Diana Connelly caught sight of her reflection in the plate glass window of the Alpine Ski Shop, and stopped to stare. She’d pulled her hair back this morning, and fashioned it into what she’d thought was a smart, sophisticated twist at the back of her neck. During the day, wisps of reddish blond hair had escaped, and now there were tight little curls all over her head. With her bright blue eyes, and light skin with freckles, she looked like Little Orphan Annie.
A good-humored giggle escaped Diana’s lips. She often laughed at herself. She knew she should brush her hair before anyone else caught sight of her, but she’d left her purse in a locker in the employees’ lounge, and she didn’t want to walk all the way to the other end of the mall. There was only one thing to do. Diana pulled off the band that held the rest of her hair in place, and let it spring loose to tumble down in a curling mass around her shoulders.
Diana gave one more glance at her reflection, and shrugged. There really wasn’t any solution for her curly hair. She’d spent a fortune on products that promised to tame unruly hair, but none of them seemed to work on her. She had inherited her grandmother’s hair, and that was scary. Grannie had a permanent perm, and she always looked as if she’d stuck her finger in an electrical socket.
There was a bench in front of Elaine’s Boutique, and Diana limped over to sit down. When she’d accepted this temporary Christmas job, they hadn’t told her she’d have to dress up in green tights and a green jerkin, and skip around the mall all day! If Diana had known that she was going to be one of Santa’s elves, she might have reconsidered. The mall was huge, and Diana knew exactly how huge. Her father owned the construction company that had built the mall, and she’d spent all last summer as his assistant, making sure everything was completed according to code.
As she kicked off her shoes to massage her aching feet, Diana spotted Cindy Swanson, her college roommate, walking toward her from the other end of the mall. Actually, walking wasn’t the correct word for what Cindy was doing. Hobbling would be more like it. But seeing Cindy hobble made Diana feel much better. Cindy was a physical education major, and she was always giving Diana grief about not exercising enough.
“Brutal!” Cindy sighed as she sank down on the bench. “Sue missed her calling. She should have been a Marine drill instructor.”
Diana laughed. Sue Langer was the head cheerleader at Prairie College, and she’d just put the elves through a grueling rehearsal. It hadn’t been easy to skip around the mall three times with smiles on their faces.
“Sue’s really in great shape.” Cindy looked very envious. “I watched her the whole way and she didn’t even break a sweat.”
Diana nodded, and then she parroted the old adage her grannie had taught her. “Women don’t sweat. Horses sweat, men perspire, and women glow.”
“Well, I’m definitely glowing.” Cindy laughed and her whole face lit up. For a moment, she looked very pretty. Cindy wasn’t at all beautiful in the traditional sense of the word. Her light brown hair, which was really very nice, was cut so short, it made her face look thin. Her deep brown eyes were set just a little too wide, but her nose was perfect and she had the kind of cheekbones models would kill for. Cindy was petite. She wore a size three, and she didn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds. But Cindy knew how to intimidate people. She had a personality that made all of her friends treat her like a live hand-grenade.
Cindy was a no-nonsense person, and she always said exactly what she was thinking. If she didn’t like something you did or said, she told you. Straight out. Right then and there. With no pulled punches. Diana knew that Cindy didn’t mean to hurt anyone by her sharp comments, but sometimes, she did.
Diana had been intimidated, at first. Cindy had looked and acted like a very tough person. That misconception had lasted for almost two weeks, and it might have lasted much longer if they hadn’t found the kittens.
Cindy and Diana had been walking home from class when they’d heard small, crying noises coming from a neighborhood dumpster. They’d lifted the lid and found two very young kittens, curled up in a pitiful ball, inside. Cindy hadn’t said a word. She’d just piled up a couple of broken cinder blocks to stand on, and jumped in to rescue them. Then she’d taken them home, and smuggled them into their “no pets” building.
