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.
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 tiaras. 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.”
That coming from her uncle was priceless and she would remind him about this moment when the time was right. Kimber looked back and forth between the two men. “I need both of you to tell me what is going on.”
Again, the door opened and closed. Lexi breezed in, talking at a fast pace, going on about the pageant. “Oh fantastic, the tiaras arrived,” Lexi said, spotting the cart. “I told her to put them in here and leave them covered. You guys haven’t looked, have you?” Lexi stood in front of the cart with her hands on her hips. She turned at the waist to look at her audience. “So, what do you say one of these big strong men helps me bring these tiaras out to the stage for crowning? Oh, Kimber, you’ve got to see these.” In one swift move Lexi pulled off the covering. “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”
Kimber blinked in disbelief. Vin gasped. Philip finally let out his curse. Nate and Stephen swore, as well. At the door, Dario scratched the top of his head and Darren gripped the doorjamb and laughed.
“I actually have seen something as beautiful,” Kimber finally answered Lexi. She grabbed the boxes from Vin and Philip’s hands. “See?”
“She promised me a quiet transaction.” Vin cringed and at least had the decency to look ashamed.
“Kimber,” Philip began to explain, “I handpicked this one of a kind tiara for you. Do you know how much I bid on this?”
Confused, Kimber sighed. “So neither of you took the time to handcraft a tiara. Instead, you two ordered these. Like, offline? You both make me sick. I’ve wasted all this time searching for the designer, which you both clearly weren’t.”
Lexi breezed across the room to inspect them. “So.” She set her hands on her hips. “I guess it’s safe to say Alisha Crowne’s secret is out.”
“Alisha?” Everyone chorused, except for Darren, who stopped to let go of the door and grip his stomach in a belly laugh. Dario elbowed him.
“Alisha was behind these?” Her enemy. The woman who hated her most in the world, created these beautiful tiaras? How long had Dario known? Kimber cast a glare at him. “Why did you let me make a fool of myself all this time when you knew good and well who made these?”
“Kimber, this isn’t what you think,” said Dario. “Let’s go somewhere and talk.”
“I’m fine where I am.”
“Guys,” Lexi cut into the tension. “I’ve got to get these things out. Vin, Philip, why don’t the two of you help me?”
It was probably the safest thing for them all to leave the room right now. Kimber felt so stupid. Of course, Alisha would have something to do with this. Her brothers owned a garage. She had easy access to a welding machine. She had plenty of time. And the other obvious piece—she had connections to the jewelry Kimber had found in Dubai. After Vin and Stephen left with Lexi, Kimber covered her face with her hands and screamed into her palms. “I am such an idiot.”
“No, you’re not,” Dario said. “Would you all give us a moment to talk?” he boldly asked her uncles. To her surprise, they listened and moved out the door, taking Darren with them.
“I can’t believe you let me walk around for the past month interviewing girls, talking to the public about trying to find the designer when you knew all along.” Anger filled her. Embarrassment flowed through her body. No wonder Darren was in hysterics. He’d known the whole time too.
Dario made a move to touch her arm, to calm her down, but she just pulled back, hitting her elbow on the wall, which caused her to drop her cell phone. She bent to get it, but he stopped her, holding her by the curve of her elbow. His fingers traced the throbbing spot. “I need to explain something to you.” He braced his other hand against the wall by her head, half trapping her.
In defiance, Kimber crossed her arms for distance. “I thought you’d given up your childish games, Dario.”
“I have,” he said. “Don’t give me that.”
“So much that you let me...”
“Run around town,” Dario finished for her. Any other time his charming smile might have given him a second chance but this time it didn’t work. Kimber thought about her mother. How many chances had she given her father to charm his way back to her?
A standard ring tone filled the distance from the ground.
“Don’t get it,” Dario demanded.
“You mean like the all the other times you tried to get me to not the answer the phone? Was that because you didn’t want me to find out who the designer was?”
“Kimber, if you just want to argue rather than talk things out...”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Did you forget? I don’t argue.” Then she pushed him by the chest to bend over and get her phone. The screen said Unknown Caller. Funny how quickly things changed. She prayed the call was for her.
“Kimber.” Dario had the nerve to growl out her name.
