The Christmas Layover

by Robert Tate Miller

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Ally said. “Baby carriage?”

  Jake took a moment. “I had planned on kids at one time, but…plans changed.”

  “Okay,” Ally said. She could tell by his body language that it was best not to push the subject.

  “What about you?” Jake asked. “Where’s your bassinet?”

  Ally looked at him for a moment, and then, without warning, a wellspring of bottled-up emotion bubbled to the service. Ally felt her eyes redden, and her lower lip started to quiver. She wanted to hide her face from this kind man she barely knew, but then the tears started to roll, and she watched his face turn from curiosity to concern.

  “Ally, are you okay?” Jake asked.

  The sound of him saying her name only made Ally cry more. She wiped away the tears from her cheeks with her gloved hands, but there were plenty more where they came from. It wasn’t until that moment, standing in front of a man who fifteen hours earlier she didn’t even know existed, that she realized that, despite what she’d agreed to, despite what she’d told Tim, she really wanted a family. She wanted a baby and another baby, and poopy diapers and baby throw-up and two a.m. feedings. She wanted the whole shit show. I want to be a mommy, dammit, Ally thought. And I’m not ashamed to admit it.

  Ally looked at Jake and almost laughed. She was falling apart, right there by Peggy’s front gate, the glimmering holiday lights framing her in a weepy Christmas card. The pain and frustration and fear of her strange and bizarre day were finally bubbling like emotional lava to the surface. Jake put a hand on Ally’s arm. She stepped back. Keep it together, she commanded herself. Yes, she needed a hug, but she didn’t want to send the wrong message.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” Jake said soothingly. “Whatever it is, it’s going to be all right.”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” Ally said. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek with her Isotoner leather glove. “I’m just tired.”

  “Wanna talk about it?” Jake asked.

  No, I don’t want to talk about it, Ally thought. There’s nothing you can do. She wondered what her puffy, tear-stained face must look like. She figured if he’d ever had any attraction toward her, it was no doubt long gone now. “Okay,” she said in a soft voice. “Can we go inside? I’m freezing my ass off out here.” Jake nodded. As they went through the gate and up the walk, Ally saw Noel watching from the bedroom window.

  …

  “I’m going through a little bit of a crisis,” Ally said. Peggy put a box of tissues on the kitchen table beside her. Ally looked up from her chair and smiled at the kindly lady. Peggy hadn’t said much when they came in. She’d simply informed them that Noel had gone to bed, and that she had dinner waiting in the kitchen.

  “I know you both must be starving after your big night at the diner,” she said. Peggy had heard all about it from Tina, who’d dropped by Charlie’s to pick up a beanie Maddie had left hanging on the coatrack and then ended up staying to help for a few minutes.

  Ally was in fact starving. She realized how little she’d eaten all day, but hadn’t noticed until then because of all the stress and uncertainty and diner busyness. Peggy put a plate of salmon patties, green bean casserole, au gratin potatoes, and rolls in front of her son. She did the same for Ally, minus the patties. Then, rather than linger with them, she excused herself and headed off to bed, assuring Ally that “If you need anything at all during the night, don’t hesitate to wake me.”

  “Thanks so much,” Ally said, “for everything.” Jake waited until he could hear his mother’s slippers padding upstairs, then looked across the table at Ally.

  “Crisis?” he asked.

  Ally nodded and took a bite of roll. “I haven’t heard from my fiancé Tim in now over…” She checked the oven clock for the time. “Fifteen hours.”

  “Oh,” Jake said. He hesitated for a moment, as if he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. “You think something happened to him?”

  “I don’t know,” Ally said. “I have this strange feeling that he’s perfectly fine, that it has nothing to do with his health.”

  “So, what do you think it is?” Jake said. Ally’s phone rang. She stopped, checked it. It was Devyn.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I have to take this.” Jake started to push back from the table to give her privacy. “Oh no,” Ally said. “It’s fine.” Ally clicked the green button on her iPhone. “Devyn?” Ally was anxious for news, any news, but scared to death as to what that news might be.

