by Meg Muldoon
Warren had never liked Evan. And while he had warmed up to Daniel, I didn’t ever expect him to have such high praise for one of my boyfriends. Warren was always like an overprotective father. He was always looking out for me, and ready to come to my defense if need be.
So the fact that he was saying this about Daniel must have meant that he really liked him.
“Just try and set this aside for the time being and come back to it with a clear head,” Warren said. “It’ll all work out in the end, Cinny Bee. I promise.”
I nodded and wiped the tears away.
“You’re right,” I said.
“Always am,” he said, winking at me.
I tried to regain my composure. Warren reached out and grabbed the script from the table.
“Who does this Reinhart woman think she is, Marty Scorsese?” he said. “Just look at the size of this thing.”
I let out a sniveling laugh.
“If only it were half as interesting as a Scorsese movie,” I said.
“Should we take it from the beginning?” he asked.
Good old Warren.
I was lucky to have him in my life.
I wondered if Nick Calder had had someone like Warren in his, maybe he wouldn’t have turned out to be the destructive firebug that we were all looking for.
Chapter 42
I looked at myself in the shop kitchen mirror as the harsh summer morning light streamed through the back windows.
I had it all. The stifling wig. The wire-rimmed glasses. The red velvet dress. The black panty hose. The high-heeled black shoes.
I had completely transformed into Mrs. Claus.
And I felt like I might just lose my breakfast.
I was nervous about the play.
But it was more than that.
For the first time in a really long time, I felt alone. Completely and utterly alone.
Outside, I could hear the clattering and clanging of the street crews as they finalized preparations for the street parade.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Nick Calder.
About what it must have been like for him to grow up without a father. About what that does to a person.
What it had done to me.
Even though I’d had Warren, my father leaving had left a big void in my life, one that I hadn’t always realized was there.
And the consequences of which I was still living through to this day.
I gazed at myself in the mirror a few minutes longer, looking at a version of myself that would be me in thirty years. At the things I had to look forward to: gray hair, bad vision, and being alone.
A wave of self-pity ran rampant through me like a virus.
Until, I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I ripped the mirror off the wall and threw it onto the kitchen island. The backing clanged loudly against the stainless steel counter top.
“Enough of that,” I said in the strongest voice I could muster. “Mrs. Claus doesn’t have time to feel sorry for herself. She’s got the whole world depending on her.”
I stamped my heels on the floor for added effect. And even though I knew I sounded stupid, it made me feel a little better hearing those words out loud.
I could almost believe them.
Maybe Sarah was right. Maybe dressing the part of your character really did transform you into them.
I was going to need all the strength of Mrs. Claus if I was going to get through today.
All her strength and more.
I heard the front door of the shop open. I grabbed my purse and a plastic bag of comfortable clothes I planned to change into once the play finished up.
“Bravo,” Chrissy said when she saw me.
“Put in a good word for me with Santa,” Carson said.
They both had a bright grin on their faces that bordered on a smirk.
“Don’t be such smart asses,” I said, giving them a sarcastic look.
Chrissy started laughing.
“No really,” she said. “I mean it. You look great, Ms. Peters.”
“Well, thank you. I guess,” I said, running my hands across the front of the dress. “Thank you guys for taking over the store today. You don’t know what a big help that is.”
“It’s nothing,” Chrissy said.
“Glad to do what I can,” Carson said, draping an arm over her shoulders.
She looked up at him and smiled lovingly.
Judging from that, I guessed things were good between them again. I was glad of it. It was nice to see that spring back in Chrissy’s step. She would need it for the upcoming tourist onslaught that the Christmas River in July festivities always brought.
“I’m going to have my phone if anything comes up,” I said. “Don’t hesitate to call.”
I started walking toward the door.
Carson grabbed his frilly cowgirl apron with the name of my shop stitched on it, and slid it over his head as he prepared for the day’s dishes.
It made me smile a little bit seeing that apron on him, the way it always did.
“Knock ‘em dead out there, Mrs. Claus,” Chrissy said.
“Mrs. Claus always does,” I said.
I opened the door. The Christmas River High marching band was rehearsing Silent Night, and the music drifted through the crowded streets.
I took a deep breath and stepped outside.
Chapter 43
The parade nearly killed us all.
Even though it was still morning, the sun beat down with no mercy. There wasn’t so much as a breeze blowing down the packed streets. And it was humid. The weatherman had predicted that a storm front would be blowing in this afternoon, and the humidity had come ahead of it.
The cast and crew of the Christmas River in July parade all sat on the same float at the very end of the procession. The whole town was out on the street, including the entire city and county police force plus some state troopers. I couldn’t see him, but I knew Daniel was somewhere out there.
I felt pretty stupid sitting up there on that float. Parades had never been my thing. I sat next to Ronald, who was buried under a fluffy white beard. Sarah sat at the head of the float, waving smugly.
