A Christmas Carol In Romance (Christmas In Romance Book 5)

by Franky A Brown

  “Are you okay?” Cassie asked, wondering if Andy had been jealous of Mark. Mark was really very funny and sweet. Cassie really shouldn’t have flirted with him or gotten herself much closer to Mark in the dance than was normal for a waltz.

  “What do you think of waltzing?” Andy didn’t remove his arm from her shoulders and she reveled in his warmth beside her.

  “I think you have real potential, laddie,” Cassie said in her best Scottish accent.

  Andy stared for a moment, then smiled. “Your accent needs work. I know I’ll have to practice my dancing more to be where Mark is, I suppose. You looked like you enjoyed dancing with him.”

  “He’s a really nice guy.” Cassie looked at him from the corner of her eye as they made their way back to the town square. “But Belle falls for Scrooge in the play, Andy, not ‘Fezziwig Party Extra.’”

  Andy and Cassie reached the brown grass of the square and Andy stopped, then turned to face her.

  “Are you saying you’re not interested in Mark?”

  She watched him, wondering what he was thinking. “Would it bother you if I were?”

  “Of course not.” Andy spoke quickly. “We aren’t dating anymore, Cassie. Do what makes you happy. I realize being in this play is confusing given our past.”

  “Maybe, but we can’t back out two weeks before the show.”

  “I’m not quitting, and you shouldn’t either.” Andy sighed and met her eyes. “I think friends is a good place for us now. Then we can see how things go from there.”

  “Okay.” Cassie latched on to that little bit of hope. “I’d love to be your friend, Andy. And I promise I won’t date Mark.”

  Cassie held out a hand and he reached out to accept it, but paused midair. “You can date Mark…” Andy said the name with gritted teeth. “If you want to, Cassie; we’re talking about being friends.”

  “Okay.” She slipped her hands in her pockets. “So try saying his name without looking like you want to hit him.”

  Andy pressed his lips together and his eyes twinkled with humor. “I don’t know what to do with you.”

  “Things haven’t really changed then.” Cassie sent him a smile, then pointed toward Cicely’s Chocolates and Caramels shop on the square. “I actually have a few errands to run.” Cassie walked backwards a few steps. “I’ll see you at rehearsal, okay?”

  Andy nodded. “Errands in the direction of the chocolate, huh?”

  “You want some?”

  “You didn’t fill up on Christmas cake?”

  “I’m going to grab some for Aunt Sue. You’re welcome to come with me if you’d like.”

  Andy took a step forward, then pulled his coat around himself tighter. “Nah, maybe some other time.”

  He said “maybe” and referenced that there may be another time. That along with the pained expression he made when he told her she could date Mark gave Cassie hope that perhaps they could find a way back to each other the way they used to be. She knew Andy couldn’t trust her with his heart yet, but she hoped giving him time would help.

  ***

  Andy was in a foggy state of confusion; that was certain. He arrived early on Wednesday night for rehearsal and remained in his car for a few moments. He didn’t see his cousin’s car yet and decided to call her. It wasn’t often that he sought out another opinion on his personal life, but he didn’t trust his judgment where Cassie was concerned.

  “Hey, cuz, what’s up?” Mallory answered.

  “I’m outside the school. Where are you?”

  “At home. Why? Rehearsal doesn’t start for forty-five minutes.”

  Andy leaned back in his leather seat. “I need backup so I don’t do anything else stupid.”

  “Uh-oh. What’s going on? What did you do?”

  “I told Cassie we could be friends.”

  “How dare you?” Mallory giggled.

  “I’m being serious right now, Mal. The other day we rehearsed our dance scene at Granny’s house, and she spent half the scene dancing with this loser named Mark.”

  “Mark Howell? He’s actually really nice, Andy…but it sounds like you have a real problem with him dancing with her.”

  “That’s it. She acted like she was having a great time, and she laughed at everything he whispered to her, so he’s either hilarious or she was flirting back. I wanted to knock him out. And that is really disturbing to me, not only because I’m not that kind of guy, but also because she wants to get back together and I told her we should just be friends.”

