A California Christmas

by Brenda Novak

  Emery sat still, waiting for the room to empty completely. She wanted to be certain everyone was in class before she attempted the walk across campus to Aiyana’s house. She’d heard Eli recruit Dallas to help with some PE classes—a teacher wasn’t feeling well—so she figured he’d be staying at the school. She’d have to decide what to say to Ethan on her own or wait until later, when Dallas was available to offer his opinion.

  But he surprised her by telling Eli he’d be a few minutes late and insisted on walking her back to the house.

  “You did it,” he said, once they were on their way. “You braved being in public on your own. Way to go.”

  Emery had her head bowed, her eyes focused on the ground in front of her, but she couldn’t help looking around every few seconds to make sure she wasn’t going to run into someone who might stop her and sound the alarm. “It was a mistake.”

  “Why?” he asked in surprise.

  “Because I’m afraid that boy who approached me will tell his cousin I’m in town, and Avery will mention the video. If that happens, if just one student hears the news, it’ll spread through the school in no time.”

  “Some people will invariably find out, Emery,” he allowed. “You have to expect that.”

  And weather it. That was the part he didn’t say. “But kids?” she responded. “Young boys? You know how salacious that will be to them. I came here to escape what was happening, to feel safe—not to expose an entire boys’ school to that video. If New Horizons starts buzzing with the news, I won’t be able to stay. At that point, it’d be better to hole up inside my apartment in LA and order DoorDash until I run out of money.”

  He smiled as though he was tempted to laugh at the pathetic picture she painted, but he didn’t. “Hopefully, Avery will surprise you and not share that information with her young cousin.”

  She cast him a sideways glance. “You really think it might go that way—with my luck?”

  “Why not give her the benefit of the doubt until she proves me wrong?”

  “Because I don’t know her all that well—I never did. She wasn’t part of my close circle of friends. She was just someone I knew from the equestrian club and a couple of projects we did together in history class. That was the only reason I was at her house when that boy saw me. Avery and I were working on a group project.”

  “I haven’t heard anything about your sex video that leads me to believe it was anything other than two consenting adults who were in a monogamous relationship. It’s not as if you were moonlighting as an expensive escort, or swinging with another couple, or you were discovered having sex in public. From what my mother has told me, you didn’t even know you were being filmed.”

  “I didn’t! That Ethan would do something like that is...it’s disgusting.”

  “You just happened to be a well-known news anchor,” he said. “And a beautiful one, at that, which caused the video to go viral. What you were doing on that video—it’s nobody’s business but your own, and there’s got to be other people who see it the way I do.”

  She would’ve been pleased by the compliment he’d embedded in that response. Dallas wasn’t the type to say things he didn’t mean. And beautiful seemed a strong adjective for him, so it was a flattering one. But she was too buried in her own misery to take any pleasure in what he’d said. “Most of the world isn’t that broad-minded,” she grumbled. “You should read the scathing messages I got on social media until I closed all my accounts.”

  “People can be cruel, especially when they’re hiding behind a computer. Forget those bastards.”

  Shrugging it off sounded good in theory. But she couldn’t do it. She was too sensitive to the criticism, too embarrassed to be caught in such an indelicate situation and too hurt that Heidi and the rest of the management team at KQLA chose to keep Ethan and not her, even though she felt she was the better anchor.

  Maybe it was that they could pay the woman they hired to replace her a little less than they’d been paying her, since her replacement would be starting at the bottom of the pay scale.

  Emery’s blood boiled when she thought that the station itself would benefit from what Ethan had done to her. “He wrote me.”

  “Who?”

  “Ethan.”

  “What?”

  “He did,” she said as they were coming up to the house. “He texted me last night.”

  Dallas stopped walking. “What’d he say?”

  She got her phone out to show him. “Can you believe it?”

  He shook his head as he read Ethan’s text. “No, I don’t believe it. What a prick! What’re you going to say to him?”

  “I’m dying to let him have it, but maybe there’s a smarter way to handle this.”

  “I don’t know how you’ve held back,” he admitted as he started walking again.

  She hurried to keep up with him. “It hasn’t been easy, but if I can set my emotions aside and...I don’t know...draw him in somehow, maybe I can turn the tables.”

  “How?”

  “That’s what I wanted to ask you. If he’ll admit that he posted that video and that he did it because he was angry with me, I can prove it was all about revenge. And if I can prove it was all about revenge, I might not be able to get my job back, but at least the station will have to compensate me for the loss. Then maybe I’ll have the means to hang on long enough to put my topsy-turvy world back together again.”

  “Would he trust you?”

  “I think so. Based on this message.” She lifted her phone again, which she hadn’t yet slipped back into her purse. “I get the impression he regrets going so far and is testing the water to see if maybe it’s not too late to get me back.”

  “After what he’s done? That dude’s got some nerve.”

  “He has such a high opinion of himself that he can’t imagine being rejected. That’s why he flipped out when I broke up with him. Because he’s handsome and popular from being on TV, he gets a lot of attention. He acted as though I should feel grateful to be the woman he’d chosen.”

