But the sun was out, and she could tell it was warming up. She was in her favorite dark gray turtleneck and really didn’t feel all that cold. She headed down the walk and through the gate. Th
ere were New York plates on the long black car, and she could see “Gold Star Limos” on the license plate frame. She looked across the street to Jake’s house, wondering what in the world a limo ride like that must have cost him. Then again, he did start the company, so he probably got a pretty good deal.

  …

  Standing next to his Christmas tree by his living room window, Jake could see Ally outside, lingering by the limousine and glancing over at his house. She appeared to be waiting for something. Does she want to see me? Jake wanted to go out, but he wasn’t sure. She’d made her feelings clear the night before at the Christmas Eve Dance. What he thought they had, the connection he was sure of, was nothing to her. He’d just been a placeholder until it was time to go home. He swallowed. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed that. What if she was just lying to save face? What if she was afraid to get close, just like he was? He watched for a moment longer, then headed to the kitchen. Moments like this call for some hot cocoa, he thought.

  “Merry Christmas.”

  Ally had just started back in and turned at the sound of Jake’s voice. The way she looked in her jeans and a tight-fitting sweater made his heart kick into high gear. Man, she’s beautiful, he thought.

  She smiled when she saw him. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

  “Hot cocoa?” Jake asked. “Microwaved it myself.”

  “Sounds good,” Ally said. Ally came through Peggy’s gate to meet him halfway. Jake pretended to hand her the mug in his left hand, but then changed his mind and gave her the one in his right.

  Ally laughed. “What, did you spike that one?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Jake said, “with a little peppermint schnapps.”

  Ally smiled as she took a sip. “Wow. Very chocolatey. But good.”

  “I put in two packs,” Jake said. They stood silently sipping for a moment. What’s left to say? Jake thought. Do words really matter anymore? For a moment, he wondered if maybe he should just turn around and go back.