  “I see.”

  “You understand all this? I, for one, have no idea why I would tell Cassie Winston we could ever be friends. How could we after everything we meant to each other? After nine years, three proposals, and no wedding, you’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now.”

  “Oh, Andy. You’re still in love with her.”

  “No, I am not still in love with her. I haven’t seen or heard from her since last Christmas Eve. Just because she shows up looking…amazing…” Andy dragged his free hand down his face. “But an apology doesn’t make it all okay all of a sudden. She’s promoting the book of all the awesome experiences she had during our time apart. Her life without me was book-worthy.”

  “Andy, I’m sorry, I know you’re hurt, angry, and not willing to risk trusting her, but―”

  “I don’t need a therapy session, Mal.”

  “I’m not trying to be a therapist. Except at work when the buyers and sellers have a dispute to settle.”

  Mallory worked at Willamette Valley Title Company and regularly dealt with realtors and home buyers.

  “Tell her how you feel, Andy. She doesn’t think her life was better without you. She’s back and wanting another chance. And seriously, Andy, it’s not like you were the perfect boyfriend.”

  “While I appreciate your support, Mal…”

  “Come on, you proposed on the radio.”

  Andy sighed. “Trust me, if I could go back and do it over again, I would propose a completely different, ultra-romantic way. But the problem is she already had plans to take that job, she didn’t plan to take a boyfriend with her or leave one behind, and she didn’t want to get married. Doesn’t it all come down to that? She never wanted to marry me, and I wanted nothing more than to marry her.”

  “Sounds like she might have changed her mind about that…she probably got scared. Didn’t you tell me her parents had a horrible breakup?”

  “Yes, and I’ve always tried to sympathize with that. But you think I should assume she’s over it?”

  “I think she missed you. Why else would anyone come back to Romance, Oregon, after spending all that time in the Mediterranean? Did you read her book yet? She talks about spending a few weeks touring around the ruins at Pompeii.”

  “So you’ve read it already?” Andy groaned his annoyance and leaned his head back in his seat. “No, Mallory, I did not read her book.”

  “You should.”

  “Why?”

  “Trust me.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Okay. If you’re there early, work on your lines. Granny says you need to work on your emotions.”

  Andy sighed. Talking to Mallory felt relieving to get his thoughts out, but his emotions were still twisted up like a pretzel. He wished he wanted to date someone else, to completely let Cassie go. But she was still there in his heart, as much as he wanted to push her away.

  It felt like an impossible situation. How could he risk his heart to trust her again?

  Chapter Eleven

  Cassie felt she had a good handle on her lines, but still held her script for security. Tonight Granny Mary had everyone backstage instead of on the floor and they were going to do a run-through of the play from beginning to end, instead of practicing scenes out of order.

  The choir was on stage singing the opening number and harmonizing beautifully. Cassie felt goose bumps on her arm. The show choir teens were sitting on the floor talking and texting, but she didn’t see Mark
yet.

  Mallory and Max were running through their lines again while attempting an English accent. It sounded more Scottish like the way Granny Mary spoke. It gave Cassie a chuckle. She definitely wasn’t planning to change her voice.

  Andy arrived backstage and lifted his eyebrows at his cousin, then walked over to Cassie and whispered, “Granny never said we had to do accents.”

  Cassie tilted her head in his direction and spoke quietly. “As far as I know, no one else is trying it.”

  “What is Mr. Schwartz doing?” Andy pointed over at Wally Schwartz, who was practicing faces in a hand mirror.

  “Jacob Marley?” Wally raised his bushy gray eyebrows and opened his mouth wide. “Jacob Marley?”

  “That’s the scene where he sees Marley’s ghost.” Cassie kept her voice low.

  Andy narrowed his eyes and his lips curled. “Yes, but…”

  Cassie shrugged; her heartbeat sped up seeing the humor in his eyes. A hair fell awkwardly across Andy’s forehead and she reached out to smooth it back into place.

