Santa, Bring My Baby Back

by Cheryl Harper

  Cat wiped the bar. “Well, we’re fully staffed as far as I know, but Laura’s the manager. You could talk to her at the front desk.” With a glance at Grace’s pile of wedding dress, she added, “Leave your stuff. I’ll watch it while you go talk to her.” She looked over Grace’s shoulder at Charlie and gave a little shrug. In the reflection of the mirror behind the bar, Grace saw him shaking his head.

  So Charlie didn’t want her hanging around, did he? She straightened her shoulders and brightened her smile. “Thanks, Cat. I appreciate your help.”

  Just because she could, Grace pivoted and stepped up to Charlie, the toes of her shoes against his plain black lace-ups. Apparently, Charlie hadn’t fallen under the spell of her happy-and-charming act. That never happened. She wrapped one hand around his arm and squeezed. “Why don’t you introduce me to the manager before you go?”

  He glanced down at her hand until she got the message and slowly stepped back. Then his gaze met hers for a long minute. This close she could see long eyelashes and a sharp intelligence that worried her just a little. Then he inclined his head and let her go, turning his head to nod at Cat. Grace caught her breath as she watched him pick up her wedding dress and the bags she’d dropped at the bar. “Fine. Let’s make this quick then. And I’ll save you from having to pick these up on your way to the airport.”

  Grace thought he might have said “airport” through gritted teeth. “You bet, Mr. Charlie.” He started to say something again but instead turned and walked out of the cozy shadows of Viva Las Vegas into the brighter lobby. She was curious about the respect he’d gotten from the restaurant staff. He had to be more than an Elvis impersonator. He was performing weddings. Maybe he was a judge or justice of the peace. She glanced up at his perfectly frozen hair. Maybe not.

  As they walked across the amazing lobby that she’d read online was a nod to Graceland’s Jungle Room, Grace was sidetracked by an unhealthy interest in the way Charlie’s muscles flexed in his dress pants. He ducked under a few aggressively full palm fronds outlined in white Christmas lights and then set one of her bags on the cool, natural stone floor. They waited for the woman behind the desk to end her call, and Grace was enchanted when a droopy bloodhound wearing green bows at the ears and red velvet collar covered in small bells meandered over to sit right on top of Charlie’s feet.

  “Hey, sis.” Charlie reached down and ruffled the dog’s ears, and the dog stared up at him with sleepy devotion.

  “Her name is Sis?” Grace walked over to run a hand down the dog’s silky back. She loved dogs. Growing up, her family had always had dogs. One of the worst parts of being a rolling stone was having to travel light. Being free to go wherever she wanted meant no strings, no obligations, and no one to miss her when she was gone. But sometimes having someone to welcome her home at the end of the day would be nice. And she’d missed the warm weight of a dog at her feet.

  “Her name is Misty.” This time when he smiled she knew he was thinking of another inside joke. She’d spent a lot of time on the outside trying to get in, so she ought to be used to it, but she really didn’t like it here. She wanted to share a laugh with Charlie. Considering he was only doing his best to hasten her exit, that could be a real problem. And the fact that she’d never really experienced such an immediate connection to anyone made her think he might have the right idea. If she hung around for too long, things could get complicated. She jerked when Misty swiped a lick from her fingers to her wrist.

  Grace was laughing when the woman behind the front desk hung up and said, “Yeah, her name is Misty, and it should be Licksy. She’s Willodean’s bloodhound.” Then she turned to look at Charlie. “What can I do for you today, Mr… . I mean, Charlie?”

  Charlie’s lips tightened, and he smiled even if it didn’t reach his eyes. “Is Willodean in her office, Laura? Grace is looking for a job so I thought I’d introduce her.”

