In presenting the package, Dominic held it in both hands and took a bow. The box was wrapped in red-and-white-striped paper. Something about it was familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Alright, Kimber.” Nate clapped his hands together to get her attention. “We’ve got to get back before my sister-in-law has our heads on a platter.”
“Thanks for checking, Dominic,” Kimber called out as Nate ushered her to the passenger’s side door. She slid into the seat, sad that she didn’t get a chance to open it and wondered why he wouldn’t just give it to her himself.
“You gonna check it?” Nate asked, bringing the engine to life.
“No. I think I’ll wait until I see Dario again.”
“Tonight?”
Kimber shook his head. “No, he’s busy tonight. But I will definitely see him tomorrow.”
* * *
“I don’t need you coming with me,” Dario said over his shoulder to Darren, who was hot on his tail. Before leaving the ranch, he threw on a dark green oxford and, to be festive, a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer tie. He hadn’t worn a suit or tie in a month. Maybe it was the daily workouts with Darren making his upper body bigger, which constricted the material around his neck. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to fit into his clothes in Dubai.
“Hell no,” Darren complained. “I’m not taking the chance that you don’t come home with me to the ranch tonight. You’ve got one hour here at the pageant.”
Time was limited. Not just for tonight, but when the start of the New Year came around, Dario needed to face his new reality. Spending these last few days playing with Justin and Ariana had been a blast. Whenever he needed to leave to prepare the ranch, the kids cried. He hated that. As their uncle, he wanted to be there for them. And seeing how much they’d grown in just a year, well, video-chat didn’t do them justice. He reveled in rolling around on the floor and fake wrestling with them, the piggyback rides and sneaking ice cream even though their father told them no. Dario wasn’t sure he wanted to leave. Funny, but in trying to prove to Kimber how mature he was, he’d messed around and actually become mature. Well, after tonight it was a sure thing.
Dario sighed but continued to walk down the hall and make his way through the crowds of people standing in line, waiting to either get inside the theater or just mingling in the halls. A few people tapped him on the shoulder and promised to see him later.
Christmas Chaos started in ninety minutes. Dario needed to see Kimber before he stepped into any ring and risked getting hit in the head. He’d abstained from sex all week, tortured himself without a taste of her lips. He’d be damned if he got a concussion without first laying his eyes on her.
“If you just told her the truth,” Darren started, finally catching up to him.
“I’m glad to hear you’re not winded from trying to keep pace,” Dario joked.
Darren flipped him off without looking at him. “I don’t see her,” he said, scanning the crowds. “We’re probably going to have to go closer. There are a couple of seats up front. But we still need to leave in order to welcome everyone. Plus, I don’t like to leave all that alcohol unattended.”
“It will all be fine,” said Dario. “C’mon, let’s go up there.”
“To the stage?”
“Behind it,” Dario replied. He’d spotted Kimber backstage when the curtains opened for the little kids on stage to do a song and dance. She was in a green dress. His heart beat out of control. “We’ve got to get back there.”
“Just waltz backstage?” Darren asked, a bit of self-doubt in his voice. “You see that line of older women standing there like bodyguards?”
Dario elbowed his brother in the ribs. “C’mon, take one for the team. Get us backstage.” In truth, Dario did want to see Kimber. But he also had to check out how those two clowns were going to look coming to her empty-handed on the tiara.
Blocking the door that would allow them to get backstage, a large woman folded her arms across her chest with a scowl on her face to deter any unwanted presence in the back. So far, she wasn’t impressed by Darren’s charm. Dario turned to make a call to Kimber to try and get her to come out from backstage to let them in. She didn’t answer right away.
“Dario, my man.”
Dario turned around and noticed the bun first on a six-foot-plus man before he realized it was the mayor.
“Ramon,” said Dario, extending his hand for a shake.
“Good seeing you, Dario.” Ramon clamped down with his free hand on Dario’s elbow. “Say, have you had a chance to consider the Urban Development position at Four Points?”
