Chapter Sixteen

“You look amazing.”

Noel’s voice cracked a little as she said the words, as if seeing Ally descend Peggy’s stairs in that green dress was almost too much for her. Tina and Maddie followed her down like royal attendants. Ally felt a little like Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club, taken off to be transformed into a babe worthy of the popular table. Her lips were bright red with Burberry Kisses lipstick (she couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn lipstick), her come-what-may chestnut hair pulled up in a perfect bun on the top of her head. Tina had rejected the idea of loaning Ally a dress and asked her friend Kay (owner of Kay’s Women’s Wear in the town square) to provide a loaner for the occasion. Kay had liked the idea so much, she’d offered last-minute loaner dresses to any and all female passengers from Flight 1225 who were going to the Christmas Eve Dance. Ally wore a dark green V-neck floor-length chiffon bridesmaid dress with ruffles. Tina happened to wear the same shoe size and also happened to have a pair of gold satin pumps that fit Ally perfectly.

“Oh, my goodness,” Peggy said as she and Noel stood up from the couch. “Allison, you look simply ravishing.” Ally loved how Peggy seemed to speak as if she were in a 1940s movie.

“Doesn’t she?” Tina said.

“I helped with her hair,” Maddie chimed in, then remembered, “and lipstick.”

Ally did a little spin at the bottom of the stairs. She was giddy and felt like the lucky sophomore girl who’d been asked to the senior prom. Just as she was drinking in the stares and awes and compliments, the doorbell rang.

Maddie ran to peek out the window. “It’s Uncle Jake!”

“All right,” Tina said. “Ally, you’ve got to go back upstairs and come down again. And wait until we announce you.”

“Great,” Ally said as she scooted back up the steps. Boy, this is fun, she thought. And for a moment, none of the chaos of her real life even mattered.

…

On the front porch, Jake could hear voices and scrambling coming from inside his mother’s house. He smiled at the scurrying about, the prepping for his appearance. He adjusted his coat and scarf and brushed a little snow from his lapel. It was really coming down, and a white Christmas was all but guaranteed. He flashed back to a moment some sixteen years earlier when he arrived to pick up Kate for the last Christmas Eve Dance before he went off to college. She too had come over to his mother’s to get dressed. Tina had been there that evening, as well.

He felt a lump in his throat, but it wasn’t a lump of sadness, it was gratitude. Ally had swept like a sweet breeze into his life, and, even if she was only there for a flickering moment, she had shown him that he could feel again, that loving another was at least possible. He thought back to what she’d said.

I believe that love never dies. It’s just too strong. I didn’t know Kate, but somehow, hearing you talk about her, I feel like I do a little. And I think if she could talk to you, she’d tell you that you should smile when you think of Christmas. Because it was something she loved so much.

Jake felt something move in his heart. It felt like a weight had been lifted, as if a fog had just burned away and he could suddenly see clearly. Ally was right. Kate would want him to smile, to believe in the magic of Christmas again.

“Jake.”

Jake was startled by the voice. It was so very familiar and seemed to come out of thin air. He turned back toward it, and there she was, wearing her old favorite lavender suede hooded winter coat. Her scarf was cream colored and looped once around her neck, her leather gloves were black. He knew those gloves. He’d held them for her. She looked just as he remembered, and she was dressed just as she was that Christmas Eve, the night he proposed, the night she passed away.

“Kate?”

Jake felt a rush of warmth run through him. He felt as if he’d slipped into some waking dream, one he was aware couldn’t be real but didn’t want to awaken from. There was a vision in front of him, and that vision was standing just on the other side of Peggy’s gate, looking right at him.

The vision of Kate put a gloved finger to her cherry lips. “Shhh. I only have a minute, and I have something important to say.” Jake nodded. He wanted to move to her but found he couldn’t make his feet go in that direction. So, he stood where he was and listened. The vision was in control. “Jake, I know how much you struggle with Christmas shopping. You never knew what to get me.” She smiled. It was a warm smile, full of light. It somehow forced Jake to smile back. “So, I’m going to make it easy on you this year. There’s only one thing I want, and that’s for you to move on.”

Jake nodded. His imagination was on overdrive as he dipped into his very own little Dickensian Christmas fantasy, with Kate starring as the ghost come to offer up a little sage advice.

