Sleigh Belles

by Beth Albright

  “No problemo,” he said. “See ya at eight sharp.”

  “Okay, good night.”

  “Night.”

  Dallas smiled as she turned over in her bed. Daniel was slowly becoming a friend. And for once, she decided she was going to allow that. She was glad he hadn’t been around to witness her great escape down the trap door stairs. All she could think of was how mortified she had been today with Cal and Tristan staring down at her.

  It bothered her even more because it was Cal. Part of her wanted to appear perfect to him, to prove to him she was something special. Make him see just what he was missing. The same part of her wanted to prove something to her mother, to everyone, to show them that she was something, and weren’t they just sorry that they weren’t in her circle? But the trouble was, she had been pushing everyone away for so long that no one was even in her immediate circle to care. She had locked everyone out.

  Quit it, she scolded herself. This was not the time to sulk over what she didn’t have. Instead, she needed to keep her eye on the prize. She needed to get the anchor spot and remain employed. Blaming the wine and lack of dinner for making her feel gloomy, she gingerly got to her feet and stumbled into the kitchen looking for something to eat.

  Dallas had another secret that no one knew, and she’d never let anyone know this deep, dark part of herself. It was embarrassing, since so much of her life had been about competition—though not necessarily when it came to the basic skills of living.

  Dallas had a huge problem when it came to blissful domesticity. She’d never learned to cook. Anything. She couldn’t bake something from a box. Somehow she even managed to burn noodles. And it didn’t stop there—she couldn’t iron, let alone sew on a button. She was a disaster as a homemaker. Her secret dream was to marry someone rich enough that those things just wouldn’t matter.

  But until she could learn to let someone in, to trust someone enough to even consider marriage, her best friend would continue to be her microwave.

  After a quick frozen dinner, she fed Wilhelmina and turned in early. She promised herself to go talk to those idiot neighbors before tomorrow night. Their Christmas lights were shining like the Las Vegas strip and she did need her beauty sleep, after all. Tomorrow was a big day. Dixie Dickens was the big story and she had finally been assigned the lead. She just hoped Cal wouldn’t be there to throw her off.

  9

  Dallas awoke excited. It was her first lead story in two weeks and she was ready. Dixie Dickens was a wonderful Christmas festival held every year. It was a time when the whole city was full of holiday excitement. Dallas and Daniel made their way downtown and parked in front of the old bank building near the city clock.

  Every business and storefront was decked out for a Victorian Christmas. People were showing up in droves in period costumes. Long, velvet, cranberry-colored dresses, huge brimmed hats, tuxes with tails, white spats over black shiny shoes. Men wore tall top hats, offering their arm to the ladies. Costumed carolers strolled along the downtown streets.

  The streetlights were wrapped in garland and topped with deep red velvet bows. Stands for hot cider and warm cocoa were set up along the sidewalks and down near the river. Tiny white lights were strung across the main street with huge wreaths draped right in the middle. Downtown historic sites would be open for candlelight tours as soon as dusk fell.

  And at the end of the street, Father Christmas awaited the children who would anxiously stand in line for a chance to whisper their sugarplum wishes in his ear.

  All of the romance of the Victorian period was alive and made Dallas feel better just being at the event. Even she was excited, if a tad nervous. It was the big story in town that day, and she knew Cal and the entire gang would be milling around somewhere.

  “Let’s set up near the downtown Christmas tree first,” Dallas said.

  “Perfect. I was thinking the same thing,” Daniel agreed as he began to unload the van and set up the camera. “People won’t start to arrive till the afternoon, and the lights won’t come on till dusk.”

  “I was thinking I might like to do my stand-up tonight in front of the bagpipe parade. It’ll have great visuals and natural sound and they’ll be just far enough away” Dallas said. She was always a pro. Born to do the job she was doing. And she was a natural on camera, too.

