Christmas On Pointe (A Silver Bell Falls Holiday Novella)

by Samantha Chase

  He stopped.

  “Dammit,” he murmured breathlessly. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this but...”

  “I know,” she whispered, equally trying to catch her breath. “We need to stay out here.”

  Dean moved off of her and they shifted around until she was curled up against his side with his arm around her. “Being a responsible adult is hard.”

  Unable to help herself, she laughed softly.

  “What’s so...oh. I get it. Ha-ha,” Dean teased.

  “Sorry. My mind immediately went to the gutter on that one.”

  He hugged her close. “And I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

  They stayed like that for several minutes and to Abby, it was so good, so perfect. Outside was quiet and peaceful as the snow continued to fall and inside other than the occasional pop from the fireplace, it was equally quiet.

  “How are things going with the potential new dance studio?” he asked a few minutes later. “Any updates from Millie yet?”

  “She mentioned something about a location over on White Street. I don’t ever go over that way so I wasn’t aware of it, but she texted me some pictures and said that she was going to talk to the owner to see what kind of money he was looking for and if it can be...you know...if we can turn the space into something we can use.”

  “What did you think from the pictures?”

  Shrugging, Abby thought about how she wasn’t overly impressed. In her mind, she pictured what she wanted and maybe she was being a little unrealistic with her expectations, but what was wrong with wanting what she wanted? And after looking at a few other places, she was beginning to lose hope, which is what she told Dean.

  “If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work,” he said. “And I get where Millie’s coming from – anything would be better than the one room at the community center. But it would be nice if you could make the move only once and have it be something you can make yours.”

  “Exactly,” she said and then yawned. “I know this place would allow us to have four classrooms, but there’s no stage and the rooms are a little small. Ideally I would like to have rooms where I can have space for at least twelve but up to twenty-four students.”

  “Do you think there’s a need for that much?”

  She nodded. “I’ve been asking around for a while and I get approached a lot by parents of older kids about classes. Then I’d like to offer classes for adults too. The possibilities are endless and...” She trailed off. She was a dreamer and she was getting a little bit ahead of herself. Maybe she should text Millie and tell her to make an offer and that the building would be okay. And then someday – hopefully – she’d be able to move some place bigger and better.

  “And...?” Dean prompted.

  “And...I don’t know. It’s just a dream, right? I mean, what are the odds that I’m going to find a place here in Silver Bell Falls that I can afford, that can be transformed into the exact kind of space that I need and that I’m going to be able to fill all those classes and make it my full-time job so I can quit the diner?”

  “You don’t like the diner?”

  “It’s certainly not my dream job.”

  He kissed her on the forehead. “I think it’s great to have a dream and I also think that it’s important to pursue it. There’s a space out there for you, Abby. I’m sure of it. And when you find it, you will fill those classes because everyone in town loves you.”

  That didn’t make her feel a whole lot better. “I don’t want people taking classes because they feel obligated to. I want them to sign up because they want to learn how to dance.”

  “Still think it’s going to happen,” he said and then yawned. “I can’t believe it’s only ten o’clock and I’m half asleep.”

  “Mmm...me too,” she said sleepily. “But I think it’s because I’m so comfortable like this.” Under the blankets, her legs tangled with Dean’s until they were both comfortable. “Hopefully the power will be back on in the morning and the snow will have stopped.”

  “I’m in no rush,” he said quietly. “I like having you here with me.” Dean’s voice trailed off by the last word and Abby knew he was just about asleep.

  She waited a few minutes to say, “And I really like being here with you.”

  ****

  As predicted, the snow had stopped the next morning, the power was back on and the roads were being cleared. By lunchtime, they were up and heading into town. Abby had tried to graciously bow out because she needed to get home and decorate her own tree, but Maya insisted that they should decorate both trees today together.

  An ambitious tactic, but Dean was in full agreement.

  Abby seemed a little less certain.

  Dean had to convince her that they could get it all done and, in the end, she agreed. It just meant that they were going to have to shop a lot quicker than usual.

  No easy task with a five-year old who was easily distracted.

  “Remember what we talked about,” he whispered to Maya when he helped her out of the car at the mall. “We have two Christmas trees at two different houses to get decorated today and we don’t have a lot of time.”

  “I know, I know,” she huffed. “And it’s a school night and I can’t look at toys and I can’t get ice cream...”

  He hugged her close before putting her down. “Good girl.”

  As usual, his niece surprised him by going into the first store and instantly finding the ornaments that she wanted – two Disney princess ones, a snowman, and a box of pink satin Christmas balls with silver glitter designs. All in all, she was quick and efficient. They were heading up to the register to pay when she stopped.

  “You okay, Maya?” he asked. Dean looked and saw that she stopped in front of a display of tree toppers. He walked over to her and crouched down. “See one you like?”

  She never took her eyes off of the display. “Do you have something for the top of your tree?” she asked quietly.

  “I have a star.”

  “Oh.”