They’d barely spoken three words together to me since that night I’d come across the arsonist near their house. Ronald was less than his friendly self, and though he forced a smile as he waved at the children, I could tell by the strangulated look in his eyes that he was stressed.
And he wasn’t just stressed about the play.
I waved at the tourists lining the streets, doing my best to fulfill my role as Mrs. Claus and not die of heat exhaustion in the meantime.
“Deputy Brightman told you, didn’t he?” Ronald suddenly whispered.
I thought about playing dumb, but what good would that do? We all knew the truth now.
“Trumbow told me,” I said. “He doesn’t like you much.”
“You must think I’m a real jerk,” he said, his eyes growing dark and downcast from beneath the shadow of his hat.
“I don’t like judging people, especially when I don’t have all the facts,” I said. “But your son’s done a lot of damage, Ronald. I just wonder if there’s something you could do to stop him.”
An overweight kid in a striped shirt waved wildly at me, his little red face lighting up like a Christmas tree when the float passed him. I did all that I could to return the favor, even though it wasn’t how I was feeling inside.
“Well, there’s not a hell of a lot I can do at this point, is there?” Ronald said, his face turning red as he grew flustered. “The past’s the past. I can’t change that.”
I turned to look at him.
“That day during rehearsal when you collapsed. That wasn’t just because of the heat, was it? You thought you saw him out there. Out there in the—”
“Damn it, I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he said in a strained, raspy whisper.
His eyes flashed with anger.
“There’s got to be a way to stop him,” I
said.
I stared back at him.
He was the angriest Santa Claus I’d ever seen.
“He’s burned down two buildings. Who’s to say he’d listen to me?”
“Because you’re his father,” I said.
Sarah snapped her head back at us, catching a whiff of the conversation.
She had to have known. That was why she acted so strange that day when Ronald collapsed.
She knew what spooked him. And she kept her mouth shut about it.
I ignored her.
“No. I can’t do it. He can’t come here and do this to me.”
Ronald had a disgusted look on his face.
“He’s not going to ruin this for us.”
He waved at a couple of smiling kids holding onto their mom’s hand.
Now I was the one who was disgusted.
I wondered how Ronald had duped the entire town into believing he was a wholesome school principal.
I didn’t say anything more to him.
I didn’t like passing judgment on people. But sometimes, they just asked for it.
Nick Calder burning down two buildings was inexcusable.
But I was beginning to understand that there was more than one villain in this drama.
Chapter 44
I bent down and made sure the buckles on my shoes were properly tightened.
When I stood back up and looked in the dressing room mirror, I jumped.
“Ha! Gotcha,” Warren said.
I turned around and gave him a great big hug.
“I told you not to come,” I said, pretending to be frustrated with him.
But I wasn’t really.
I hadn’t wanted Warren to come to the play in case something happened. But now that he was here, I was glad he did. I knew that was selfish, but seeing that old mischievous grin sure made me feel a lot better.
“Well I figured that since you’re here, I might as well be too,” he said. “And I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit Mrs. Claus.”
He lifted my arms and looked me over.
“Santa is one lucky man,” he said.
Seeing Warren here really made me believe that things might just be okay.
“That’s enough blowing smoke for one afternoon,” I said, smiling.
I kissed him on the cheek.
“Break a leg,” he said.
He left the room. I put on the last touches, making sure my wig was sitting straight on top of my head.
I took a deep breath.
“Here we go.”
Chapter 45
I knew he was watching me.
And it made my stomach do more flip flops than the Christmas River High gymnastics team.
Each stage light beaming down on me felt like an individual fireball. The humidity of the afternoon had crept into the auditorium, and the air felt thick and stagnant. Overhead, the sound of torrential rain could be heard pounding on the auditorium roof. There were occasional cracks of thunder in the distance, too.
It was the second act, and apart from stumbling over one of my lines during the Santa and Mrs. Claus argument-on-a-tropical-beach scene, I’d been doing okay in terms of my performance. I’m sure there were others who would have done better. But it wasn’t bad for having less than a week to memorize and practice my lines.
I’d started the performance with a good grip on my nerves. But now, I was struggling to get ahold of them.
It wasn’t the arsonist making me nervous. Even though there was a strong possibility he was out in the audience somewhere.
I was nervous because of Daniel.
He was off the stage, behind the curtain, keeping an eye on the actors. He stood in the shadows, watching Ronald and Sarah.
Or he should have been.
But I could feel his eyes on me. He was watching me, and it made my insides tremble. I didn’t know why. But it did. I couldn’t ignore it. I kept looking over at him. Missing the timing of my lines because I couldn’t focus.
“Now look here, Elves. Mrs. Claus says that vacation time is over,” Ronald said.
The elves let out a round of grumbles.
