Christmas On Pointe (A Silver Bell Falls Holiday Novella)

by Samantha Chase

  “I actually enjoy them...”

  “But...” she prompted.

  “But...I’m ready for something that’s not a casserole.”

  “Can we say grace?” Maya asked. Both adults looked at her. “My friend Molly – she lives back where I used to live – she always says grace when her family sits down to have dinner. And we’re like a family right now, so can we say it too?”

  If Dean thought his heart was squeezing before, he couldn’t quite breathe now. He couldn’t speak if he wanted to and was thankful when Abby responded, saying “That would be very nice”. Then she reached out and took one of Dean’s hands and then one of Maya’s.

  “Why don’t you say it tonight, Maya?” Abby prompted.

  He listened as his niece thanked God for him and Abby, her new school and new friends before asking God to give her mom a kiss for her. She thanked God for their food and for her new ballet clothes. She paused and Dean was certain that she was done, but then she added one last thing.

  “And thank you, God, for finally giving me a family to have dinner with like all my friends. Amen.”

  Right then and there, Dean wasn’t sure he’d be able to eat a bite of his dinner. Not with the lump of emotion clogging his throat.

  ****

  It was after eleven and Abby was lying in bed staring at the ceiling.

  What in the world have I done? She wondered – and not for the first time tonight.

  Offering to help Dean with Maya was a no-brainer, and not because she’d been crushing on Dean for a while. Okay, maybe “a while” was too vague, she thought. The truth was that she’d been crushing on Dean for well over a year. Ever since she took the job at the diner and saw him for breakfast most days, she was hooked.

  He’d always been polite and quiet and never expressed any interest in her whatsoever, but that hadn’t stopped Abby from being hopeful.

  And it still wasn’t the reason for her offer to help with Maya.

  She’d told him the truth earlier – she had grown up with a single parent and always remembered how hard her mom worked and how overwhelmed she was and...well...she hated to see anyone else struggle like that. Dean’s circumstances added to that. Dean Hughes, bachelor and all-around recluse, was suddenly thrust into the role of guardian. Parent. That would have to be hard for anyone, but she had a feeling it was particularly hard for Dean since he lived such a solitary life.

  And on top of it, she simply fell in love with Maya. Her big blue eyes and those blonde ringlets gave her an angelic look. But most of all, it had been Maya’s talking about dance that pulled Abby’s heartstrings. Back when she was little, it had been a hardship for her to take dance classes. She could still remember the day her mother sat her down and said she was going to work an extra job cleaning the dance studio two towns over just so Abby could take classes there.

  Even thinking about it still had her tearing up. It had been a huge sacrifice. Her mother had already been working two jobs. The cleaning job was the most physically demanding one, but it was downright brutal after already working fifty hours a week. When Abby got older, she helped her mom with the cleaning. Some of the other dancers made fun of her and called her names because of their poor lifestyle, but it taught Abby the value of working for something you love.

  Dancing came easy to her and while she hadn’t been accepted to Julliard, Abby received a scholarship to the College of Performing Arts in Pennsylvania. She went for four years and did some traveling with a dance company for several years after graduation. After a while, Abby realized she was homesick and just wanted to be back in Silver Bell.

  Working as a waitress wasn’t her dream but she came back with the hope of teaching dance and starting up her own studio.

  It was just taking longer than she’d expected.

  She had friends who thought she was crazy to leave the performing world behind, but Abby didn’t regret it. She was looking to the future and knew that this was where she was meant to be. And after meeting Maya it simply confirmed that she could make a difference. She wanted to – needed to – share her gift, her talents, with her students. It was an amazing thing to watch the joy on someone’s face as they mastered a dance. It made Abby feel good knowing that she was playing a part in making someone else’s dreams come true.

  Maya needed her.

  Dean needed her. Even if he didn’t want to admit it or if he didn’t like it.

  Maya’s dinner prayer of thanks had been heartbreaking. This small child had her life turned upside down and she was grasping for some sense of normalcy. The last thing Abby wanted to do was give her false hope, but if having dinner together made her feel good, then so be it.

  The look of shock and sadness on Dean’s face had been heartbreaking in its own right. For the life of her, Abby couldn’t even begin to imagine what must be going through his mind. When he’d shown up tonight he looked tired and frazzled and completely unsure of himself. He didn’t have any family left here and although they hadn’t talked about it, she had to wonder where his parents were and why they weren’t helping out with Maya’s care until she got settled.

  A conversation for another time, she supposed. In the meantime, Abby knew she’d continue to do what she could to help this new little family out.

  They were helping her out as well. It had been nice to cook dinner for someone other than herself and it had been fun to leap around the house and dance with someone who loved it as much as she did.

  They might not be a real family, but they certainly filled voids in each other’s lives.

  At least for right now.

  She just hoped that she didn’t get too attached, too dependent on them. Dean had already expressed his displeasure with her doing so much for them, but he had no idea that some of her motives were selfish.

  She missed out on having a family.

  It had always been just Abby and her mom. When her mom retired and moved to Arizona three years ago, Abby learned just how big of a hole one person could leave in your life.