With her eyes on him, Kimber’s thumb switched the call to Talk. “Hello?”
“May I speak with Kimber Reyes?”
“This is she.”
“Hi, Kimber, this is Rory Montgomery.”
Heart soaring, Kimber spun around to face the monitors. She steadied her breath. “Hi.”
“Kimber, I apologize for this last-minute call but if you’re still interested in doing a piece for the MET Network, we’re looking for a reporter to cover a segment in Atlanta. Would you be able to make it by tomorrow morning?”
“I absolutely can.”
“Great,” said Rory with a sigh of relief. “I have all your information on file. We can take care of the paperwork at our satellite office there.”
“No problem.” Kimber tried to remain calm. “Thank you so much.”
“Do you have any questions for me?”
“Is it okay if I ask what happened to the correspondents on your list?”
“Chicken pox,” Rory chuckled. “So, we literally need a fresh face for the cameras.”
Kimber listened to the last-minute details from Rory. Her credentials would be sent to the office. Her assignment would be emailed to her and her hotel tab would be picked up by the station. Kimber turned back around and found the room empty. Dario was gone. She thought she saw the top of his head going through the crowd. Despite being angry with him, Kimber wanted to share her news with him too. She yanked the door open.
“There you are, you twit,” Alisha snapped. She stormed into the room with such force Kimber stumbled backward.
Irritated, Kimber rolled her eyes. “I don’t have time for you, Alisha. But congratulations on your tiara line. They are beautiful,” she added with a sarcastic smirk. “Now, if you don’t mind stepping aside, I need to find...”
“My brother?” Alisha scoffed. “Ain’t no way in hell I am letting you near him. You’re just going to hurt him, and I’ll be damned if I let him run off for another year because of you.”
“What are you talking about, Alisha? Dario got a job in Dubai. In his field of study,” she added.
“A job he could have done anywhere but he wanted to be as far away from you as possible.”
At their first reunion at the airport Dario had been distant with her. She’d had a feeling it was about the way she’d ended things before they ever got started but he’d said he was over it. He’d seemed fine all this time. Paranoia set in. Was this his plan all along? Did he seek some sort of revenge against her? No, she argued inwardly. A man who made love to her like he did was not in it for a game. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, again. Now move.”
Not budging, Alisha stepped into Kimber’s way. “No. I’m not done with you. You need to know the truth so you can stop playing with people’s hearts and time. Dario left here because of you. You chased him away by calling him immature. You said he needed to grow up and quit playing with toys all the time. Do you know how incredibly insensitive that was? Do you know what my father did to him for playing?”
An ache gripped Kimber’s heart at the memory Dario had shared with her. She could never imagine what would drive a father to strike his child no matter what. “We talked about your father.”
“But did he tell you how he beat him? Belittled him for doing things like making cars for my dolls, building homes for them, welding things for them? Even as a kid he would always do whatever he could to keep the kids from picking on me by making sure I had the coolest stuff ever.”
Something in Alisha’s words settled in with Kimber. The welding. The skills. He would have had access to the hospital and the rooms when walking in with her. He freaking had access to a garage to work with Alisha on them.
“Well, give the beauty queen a trophy,” Alisha said dryly. “Is it clicking yet?”
“Dario helped you make the crowns,” Kimber deduced.
“Jesus, woman. Are you daft?” Alisha scowled at her.
The doors opened. Sheikh Aamir appeared and stepped inside. The noise behind him settled down. Kimber wondered if the hushed tones from the four-man security team posted outside the office had anything to do with it or if most of the girls were now out front by the stage waiting to hear their names being called. Kimber cast a glance at the monitors and realized it was the latter.
“What my love is trying to explain...”
My love...? Kimber wished she’d thought to flip on her camera as she watched the royal’s hand secure its place on Alisha’s waist.
“Alisha believed in her brother’s talent, as did I, and was smart enough to mass-produce his designs. Hence the tiaras we flew in tonight.”
Alisha’s body softened against the six-foot sheikh. “Dario’s going to kill me, but oh well. You needed to know. He may have wanted to keep his anonymity, but I am tired of him walking around thinking he needs to impress you.”
“Sweetheart, we’ve talked about your anger issues,” Aamir spoke close to her ear.