“I may be gone, Jake, but you’re still alive. Stop looking in the rearview mirror, babe. Live your life, find love again. That’s what I want for Christmas this year. Can you give me that?”

Jake took a moment, his mind spinning, his heart racing. He finally was able to send a message from his brain to his vocal cords, which passed it on to his lips.

“Yes. I think so.”

The vision smiled as if pleased at his response, a smile that seemed to be a light unto itself, a glow that filled Jake with hope and joy and all things Christmas.

“Good,” the vision said. “I believe you.” The vision of Kate looked at him as if for the last time. And Jake somehow sensed he’d never have this dream again. She’d come to him one time, and, though she’d come asking for a gift, he realized she was truly the giver. He felt, standing on that porch, Kate had appeared for a purpose: to give him his future back. “I love you, Jake. I always will.”

“May I help you?”

Jake turned back toward the house to see his mother standing in the doorway smiling at him.

“Are you here for any particular reason?” Noel stepped into the doorway beside her, and then Maddie.

“Yeah,” Maddie chimed in, playing along. “Why are you here, mister?” Jake glanced back over his shoulder at the fence. The vision was gone. The sidewalk was empty. He turned back to his mother and Maddie. They were watching him with curious looks on their faces.

Though the vision was gone, the joy and hope and euphoria she’d blessed him with lingered. His spirit soared as Jake put on what he thought was a Shakespearean-era accent. “I’m hear-eth to escort-eth a fair maiden to the dance…eth.”

“Huh?” Maddie said, and Peggy laughed.

“Well, cometh in,” Peggy said. “Before you let-eth all the warm air out-eth.”

Jake stepped inside, and Peggy closed the door behind him. He saw his sister Tina standing at the foot of the stairs. She was smiling at him. Noel was sitting on the couch in the den with baby Chelsea.

“You look good, brother,” Tina said.

“Not too shabby,” Maddie chimed in.

“You look really handsome, Jake,” Noel added.

“Thank you all,” Jake said. He had debated what to wear for the dance, and finally decided to ascend to the attic and break out the tuxedo he’d bought years before for Tina’s wedding. He was surprised and happy to find it still fit. As he looked at himself all decked out in the full-length mirror on his bedroom closet, Jake thought about Ally. Who are you kidding? he thought to his tuxedo-wearing self. You’re trying to impress her. He didn’t care. This dance was special. His date was special. Why not go for it? If he was soon to say goodbye to Ally, why not go out in style?

“Okay!” Maddie called upstairs. “The princess can come down now!”

Jake looked up toward the top of his mother’s staircase and felt like the first time he rode the Cliffhanger Rollercoaster at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. He’d been nine years old, and it was his first coaster. The first big drop felt like he’d left his stomach somewhere up at the top. It was a strange, breathless feeling, and he was feeling it again watching Ally descend those stairs.

He could tell by the smile on her face that she was pleased by the stunned look on his. She was quite simply breathtaking. He thought she was beautiful with no makeup in jeans and a T-shirt, but this was a whole other level. She looked stunning, and he knew that his attempts to keep his emotions in check were futile. With each slow, graceful step she took down the staircase, Jake could feel his heart give way a little more. By the time she reached the bottom, he was head over heels in love, and there was no turning back.

“Hello,” he heard someone say and realized the voice was his own. “You look beautiful.” He thought it was best to play it cool and understated. Telling her she was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen might be overplaying his hand a bit.

“Thank you,” Ally said quietly. “So do you.” There was a moment of awkward silence as everyone looked at Ally and Jake, Jake and Ally standing in front of each other, neither sure what came next.

“Okay, you two,” Tina finally said. “Have fun. The rest of us have to get ready now.”

“Hold on,” Noel said. “I need a picture before you go.” Noel slowly got up from the couch, handed the baby to Tina, positioned Ally and Jake by the Christmas tree, and took a couple of shots. The first two were just side-by-side, and then she clicked a couple where Jake had his arm around his date, or Ally had her arm looped through his. Jake liked those best.

…

“So, where are we going for dinner?” Ally asked as they strolled through the front gate. The snow was still falling steadily, and Ally thought that the neighborhood looked like a Christmas snow globe.