  Tonight that hole was filled by two amazing people. And maybe – just maybe – she filled one for them too.

  Rolling over, she yawned and snuggled beneath her flannel sheets.

  They’d make a nice little family...

  ****

  They’d made it through their first week.

  It was five-forty-five and Dean was pulling into the community center’s parking lot and feeling pretty good about it. He was caught up on his work and found a way to get things done so that he could see Maya get on the bus in the morning and then be at Abby’s before dinnertime.

  Not that he hadn’t enjoyed eating with her Monday night. He had. A lot. More than he thought he could. After hearing Maya’s prayer before they ate, he realized how impressionable she was and didn’t want to do anything else to confuse her so he’d been extra conscientious about getting into a routine where they ate dinner – just the two of them – at home.

  From what Dean knew of Abby’s schedule, today’s class was for students who were a little older than Maya. He knew she didn’t mind having Maya there during the class, but he had a feeling that there were going to be times when his niece was going to be a distraction. Maybe not intentionally, but it was certain to happen.

  Walking into the community center, he waved to Kathy Jones who manned the information desk as he made his way toward the dance room. He could hear the music and wondered if Abby would be dancing or just observing. Ballet was never anything that even remotely interested Dean, yet watching Abby dance was becoming a favorite pastime.

  Actually, just watching Abby move in general was becoming a favorite pastime.

  Not that he wanted to think about that right now. He did enough of that late at night when he was finally alone. He would close his eyes and there she was - in his mind - dancing. Moving. Just...being Abby.

  That had the potential to be a major complication in this whole situation and Dean refused to let that happen. He needed to focus on Maya and gettin
g her settled and making sure she was happy and all of her needs were met. That’s what was most important. The fact that he was suddenly attracted - distracted - by a woman just happened to be poor timing on his part.

  Stepping into the doorway of the dance room, he froze.

  Abby was dancing.

  Quietly, he slid in and onto the edge of the chair that was right next to the door. And then he just...watched. She was so elegant, so graceful and when she moved it was like...her body was so fluid. She made every leap, every turn, every...everything look effortless. The class wasn’t dancing with her. They were simply watching - enthralled, just as he was. Dean spotted Maya sitting against the far wall watching Abby with awe.

  Yeah. He knew the feeling.

  The music stopped and Abby stood completely still in the middle of the room. She wasn’t even breathing hard. Dean was practically panting and felt like his breath was echoing off the walls. Did he clap? Stand up and cheer? Seriously, he had no idea what he was supposed to do after watching such a performance but sitting here silently just felt wrong. Clearly her class felt the same way because they all jumped up and started clapping. Unable to help himself, he joined in.

  Abby smiled as she turned and thanked all of them - accepting their praise and hugs as she made her way to the corner of the room to grab her bottle of water. She took a long drink before calling them all to attention.

  “Okay, next week we’re going to move on to our next series of moves for your Christmas performance. I need you to make sure that you practice and that you bring your checks for your costumes with you. Shelly Stallings will be taking your measurements next Friday and if you aren’t going to be here, you’ll need to have your moms let me know so we can make arrangements for you to get them done.” She paused. “Have a great weekend!”

  Dean stepped farther into the room and away from the doorway to make room for the students and parents who were leaving. He waved to some, said a quick hello to others, but he was anxious to get to Maya and head home. They were going to eat the last of the casseroles tonight and tomorrow they would tackle food shopping so he could finally stock the house with things that they both liked and then next week he’d have to get into the habit of coming home and making dinner.

  Not that he didn’t eat dinner before Maya came to live with him, but it was just a lot more...laid back. Casual. And there was never a designated dinner time. This was going to take a lot of getting used to.

  Just like everything else had been in the last few weeks.

  “Uncle Dean!” Maya ran over and jumped into his arms. She was finally comfortable with him and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say she was starved for affection. She was always hugging him or holding his hand and...it felt good. Nice. Dean hadn’t realized it but that was something that had been missing from his life too.

  And now they had each other.

  “Well there are two of my favorite people,” Abby said as she walked over. Today she was wearing a black leotard and tights and had some sort of sheer short skirt wrapped around her. Every inch of her body clearly defined by the clingy material and it was hard for him to tear his gaze away. The classroom was empty but for the three of them and as she stepped closer, Dean noticed that she looked a little tired. “Any exciting plans this weekend?”

  “We’re eating the last of the casseroles tonight,” Maya announced. “And Uncle Dean said tomorrow we get to go and pick out all our own food!”

  Abby looked at him and laughed softly. “That is exciting!”

  Dean couldn’t help but laugh with her. “Trust me, I never thought I’d look forward to a trip to the supermarket, but right now I really do.”

  “Well good for the two of you!” She looked down at Maya. “What’s your favorite snack?”

  “Cookies!”

  “Ooh...mine too,” Abby said. “Chocolate chip are my absolute favorite.”

  “Me too! They’re the best!”

  “And my favorite way to have them is when they are freshly baked and they’re still warm and then have a big giant glass of milk with them,” Abby said with glee. “So good!”