  “But if you see something here that you’d rather have, we can do that.”

  Wordlessly, she reached for an angel and handed it to Dean.

  He was confused. Maya was excited about all of the other decorations she’d found. Why was this tree topper making her sad?

  Before she could move away, he reached for her hand and waited for her to look at him.

  “She looks like my mom. And my mom’s an angel now.”

  Gutted.

  That was exactly how he felt. Abby was standing next to him and he handed her the angel, then picked up Maya and held her close. He knew he was fighting back tears but he felt hers trailing down his neck as she silently wept.

  He had no idea how long they stood there like that, but when Maya lifted her head, he wiped away her tears. Looking around, he spotted Abby by the register paying for their decorations. She was talking to Ramona the cashier and smiling. When he walked over, he heard the tail end of the conversation.

  “...it’s a great location and I know my aunt’s been dying to see someone come in and take it over,” Ramona was saying. “You should look into it.”

  “I will and I appreciate the information. Thanks, Ramona!” With a smile and a wave, Abby joined them. She took his hand and together they walked back out to the car.

  They had decided to decorate Abby’s tree first – mainly because of the time and Dean knew that it would be easier to get Maya to bed on time if they ended the day at their house. Abby didn’t mind.

  The ride was short and spent in virtual silence, which Dean figured was for the best. Maya needed the time and honestly, so did he. Decorating Abby’s tree was the perfect distraction and – as usual – she seemed to know that because as soon as they stepped into her house, she put them each to work on a different task.

  Dean strung the lights while Abby had Maya help her carefully unwrap some of the ornaments and get them organized. They made hot chocolate while they waited for him to finish with the l
ights – apparently Abby liked a lot of them on her tree – and then they came out and hung Abby’s stockings on her mantle.

  “How come you have two stockings?” Maya asked.

  “One is for me and one is for my mom. She’s going to come and visit for Christmas.”

  Maya nodded, her face solemn. “My mom can’t come and visit.”

  Damn. So much for the distraction. He was about to say something but Abby was already ahead of him.

  “You know, I bet your mom is watching you from heaven right now,” she began. “And I’m sure it makes her happy that you and your uncle have each other and that you’re going to spend Christmas together.”

  Maya nodded again. “I miss her.”

  “Oh, sweetie,” Abby said, pulling Maya in for a hug. “She misses you too.”

  Dean finished with the lights and walked over to sit with the two of them, hugging them both. This was supposed to be fun – something happy for them to do – and he had no idea how to turn it around.

  “Tell you what,” Abby said after a moment, “let’s get my tree decorated so we can get to your house and you can put your new angel on the top of your tree. That way, your mom will be there with you. What do you say?”

  A small smile crossed Maya’s face. “Okay.” Then she stood up and hugged Abby one more time. “Thank you, Abby.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  “I love you,” the little girl said and Dean actually heard Abby stop breathing for a moment.

  “I love you too,” Abby said softly, squeezing Maya. When they finally broke apart, Abby began directing her on which ornaments to start hanging on the tree. Maya went right to work but before Abby could move away, Dean stood and made her look at him.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded. “I guess...I don’t know...I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “Me either.”

  “You’re not upset, are you?”

  “About her missing Karen?”

  “Well that and...you know...what she said to me.”

  “I didn’t think about how certain situations would make her feel or what would trigger her to suddenly remember that she misses Karen. One minute she’s fine and then the next...she’s just sad. My parents mentioned that I should look into counseling for her but...part of me hoped that she wouldn’t need it. Maybe she does.”

  “It might be a good thing for her.”

  He nodded. “And as for what she said to you...” Pausing, he let his gaze hold hers for a moment and he swore he could almost see the answer to everything right there in her emerald eyes. “I’m glad that she feels that way about you.”

  “You...you are?”

  Nodding again, he replied, “I am.”

  “Oh,” she sighed. “Good.”

  “Do you know why?”

  Abby shook her head.

  “Because that’s how I feel about you too.” His voice was low and soft, so that only she could hear him. “I’m in love with you, Abby.”

  Her eyes went wide.

  Reaching up, Dean caressed her cheek and rested his forehead against hers. “I probably should have found a better time or way to tell you, but...it’s true.”

  “Oh, Dean...”

  “Don’t say anything. Not now.” He looked toward the tree and then back at her. “Let’s decorate and just...we’ll talk about this more later. I just really wanted you to know how I felt.” Then he chuckled softly. “I kind of wish Maya hadn’t said it first.”

  Abby laughed with him and then kissed him. Lifting her head, she smiled. “I think it was all perfect.”

  “Okay,” he said, relaxing. “Let’s get to work.”

  Abby nodded but when Dean went to move away, she reached for his hand. “Oh, and Dean?”

  “Yeah?”

  She leaned in close again. “I love you too.”

  ****

  They stood back and looked at their handiwork.

  “Well, what do you think?” Abby asked. They had finished her tree hours ago and now they had just placed the angel at the top of Dean and Maya’s tree. Before anyone answered, she walked over and shut off the overhead light so that only the tree illuminated the room.