“If the two of you will excuse me.” Kimber sidestepped the two of them and headed out the door. To where, she had no idea. She stormed down the hallway in the opposite direction of the crowning ceremony. Angry tears formed in her eyes.
Nate bumped into her as she rounded the corner. “Whoa, where are you going?” Upon seeing her fighting tears, he grabbed her and pulled her into a safe hug.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” Kimber said, trying to hold back her emotional breakdown. How was she supposed to believe anything from Dario ever again? What did it matter? There was no point in talking. This was over. They were over, she told herself, to the painful feel of her heart breaking.
“The last time you,” he said as he raised his hands for air quotes, “got out of here, you were gone for a year. I don’t know if I can eat your uncle’s cooking alone for that long.”
The joke made Kimber smile. “I gotta leave. I can’t stay.”
“Why?” Nate let her go to tip her chin toward him. “Why do you feel you need to leave every time something gets tough?”
“Because.” Kimber’s voice croaked. Her bottom lip trembled. “Because I don’t want to end up in a relationship like my parents. Before you and Stephen got here, they were horrible. They argued all the time. I don’t know why they stayed together. I never wanted to be like them. Trapped here in Southwood and resenting the person that made me stay.”
“Oh, Kimber,” Nate breathed while holding her once again. “I can’t believe that’s what you’ve been thinking about your folks. Ken and Betty may have argued some—”
“A lot,” Kimber added, stepping back.
“Maybe they did, but trust me, if my brother had wanted to leave, he would’ve. The same for your mother. She was one of the strongest ladies I’ve ever met. Couples argue. Couples stay together because they want to, not because they have to. There’s a difference.”
“You think they loved each other?”
“Passionately. You know us Reyes men, we go big or we...”
“Go home?” Kimber provided.
“We go bigger. Especially if she’s worth it.”
Cheers sounded from down the hall. The pageant was coming to an end, as was her relationship with Dario. She hated missing it. Her training in her journalism classes had taught her to be a professional and not let the camera see what was going on in her personal life, but not now. Not tonight. She just wanted to go home and pack. Kimber pulled away from her uncle and started walking. “I gotta go.”
“Did you and Dario work things out?” Nate asked, walking with her.
Kimber shook her head. “I mean, I know he snuck the tiaras into the hospital. And I think he is the one who made the first tiara, if what Alisha said is true.”
“So, you don’t want me to show you the footage I found?”
Her heels skidded to a halt. “What footage?”
Nate extracted his phone from the front pocket of his slacks. “I told you I’d find out about the footage from last year. Here’s a clip of the exact day Dario brought the crowns in to the hospital. Can you imagine the frustration he felt getting overlooked by you?”
The sound was off, but she recalled the exact outfit Dario wore. The pageant had been earlier that day. The sleeves of his Santa suit were still intact. How had she not questioned him about that huge sack of gifts? He set a red-and-white wrapped box down and disappeared from frame. A few moments later he walked back in, with Kimber. Kimber watched, feeling the egg all over her face. She didn’t need the sound to remember how she’d asked everyone who came into the room if they knew about the box of tiaras. She never once asked him. Instead, on that day, Kimber had accused Dario of being immature and not having any goals in life other than playing with his expensive toys in the garage.
“Dario’s been quite the player around town,” Nate said all of a sudden. “Hey, it takes one to know one, but I have seen a difference in him. And I also saw his face when he left the office tonight. He looked like a man broken. And who could blame him? He had to sit around for the last month and listen to those two jokers say they created the tiaras.”
“He could have told me.”
Nate nodded. “I am sure he has his reasons. Being a big buff guy like myself,” he said as he flexed his biceps, “it’s hard to admit to the world you’re part of something gentler, like creating dainty tiaras.”
“So you believe he helped.”
“You can only follow the trail in front of you, Kimber. What does your gut tell you?”
“It tells me I need to have this conversation with Dario,” Kimber replied.
“Great. You can take my truck to go see him.”
Kimber half laughed. “You want me to drive?” She snatched the keys he dangled in front of her. “What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like I can do any further damage to it.”
“Cute, Kimber. Cute,” Nate called down the corridor after her.
“Oh, by the way,” Kimber said, turning back. “Tell Amelia I’m pretty sure I’m going to get the Atlanta job at MET.”