  A muscle moved in Dallas’s cheek. “Like I said, what a prick.”

  “I can see him for what he is now that it’s too late. I wish I’d seen it sooner. But this text suggests I might be able to use his conceit against him—to at least walk away from the train wreck of my professional career with some kind of settlement.”

  Dallas sighed as they reached the house. “It’s so hard not to drive to LA and kick his ass.”

  “I admit, part of me would love to see you do that. But I’d rather outsmart him. Then you won’t get in trouble.”

  He held the door while she walked in but didn’t follow. “Then tell him you miss him, too.”

  She turned to face him and took over holding the door. “That’s it? I was thinking about telling him that my life hasn’t been the same without him and seeing if maybe we could meet up.”

  “No. That’s too fast. Make him work for it, or he might suspect something’s up. Besides, I hate the idea of you meeting him in person.”

  “He’s never been physically abusive—”

  “I don’t trust anyone who’s done what he’s done and neither should you.”

  She tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ears. “True. I was just thinking I might be able to video him, for a change. Be able to show the judge, or whoever decides my case, what a jerk he really is.”

  “You can record the conversation when he calls—while maintaining a safe distance.”

  She blinked in surprise. “How do you know he’ll call?”

  He winked at her. “Because he’s thrown out a hook, and you’re going to make him think you’re biting on it. Of course he’ll try to reel you in.”

  7

  Every once in a while Dallas thought he saw Jenny. He knew it couldn’t be her. His sister, older by seven years, was gone. As much as
he wished otherwise, there could be no doubt of that. He was the one who’d crawled to her after their father, dripping blood from when he’d attempted to shoot himself, dropped the gun and ran from the house. Dallas had known she was dead well before the police and paramedics arrived. He’d never forget her pretty eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

  That image haunted him.

  And yet, in a cruel trick of his imagination, there were moments when Dallas could swear he caught glimpses of her. Other times, he thought he could hear her whispering in his ear, usually when he was just waking up.

  Run, Dallas! Hide! And don’t come out until I call you!

  It was as if his mind reverted to when she was alive, and he had to accept the fact, again and again, that her life had been brutally and needlessly cut short by their own father. If he had to name the most heartbreaking thing he’d ever had to endure, it would be that. He missed his mother, Dora, but what he felt for her was complicated. Love and longing, certainly, but plenty of anger, resentment and a sense of betrayal, too—for not getting away, for not protecting them as a mother should.

  That wasn’t the case with Jenny, however. She’d been strong where their mother was weak, had always been there for him when he was frightened or hurt. And in the end, she’d paid the ultimate price.

  He’d give anything to be able to go back and make that day unfold differently.

  “Hello? Dallas? Are you listening? I’m talking here.”

  Dallas jerked his gaze away from the blonde girl with the long hair and the pink ski coat, the sight of which was what had taken him back twenty-three years, and once again focused on Eli as they crossed the campus. He’d just spent the afternoon substituting for PE on the boys’ side of campus and now his brother was hitting him up to take over after-school practice for the girls’ basketball team. “What?”

  “I said you’ve never played much basketball. Do you feel comfortable coaching?”

  It wasn’t easy to shake off the nostalgia triggered by the sight of that girl, who, from the back, looked so much like Jenny, and who would’ve been about the same age as Dallas remembered her. “No.”

  Eli’s eyes widened. “What?”

  The girl went into a classroom and disappeared from view, making it easier for him to focus. “I’m going to invite them over to climb the wall. The boys who are there right now would love that.”

  With a startled laugh, Eli caught his elbow and pulled him to a stop. “When were you going to tell me about your plans?”

  “I don’t know. It just occurred to me that I should stick to what I do best,” he admitted. “And I promised some of the kids who were having fun with the wall at lunch that I’d be around to help them after school.”

  “I’ll tape up a notice that you’ll be there from four to five, because you need to work with these girls on basketball for that long. They have a game tomorrow,” Eli pointed out.

  That changed things. Eli was right; Dallas couldn’t let them go into a game unprepared. “Oh. Hmm. Okay.” He wiped a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. It was cool and overcast and smelled of rain, but whenever he remembered his sister, he grew hot and clammy. “I guess I can attempt to teach them something about basketball.” He grimaced as he tried to decide what that might be. “There’s a YouTube video for everything, right?”

  “The girls are only thirteen. Help them focus on improving their defense by boxing out. That could easily take up the whole practice.”

  Dallas glanced toward Aiyana’s house, a two-story, sprawling farmhouse, sitting way off at the edge of campus. With all the buildings and trees in between, he could see only the chimney and part of the roof. But he wanted to return there, to learn if Emery had messaged Ethan, and if Ethan had indeed tried to call her, as he’d predicted. “Why can’t you handle this practice?” he asked as they started walking again.

  “Because I have a staff meeting in ten minutes.”

  “Right. You told me that. But you didn’t say why you couldn’t reschedule it.”

  “I need to make sure we have enough donations to be able to provide Christmas for those who would otherwise be overlooked or forgotten, and I’m running out of time.”