  Laura studied her for two seconds. Since Laura had also checked her in the day before and sent her over to the chapel that morning, Grace had no idea what the woman might think of this setup. Something in her eyes seemed to say she knew exactly why Grace needed a job, like maybe Tommy Joe had made an impression on his way out just like he had on their arrival. At check-in, Tommy Joe had done his best to appear to be both a big fish and a stud. He always tried and never succeeded. As a successful car salesman, Tommy Joe was used to working a room, shaking hands, and generally making people uncomfortable with his wider-than-normal blinding white smile. He also liked to wink.

  When Tommy Joe and Grace finally made it to the front desk, Tommy Joe stretched his arm out across the front desk to offer his hand to Laura and introduced himself with a wink. When he said, “Pleased to meet ya, Laura, darlin’,” Laura had placed her hand in his and then had to brace herself against the desk as it was vigorously shaken. Tommy Joe believed that bigger was always better. Then he and Grace had had an argument because she insisted on two rooms instead of one. Grace had wanted her last night of freedom badly enough to stand her ground. Now, Grace was pretty sure that was the beginning of the end of her wedding plans. If somehow Laura had forgotten all that, she would surely remember the size of his lightning bolt belt buckle. Plus, there was the wedding dress clearly visible through the bag over Charlie’s shoulder.

  “Let me check to see if she’s in her office.” Laura picked up the phone and pushed a button. “Willodean, Mr… . I mean, Charlie’s here and would like to introduce you to someone. I’m going to send them back, okay?”

  Grace could hear the exclamation through the phone but couldn’t make out the words. Laura shook her head and then hung up the phone. “I think she’s happy to see you.”

  Charlie leaned down to pick up the bags. “Let’s do this then.”

  He walked around behind the desk but paused at a doorway when she didn’t follow. At his pointed look and flash of wristwatch reminding her of his schedule, Grace lurched into motion and noticed Misty followed. They walked down a short hallway. At the end of the hall, she could see a man with short, dark hair, dark eyes, and a faint frown on his forehead. He was sitting behind a very neat desk, all the papers lined up in precise rows. He glanced up and did not appear to be friendly to either of them in any way. Charlie stopped before reaching that office, thank goodness, and motioned her through a different door.

  As soon as she cleared the doorway, a smallish woman with a cloud of black hair piled on top of her head, bright red lips, and the loudest green Christmas sweatshirt Grace had ever seen rounded the desk piled with folders and launched herself at Charlie. “Why, Charlie McMinn, I’ve missed you!”

  Grace tried not to laugh as she watched Charlie juggle her bags, her dress, and an armful of woman. He hugged her the best he could and dropped both of Grace’s bags on the floor. As the cosmetics bag made a loud thunk, he shot her an apologetic glance. “Really? It’s been… what, four or five hours tops since you did this to my hair.” He pointed at his pompadour.

  “I know. Isn’t it grand? Stuck like a charm.”

  Grace almost laughed at Charlie’s longsuffering expression, but she had to wipe the amusement off her face as the woman spun around and held out her hand. “But I’m guessing you’re the reason he’s here. Willodean Jackson, hon. And you are?”

  Grace shook her hand and had to fight the urge to step back. Willodean Jackson was high energy. And it was a small room. “Grace. Andersen.”

  Willodean clapped her hands together. “Well, it’s quite a pleasure to meet you. It ain’t every day that Charlie here takes time out of his busy schedule to pop in.” She smiled sweetly at him and then went back to her chair behind the desk. “I’m guessing you must be something special.”

  Grace had no idea what to say to that. She glanced at Charlie, but he didn’t look any more certain than she was. Finally he cleared his throat. “Grace here was supposed to be”—he glanced at her and shrugged— “married today, but her groom didn’t show. Now she wants a job. Since the hotel’s fully staffed, I tho
ught I’d help her get a cab so she can go…” He trailed off like he had no idea where she’d go. Grace could understand that because she didn’t know either. He ran a finger under his collar and waved his wrist around a bit. “But I’ve got to get back to the chapel so if you’ll just tell Grace we’re fully staffed, I’ll pay for her cab to the airport.” Grace watched him try to communicate with Willodean how serious he was with his eyes. He didn’t want her here. That part was clear. She just wasn’t sure exactly why. Did he have a problem with the poor and unemployed? Surely he wasn’t that kind of jerk, but his warning was pretty clear.