  Andy didn’t push her away, but watched her for an explanation. Her heart stopped. What was she thinking?

  “Sorry, I…uh…”

  Andy ran a hand through his hair. “I know I need a haircut.”

  “It looks nice a little longer.” Cassie folded her arms and looked over to where Mary was smiling on the floor and waving her hands to the beat as if she were directing the choir.

  Andy cleared his throat and Cassie felt sweat forming on her face. Andy stared at her for a few heartbeats, neither one looking away.

  “Cassie, I…”

  The choir ended their song and Granny Mary shouted, “Cue Mr. Scrooge!”

  Wally Schwartz walked in between them and Cassie stepped farther back.

  Everyone backstage watched Wally deliver his lines with all the bitter emotion his character demanded, over-the-top facial expressions and all.

  The cast members cycled on and off stage performing their roles while Andy and Cassie stood in silence across from each other. They watched the scenes and Cassie kept glancing at Andy, wondering if she should ask what he’d been about to say.

  “Do you want to run through the lines again?”

  “Nah, I think I’ve got it. The dancing…ehhh.” Andy’s nose wrinkled. “Shouldn’t Mark be here?”

  Cassie glanced around. “He must be running late.”

  “Maybe you should call him.” Andy watched her from the side as he faced the stage. Marley’s ghost had just appeared to Scrooge from the other side of the stage.

  Cassie grumbled under her breath a moment, digging her fingernails into her upper arms. “I don’t have his number, Andy. I told you, I’m not dating him.”

  “Dating who?”

  Cassie held her breath and turned around to face Mark. “Hey, you.”

  “Sorry I’m late. You look lovely this evening.” Mark winked at her, then turned to speak to his show choir teens. “All right, let’s warm up.”

  Andy stepped closer to her and leaned toward her ear. “Looks like you’re warmed up, Cass.”

  Cassie rubbed her cheeks, knowing she was blushing. Having pale skin like hers was a curse; it reddened too quickly and was far too visible to everyone.

  She glared at Andy. “You be quiet.”

  “He really seems to like you.”

  “We’re not in high school anymore, Andy.”

  Andy raised a finger. “On the contrary, this is our old high school.”

  Cassie gave him a playful push that was a little harder than she’d planned it.

  “Hey, watch it.” Andy reached out to shove her back but she jumped out of the way, giggling.

  “You both went to school here too?” Mark came back over. “What year did you graduate?”

  “Class of 2013.” Cassie smoothed her hair behind her ears; her cheeks still felt warm. She found it a little creepy Mark had been listening to their conversation.

  “Ah, I was 2012. Wait, were you the girl who did the mural in the front hall?”

  Cassie shook her head. “No.”

  “The girl who sang ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at the football games?” Mark rubbed his chin while Andy folded his arms and rolled his eyes.

  Cassie found his attempts to remember her amusing. “Nope.”

  “She worked on the school paper,” Andy said in a low, disgruntled voice.

  “Oh, okay.” Mark nodded. “I thought you looked familiar, but I’m not sure if we ever actually met back then.”

  “What a shame, Mark.” Andy’s jaw was tight.

  “Andy and I were about to run through our lines again.” Cassie slipped her arm through his.

  “Cue the Ghost of Christmas Past!” Granny shouted with both hands cupping her mouth.

  Bree Sampson rushed past them to surprise Mr. Scrooge in his bedroom.

  Cassie kept hold of Andy’s arm and turned to watch Bree on stage. “She is so good in this role, isn’t she?” Cassie wanted the attention away from her, so she pretended to be riveted by what was happening on stage.

  “Cassie,” Mark said, stepping up to stand on Cassie’s other side.

  She raised a hand in his face, too close to hers for comfort. “Shhh!”

  “We’re trying to watch the show, man.” Andy pulled Cassie in a little closer.

  The warmth of his nearness stole all of her thoughts.