“It’s a surprise,” Jake said. “Trust me?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ally said. “Do I have a choice?”

“I guess not,” he said. Jake’s pickup truck was idling out front. He guided Ally to the passenger door and then gave her his hand to help her in.

“Thank you, good sir,” she said. Jake had the heat running in the truck, and it was warm and snug in the cab. Ally saw him slip a little as he jogged around to the driver’s side.

She noticed that the truck’s speed never went above ten miles an hour on the slow drive into town. She imagined that Jake was doing it for her sake, so that she could take in the lovely white vista compliments of the Christmas Eve snow shower. It was still an hour before the dance officially started, and Ally wondered what Jake had planned for dinner. She sighed. Clock, please move slowly tonight. The final confirmation had come just before they left Peggy’s. A call came from the airline to announce that Flight 1225 would definitely be leaving late the next afternoon on a Christmas Day return trip to Los Angeles.

Ally was going home, where a rather large mess awaited her. But, in that moment with Jake in the snow, she felt happy and free, and she wanted their magical Christmas Eve to linger as long as possible. Jake put on a station out of Steamboat Springs that was playing nonstop Christmas music.

Ally gave him a sly look. “Thought you didn’t care for Christmas music.”

“I decided to give it another chance,” Jake said. “Besides, it’s Christmas Eve.”

Ally nodded. Maybe he’s made his peace with Christmas. Maybe he’s moving on. Jake didn’t say much on the drive, but Ally could see him stealing glances over at her. She could feel herself blush a little. She felt so at ease in his company. She couldn’t wait to see what came next.

“And we have arrived,” Jake said. Ally smiled as the truck rolled up to the curb outside Charlie’s Diner. She’d been hoping that was where they were headed.

“Charlie’s?” she said, as if trying to remember the place. “I’ve heard it’s quite good.” Ally looked at Jake and wondered why he hadn’t gotten out yet. He tooted the horn, and she looked out the window to see Robbie scrambling out the front door as if he’d missed his cue. He was wearing a white coat and black pants. There was a clip-on bowtie on his white cotton button-down shirt. Ally unfastened her seat belt as Robbie opened her door.

“Good evening, ma’am,” he said as the snow fell on his hair and shoulders and face. “Welcome to Charlie’s.” Ally glanced at Jake. He looked happy. She let Robbie take her hand and help her out onto the snowy sidewalk. She waited until Jake came around, and then she took his arm while Robbie stood awkwardly by, as if he was unsure what to do next. He cupped his hand for a tip, and Jake just winked at him.

“I’ll get you on the way out.” Ally noticed a sign in the window that read “Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” The quote beside it was new.

Love is the greatest Christmas gift of all.

Ally waited until she felt Jake’s hand on her back, and then headed for the front door. She thought about the quote. Will I find a new love beneath my tree this year to replace the old? She quickly brushed the thought aside. Too soon. Besides, could a country mouse ever really fall for a town mouse?

“Merry Christmas. Charlie’s is delighted you could join us this evening.”

Ally stepped through the diner door first to find Libby and Louie standing shoulder-to-shoulder by the counter awaiting their arrival. Jake closed the door and helped her remove her coat and scarf. He handed them to Robbie to hang on the coatrack by the door while Jake removed his own. Ally felt him step up beside her.

“Merry Christmas,” she said to Libby and Louie. “I’m so happy to be here.”

“Wonderful,” Libby said. “Let me show you to your table.” Louie and Robbie beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen while Libby took Ally and Jake over to the best booth in the house. It was front and center by the window, looking out on the snowy Bethlehem square. Jake waited until Ally was seated and then took the seat across from her. She looked out at the falling snow, listened to the soft sounds of Bing Crosby crooning “White Christmas” on the jukebox, and suddenly felt a rush of pure joy. She reached across and took Jake’s hand.

“Jake, this is so special. Thank you.”

Jake gave Ally’s hand a little squeeze and looked her in the eye. “Merry Christmas.”

The dinner was sweet and simple, a meal Jake told Ally his family had every Christmas Eve when he was growing up. On the menu was Louie’s slightly spicy (meatless) chili, along with Libby’s fresh-baked cornbread and honey. Jake showed Ally the proper way to crumble the golden bread into the chili, and she jokingly pretended to hang on his every move.