  The mood was light as she made her way around the area, taking a few notes and watching the shops set out their stands and put their candles in the windows. Her ankle was still a bit swollen but feeling much better. She’d decided to wear her three-inch heels today to play it safe. And she didn’t have to worry about a rehearsal tonight because the children from the choir were actually downtown marching in the evening parade.

  The mayor would also be here making the rounds tonight. Kitty, Dallas’s former stepmother and Blake’s mother, was practically engaged to him, so she’d likely be at his side. They had been fused at the hip since late June and that made Dallas cringe a little.

  Her relationship with Kitty wasn’t so bad. She had been married to Dallas’s dad for about ten years, starting just before Dallas had been sent to live with them. During that time, Kitty had tried to be a mother or at least a friend to Dallas, but she hadn’t actually spoken to Kitty since Vivi’s wedding back in September. It wasn’t really Kitty who was making her so nervous, though—it was her daughter, Blake, who would also be at the festival tonight.

  Dallas worked hard that day, talking to many different merchants and making sure she was covering the event as thoroughly as she could. Late afternoon came, and she and Daniel sat in the satellite van to package the story, editing all the interviews and extra footage into the video that would run just before Dallas did the live stand-up to close the segment. She’d be the lead story tonight on the six o’clock news, and that was in just a couple of hours.

  “I’m heading out for some hot chocolate. Want anything?” she asked Daniel.

  “Yeah, I’ll take a hot cider.”

  “Okay, be back in a few.” Dallas slipped out of the news van and into the cold night air.

  Dusk was falling, and the clear cold winter air helped create a magnificent sunset over the Warrior River. Vibrant orange and turquoise illuminated the evening sky like a painting, casting a warm glow over downtown Tuscaloosa, now awash in the evening’s blush. In moments, the twinkling lights appeared, sprinkled over downtown like decorations on a cake.

  Dallas walked over to the hot chocolate house and got in line. The closed-off streets were starting to fill up with families.

  “Hey, aren’t you Dallas Dubois? I recognize you from TV,” said the young woman at the window.

  “Oh,” Dallas said with a practiced smile. “Yep, it’s me, in person.” She loved being recognized. “I’ll take a hot chocolate and an apple cider, please.”

  “Comin’ right up.” The girl disappeared to the side and returned with the warm drinks. “That’ll be two dollars.”

  “Thanks so much,” Dallas said as she handed the money to the girl.

  “Would you mind if I have your autograph?” she asked Dallas. “My momma will just die when she sees it.”

  “Sure,” Dallas replied, basking in the attention. She set the cups down on the counter and took a pen from the girl and signed her order pad.

  “Oh, thank you, Ms. Dubois. This is so awesome.”

  “No problem,” she said, picking up her drinks again and turning around.

  “Yes, Ms. Dubois, I’d love to get your autograph, too.”

  Cal was standing right behind her, a look of sarcastic admiration on his face, and the surprise had her stumbling back, her warm drinks sloshing onto her winter-white Calvin Klein coat.

  “Oh, no! Look at this mess,” she cried. “And I have a live shot in an hour.”

  “Oh, crap. I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to scare you like
that.” Cal did look genuinely sorry as he grabbed handfuls of napkins from the stand to help her clean up. He had a young man with him, his oldest nephew, Justin, there for the night. Justin was a freshman at Alabama. He looked enthralled to meet the star news reporter, even though she was currently splattered with a little hot chocolate.

  “This is my nephew, Justin,” Cal said, offering her the napkins once she’d put down her cups. “He’s a freshman at Alabama. Justin, this is Dallas Dubois.”

  “Wow. Nice to meet you, ma’am. I love watching you on TV,” the boy said, looking a little starstruck. She knew it wasn’t typical for the younger crowed to be familiar with local TV reporters, aside from maybe the anchors since they appeared on air nightly, but her Barbie-doll looks had garnered her more than a few male fans from the around town.

  Dallas was busy trying to dab herself off before the stains set in, but she stuck her hand out to give Justin’s a shake.

  “Yes, uhm... Hi, Justin, nice to meet you, too.” She gave a tight smile and then went back to the mess on her coat.