The kittens had been too young to eat solid food, but Cindy had mixed up a concoction she’d said would work, and she’d fed them every three hours with an eyedropper. Naturally, Diana had asked if she could help, and Cindy had taught her exactly what to do. When the kittens were old enough to get along on their own, Cindy had canvassed the neighborhood to find a home for them, refusing to give them away separately since they were so cute together. And she’d actually cried when she’d handed them over to a family who’d promised to love them and take good care of them.
The episode with the kittens had opened Diana’s eyes, and she’d realized that Cindy’s sharp tongue was a defense against her very sentimental nature. Cindy cried when she saw a sad movie, and she got all mushy when she saw a couple holding hands. Kids got to her, too. Diana had caught her cooing to babies, and reading stories to the kids in the neighborhood. It was a side of Cindy that very few people saw, but Diana was hoping that someday Cindy would drop her tough act, and let everyone see what a sweet, caring person she was.
Cindy waved a hand in front of Diana’s eyes to get her attention. “Why are you staring at me with that sappy expression on your face?”
“Oh . . . uh . . .” Diana was ready to give an excuse, but then she decided to be honest, instead. “I was just thinking about the kittens, and what a nice person you are.”
“Shh!” Cindy glanced around to make sure there was no one close enough to hear. “Don’t blow my cover, huh? As far as the rest of the world’s concerned, I’m a bitch in training.”
“But . . . why?” Diana was puzzled.
“It’s easier that way. It gives me an excuse for not dating.”
Diana frowned. “Sorry, but I don’t get it.”
“If I’m a bitch, everyone’ll think that’s the reason the guys don’t ask me out. I don’t want them to find out the real reason.”
“What real reason?” Diana was still puzzled.
“I’m ugly.” Cindy looked upset. “That’s the real reason I never have any dates.”
“But you’re not. You’re very pretty when you smile. If you’d smile more often, maybe . . .”
“No way!” Cindy interrupted her. “If I smile all the time, I can’t be a bitch. Don’t you see, Diana? It’s a lot better to be an unpopular bitch than it is to be an unpopular ugly girl.”
Diana opened her mouth, and then she closed it again. Cindy’s logic left a lot to be desired, but this wasn’t the time for a lecture. It was best to change the subject. “Speaking of bitches . . . I haven’t seen Heather. Isn’t she here?”
“She’s here.”
Cindy’s eyes began to glitter dangerously, and Diana winced. Cindy hated her older brother’s ex-girlfriend. Heather Perkins was a junior, and she’d been dating Cindy’s brother, Jay, since the beginning of the school year. Back then, Jay had been the star quarterback of the Prairie College football team, and Heather had attended every game. Everything had been great while Jay had been playing, but he’d been injured in late October, and the coach had taken him out for the rest of the season.
The minute Heather had heard that Jay was benched, she’d dumped him for the new quarterback, a senior who drove a new Porsche. Both Cindy and Diana agreed that Jay was better off without Heather. She was a spoiled, rich girl who’d only been going with him for his celebrity status. But Jay had been hurt by the breakup, and that had made both girls fume. Then, just before Thanksgiving, everything had turned around again.
Heather’s new boyfriend had bombed during his first two games. The college paper had called him Mr. Velcro, because he couldn’t seem to get rid of the ball before he was sacked. He’d been replaced by a walk-on freshman who’d managed to pull off a miracle. Prairie State College had won a bowl bid, and they’d be playing on New Year’s Day. Of course everyone knew that they didn’t have a prayer of winning, not without a seasoned quarterback.
That was when the second miracle had happened. Jay’s injury had turned out to be less serious than everyone had thought, and the coach had told the college paper that Jay would be fully recovered in time for the big bowl game. Now Heather was interested in Jay again, and Diana and Cindy were sure that the only reason Heather had taken a job at the mall was to try to win him back.
Cindy’s eyes were still glittering and Diana shivered. Cindy despised Heather with a passion. “There’s something you’re not telling me, right?”