As she sat there in Charlie’s listening to the music and dining on that simple fare, Ally wished for a way to freeze that singular moment in time. If only I could just stay right here, she thought. Just for a little bit longer. For she was in a magical place where canceled weddings and broken relationships and drained bank accounts only existed in some distant corner of the Milky Way. For a night, for one enchanted Christmas Eve, she was simply a pretty girl sitting across from a handsome boy and having a wonderful time.

“Your fortune cookies,” Louie said, placing a cookie in front of Ally and then Jake. Jake gave him a puzzled look. “Picked them up from Chi’s this afternoon,” Louie told Jake in an aside. “Thought it would be a nice touch.” Jake smiled as Louie quickly retreated. He held up his cookie. “Mind if I go first?”

“Not at all,” Ally said. She watched as Jake carefully cracked open the light brown cookie, reached inside, and removed the little slip of paper. He read it and then slowly nodded. “Well?” Ally said. “Don’t keep me in suspense!”

“No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible,” Jake read.

Ally laughed. “So true. But that’s not even really a fortune…”

“You’re right,” Jake said with a smile. “Now your turn.”

Ally cracked open her own cookie and slipped out her fortune. She popped a bit of cookie in her mouth and crunched it as she read the message.

“Hmm,” she said. “Very interesting.”

“I’m waiting,” Jake said.

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings,” Ally read. She looked at Jake. Wow, she thought. Talk about a fortune tailor-made for me.

“Do you think that’s true?” Jake asked.

“I don’t know,” Ally said. “I guess only time will tell.”

“Come again, and Merry Christmas.”

About an hour after they sat down at the booth, Libby, Louie, and Robbie saw Ally and Jake off to the dance. Ally was touched that they’d stayed the whole time, knowing they still had to get ready.

“It’s only a couple blocks,” Jake said. “How about we walk?”

“Sure,” Ally said. The snow was still falling, but Ally could see the lights of the community center beckoning just up the street and figured her borrowed dance shoes could handle the short jaunt. Jake offered his arm, and she took it, letting him steady her along the frosty sidewalks of Bethlehem. As they walked past the lighted shop windows, Ally could hear the music growing louder, the sound of voices and laughter. She looked at Jake. “This may be the best date of my life.”

“Good,” Jake said. “That’s what I was shooting for.” Ally smiled and squeezed his arm a little tighter.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey was playing when Ally and Jake walked into the community center. Ally marveled at how they’d managed to transform the room yet again since the bake-off. It had been pretty Christmassy already, but they’d added strands of white lights that ran over the dance floor; a dangling strobe light bounced red light off the walls and floor and faces. The dance floor was full of locals and airline folks moving to the music or gathered around the red-and-green-clothed corner tables filled with punch and cookies and snacks.

“So, here we are again,” Ally said. She felt Jake’s hand intertwine with hers, and a rush of warmth coursed through her.

“Yeah,” Jake said. “Here we are.” I love a man of few words, Ally thought. She looked around and noticed that those she recognized as airline passengers were now fully integrated with the locals. There was no longer an invisible line separating them. Mariah Carey gave way to Bobby Helms and “Jingle Bell Rock.”

“So,” Jake said, “wanna dance?”

“Love to,” Ally said. Jake guided her by the hand in and around the crush of bodies until he found a small clearing near the center of the dance floor. Ally started to twist and turn to the upbeat music and soon realized Tina’s loaner shoes were keeping her from feeling her dance mojo, so she kicked them off, nearly bonking Jake in the shin in the process. “Oops,” she said. “Sorry.” She shook her stockinged right foot in the air. “Much better,” she said to Jake over the music, and they both laughed.

Ally moved rhythmically to the up-tempo cheery song and realized she hadn’t danced in so long. Tim wasn’t big on going out. Then, Jake took her hand in his and eased her into a turn. As she slowly spun, Ally pretended to lose her balance and leaned back against him, laughing. Jake went with it, moving his strong hands to her hips to hold her. And, for a moment, Ally imagined that everything slowed down: the music, the other dancers, time itself. Jake seemed in no hurry to move her off. Instead, he slid his hands from her hips to her waist and then slipped his arms around her stomach as Ally rested her head back against his shoulder. She could feel the scruff of his unshaven face and her temperature rise. Her heartbeat soon caught up, and she felt flushed and giddy, as if the touch of his body had given her a contact high. Finally, Jake eased her around until she was facing him again. She could see the blush on his cheeks, and she knew he’d felt it, too.