  “Hey, Ally,” Devyn said. Ally could tell something was up. Devyn sounded guarded. She’d never heard that tone from her before. She looked across at Jake. He was watching her with a curious expression on his face.

  “Devyn, just tell me,” Ally said.

  “I got the locksmith to open Tim’s office, and there’s nothing in there. I mean, there’s his chair and desk and stuff, but nothing else.”

  “Nothing?” Ally said. “I’m going to need you to define ‘nothing’ for me.”

  “His computer’s gone, the desk drawers are empty, his desk is totally cleaned off. It’s pretty much vacated. Oh, there’s a photo of you two on the cabinet. But that’s about it.” Ally took a moment to let what Devyn was saying sink in. She looked back at Jake as he took a bite of salmon.

  “Okay, Devyn, thanks. Can you call the bank? I want to make sure everything’s okay there.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Devyn? The bank?”

  “I just did,” Devyn said.

  “And?”

  “I’m afraid it’s not good.”

  Ally felt like she could barely catch her breath. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast. “What’s not good about it?”

  “The account has been cleaned out.”

  Chapter Eight

  It was just after one in the morning when Ally slipped into bed beside a softly snoring Noel, fluffed her pillow, and tried to sleep. She thought of Jake and hoped she hadn’t seemed rude when she told him that she needed to be alone. He’d fished around a little to find out what was going on, but Ally had simply said she had business to deal with. A part of her had wanted to tell Jake what happened, but she was too embarrassed. Whether he’d voice it or not, he was sure to wonder how she could have allowed such a thing to happen. It wasn’t just the studio’s operating funds in the account—it was her money, too. She did have a separate account, but she knew there was only a couple thousand in there at best. As soon as Jake left, Ally got on the phone to the bank herself and found out that Devyn’s dire report was accurate.

  “But how could you let that happen without calling me first?” Ally asked.

  “It was a joint account in both of your names,” the woman informed Ally without a trace of emotion. Ally pictured her sitting there texting her boyfriend while she spoke to Ally on her headset. “He had full access to the funds.”

  “But it was over a hundred thousand dollars,” Ally said. “Didn’t any red flags go up when my business partner took it all out and closed the account?”

  “Actually, ma’am, he didn’t close the account. There are seventeen dollars and forty-three cents left.”

  Ally wanted to reach through the phone and throttle the woman with the unfeeling voice. “Okay,” Ally said. “How do we fix this?”

  “I’m not sure what you mean, ma’am.”

  “Well, can’t you just freeze it or something?” Ally asked. She could hear the desperate tone in her own voice, and she knew the answer before the woman spoke it.

  “You mean freeze the seventeen dollars and forty-three cents?” the woman asked.

  “You don’t have to be so condescending,” Ally said. “My life’s falling apart here.”

  “I’m not being condescending,” the woman said in what Ally thought was a condescending tone. “I’m just trying to tell you that the money’s no longer in the account, and that it was a perfectly legal withdrawal. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?”

  Ally hated that stock question. Like, what else
could she possibly need help with at a time like this? Oh, yes, by the way, could you tell me about your new low-interest credit card?

  Ally listened to the rise and fall of Noel’s breathing and wondered if she would ever sleep again. Her world had crumbled in one horrific day, and she still had no idea what was happening, or where Tim was.

  …

  Ally had just fallen asleep at six fifteen a.m. when her mother called from New York to give her the rest of the sordid story. She was curled up in a ball when the sound of her vibrating cell phone on the bedside table stirred her awake. She’d been dreaming, the kind of dream that she couldn’t quite remember, but she knew it wasn’t a good one because her heart was pounding. Still unable to form a coherent thought, Ally reached for the phone and answered without checking who it was.

  “Yeah?” She rolled over on her back, rubbed her eyes. Her mother’s voice cut through the fog.

  “Allison. Darling? Are you all right?” Ally forced herself to sit up, slipped into Sukhasana. Noel’s side of the bed was empty, and she could hear her roomie in the shower singing a much-too-loud version of “The Christmas Song.”