“Right.” Cindy nodded. “Let’s just say it helps to have a daddy who owns a big piece of the mall.”
Diana immediately caught Cindy’s drift. “Heather’s not an elf like us?”
Cindy didn’t say anything. She just gave a very unladylike snort.
“I take it that’s a no.” Diana sighed. Of course Heather wasn’t an elf. With her daddy’s connections, Heather could get a much better job. “Is she working in one of the stores?”
“Are you serious?! Daddy’s little girl wouldn’t let her lily-white fingers touch a cash register. That’s too much like real work.”
“I guess you’re right.” Diana nodded. “What’s she going to be doing, then?”
“Heather’s got the best job here. She’s the Crossroads Mall’s Christmas Angel.”
Diana tried to conjure up an image of a Christmas Angel, but all she could think of was the time she’d played an angel in a grade school pageant. Her costume had consisted of a white sheet draped around her body, cardboard wings covered with aluminum foil, and a foil-covered halo that had kept slipping over her left eye. “Does Heather have to wear a costume?”
“Of course. She’s got a gorgeous white dress with sparkles all over it. And a real diamond tiara that looks a little like a halo.”
“No wings?” Diana raised her eyebrows.
“Well . . . sort of. She wears this little jacket that’s really lacy around the back of her shoulders. And it sticks out on both sides. I think it’s supposed to be her wings.”
“Well, at least it’s not typecasting.” Diana laughed. “We all know that Heather’s no angel.”
“Truer words were never spoken. Aren’t you going to ask me about her job?”
“Okay.” Diana nodded. “Does Heather have to skip around the mall like us?”
“Nope. No skipping.”
“How about those heavy trays of cookies?” Diana looked hopeful. “Does she have to carry one of those?”
“Nope. No cookies.”
Diana frowned. She was running out of ideas. “A punch tray? They said they’d be passing out punch.”
“Nope. No punch . . . except for the one I’d love to give her right between her baby blues.”
Diana grinned. “Me, too. But tell me . . . exactly what does Heather have to do as the Christmas Angel?”
“Nothing.” Cindy gave an emphatic nod as Diana’s mouth dropped open. “Its true! Heather doesn’t have to do anything at all. The Christmas Angel sits on a gold velvet throne next to Santa. That’s it.”
Diana felt her anger rise. “Heather gets paid for sitting, and we have to bust our buns, skipping all over the mall?”
“You got it. Of course Heather gets a half hour longer for lunch than we do.”
“But . . . why?”
“Because her job is such hard work.” Cindy’s tone was sarcastic. “Sitting all day on a gold velvet chair is horribly exhausting. Heather would never be able to survive without a full hour for lunch.”
The two girls exchanged annoyed glances. It wasn’t really jealousy. Neither one of them would have minded if one of their friends had landed the job, but the idea that Heather, who’d never worked a day in her life, had landed the cushiest job of all, rankled beyond belief.
There was a moment of silence, broken only by the sound of the Christmas music playing over the loudspeakers. Then Cindy cleared her throat. “Well . . . let’s both try to keep Heather away from Jay. I don’t want to see him get hurt again.”
“I’ll do my best,” Diana promised. “But Heather’s not so easy to sidetrack.”
“True.” Cindy looked depressed. There was another moment of silence as both girls listened to the refrain from “Joy To The World,” and then Cindy began to smile. “Did you hear? Shane Winter’s coming out here tonight, to rehearse.”
“I heard.” Diana tried to be casual, but she couldn’t help smiling as she thought about Shane Winter. She was hoping that he’d remember her. Of course, she’d changed quite a bit since Shane last saw her. Her family used to live next door to the Winters, and she’d been the skinny, red-haired kid who’d peered through the fence to spy on him when he’d sat on the porch swing with his dates. Back then, Shane had been the object of all Diana’s fantasies, and she still felt a warm, tingling thrill when she saw his face on the screen, or listened to one of his albums. Diana knew she was being unrealistic by hoping that Shane would come back to his old hometown and fall madly in love with the girl who used to live next door, but that sort of thing happened in the movies all the time.
