by Solly, Clare
“Heather, I can’t believe you did this for me. For the museum. That’s… there is no way I can repay… I just don’t…” Dottie couldn’t form a sentence. She was so overwhelmed what with the money from the tournament and ball, and Joe confessing his feelings and now this!
“Oh, honey don’t mention it… but if you want to post on social media hashtag divas help divas and tag me in it, I know it would help us both,” Heather gave another knowing wink.
“Sure I—”
Suddenly there was knocking at the door to the closet. Both Joe and Dottie became suddenly quiet and held their breath.
“Who is it?” Heather said as she looked back and forth between Joe and Dottie, then whispered at them, “Fraidy-cats!”
“Dottie, you in there?” Called Murray.
“It’s Murray,” she whispered for an unknown reason to Heather and Joe. Then she called, “Be out in a minute Murr!”
“Go, you crazy kids!” Heather blew them a kiss. “Oh, and Joe, sell your place!”
“Thanks, Heather,” he said giving her a funny smirk and then hung up.
Dottie gave Joe a look asking if he was ready to leave their safe spot. This time it was he that shrugged.
“Well, no time like the present,” she sighed and opened the door. Joe turned off the light as they walked out into the hall of the museum.
“Hey, Murray, what’s happening?”
“Well, I should probably head home. The wife is getting… tired,” Murray shrugged.
“Oh, I didn’t even see Angela! She’s here?” Dottie looked around.
“She’s out in the car already. We were just about to leave, and I was turning the key in the ignition, and this popped out of my jacket,” he said looking down at the opened envelope in his hand. It was face down and was carefully opened with a letter opener. It was a legal envelope that showed a little bit of the blue through the white that obscured the inner contents. “You see,” he continued, “I got to thinking about this place after that dreadful meeting earlier in the month where the board decided to close you down,” he shook his head. “Your family has been so wonderful to us over the years, and then with your father taking ill. Then you give up your dreams, for this place…”
Dottie waited patiently for him to continue.
Joe wasn’t so patient, and started to reach for the envelope, “Murray, do you mind if I…”
“Oh, no. Please!” Murray said, shaken from his reverie and handed the envelope to Joe.
“Well, with this place needing so many repairs, Frank and I were trying to help, but we knew you wouldn’t just let us. And then that gal offered to pay for the roof—whoops!”
“You knew it was Heather?” Dottie asked. “I thought you said you didn’t know who the mysterious benefactor was.”
“Well, I… I guess now it’s no harm letting the cat out of the bag,” Murray shrugged.
“It’s alright, Murray,” Joe put his hand on Murray’s shoulder, reassuringly. “She just told us,” Joe laughed.
“Yes, well… I always knew this place was special… but I thought maybe there was a way to make sure that it couldn’t get harmed again. So, I applied, and it was approved—”
“Dottie,” Joe said quietly excited, “Murray got this house, this museum approved as an historical landmark.”
“What?” Dottie asked putting her hand on Joe’s wrist to move the paper closer so she could see it. Then she turned back to Murray, “You… you did this? For me?”
“Didn’t take much, plus they already had to do the appraisal for the roof anyhow. So, I just sent in the paperwork, and I have a friend over in the records department. He called his friend at the registry, and… well, Bob’s your uncle, you’re registered.”
Dottie jumped into Murray’s arm’s and hugged him tightly. “Now, now. Not too tight, Angela may be in the car, but there are others watching, and we don’t want to start more rumors now, do we?” he joked and winked at Joe.
“Murray, this is the best Christmas present…”
“Well, you’re welcome,” Murray said and nervously looked toward the front door. “I’d better go, we can speak more another day about it. There are several things you need to still, but I’ll help with the paperwork. I need to get to the car before Angela decides to drive herself home,” Murray teased.
“Merry Christmas!” Dottie hollered after him.
“Merry Christmas,” he answered back over his shoulder as he walked out of the museum.
Dottie looked at Joe. “I…” she started to talk.
“I know. We can sort it all out tomorrow. But for now, we have one last dance before the end of the night,” he asked hearing the music drift in from the ballroom.
“Sure,” Dottie said as she took his hand and they walked together.