  Willodean narrowed her eyes at him and gave a little toss of her head. “Well, you go on then. Don’t let us keep you. Hiring and firing is my business, after all.” When he didn’t move from his spot, she raised her eyebrows and waved her bare wrist at him to remind him of the time.

  “Fine. I had to try.” With a clearly resigned expression, Charlie glanced at Grace and then draped the bag with her dress in it over the chair, took two large steps back out into the hall, pivoted, and disappeared. Grace stared at the spot she’d seen him last and then shook her head.

  When she turned back to face Willodean, Grace noticed she was doing the same thing. “Sometimes that boy’s a trial, Grace. Bossy. Way too careful. Certain he always knows best. I’m just warning you now.”

  Grace had no idea what to say to that either so she sat, laced her fingers together, crossed one leg over the other, and leaned back in her chair.

  “On the bright side, though, this is the first time he’s brought me a prospective employee, even if he only did it to tell me not to hire you. He knows being fully staffed wouldn’t stop me from giving you a job if I want to, but if you knew Charlie better, you’d understand what a big deal this is. Maybe he’s learning. Before this he’d have run you off, shoved you in a cab, and pretended he had no idea what I was talking about when I asked. I do wonder why he thought I needed a warning. Of course, if I knew why you’re carrying around a wedding dress, I might understand better.” Willodean propped one elbow on the desk and rested her chin in her hand. “What’s your story, Grace Andersen?”

  This was it, her time to sell her story, her chance to get help. Grace forced the nerves away and made the all-important eye contact as she said, “Well, I checked in yesterday with my fiancée, Tommy Joe Huffle. We had a little argument last night about what he expected and I was willing to give, but I woke up this morning ready to have the wedding of my dreams. I slipped into that dress and felt like a princess until Charlie knocked on my door a half hour after my wedding was supposed to start, and together we decided my groom wasn’t coming.” It wasn’t hard to put on a sad face. When she thought about what she’d have to do to get back to Vegas, she was a little dispirited. But it wouldn’t last. Grace patted the dress. “Now I’ve got a nice dress when what I need is a job and maybe a room to rent for a month or so, just until I can get back home.”

  Willodean’s interest showed in her bright green eyes. “How come you went for a job instead of a loan? I understand tight circumstances. Got a little extra money now that I didn’t use to have. Maybe I could just buy you a ticket.” Willodean leaned back. “I’m guessing that was what Charlie expected too.”

  Suddenly angry that either of them would have expected her to beg for money, Grace thought about storming out. Then she remembered her plan to marry a rich husband and decided maybe she didn’t have a real strong position on the high road. Besides that, they didn’t know her. And they sure didn’t know her mother.

  “I wish I could take you up on that, Willodean, I really do. But I can’t take handouts. Never have, even in more than a dozen years of scraping by. My mother’d roll over in her grave, and she ain’t even dead yet.” Grace was happy Willodean laughed at her answer. She didn’t want to blow an easy shot at employment.

  “So Mama’s alive and kicking then.” Willodean studied her and tapped one finger on the desk. “East Tennessee somewhere, I think.”

  “’Bout as far east as you can go, twenty minutes outside Sevierville.”

  “I used to know that part of Tennessee like the back of my hand.” Willodean patted the desk like she’d just come up with the perfect solution. “If that’s where you’re headed back to, I happen to know someone headed that direction. He’ll give you a ride, and Mama can pick you up.” Her eyes had a wicked glint as she waved her hand. “Not much of a handout, is it? That’s just being neighborly. And just the right sort of justice, if you ask me.”

  For a minute, Grace wondered if the “he” Willodean was talking about was Charlie. It would be a nice irony if he had to drive her six hours away because she couldn’t get a job. Grace shook her head. “No, ma’am. I need to get back to Vegas. And I’d rather have a job.”

  Willodean considered her. “Don’t get along too well with Mama?” She seemed sad as she asked it.