Diana thought about how she’d changed since Shane had last seen her. She was much prettier now than she’d been in junior high. Everyone said she had a very good figure, and her teeth were nice and straight, now that her braces were off. Her hair even looked good right after she brushed it, and she’d brush it and put on makeup, right before Shane was due to . . .
“Diana? Hey . . . Diana!”
Diana blinked, and she felt herself start to blush as she realized that Jay was standing next to her.
“Oh, don’t mind Diana.” Cindy exchanged a grin with her older brother. “She was dreaming about Shane Winter again.”
“I was not!” Diana crossed her fingers to negate the lie, and glared at her roommate. There were times when Cindy could be a real pain.
But Cindy just kept on grinning. “Sure you were. You always get that mushy expression on your face when you play one of his songs.”
“I . . .” Diana struggled for something to say. This was embarrassing, especially since Jay was staring at her. “I used to live next door to him.”
Jay nodded. “I know. Cindy told me. Do you think he’ll remember you?”
“I doubt it.” Diana shrugged, as if she didn’t care. It was the furthest thing from the truth and she hoped she was being convincing. “I look a lot different now. I was only thirteen when Shane left town.”
“He’ll probably remember. I bet you were a cute kid.”
Jay give her a very warm smile, and Diana blushed again. Cindy’s brother was very handsome. He was tall and broad-shouldered, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. It was all muscle. And with his sun-streaked brown hair and dark brown eyes with incredibly long lashes, he was what Diana’s grandmother called a “dish.” He was nice, too, and Diana could tell he loved his younger sister. Cindy was totally different when Jay was around. She dropped her tough act and turned into a regular person.
If circumstances had been different, Diana might have been very interested in Jay. But they weren’t. And she wasn’t. Her heart belonged to Shane Winter, and it had ever since she’d been that skinny kid in junior high. Of course, Diana dated. The other girls were always lining her up with somebody’s brother or cousin or friend of a friend. Diana usually had a good time, but she hadn’t found one single date who even came close to measuring up to her memory of Shane.
“Were you?”
Jay was smiling at her, and Diana tried to concentrate. What was the question? Oh, yes. Jay had asked if she’d been a cute kid.
“I wasn’t cute.” Diana shook her head. “I was skinny, and my hair was even redder than it is now. My dad used to call me his little matchstick.”
Jay laughed. “Well, you’re not skinny now. And your hair is beautiful. I like it down like that.”
“Uh . . . thank you.” Diana started to blush again. She’d never been any good at handling compliments. She felt like pointing out that her hair was frizzy, and she hadn’t brushed it for several hours, but she’d read an article just last week about how to accept compliments. You were supposed to say thank you, and nothing else.
Cindy turned to her brother. “Are you just here to flirt with Diana? Or are you here in your official capacity as head honcho of the college work team?”
Jay laughed, he was obviously used to his sister, but Diana blushed even harder. There were times when she wished she could gag Cindy with a pair of her old sweat socks.
“I’m here officially. Sue needs you to help in the giftwrapping booth. We’ve got three hundred stuffed toys to wrap before the Tree Lighting Ceremony tomorrow night.”
Just then the speaker system crackled, interrupting the strains of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
“All Santas report to the costume area for fittings. All Santas, on the double.”
“All Santas?” Diana looked puzzled. “There’s more than one Santa?”
Jay nodded. “The guys are taking turns playing Santa. We’re doing it in shifts. It’s a hard job, Diana. The costumes are heavy, and Santa has to be on his toes for the kids. I didn’t think any of us should do it for more than four hours at a time.”
“So we won’t know who Santa is?” Cindy looked intrigued.