  “Let me help you,” Cal said. And before she could say no, he was trying to wipe off the hot chocolate, too, patting the collar of her coat, his face in that dangerous place again, much too close to her own.

  “Don’t worry, Cal, it’s fine. I’ve gotta go. These are gettin’ cold and Daniel is waiting.”

  She grabbed the drinks and headed back to the news van in a hurry.

  * * *

  “So, Uncle Cal. Your friend is pretty hot,” Justin said as they walked back to Vivi and Lewis. “Why don’t you ask her out?”

  “No way, kiddo. I’ve known that woman my whole life and she is nothing but bad news.” Then he laughed. “No pun intended.”

  “I think I’d sacrifice the headline for her,” Justin teased. “She’s easily the hottest reporter Tuscaloosa has ever had.”

  “Yeah, but she’s also incredibly full of herself. No room for me and all that hairspray in my little car.”

  They laughed and rejoined the others curbside, waiting for the parade to begin.

  10

  Dallas positioned herself on the street corner where the bagpipe parade would march right behind her as she did her live stand-up. Everything was in place and ready to go. For a quick fix, she’d taken her scarf out of her coat and let it hang over the chocolate spatters so no one could see her little accident. Dallas was nothing if not resourceful.

  The top of the newscast was playing in her earpiece, and she could hear the anchors introduce her. Daniel pointed and, giving her the signal, she was on.

  “Good evening, Tuscaloosa. We are live at Dixie Dickens Downtown where we have traveled back to the lush and lovely times of the storybook Victorian era. So many Tuscaloosans are braving the chilly temperatures to be out here tonight just to have a chance to immerse themselves in the days of Charles Dickens and Tiny Tim.”

  That was the toss to her packaged story, which was now playing while she waited for the engineers to toss it back to her for her live stand-up. Dallas could hear the bagpipes approaching from down the street. It was all going just as she’d planned.

  Just then, the children’s choir rounded the street corner singing “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” as they came up behind her in front of the bagpipes. She turned, recognizing the little faces as those from the Christmas play she was directing, and Betty Ann was walking backward in front of them, directing.

  As Dallas watched them, her eyes locked with little Tristan, who had been there when she’d fallen down the stairs. She was suddenly caught in the memory of what he’d asked her: Why don’t you like us? The question shook her even more now as the children sang the song that reminded her of the days when her own childhood was happy, when she’d had her older brother and her mother home with her for Christmas. Behind Tristan she recognized one of the older children who’d caroled cruelly on her doorstep the night before. Behind the choir, Kitty and the mayor walked happily, arm in arm, waving merrily at the gathered crowds.

  A knot began to form in her stomach. It was as if the town had planned this—to parade all the uncomfortable moments she’d been dealing with lately in front of her right before she was meant to be live on TV.

  Dallas was fixin’ to hit overload when she turned and saw Lewis and Vivi, Blake and Sonny, all standing and laughing with Cal. In that very second, the engineers threw the shot back to her. Between the cute little boy, the song, the thought of being Mrs. Grinch and seeing the Cal clique, it was just too much for her.

  Daniel signaled her to go. “You’re on....”

  “We are live in downtown Tuscaloosa....”

  She could feel all the eyes searing her like laser beams. She locked gazes with Blake, who smiled at her. Dallas took that as a dare, assuming Blake meant, Go on, I dare you to finish the broadcast under all this pressure.

  “So come on out and join us...um... Yes, we are live at the, uh, Dixie Dickens....”

  She looked at Cal. Of course he could tell she was having trouble, but he didn’t smile back, and she took that as a vote of no confidence. It was her first live shot in weeks, yet suddenly, every single insecurity Dallas had ever had hit her all at once in this one important moment. The anchor seat hung in the balance. And Dallas was blowing it. In front of everyone.

  “Dallas Dubois...good night.” She didn’t even utter the station call letters. Totally embarrassed, she tossed her microphone to Daniel and ran off into the darkness. This was the first major mistake she had ever made on live TV. Well, unless you counted a few weeks ago when she’d told all of Tuscaloosa she hated children, but she had covered herself on that one, so it didn’t count. This time, there was no way to hide her blundering.