  “Well, it’s not that we don’t get along. I can just handle her ‘I told you so’ over the phone better. That helps us keep the peace.” And that was the truth.

  “So Mama didn’t approve of the groom?”

  “Mama didn’t even know I was getting married,” Grace said impatiently. “And if she had, she might have approved, but she would not be at all surprised by this turn of events.”

  Willodean said, “Well, now, I don’t know what you paid for that dress, but we could find some place to sell it. You’re a… what, size ten?”

  Grace threw one protective hand over the dress and shook her head. “No, ma’am, I’m not sellin’ the dress. Not yet.” And she also wasn’t correcting Willodean’s guess about the size.

  For some reason, she wasn’t ready to let the dress go yet, flat broke or not.

  Willodean’s smile was slow, and it reminded Grace of someone, but she couldn’t put her finger on who. She said, “Well, now, here’s the thing. I like a girl who don’t give up, you know? So let’s just find you a job.”

  The tension she hadn’t even been aware of building across her shoulders lifted, and Grace took a deep breath. There was something about making a decision, moving forward, no matter how good or bad the situation might be, that made her feel better, more confident. “What about Charlie? Should you ask him?” He’d seemed pretty certain she needed to move along. If she had the chance to find out, she would like to know why.

  “My hotel, my rules, Grace. Plenty of people around here worry a little about that, Charlie being on the top of the list, but the Rock’n’Rolla Hotel is still all mine.” Willodean cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Hey, Tony! Can you come in here?”

  Grace did her best not to cringe at the noise level or clap her hands over her ears, but the unfriendly guy from the next office whipped around the corner before she could catch her breath again.

  “Willodean, that’s what we have the phone system for.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned a shoulder against the door.

  “Sure, but I don’t need it.” Willodean looked so pleased with herself as she said it that Grace chuckled. “Here’s our new employee, Grace.”

  Tony looked at her, and she realized that he might be serious but he wasn’t mean. He was as amused as she was by Willodean but didn’t reward her with laughter. That was probably a sound policy.

  “I wasn’t aware that we’re hiring. Hotel’s fully staffed right now, Willodean.” He looked apologetic but unworried.

  Willodean pointed at the stack of files on her desk leaning precariously near the edge. “You got to be kidding me. I’ve got more papers stacked up here than I know what to do with, thanks to the new addition, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to get it up and rolling. When the gift shop opens, we’ll need help. And if none of that suits, she can help out in Viva Las Vegas.”

  Tony considered that answer. “What’s your work experience, Grace?”

  This could be tricky. Employers generally frowned on hiring people who had lots of short-term jobs. On the other hand, she had a lot of different exper
ience. If it could be done, she’d probably already been there, done that, and collected the pink slip. “I’ve acted, modeled, and sung in absolutely nothing you would have seen. I’ve waited tables, walked dogs, and served as a raw foods chef for a very eccentric actress. I’ve run a cash register at a gas station, a grocery store, and a pawnshop where I’m pretty sure the owner was doing a nice side business in marijuana sales. I answered some very strange calls as a receptionist for a private investigator. For a short time, I owned part of a doggie spa.”

  “What happened?” Willodean looked fascinated.

  “I lost a poodle.” When neither Willodean nor Tony said anything, Grace added, “In my defense, he was a biter. And he ran all the way home so the story has a happy ending for the poodle.”

  She looked from Willodean to Tony and then watched them communicate silently with each other. Finally Willodean blinked slowly and said, “So what you’re saying is you ain’t afraid to work.”

  “No, ma’am, I’m not.” Ann Andersen had made sure all seven of her children had solid work ethics. Six of them had regular paychecks and paid time off to show for it. And Grace… well, she was never unemployed for long. Her mother’s voice in her head made it impossible to rest without a job.

  “How come you’ve tried so many different things? I mean, seems like if you want to act, you go, you stay in one place, you work a part-time job until it works.” Willodean tilted her head. “What keeps you going?”