Then, Ally saw Jake looking over her shoulder. “Robbie’s missing his big chance—again,” he said. Ally followed his gaze and saw Amelia standing alone at the edge of the dance floor just watching the dancers.

“Wonder what happened to her friend?” Ally said.

“Maybe he moved on,” Jake said.

“No,” Ally said. “I think she did. He was much too needy.”

Jake smiled. Ally so loved his smile. “I never told you,” Jake said, “but I really liked what you said to Robbie. The three things. How’d you come up with that?”

“I didn’t really come up with them,” Ally said. “I just know that’s what I’m looking for. And, trust me, it’s not easy to find. Some might say nearly impossible.”

Then, the music abruptly stopped as if somebody pulled the plug. Ally and Jake looked around the room. What’s going on? she thought. A grating screech of microphone feedback turned all eyes to the stage as a spotlight switched on to illuminate a lone figure standing center stage holding a microphone.

Robbie.

The skinny busboy held up his left hand to shield him from the light. Ally saw that he was still wearing the white jacket from the diner.

“Sorry,” Robbie said into the mic, prompting another burst of shrill feedback. Ally and Jake exchanged a curious look. What is going on? Ally thought. She looked back and saw that Amelia was in the same spot, eyes locked on the stage. Robbie looked at the microphone in his hand, then out at the audience. “Hi.” This time there was no feedback, and he seemed relieved. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Robbie Wilson.” He took a pause as if the audience really needed time to process what he’d just said. “I’m nineteen years old, and I work at Charlie’s Diner.”

“What’s he doing?” Jake whispered.

“I’m not sure,” Ally said, “but I think he’s finally learning to be bold.” Ally saw Robbie looking around, scanning the faces, and she knew who he was searching for. Then, she saw his eyes rest on the back of the room. He’d spotted Amelia.

“Hi Amelia,” he said. His voice was steady and calm. All eyes swiveled like a tennis match toward the lovely girl standing on the edge of the dance floor. Amelia looked around and seemed self-conscious at suddenly being the main attraction.

“Here it comes,” Ally whispered to Jake.

“Here what comes?”

“You’ll see.”

“Amelia, I’ve known you pretty much my whole life,” the busboy continued. “I mean, we grew up on the same street and went to the same school, and…I know you probably think you know me pretty well. But, if you think you know all there is to know about me…you’d be wrong. There’s something really important I haven’t told you. I haven’t told you because I was afraid to tell you. I was afraid that—if I told you how I really felt about you—you wouldn’t be my friend anymore. So, I decided to just keep it to myself while you just went about your life not knowing…not having any idea that somebody you’d known for so long felt that way about you…that some guy from your street and school and past…really cared about you.”

Ally felt a lump come to her throat, and she held onto Jake’s arm. Why am I so nervous? she thought. But she knew why. It was because she had so much invested in that moment. Even though love had knocked the wind out of her, she was still pulling for it to win the day.

“I never told you,” Robbie went on, “that I think you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever known. You are beautiful and kind and funny and smart and talented, and I have been head over heels in love with you from the first moment I saw you. It was Kimmy Robinson’s fifth birthday party. Remember, Amelia?” Ally saw Amelia nod. “She had a jumping house with a slide. We slid down together, and you asked me to hold your hand because you were afraid.” Ally could see Amelia nod again. She remembered. “I still think about that all the time,” Robbie said. “I could never forget. Anyway, someone recently told me that I should just be honest with you. And that’s what I’m up here doing.”

Suddenly, there was silence. The room waited. Ally watched Amelia. There was an uncertain look on the coed’s face, and Ally wondered if she might run out in embarrassment. But then, she began moving forward. It was a slow and purposeful movement. She’s heading for the stage, Ally realized. Her heart started fluttering like a hummingbird. The crowd parted as Amelia moved, creating a passageway across the dance floor to the edge of the elevated stage where Robbie stood waiting. Ally looked at Jake, and he winked at her. It was as if he knew what was about to take place.