“I haven’t heard anything else about it,” answered Dario. “What’s new?”
“We’re talking new, fresh off the board meeting,” Ramon said excitedly. “This pageant has brought the community leaders together and we’re looking to develop more between our four points. I threw your name out into the mix as a possible candidate for the urban planner position. I contacted Aamir Assadi and got him to send over your development plans for the work you’ve done in Dubai. I hope that’s okay.”
Creepy, but okay, Dario thought as he nodded his head. This week did have him thinking about staying in Southwood. This might have been the best news yet. “Great,” Dario replied.
“Are you here to see Kimber?” Ramon asked, leading Dario back to where the female bouncer was either about to choke Darren by the knot of his tie or pull him in for a kiss.
“Darren, stop playing around,” Dario said with a straight face, “Ramon’s going to bring us to Kimber.”
“See, babe?” Darren cooed. “I’m not here to try and pick up women, my brother is.”
The woman let Darren go. She greeted Ramon, gave Dario a nod, then whispered for Darren to call her sometime.
“My wife told me she was backstage where the girls line up. I’m guessing you’ll find Kimber there too.”
The scent of every Bath & Body product filled the air. The sequins of the Christmas-colored dresses caught the backstage lighting, making the area flicker like a giant disco ball. The singing from up front made its way beyond the curtain, causing the chatter behind the thin wall to rise. Dario wasn’t sure how, but he lost sight of Ramon in the wave of the next batch of girls getting ready to perform.
“I think I see her,” Dario said to Darren, who was close by. Kimber leaned against the wall in an office with floor-to-ceiling windows. Her uncles were inside, standing in front of her, and the not-so-good doctor stood off to the side with a ten-inch black box in his hands. “This way.”
Dario’s breath caught in his throat. Glitter sparkled off Kimber’s smooth, golden fawn skin. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulder on one side and down her back on the other. An image of her just like that, only in white, popped into his mind. God, he loved her. He began to pick up his step to get to his woman but crashed into another person. Bouncing back, Dario was ready to apologize to whichever budding beauty queen was in front of him, but as his eyes adjusted to the disco-effect light, they narrowed down on someone else.
“Alisha?” Dario cocked his head to the side. “What are you doing back?” Then his eyes focused on the man behind her, their family’s friend, Aamir Assadi. “With Aamir?”
Chapter 11
The pageant would go down in Four Points General Hospital history. The patients in the extended ward put on a show to welcome the guests, who crowded the theater. The patients were given prime seating in the front rows where the wheelchair access was better. Not everyone attended, which left more room for the guests. Typically, pageants with children were limited to immediate family only, but families from Southwood, Peachville, Black Wolf Creek and Samaritan packed the place. Amelia’s street team from MET Studios worked their magic, as did the camera crew. Lexi did her thing as emcee. Judges, real judges from each city’s courthouse, presided as officials at the table.
&
nbsp; At one point, the wing the theater was in had been a discharge area. The loading zone had been turned into a stage and arena seating built around it with a parking deck behind. Inside, a long black curtain concealed the chaos backstage from the audience—but not necessarily the noise. Contestants from each city shared parts of the empty offices and rooms down either side of the hallway and up the stairs one level. Parents were given a buzzer that would sound off when they were to send their children to the stage. Little kids were assisted by parents. Girls fifteen and older were instructed to take responsibility for getting themselves to and from wherever they were supposed to be.
“Alright, pageant pals,” Kimber said into her phone on her selfie stick, “if you’re watching at home, give us your list of favorites so far. Don’t forget, I’m Kimber Reyes, your correspondent at the Christmas crown competition.” The group of girls she’d just featured helped her end the segment with a loud excited scream. She hugged the girls and headed into the designated office area.