  ***

  Granny Mary held rehearsals each Monday and Wednesday until the week of the play. Dress rehearsal was scheduled for Friday, the night before the performance.

  Andy and Cassie had attended each rehearsal, and he’d said his lines so many times he was now dreaming about himself reciting his part. There had even been one dream where he imagined reciting his part, then pulling Cassie into a kiss that disappeared when he woke up.

  It was time to get it over with. He was ready for the play to be finished, but he wasn’t ready to stop seeing Cassie so regularly.

  Mark was obviously into her and Andy wanted to kick him all the way out the building and to the curb.

  The stage lights were off for the scene change, and Cassie entered the stage from the opposite side with Mark and the show choir teens, all in Victorian-style suits and dresses.

  Cassie looked as incredible as ever in her green gown. It showed off her small waist and hung to the floor. She needed one of her hands to hold her skirt up and out of the way of her feet.

  They all took their places, ready to dance.

  Granny stood beside Andy overseeing the scene. The man assisting Granny with the stage lights turned a spotlight on Mr. Scrooge as he walked out with the Ghost of Christmas Past. “Where are we, Spirit?”

  They continued their lines as all the lights came on and Granny turned on her CD player.

  The play’s Mr. Fezziwig patted Andy on the back, Granny waved them out, and they strode out as they’d rehearsed so many times.

  He and Fezziwig recited their parts, the scene progressed, and Andy strode over to offer his hand to Cassie. They danced as they’d practiced, his hands tingling as he entwined his fingers with hers.

  Andy had to admit to himself that holding her in his arms, ever so briefly for the dance, was the highlight of every rehearsal.

  Cassie’s lips curled. “You’re finally not stepping on my feet.”

  “There is hope for me, after all.”

  His blood rushed. He watched her pink lips smiling at him and pulled her a little closer.

  The music stopped and Granny clapped her hands. “You’ve got it, Andrew. Right on. Like I said, ya gotta feel it in yer bones.”

  Andy reluctantly released Cassie, but they remained there, eyes locked until Granny snapped her fingers.

  “Scene’s over, you two.”

  Cassie took Andy’s hand and led him backstage. “Did you feel it in your bones?”

  “Not sure about that, did you?”

  “My bones feel heavier in this dress.”

  Andy laughed. “Well, our sce
ne is done, what do you say we sneak out of here?”

  “You want to skip class?” Cassie had a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

  Andy spotted Mark watching them in his periphery and ushered Cassie down the steps that led either to a door into the auditorium or an exit to the outdoors.

  Andy pushed open the outside door and Cassie kept hold of his hand, following along. The door swung closed behind them.

  “Andy, I don’t think we can get back in that way.” Cassie checked and, indeed, the door had locked behind them.

  “We don’t need to get back in.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Let’s go get some hot chocolate.” Andy slipped his hand toward his pocket, only to recall his costume trousers had no pocket. “Oh…”

  “What?”

  “My keys are backstage…and my wallet is in the car.”

  Cassie giggled. “Yeah, my purse is inside too. We’ll have to walk around to the front entrance.”

  Andy rubbed his arms in the icy air. “Forgot how cold it was out here.”

  “Hot chocolate would be so good right now.” Cassie wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer. “This dress is pretty thick. But, it is freezing tonight.”

  They huddled together and walked around the outside of the school. They passed the football field on their right.

  “Remember running laps around that track?” Cassie pointed to it looping around the field.

  Andy threw his head back. “Ugh! Coach Benson was a demon.”

  “Did you know he’s still teaching here? Aunt Sue mentioned it the other day.”

  “You’re kidding.” His eyes widened. “Wow. How old is he now?”

  Cassie’s eyes sparkled. “Two hundred and five.”

  “Of course. By the way, how is your book doing?”

  “It’s doing really well. And I’m actually halfway through the novel I started.”

  Andy stopped and moved away just enough to meet her eyes. “Are you really in Romance to stay?”

  Cassie nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  The feelings of longing to believe her clashed with his doubt and memories of the pain. Could this really work?