Queenie Baby: Pass the Eggnog
Page 9
"You should've seen us racing through the baby store. We each grabbed a cart and just threw in everything we saw." Victoria laughed.
"The clerk said, 'Looks like someone's having a baby.' And Victoria says, 'We just found out we got one for Christmas.'" Jake shook his head.
"She thought we were crazy, of course," Victoria added. "Isn't he beautiful?"
He was adorable with dark brown hair and big blue eyes. He even had a little cleft in his chin. He was sleeping peacefully in a portable bouncy chair after having a bottle. The rest of us were in a mad dash to get our costumes on and start the play. Ashley loved a baby as much as the next person, but nothing was getting in the way of her Christmas play. Kyle and Lindsey showed up promptly at quarter to eight and were brought up to speed on the most recent miracle.
"Maybe we'll have a miracle of our own this time next year," Kyle hinted after hearing the tale.
"Your grandmother said she's counting on it, dear," chimed in Mammaw.
We all groaned.
"Yeah, it's a darn shame we didn't find Diana a feller. What the haints got to say about that?" Granddaddy Hacker demanded.
Mammaw had tilted her head slightly. Her Army hat was just barely staying out of her eyes. She put her finger to her lips.
"Nothing more important than a good man." Aunt Pearl gave a sly look at Granddad.
I rolled my eyes as I manned the stage entrance, waiting for Ashley to finish lining up The Grands, Dan, and Kyle. "I have a good man," I hollered.
"Urmph! That so, then where's he at?" Granddaddy Hacker demanded.
Ashley interrupted the discussion. "It's go time." Her face was flushed with excitement.
I had to smile. "You've done a great job, Ashley. And you look fab in that dress." She actually looked a little like Vera-Ellen with her blond hair pulled up in a pony tail and wearing the perfectly fitting blue satin dress.
My dress didn't fit quite so well, and it was a darker shade of blue. But hey, I was just a bridesmaid here. This was Ashley's big day. Besides, the matching red velvet gowns Ashley had found for the Grand Finale scene were stunning. I glanced around at the motley crew behind me. I was in charge of helping The Grands get dressed in their Christmas finery during our one costume change. The dress rehearsal had not gone well. Even though I loved the red gown, I wasn't sure it was worth the trouble of a costume change. But there'd been no talking Ashley out of it. It wouldn't be a play without a costume change, she reasoned. Yeah, right.
The lights flickered and dimmed three times. "Oh, no! Not a power outage now," Ashley cried.
"Don't worry, dear, that's just the signal that the show's starting," Mammaw said.
"Like at the Opry," Granddaddy Hacker added.
"When have you ever been to the Opera?" Uncle Grover asked haughtily.
"I seen it on the boob tube," Granddaddy insisted.
"How fitting!" Uncle Grover shot back.
"Hush, you two," Ashley scolded. "So you're saying you dimmed the lights?"
"Weren't us," Aunt Pearl insisted.
Mammaw pointed up; we all looked up.
"Just tell them not to mess with the lights during the show," Ashley huffed.
"Oh, they won't. They promised to sit quietly," Mammaw replied.
Ashley put her hand to her forehead. "Let's just start."
I leaned out of the curtain to give my dad the signal to cue the music. The audience included The Parents, Granddad, Victoria, Jake, and baby Matthew, and Lindsey. And four empty chairs. I didn't even bother to ask Mammaw how many ghosts she'd been talking to or to ask Dan why he put out a dozen chairs when there were only eight of us. It was Christmas, and all things were possible.
The play went as well as could be expected. Suffice it to say, we weren't being called up to Broadway anytime soon. But, during the last scene, as the whole family sang "White Christmas" together with Granddad plucking out the notes I'd taught him on his Gibson, I realized that of all the miracles I'd seen this Christmas, the change in my heart was by far the greatest. I had found my Christmas spirit again. No easy task for a Grinch like me. Don't get me wrong, you won't find me recommending a good ol' fashioned family Christmas vacation to anyone. Really, there has to be an easier way to get in the Christmas spirit than to spend four days with my family. But if you happen to find yourself in similar straits, here's a tip for you: be sure to bring plenty of eggnog.
The lights flashed again as we sang the last few words. "Guess the haints are showing their appreciation," Granddaddy Hacker cackled.
There was quiet as we all paused to consider this and soak in the Christmas spirits.
Then the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be?" Victoria said as she rose.
"No, dear," Mammaw called. "Diana should answer it."
Everyone turned to look at me. I stepped off the stage, my long red velvet Christmas dress with three-layers of crinoline peaking from beneath, trailed behind me. Feeling like I was dreaming, I walked towards the door. Everyone hurried after me. As I neared the door, my apprehension faded. I grasped the knob, somehow knowing what I'd find when I opened it.
Cold air and snow flew through the doorway. My family gasped behind me.
"You didn't really think I'd let you spend our first Christmas together alone, did you?" Mark asked, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me towards him.
"I never doubted you for a second," I whispered against his lips, drinking in his delicious smell.
He laughed. "I'm sure." His lips touched mine and my family "awwed" and then started to clap. The lights flashed several times, and the door slammed shut behind him.
"What's going on here?" he asked as our kiss ended and he looked around the room.
I smiled. "Why don't I get you some eggnog before we get into all that?"
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FREE QUEENIE BABY STORY!
I hope you enjoyed following Diana’s adventures as much as I enjoyed writing about them! If you would like to find out more about Diana’s first brush with fame and the kooky characters she met along the way, just click below and I will send you the FREE short story prelude Queenie Baby: On Location.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE SHORT STORY
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About the Author
Christina wrote her first novel, a time-travel romance, more than twenty years ago. Writing fell by the wayside as family and career obligations took over. She earned advanced degrees in business, taught for colleges, managed staffing agencies, and started several entrepreneurial ventures, until she found her way back to fiction writing through the unlikely avenue of metastatic breast cancer. She believes laughter is the best medicine and hopes her readers find a cure for what ails them following the wacky antics of the characters she creates. Christina, her husband, Jim, and their two children live in Dover, Delaware with the family sidekick, a shih tzu-poodle mix named Max.
To learn more about Christina, visit her online at caburke.com
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OTHER BOOKS BY CHRISTINA A. BURKE
Queenie Baby novels:
Queenie Baby: On Assignment
Queenie Baby: Out of Office
Queenie Baby: Pass the Eggnog (a holiday novella)
Queenie Baby: On Tour (coming soon!)
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ABOUT THE MUSIC
The original music performed by our heroine, Diana Hudson, is based on the real-life songs of singer/songwriter Tad Jones. You can find Tad and his music at tadjonesmusic.com.
Download my favorite Tad Jones’ song "Do They Have Rum" (a.k.a. "The Rum Song") on iTunes!
If you enjoyed the Queenie Baby books, check out these other funny, romantic mysteries from Gemma Halliday Publishing:
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