  That was a good reason to have Dallas do the coaching, all right—one he couldn’t complain about. “Then you’d better go. You don’t need to walk over with me. I haven’t been on this side of campus very often, but I can find the gym.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll at least introduce you before I abandon you.”

  Dallas remembered his first Christmas at New Horizons, before Aiyana had adopted him. He would’ve been one of those boys who didn’t get a gift if she hadn’t orchestrated it. “I’ll donate a couple hundred bucks to the cause,” he said.

  “Are you sure?” Eli asked.

  He shrugged. “Why not?”

  Eli shot him a quizzical look. “Because this thing called money that you don’t seem to care about? It can keep you fed and put a roof over your head.”

  “Who needs a roof when you can sleep under the stars?” he joked. Since it was just him, he didn’t have high expenses. And now that he had a sponsor, he had more money than ever before, anyway.

  Eli rolled his eyes. “Not everyone can live as simply as you do.”

  Before he could respond, Dallas noticed a woman marching purposefully toward them. He assumed she was a teacher. Dressed in a no-nonsense skirt and jacket with low heels, she clutched a stack of books to her chest.

  “Oh jeez,” Eli murmured.

  “What is it?” Dallas asked.

  “Mrs. Seamus. She can be a pain in the ass.”

  Dallas was eager to hear why Eli thought so—he seemed to like most of the other teachers on campus—but this one was drawing too close for them to continue talking without being overheard.

  “Mr. Turner?” she said as soon as she reached them.

  They both could’ve answered to that name, but Dallas knew she wasn’t talking to him.

  “Is something wrong, Mrs. Seamus?” Eli asked.

  “I hear we had that female anchor from LA on campus today,” she replied.

  “Emery Bliss?” Eli filled in.

  “Yes.”

  “Not in any official capacity,” he assured her.

  She looked taken aback by his response. “She was in the cafeteria, wasn’t she?”

  “She was.”

  “My question is why? I don’t think she has any business being here, do you?”

  Dallas felt his spine stiffen. “Why do you say that?”

  Although he was the one who’d spoken, she continued to direct her complaint to Elijah. “An hour ago, I caught two girls in my class trying to look up—” Her voice turned squeaky, and she cleared her throat. “Well, they were trying to find a video that was recently posted of Ms. Bliss online.” One eyebrow arched above her thick-framed glasses. “I assume you’re aware of the one I mean.”

  Eli sighed before responding. “Yes, but...how’d they find out about that?”

  “It’s been on the news, Mr. Turner.”

  “I can’t imagine many of our students watch the news, Mrs. Seamus,” he said, coming right back at her.

  “They may not watch it, but some have smartphones and a few others have laptops. Those who don’t can access the internet at the computer lab. And even if that weren’t true, most have parents, brothers, sisters, cousins and friends who talk. In other words, they get the same information as the rest of us. When I walked over to see what all the fuss was about, Chanel Rogers clicked to what she was supposed to be doing, but I pulled her aside after class and she told me Jimmy Graham, also one of our students, was excited to have seen Ms. Bliss in the cafeteria today. So he texted a friend who lives in LA to say that she was on campus. And his friend told him—”

  Eli lifted a hand to stop her. “I can guess what his friend mu
st’ve told him.”

  “Right, and then he told Chanel and who knows how many of our other students. Word will have traveled through the whole school by tomorrow. Can you imagine the memes that are probably already circulating? This will distract even our best students,” she predicted disapprovingly.

  “I know that isn’t optimal, but—”

  “Optimal!” she broke in. “May I remind you that Chanel is only thirteen—and Jimmy is fourteen?”

  “I know the ages of our students,” Eli said. “But...what is it you’re suggesting we do?”

  “I’m suggesting Ms. Bliss return to her own home as soon as possible, of course.”

  “What if she needs a safe haven?” he asked. “What if she was wronged and is struggling herself?”

  “Then I feel sorry for her, but she’s not our responsibility. We have to do what is best for our students. Seeing they get what they need—and protecting them from anything that could be harmful—is a job I take very seriously.”

  “We all take our jobs seriously,” Eli said, obviously offended, but she didn’t allow him to interrupt.

  “The young people who come here have been through a lot. Helping them find peace and happiness and gain control over their lives and behavior is no small challenge. Why make it any harder than it has to be?”

  Instead of answering what was essentially a rhetorical question, Eli defused the situation by checking his watch. “We have to go or we’ll be late,” he said. “But I understand your concerns, and I’ll take them to my mother.”

  She didn’t like being put off. “I’m not being petty,” she insisted. “You know how impressionable our students are.”

  Dallas wanted to tell Mrs. Seamus to stay out of it; Emery had enough problems right now. And it was nearly Christmas. Why couldn’t she get a small reprieve so she could heal and try to enjoy the holidays? But as soon as he opened his mouth, Eli sent him a sharp look that caused him to reconsider. He didn’t work for the school; he needed to let his brother do his job.

  He heard Eli tell Mrs. Seamus he’d get back to her and allowed himself to be steered away. “Last I checked, Mom had the right to decide what was best for this school,” he grumbled when the teacher was out of earshot.