Just as they were entering the ballroom, she heard her name. It was Hetty. She pulled on Joe’s hand and they stopped just under the doorway into the ballroom.
“Dottie, I just wanted to catch you before we head out. Did Murray find you? He was looking—”
“Yes! He got the museum landmarked!”
“He did? That old coot! Between the two of them, they’re getting good at keeping secrets,” Hetty winked.
“Speaking of,” Dottie divulged, “you’ll never guess who was the mysterious donor of the roof?”
“Who?” Hetty asked wide eyed.
“Heather,” Joe said.
“Well, Merry Christmas,” she kissed Joe on the cheek. Then she kissed Dottie on the cheek.
“Hetty, you’re not a kisser… what’s up?” Dottie queried.
Hetty laughed and looked up. Joe and Dottie were standing under a big ball of mistletoe. Joe turned Dottie in his arms and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Well, shall we?” he asked.
“Why, not?” Dottie smiled, “Everything else that happened unexpectedly today turned out really well, so I’ll chance it,” she joked.
Joe caressed Dottie’s face with his thumb. He looked into her eyes and he sparkled with happiness. Taking his time, as he now had the rest of their lives, he looked her face over memorizing it. He took a deep breath as she sighed. They had finally made it to where they were meant to be. Together. Joe leaned in and kissed Dottie.
“At last!’ Hetty shouted, “My Christmas wish came true!”
The End
Acknowledgements
Sometimes the muses and the fates just step in and tap you on the shoulder. Or shake you until you realize the direction they are pointing. In 2017 I was given the wonderful opportunity to work in beautiful Essex, Connecticut for the winter holiday season where a magical Christmas Train takes children to see Santa. The Nevins family adopted me and helped me heal from a deep trauma with good food and watching many a holiday themed romantic movie.
Performing is a funny life, as you not only become the character in your show, you become a family with your fellow performers. Then at the end of your contract, you move on. If you’re lucky one or two of those relationships follow you for a while. However, I was given two lifelong friendships by Santa that year. Jessica and her family were one.
My friend Erin, the other.
In the winter of 2018, Erin and I were watching the same movie, she in East Haddam, Connecticut and me back in New York City. She texted that she wanted to play the best friend in one of these movies one day, and I needed to write it. To this day I don’t know if she was joking or not. However, it sparked an idea, and two days later I started outlining. And five weeks later I was editing my finished book.
Those first, drawn out thank you’s that seem barely enough for the gifts I’ve been given go to Erin for the idea for this novel and Jess for giving me a warm place to land when I need it.
Next to my fantastic crew of support Alex, Grace, Michael, Rebecca, Renee, MommySuan, Lecinda, Dad (who actually does love model trains!), Audrey and especially to Derrick who didn’t mind that I was an editing fiend on our vacation were more than once we chased pages down the beach tha
t got swept away by the wind.
Thank you to my NPE family (Say Hooray!) thank you for our magical seasons together, and Ira for bringing me into this group which truly has changed my life. Also, thanks to my crazy Nutmegger friends Jill, Greg, LaLa, Christopher, and Sergeant King who are NPE adjacent.
I know this is cheating, but to those of you who are my support but don’t find your name listed here: you ARE important, and I appreciate the love! If at any time you have ever asked me in person, via email or text or on social media about my writing, please know that it means a lot to me that you remembered and asked.
To those of you who tell me you’re inspired by me or ask for me to chat about writing: please KEEP telling me and asking me. I love talking about creative process and inspiration! And I love inspiring others to follow their muses!
To all of my readers who came back, thank you, too! It’s kind of that tree-falling-in-the forest phenomenon: you can write a book but, if no one reads it does it really exist?
About the Author
Clare Solly is an actress and writer in New York City. She has severe cravings for seltzer and coffee. While not writing or performing Clare makes various appearances at office jobs, plans weddings, and ushers on Broadway. And has a master’s degree in Psychology. She also is the apprentice director of The Bechdel Group, a theater company in New York that workshops new scripts that focus on roles for women and other under written about groups. A baseball fan since she was a child, Clare is a hopeless romantic growing up watching and rooting for the Cubs and the Padres. Clare sings, tap dances and pretends to go to cycling class. Her first novel The Time Turner is in paperback and eBook.