  “You can eat warm chocolate chip cookies?” Maya asked, confused.

  “Absolutely! They’re easy to bake and then you take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes and...”

  “Uncle Dean? Can we bake cookies this weekend?”

  “Uh...”

  “Tell you what,” Abby said quickly. “Once we get through all of the practices for the Christmas performance, we’ll bake cookies together. What do you say?”

  “I say yeah!” Maya cried. “But can we do it before Christmas? I bet Santa would like homemade cookies.”

  “I think you’re right,” Abby said with a wink. “We’ll have a few days between the performance and Christmas Eve when we can make time to bake. Sound good?”

  Maya nodded. “But now I gotta use the bathroom.” She took off before anyone said anything else.

  “It seems like the two of you are really settling in. I can see a difference in her already.”

  He nodded, sliding his hands into his pockets. “We are. It’s not easy but...every day it gets a little less overwhelming.”

  “That’s a good thing.”

  They stood in silence and Dean felt like he had so much that he wanted to say to her – to thank her for – but for the life of him, he couldn’t make himself speak. She looked a little tired and yet...she was still breathtaking. He wanted to reach out and caress her cheek, run his fingers into her hair and shake it free of the tight bun in which she currently had it up. He wanted to massage her shoulders and do something for her because he had a feeling that the only person taking care of Abby was...Abby. He wanted to...

  “Anyway,” she said and took a step back before walking to the corner of the room, “next week we have fittings for the costumes for the Christmas play. So next Friday we’ll be here a little late. I hope that’s all right.”

  Nodding, he moved across the room toward her, still unsure of what to do or say.

  “After Thanksgiving we’ll have a couple of extra classes but I’ll have a printout of the schedule for all the parents next week. So those Tuesdays where I normally just take Maya back to my house, I’ll have her here with me.”

  He nodded again and watched as Abby pulled a bulky sweatshirt on over her leotard and then she gracefully wrapped a wool scarf around her neck. It was green – the color of her eyes. She bent over and...holy hell! Her body was...well, it was perfect. Dean’s hands literally twitched with the need to touch her. When she straightened, he quickly looked away – certain she’d be able to tell what he was thinking.

  Abby let out a little sigh and looked around the room. “I think that’s everything.” She smiled at him again. “I hope you guys have a great weekend. If you need anything, just...”

  And that’s when it hit him like a bolt of lightning. He did need something.

  “Dean? Are you okay?”

  “Huh? What?”

  “Are you okay?” she repeated, taking a step closer to him. “You sort of zoned out there for a moment and had a strange look on your face.”

  Before he could second-guess himself or chicken out, he took a step closer – closing the gap between them. “I’m fine,” he said gruffly. “But I need to do this.”

  And then he lowered his head and claimed her lips with his.

  He had never been the impulsive type and yet right now, it seemed like the most logical thing in the world to kiss Abby. And, by the way she was responding, the feeling was mutual.

  Her arms wound around his shoulders as his went around her waist. Hearing her sigh and feeling her melt against him was such an incredible feeling that he tightened his grip. His tongue teased hers and he felt her hands rake up into his hair and...

  “Why are you kissing Abby?”

  They immediately broke apart. Abby took a step back and turned away from him for a minute. Dean looked at his niece’s wide eyes and wondered wh
at the hell he was thinking. They weren’t alone and kissing Abby in the middle of the community center wasn’t the smartest thing to do – impulsive or not.

  “Um...we were...we were just...” Dean stammered.

  Maya’s eyes narrowed a little. “Do you like Abby?”

  “Uh...yes,” he replied honestly and had to keep his focus on Maya even as he heard Abby’s soft gasp at his confession. “I do. I like Abby a lot.”

  Without a word, Maya walked across the room and went to pick up her backpack and her jacket. When she turned and faced the two of them, her expression was serious. “Will I have to go sleep at the babysitter’s now?”

  Dean was confused for a minute. He looked over at Abby and she seemed just as lost as he was. He was just about to ask Maya what she meant, but as usual, she was one step ahead of him.

  “Mommy used to send me to the babysitter’s when she had a date. Sometimes she didn’t come back for a couple of days.”

  Dean’s heart broke. Her voice was trembling slightly and he could tell that she was afraid – afraid that she was going to be left behind again. There was no way he was going to let that happen but...there was also no way he wasn’t going to explore this attraction with Abby. Maybe...

  “Can Abby have dinner with us?”

  “Um...what?” he asked.

  Maya nodded and walked over to the two of them, suddenly looking like she had a solution. “Can Abby come home with us and have dinner? Maybe we can bake some cookies tonight and then after I go to bed, you can kiss her again. You know, if you want to.”

  “Oh...um...” Abby began.

  “We could stop at the grocery store on the way home and find something to make that isn’t a leftover casserole and get ingredients to make cookies,” Dean suggested, his focus solely on Abby. When she looked at him, she blushed and it was a sexy look on her.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I’m supposed to go and meet with a realtor to look at another building. Why don’t we aim for tomorrow night? You guys pick out something to make for dinner and I’ll bring the ingredients for the cookies. What do you think?”