  “Ooh...” Maya said with awe. “It’s the most beautiful tree ever.”

  Dean picked her up and held her close. “I think we did a great job on our first tree, kiddo. I know this is the best tree I’ve ever had.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yup. All of your ornaments were exactly what my tree has been missing all these years.”

  Abby stood back, unsure if she should say anything or let them have this moment.

  She opted to let them have the moment.

  Quietly she walked to the kitchen and cleared away the last of the dishes from their dinner earlier. On the ride from her house to theirs, they stopped and grabbed burgers to bring home to eat. There wasn’t much to do but she wanted to give the two of them a few minutes to themselves without her hovering.

  Plus, it was the first time she had been alone or had time to think about what Dean said to her earlier.

  He loved her.

  She certainly hadn’t been prepared for that, hadn’t seen it coming. Well...she had hoped but...and she knew Dean cared for her, but to be in love with her? It was still hard to wrap her brain around it. It was wonderful and exciting and terrifying all at once.

  Abby knew her feelings for him were real. She’d been dealing with them for a long time, but Dean’s life was in such a state of chaos right now that she was having a hard time believing that he could possibly feel this way about her. Maybe he was confused. Maybe he thought it was how he felt because of all they were sharing. Or maybe...

  “Here you are,” Dean said as he walked into the kitchen. “We were wondering where you went.”

  “I thought it would be nice for the two of you to have a moment with your newly-decorated tree. It turned out beautiful.”

  He nodded. “It did and Maya’s thrilled. She’s going to put on her pajamas and asked if she could have some cookies in front of the tree before bed.”

  Abby chuckled. “She probably shouldn’t have cookies right before bed, but I guess it’s a special occasion so...”

  “That’s what I thought.” Walking over to her, Dean instantly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Hi.”

  She smiled. “Hi.”

  “Thanks for coming with us today.”

  “My pleasure. It was a lot of fun and I have to admit, this is the first time I got to decorate two trees. I kind of liked it.”

  He laughed softly. “It was a first for me as well. But I’m kind of hoping it will be a last too.”

  Confused, Abby only looked at him.

  “I was hoping that next year there would only be one tree. Our tree.”

  Her heart kicked a hard beat at his words. “Oh...” she sighed, smiling. “That does sound nice.”

  “Maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself but...”

  Footsteps running down the hall stopped his words.

  “Can you stay after Maya goes to bed?”

  There were so many things Abby needed to get done at home. With the snowstorm and the trees and spending the night the previous night, the last thing she should say was yes, but...

  “Sure, but not too late. I really haven’t been home all weekend and I have to hit the ground running tomorrow. The extra practices for the Christmas recital and the parade start so...”

  “Okay. I promise not to keep you too late,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Even though I’d really like to keep you here all night.”

  That was exactly what she was thinking but...

  He kissed her before she could say anything more.

  Eleven

  Ten days.

  Ten long, exhausting days.

  Dean thought working from home was going to work to his advantage, but it didn’t. He was busier than usual with new projects and proposals coming in and his workday was te
chnically shortened on the days he picked up Maya after school.

  When Abby said she had to hit the ground running and that the extra practices would keep her busy, she wasn’t kidding. They saw each other on the days that Maya had ballet and he had managed to persuade her to have dinner with them twice, but she was distracted by the things she needed to be doing.

  Costume fittings, stage props and designs, parade meetings, photo sessions with her classes, and what seemed like an endless search for new studio space. All of a sudden it seemed as if there were nothing but vacant buildings in Silver Bell Falls. And now that the town knew she was looking, everyone was approaching her with suggestions and big plans to have her in her own space by the beginning of the new year.

  Dean knew it was a temporary thing – this all had to do with the Christmas season – but he couldn’t help but be disappointed by their lack of time together.

  The last time they’d spent any quality time together was the day they decorated their trees. She’d stayed after Maya went to bed and they talked late into the night – effectively making him break his promise to her – but Abby hadn’t seemed to mind. If anything, she’d been happy – like him. They’d laughed and talked and...Dean couldn’t help but feel like it was just a small glimpse into the life they could have together.

  If they could just get through Christmas!

  Maya had ballet today so he knew he’d get to see Abby and he also knew that Maya’s class was her last class of the day. With any luck, he’d be able to persuade her to go to dinner with them. She’d insist on the diner because it was close and he’d agree because some time with her was better than none at all. Dean found himself longing for the day when they could all go home together.

  Pulling up to the community center, he parked and just sat there for a moment – trying to wrap his brain around all of it.

  He was ready for their future together to start now.

  If anything, the sooner the better.

  His and Maya’s lives were already in a state of transition and being with Abby made it easier. Wouldn’t it be great if they could all just...transition together? It was so easy to see them being a family and living together in his home – for now – and then after the first of the year they could find someplace bigger so they could possibly even grow as a family.