Nate had helped prepare the unused observation room behind the stage. Floor to ceiling soundproof glass walls separated the hallway-slash-backstage area, which gave a reprieve from the commotion. A wire fed into the room at the monitors. In the center of the nine side-by-side stacked monitors was the main stage where Lexi stood as emcee. She introduced the next contestant for the current age group.
Someone sat in the corner and edited the angles of the last group contestant performances on a computer screen. Black Wolf Creek’s representatives were definitely there to win in the seventeen to twenty-one category. All ten of the contestants were over five-eleven without their heels. And Kimber thought Peachville was sure to win in the category of cuteness. The cupcake dresses—from Grits and Glam Gowns—were hands down the most adorable. A couple of the beauty queens representing Samaritan were viable contestants, as well.
Because this was a Christmas pageant, all the titles to be won had a festive theme, ranging from Miss Candy Cane, Miss Winterfest, Miss Wintergreen and Miss Elegant Elf, to the most coveted title of Miss Christmas. Kimber stood next to the portable rack holding all the white sashes with red cursive writing for the titles. A red cloth was draped over a six-foot utility cart so that the only thing Kimber detected were the wheels underneath. Lexi didn’t want anyone seeing the tiaras until the perfect time.
Christmas was tomorrow and Kimber had failed at getting Lexi the tiara she wanted her to have. That was, unless Vin or Philip came up with the right one. She was ashamed, as well, that she would not give Amelia the right present by being selected by MET, again, so they could be colleagues as well as aunt and niece. She did have a backup present for each of them—their favorite perfumes—but Kimber’s heart sank with disappointment. She’d wanted the perfect gifts.
“I’m so proud of you, kiddo,” Nate said stealing Kimber’s attention from the backstage interactions.
Praise from her uncles brought heat to Kimber’s cheeks this Christmas Eve. She even let Nate ruffle her hair for a second before ducking away from his hands. Because tonight’s event had a Christmas theme, everyone behind the scenes was dressed in festive red, green and white. Knowing that, Kimber had chosen to wear one of Lexi’s designs, a full-length emerald-green gown with a strapless sweetheart top.
“You did a good job here too,” Kimber complimented him right back. “I can’t believe this was once a pickup area.”
“Ah yes.” Nate rubbed his knuckles on his puffed-out chest. “The magic of a hammer.”
“Lexi said she wanted you to emcee,” said Stephen, walking away from the fascination of the editing process. “Why aren’t you out there with her?”
“That’s her thing.” Kimber shook her head, pointed to the shot and watched Lexi do her thing from behind the curtains. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her dress and touched her phone. Still no word from MET. Trying not to be too disappointed, Kimber reminded herself there was still New Year’s Eve to cover. If that were the case, it gave her another week with Philly. And, of course, there was Dario. She ignored the excited pulse in her blood.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” Nate asked. “I had something to show him.”
“I’m not really sure,” Kimber answered, chewing her bottom lip for a moment. “He had something else to do tonight. He may stop by.”
Stephen scrunched up his face. “But this is your thing. Why wouldn’t he be here to support you?”
“He means fawn all over you,” said Nate, chuckling while he draped one arm around Stephen’s shoulders.
Living at home this week had reminded Kimber of how different her two uncles were. Stephen still believed Kimber was quite the innocent one, which was cute. Last year before going away he’d bought her a stuffed unicorn. If she had to guess, he probably still thought she was a virgin. Nate, on the other hand, had always seen through Kimber’s antics, especially as a teenager, and called her out on her bull. She wouldn’t trade either one of them for anything in the world. They were her family.
“Dario’s allowed to go wherever he wants,” Kimber assured Stephen.
Nate shook his head and added a tsk along with it. “I was rooting for him. He could have shown up for a minute.”
A group of young pageant princesses passed by the window to line up behind the stage. Once they stopped squirming, the folks on the other side of the line were able to get through. The first person Kimber noticed was Vin. He carried a black box under his arm. When he waved, pit stains were visible on the red T-shirt he wore.