  “Mom?”

  “Allison, the airports are closed again,” Lucille said. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay put another day. Can you believe this?”

  “I guess I have to believe it,” Ally said. She was in no mood for her mother, and immediately schemed how to get her off the phone as quickly as possible. “Mom, I really need to—”

  “A letter came this morning.”

  Ally shifted the phone from her right to left ear. “Letter?”

  “Arrived via one of those messengers. DHL I think.”

  “Mom, what kind of letter? Who was it from?”

  “It appears to be from Tim.”

  Noel switched to “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

  “Okay, Mom, I want you to listen carefully. Are you listening carefully?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Have you opened the letter yet?”

  “Not yet. It’s addressed to you.”

  “Good. Here’s what you’re going to do. You are going to open it, then take your cell phone and take a picture of it.”

  “My cell phone?”

  “Yes, Mom, your cell phone. Get it now, please.”

  “Now, why do I need it again?”

  Ally didn’t even attempt to hide her irritation. “Because you are going to take a photo of the damn letter. That’s why. Now please get it, and I’ll try and talk you through this.”

  “All right, I’m getting it, but I just don’t understand how my phone can take a picture.”

  “Mom! It has a camera, that’s how! Do you have it?”

  “Yes, but why can’t I just read the letter to you?”

  “Because I want to read it myself. Okay?”

  “I just don’t know why Tim is sending you a letter. Is there something going on between you two? I sure hope not. Your wedding’s in four days.”

  Ally took a deep breath. Namaste.

  “Okay, Mom, I’m going to talk you through this.”

  “Allison, dear, are you sure my phone has a camera? I—”

  “Yes! It has a damn camera! Just look for the camera icon on your screen!”

  “Icon?”

  Ally drew in a deep breath. Namaste. Namaste. “Okay, Mom. I want you to go across the hall and see if Jordan’s home.” Jordan Beemer was Bob and Carol Beemer’s college-age daughter. Ally used to babysit her when Jordan was a toddler and Ally was in high school. The Beemers had lived across the hall from the Hendersons for going on thirty years. “Mom, please take the letter with you and tell Jordan to take a pic and email it to me. She’ll know what to do.”

  “All right, honey, if you really need this.”

  “I do, Mom. I really need this.”

  “But, before I do, will you please tell me what’s going on? I don’t understand why Tim would be sending you a letter.”

  “First, I read the letter, then I’ll tell you. I’ll call you soon. Please go see Jordan.” Ally hung up before her mother could protest. She heard the water go off in the bathroom, so she slipped out of the bedroom, down the hall to the staircase, and took a seat on the top step. She could hear Peggy humming in the kitchen as she readied breakfast.

  Ally decided to wait it out. If Jordan was home, she knew it would only take a few minutes to get the letter via email. Less than six minutes later, there was an email in her inbox with an attachment from JordyB. Ally hesitated before opening it. She was trembling, terrified. This will be bad, she warned herself. Really bad. But, despite her self-prepping, Ally was totally unprepared for what she found.

  Dear Ally,

  This is going to hurt. Unfortunately, there is no way around that. But, even as you feel the pain, I ask that you remember the words you said to me when my mom died. Remember? “This, too, will pass.” Those words were of great comfort to me then, Al. And I want to give them back to you now, so that they can give you some solace during this difficult time. I know this will seem like an especially cruel blow, seeing as how we were only days away from our wedding, but if this gives you some small comfort, you should know that I really did love you, and that my change of heart came about so suddenly that it literally hit me like lightning. All the planning we did, the dreams we made, were real. I wasn’t faking it. It’s just that something happened within the last few weeks that rocked my world.

  I fell in love, Als.

  And when I fell in love—for real—it made me realize that the love I had with you was not the one true forever kind, but a love born of friendship, of comfort, familiarity, and respect. And I do respect you, Ally. More than you will ever know. But then this force of nature came into my world and rocked it to the core. Brooke literally entered from stage left onto the play that is my life and wrested my heart from my chest. She taught me that what I had thought was true love (what you and I had) wasn’t love at all. I know that may be difficult to hear, but I’m just being honest, something you always insisted I be.