“Absolutely not. That’s part of my plan. If you elves don’t know who’s inside the Santa costume, you can’t slip up and use Santa’s real name.”
Diana nodded. “That’s a good idea. Are you going to play Santa, too?”
“You bet. And I’m late for my costume fitting.” Jay turned to go, but before he left, he reached out to touch a lock of Diana’s hair. “Leave your hair down, Diana. It really looks great that way.”
Cindy waited until her brother had left, and then she grinned at Diana. “Ho, ho, ho!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Jay never said anything about your hair before. I think he’s beginning to get interested in you.”
“You’re dreaming.” Diana felt a blush rise to her cheeks again, and she turned away so Cindy couldn’t see it. She’d been thinking the very same thing. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear that Jay had been trying to pick up on her. Of course, that was ridiculous. Jay was a really sweet guy, and he was only being nice to his sister’s roommate.
Cindy was frowning as they got up from the bench and started to walk toward the gift-wrapping booth, and Diana knew she was in for a lecture.
“Look, Di. You’re my friend, and I’m telling you this for your own good. It’s stupid to get this hung up on a movie star.”
“I’m not hung up!” Diana sighed deeply. “I told you before. Shane Winter’s not just a fantasy. I actually know him.”
“Correction. You knew him. But that was a long time ago, and this is now. Does my brother have a chance with you?”
“Your brother’s very nice.” Diana sighed again. “I like him, okay? But you’re the one who’s hung up on a fantasy if you think he’s interested in me.”
“Maybe. And maybe not. Be honest with me, Di. If Jay asked you out, would you go?”
“I . . . I don’t know.” Diana shrugged. “But I’m sure he won’t ask me out. I’m absolutely certain that the only reason Jay pays attention to me at all, is because I’m your friend.”
Diana was very relieved as they reached the gift-wrapping booth, and Cindy started talking to the other elves. Nan Eldridge, Heather’s roommate was there, and so was Betty Woo, a girl they knew from their English class. Naturally, Heather was conspicuously absent. Wrapping packages was work.
“Hey, girls . . . look at this!” Sue Langer opened one of the boxes, and pulled out a small, stuffed animal. Its eyes were on crooked, and it was covered with a bright green fuzz that looked as if it had been sprayed on.
All four girls looked at it for a long moment, and then Diana asked the question that was on everyone’s mind. “What kind of animal is it supposed to be?”
“I think it’s a frog,” Cindy made a guess.
Sue held the stuffed animal up and turned it around and around. She didn’t look convinced. “How can you tell?”
“Well . . . it’s sort of crouching, and it doesn’t have any ears. And it’s green.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Sue stuck the toy back in the box and handed out rolls of paper. “I wonder where they got these cheap little things. They look like they came from a carnival booth.”
Diana picked up a box and flipped it over to read the stamp on the bottom. “They’re from Hong Kong. And this one says, ‘fargile.’ ”
“What?!” Sue cracked up. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”
Diana shook her head, and held up the box so Sue could see. “Nope. It says ‘fargile.’ I think it’s supposed to say ‘fragile’ except they got the letters reversed.”
“Maybe not.” Nan spoke up. “Fargile might be its name. Does anyone know what ‘frog’ is in Hong Kongese?”
Sue began to laugh. “They don’t speak Hong Kongese, Nan. Hong Kong is on the coast of China. They speak Chinese.”
“I knew that.” Nan looked a little sheepish. “Hey, Betty. Do you know the Chinese word for ‘frog?’ ”
Betty nodded sagely. “Of course. It’s flog.”
That cracked everybody up, and it was a good five minutes before they could start wrapping the boxes. Diana’s job was to tie the bows, but her mind wasn’t really on her work. She was too busy thinking about what Cindy had said. Was she so blinded by her fantasy of Shane that she was ignoring the real world? There was only one way to tell. Shane was coming out here to rehearse tonight. Diana was determined to look at him honestly, and decide once and for all, whether Cindy was right.