“Looks like it’s showtime for you.” Nate nudged Kimber toward the door. “There’s another office over there,” he said, pointing across the hall.
Stephen stepped in front of his brother with his hands up. “Now, if they go in there, we’re not going to be able to help our dear sweet niece with judging for herself.”
“What’s there to judge?” Kimber asked. “If he’s the real designer, we’d know because he made it.”
“You sure about that?” Stephen countered.
“Yeah, it could be a replica,” added Nate.
Because she would know it, Kimber thought. The ones made after the original tiara were too similar to have been made by different designers. She felt in her bones that only one person had created such beauty. Before Kimber could respond, Vin knocked on the clear door.
“Hey,” he said. The sound in the hall filled the room then went silent once he closed the door. “I was hoping I’d catch you before the show ended.”
“Perfect timing,” said Nate. “Why don’t you come on in here? We’re just waiting on your rival.”
Vin chuckled. “Oh, there’s no rivalry. Philip is always clowning around. It’s no wonder Kimber broke up with him.” His chuckle continued nervously. Kimber spied a bead of sweat rolling over his temple.
Why was he nervous? Did he not have the real thing? Kimber sighed with annoyance. She glanced down at her phone as it buzzed. She’d missed two calls and prayed it hadn’t been MET phoning in while she filmed her segments.
The pit of her stomach quaked as she retrieved the messages. When the deep voice came over the line, she relaxed against the wall with a smile. It was Dario, wishing her good luck tonight. The voice mail went on to the next call. Kimber closed her eyes and prayed it wasn’t the dream call she wanted. Not now. She needed a little bit more time before traipsing across the country or to wherever MET wanted to send her...if she got the job.
“We don’t have to wait for Philip to show up with a fake tiara, Kimber,” Vin suggested. “Why waste time?” He thrust his package into her hands.
Reluctantly, Kimber lifted the box. There, on top of a black velvet pillow sat a perfectly crafted tiara with wire leaves filled with sparkling faux diamonds. Her fingers traced the points where the headband and tiara were welded together.
“Incredible,” she breathed. This was just like the one she’d seen in the second batch of tia
ras. The finishing was smoother and the leaves curled a little more but it was still lovely. “Wow, I didn’t think you had it in you,” she said, looking up at Vin’s waiting face as a smile stretched across it. Blood pounded in her ears. The only thing she heard was adrenaline racing.
“I thought you might like it.”
“Yeah, let’s hold on to that for a minute.”
Philip stood in the doorway, filling the space with his height and brawn. The camera strapped around his neck dangled from a bedazzled band. Tucked under his arm was a familiar black box the same size as Vin’s. Kimber shook her head.
“Good grief,” she groaned. “Alright, let’s see it.”
Nate took the box from Philip and handed it to her. Philip had the nerve to inhale deeply. “I hope you like it. I gave it a lot of thought.”
“I’m sure you did,” she mused.
Like the box she’d just opened, this one had the same feel, same weight, and damned if it wasn’t exactly the same crown.
“Aw hell,” Stephen said glancing into the box. “We were rooting for you. Me and Lexi were rooting for you.”
Another voice filled the room. Dario, Darren in tow, stood behind a bewildered Philip. “Well thanks,” he said to Stephen.
Stephen half shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, my man, it’s pretty chaotic in here. Wouldn’t you agree about the chaos?”
A bridge of awkward silence passed between the two men. Kimber wanted to fit herself against Dario’s frame but with Nate, Stephen, and Vin surrounding her, she couldn’t move.
“Don’t you like it?” Philip asked, stepping into the office more. “I know you wanted to give one as a gift to Lexi, but I thought this suited you more.”
“It’s beautiful, Philip,” Kimber sighed, “I was just telling Vin that when he showed me his.”
Philip grabbed the box in Vin’s hands. “What the fu—?”
“Hey now,” said Nate, wagging his finger. “There’s a lady in the room.”
Christmas with the Billionaire ; A Tiara for Christmas Page 31