  I love Brooke, Ally. She is my true north, my aurora borealis, my soul mate. We’ve decided to start a new life together far away from the suffocating rat race that is L.A. By now you may know that I went ahead and took my share of the business. I feel this is fair because I’m leaving our studio with you. We’ve made Yogi Village into a killer studio, and, with you running things, I know it will continue to grow and thrive. I won’t ask for your forgiveness, Ally. Not yet. But I do hope that someday (maybe far into the future) we’ll be able to meet for a latte and laugh about all this.

  Your forever fan,

  Tim

  Meet for a latte? Ally thought. How about I hurl that steaming-hot latte into your face, you pathetic jerk? Ally read Tim’s letter three times, the last time aloud to Noel and Peggy over a breakfast of eggs, fruit, and toast. She just had to share it. Her temporary housemates stared at her when she was done.

  “What a douchebag,” Noel said. “A gutless little turdball. I wish I could punch him right in his smug face.”

  “I’m afraid I must agree wholeheartedly with Noel,” Peggy said. “That’s the biggest load of horse manure I’ve ever heard. Please pardon the manure reference at the breakfast table.”

  “The spineless wimp writes a letter,” Ally said, “just days before our wedding, and then acts like all the money that we earned was his to take. Oh, and he ‘left me the business.’ How am I supposed to pay the rent or the bills? What about our employees? What a total prick. Sorry, Peggy.”

  “Don’t apologize,” Peggy said. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”

  “So, Ally, what are you going to do now?” Noel asked. Ally sat there for a moment staring at her eggs. She really had no idea.

  “I don’t know. I guess I need to get a lawyer.”

  “Well, there’s Frannie Lane,” Peggy said. “She has an office on the square. She’s the only lawyer in town. I’m sure she’d be happy to speak with you.”


  “Thanks,” Ally said. “I might need to get someone back in L.A. I’m not sure there’s anything I can do. I feel so trapped here. No offense; it’s just not a good time to be stranded.”

  “Tell me about it,” Noel said.

  Ally squeezed her hand. “But, if I have to be stranded, I’m sure happy it’s with you two,” Ally added.

  …

  Jake missed Ally at the diner. Though the breakfast crowd was not as crazy as the one the night before, it was still busy, and Libby mentioned several times that she, too, missed Ally’s help and company. And then there was the forty-five or so minutes when Amelia came in with her parents, and Robbie hid out in the kitchen, leaving Jake to bus all the tables by himself.

  The early rush had diminished to about a dozen people when Jake heard the door chimes ring and looked up to see Ally standing there. She looked like she hadn’t slept a wink. She said hello to Libby and Robbie, called back to the kitchen to Louie, and then headed over to the counter and took a seat.

  “Morning, Ally,” Jake said as if he’d said it every morning of his life. “How’d you sleep?”

  Ally put her palm on her forehead. “I didn’t.”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Thanks, but not really,” she said with a small smile. “I don’t see how talk can do much good right now. Let’s just say I’m dealing with a few things and leave it at that.” She took a breath. “Okay, it’s not a big secret. My fiancé has decided he doesn’t want to be engaged anymore. As you can imagine, that came as a bit of a surprise. Our wedding was scheduled for Thursday.”

  Jake didn’t want to overreact. He glanced over at Libby, who was refilling a napkin holder. She was watching them, listening in. She quickly turned away when he caught her. Robbie passed by with a bus pan full of dirty dishes. He paused before going into the kitchen. Looked like he’d also eavesdropped.

  “That sucks, Ally,” Robbie said. “But…maybe you can stay friends?”

  “Not sure she wants to hear that right now, buddy,” Jake said.

  “Just trying to be helpful,” Robbie said. “Girls always tell me that I’m better as a friend.” Ally tried to suppress a smile. Despite everything, the kid had managed to cheer her up.