  Everyone heard her stutter. The Cal clique watched her run off. Anyone who’d had the TV on tonight would have seen her fail miserably—including Mike, her station manager. Dallas couldn’t imagine how this night could get any worse.

  * * *

  Blake felt terrible as she watched Dallas make a quick exit through the commotion of the parade. Even after everything she and Dallas had been through over the years, Blake still wanted her to succeed. She placed her hand on her burgeoning belly, her other hand held tightly by the love of her life, police chief Sonny Bartholomew. It hadn’t been an easy road to find this kind of happiness, to find the love and the family she’d always hoped for. She knew Dallas must be searching for the same thing, even if she wasn’t exactly the warmest person Blake knew.

  Suddenly Blake was struck with the memory of a certain beauty pageant when she and her best friend, Vivi, had covered Dallas’s sparkly dress with itching powder. Dallas had been driving them crazy with her bad attitude and downright meanness, so they’d thought a little public humiliation might put her in her place. But once the plan was in effect, Blake regretted having gone so far. She’d felt so bad when they found Dallas sitting in the wings of the stage, sixteen years old, itching and crying and all alone. Dallas didn’t have a mother to come backstage and tend to her, they’d realized. And Blake was supposed to have been her family.

  In a split second, Blake knew she had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fix that. To make up for that awful trick and to take some responsibility. She kissed Sonny on the cheek and said, “I’ll be right back,” then she darted off into the darkness after Dallas.

  Eventually she found her sitting on a dark street corner behind the courthouse, and she was crying. Dallas never cried in front of anyone, Blake knew. Not ever. She had buried her face in her knees, and didn’t see Blake approaching until she was right in front of her. Blake knelt down on one knee.

  “Dallas. It’s okay. Really.” She barely knew what to say, with all their history of bad blood.

  “Oh, perfect,” Dallas groaned. “Blake, just get out of here. Leave me alone.”

  “Please, let me talk to you. I promise I
am being for real. Listen to me, it’s all okay.”

  “What do you know about it? Anyway, I can’t trust you. You’ve lived for this moment!” Dallas was furious, her cheeks wet with tears but her eyes blazing with anger. “You’ve always wanted to see how hard I can fall. So, go ahead and have your laugh. You’ve been out to get me my whole life. I’m sure you and your friends are just delighted with that display back there. Just get the hell outta here.”

  “Dallas, I’m not going anywhere. I can be just as stubborn as you. I’m a lawyer, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” Dallas rolled her eyes. “You’ve been bragging about that since graduation day.”

  “What I mean is, we’re a lot alike, Dallas. Strong and determined. And no matter what happened out there tonight, you are a wonderful reporter.”

  Dallas’s mouth hung open. Her brows were bent. She looked utterly stunned to hear that statement from her archenemy.

  “You are.” Blake was looking Dallas right in the eyes as she spoke, and she meant every word that she said. Blake had been through some huge changes recently—her divorce from political-minded Harry, finding Sonny, her high-school sweetheart and true love, and now she was carrying Sonny’s baby. She had matured since those days when all she and Dallas could do was bicker. She was genuine and sincere in her words to Dallas, and she just hoped Dallas would be able to see that.

  “I know it seemed rough out there,” Blake continued, “but you did better than you think. Honestly, it just looked like those damn bagpipes were too freakin’ loud and you couldn’t hear yourself think. That’s all. You were great, and I bet no one will even think twice about that. Don’t worry about it anymore. You need to get out there and enjoy this party now.”

  “Blake, I don’t know why you’re doing this. Is this just some way to mock me?” Dallas seemed worn down but hopeful.

  “No...not at all. I just wanted you to know you’re good at this. I know we’ve never been all that nice to each other, and I’m really sorry about that. We’ve both made mistakes, but, listen, I want to put all that in the past, okay?”