“I know, I know. It’s not what I want either. But Mrs. Claus is being tougher than a bucking reindeer. She says that if we don’t go back and get to work, there won’t be enough toys for the children come Christmas.”
“But what about my tan?” Sandy Cooper, one of the elves asked. “My skin’s still paler than Frosty the Snowman’s.”
There were a few chuckles from the crowd, but not many.
The dialogue stopped. I realized that it was my line, and I scrambled for the words.
“Uh… and if you stay here any longer, it’s going to be redder than Rudolph’s nose,” I said.
The crowd was forgiving of my trip-up, and laughed a little bit.
I needed to focus if I was going to get through the rest of this play.
“She’s trying to spoil our fun!” another one of the elves said.
“Yeah, Santa! If she wants more toys, then she should make them herself,” another one said. “See how the other half lives!”
“Everybody just simmer down,” Santa said. “I’m sure that if—”
Suddenly, Ronald stopped mid-sentence.
A hush fell over the auditorium as Ronald’s silence wore on.
I could see from the other side of the stage Sarah’s face turning bright red as she gestured wildly at him.
He looked over at me and had that same expression that he’d had the day he collapsed. Like an animal with its paw caught in a trap.
I could see the fear in his eyes.
Then, I realized what was scaring him so badly.
The smell…
Sulfur.
And in a matter of moments, all hell broke loose.
Chapter 46
A hail of embers showered the stage.
My ears were ringing, and the screams from the actors and the audience sounded like they were coming from the bottom of a pool.
There had been a loud explosion and now flames were falling all around. I should have been running, but I couldn’t bring myself to move my legs. I was stuck, like an insect trapped in a jar of honey.
The audience was moving like one giant creature as people began standing up and running down the aisles.
I suddenly felt someone run into me, and my legs began to wake up. The person grabbed me and pushed me forward.
“Get off the stage!”
All of us were running. Flames caught onto my clothes and I could feel them singeing through to my skin. I beat at them with my hands while trying not to scream.
The shock wore off, and the fear kicked in. My heart raced.
“Keep going! Keep going!”
The man tightened his grip on me and we ran through the dark backstage and toward the exit.
“It’s locked!” one of the elves said after trying the door.
We were all jammed together in the back. The smell of smoke was getting stronger and stronger.
He left me and pushed his way through to the front of the line.
He started kicking the metal doors. The actors were panicking, some of them turning toward me like they might stampede in my direction in a matter of seconds.
Finally, the door busted open, and light flooded into the dark hallway. Fresh air came streaming in. He held the door open and pulled me outside.
“Are you okay? Are you okay?”
I tried to nod, but I was still in shock.
“Did you see Ronald?” he asked, looking back at the group of actors staggering out into the pouring rain.
Sirens were wailing in the distance.
He looked at the backstage door and then back at me.
“Don’t…”
“I have to,” he said, grabbing my shoulder.
Daniel brushed past me and went back inside the burning auditorium.
Chapter 47
“Damn it, you’re not a fireman!” I shouted.
I pulled
the silver sheet tighter around me as I stood under a Red Cross tent. I was drenched, my velvet dress having soaked up water like a sponge. A sharp wind was blowing, chilling me to my bones. Warren rubbed my shoulders, trying to get me to warm up.
The blaze had been put out by the firefighters who’d responded within minutes to the scene. From the outside, the auditorium didn’t look any worse for the wear. It was fortunate that the rains had killed the heat wave. If it had happened any earlier, who knew how far the fire might have spread.
Nobody knew yet what exactly happened.
They were loading Ronald up into an ambulance. His eyes had been glassy and glazed over with smoke, but he’d been talking when Daniel had dragged him out of the auditorium.
Dragging was in no ways an exaggeration. Ronald had been kicking and screaming as Daniel pulled him away.
It seemed that Ronald had wanted to stay in that burning building.
Daniel should have been in that ambulance, too, but he’d told them that he didn’t want to go. The medics were treating him at the scene.
Rainwater from his dark hair was dripping down the sides of his face. He was leaning against one of the benches. He looked sickly and pale.
But that didn’t stop me from berating him.
Those few moments when he’d gone back inside had felt like a lifetime. The kinds of thoughts that had passed through my mind… I thought I’d never live through it.
“Do you know what could have happened in there?” I said. “How could you be so reckless?”
My ears were still ringing from the explosion, and I was sure I was saying everything louder than I needed to. But I didn’t care.
He’d scared me half to death.
“Easy, Cin,” Warren said. “It’s okay. You just need to sit down and rest. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay,” I said. “Not in the least. You should have thought before you went back in there, Daniel. You should have…”
I trailed off, the words hard to say.
You should have thought about me.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded in the distance.
It was another fire truck.
Daniel shook off the silver blanket and stood up, looking at the distant flashing lights.