When Amelia reached the edge of the stage, she looked up at Robbie for a moment, then held up her hand. “Dance with me?” she whispered. There was a moment of hesitation, as if Robbie couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“C’mon,” Ally softly urged as she dug her fingers into Jake’s arm. “Take her hand.” Robbie didn’t say anything. He just took Amelia’s small, beckoning hand and stepped down onto the dance floor, handing off the microphone as she guided him out to the center of the space. The DJ, obviously knowing that the moment needed the perfect number, came through with flying colors, selecting “Merry Christmas, Darling” by The Carpenters. And, as the dance began and couples flowed in around Robbie and Amelia, Jake gently took both of Ally’s hands, and they joined the young couple’s first dance.

“He did it,” Ally said, smiling up at Jake.

“You did,” Jake said. “See, there was a purpose to you being here after all.”

Ally thought about Jake’s words as she put her head on his shoulder and let him slowly guide her through the sweet slow dance. Was Robbie and Amelia her purpose for being in Bethlehem, or was it something else? Did she have a purpose at all for being there?

And, as Karen Carpenter sweetly sang logs on the fire fill me with desire, Ally felt Jake’s hand shift on her waist as he moved her in closer, and she knew it was, without a doubt, the best dance of her life. And when she looked at him, Jake was watching her, and he reached out and gently brushed a stray hair from her cheek. Ally licked her lips. Suddenly, she was the shy one. He’s going to kiss me, and I’m going to let him.

I’ve just one wish on this Christmas Eve.

I wish I were with you.

I wish I were with you.

The song finished, and Jake kissed her. The kiss was slow and sweet, his lips pressing gently against hers as he took her face in his hands. Ally closed her eyes and felt a shiver run up her spine. She could feel the tiny hairs on her arms stand up as she kissed him back, flicking her tongue between his lips. He kissed her more passionately, pressing his mouth against hers, matching her hunger and longing.

And Ally felt something surprising, a totally unexpected sensation knocking on the door of her mind. Hope. Her girlhood dream of a family and babies and shared vacations and barbecues, trick-or-treating and school plays, came rushing back, and she welcomed it in like a long-lost friend. That dream was alive again right there on the dance floor in the Town of Bethlehem Community Center. The kiss had awakened it. Maybe there was someone out there waiting to help tuck her unborn children in bed someday. Someone to make a life with. A family. Maybe that someone was close at hand.

And then it was over. The music faded. Ally didn’t move away from her dance partner. Instead, she looked into his eyes, searching his deep blues as if maybe she could find an answer there. Wow, she thought. That was some kiss. It was sweet and sensuous, a kiss that felt like something more than just a kiss. Does he want me? Is this man falling for me, or is it just Christmas Eve and my romantic imagination? And then, like fingernails scraping over a chalkboard, the blaring fluorescent lights flashed on, and the moment was gone. Ally let go of Jake’s hands and stepped back as another shriek of microphone feedback turned all eyes to the stage, where Mayor Frank Farmer now stood holding the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “as you all know by now, tomorrow, we’ll have to bid so long to our friends—the passengers and crew of Flight 1225.” A murmur rolled through the crowd like the wave at a baseball game. “The Blizzard Blast has passed, and the airports have reopened.” Ally glanced around the room, lighting on the faces of some of her fellow passengers, the Christmas castaways. She didn’t sense that they were any more excited about saying goodbye than she was. She knew why. Like her, they no longer felt Bethlehem was an inconvenience. The little town had become something more, something they likely couldn’t have imagined when they arrived four days earlier. Bethlehem had become a kind of home, a sweet shelter from the storm that had seeped into their hearts and souls and memories. It wasn’t going to be easy to say goodbye.

And then Ally saw that people were hugging: locals and passengers, strangers and new friends. The embraces rolled around the room, spreading like a brush fire, enveloping one and all. And she turned to Jake, and he was watching her with the same blue eyes she’d been lost in moments before, and she saw a trace of a tear in one of them that she knew he was doing his best to keep in check. Captain Kendall took the microphone and explained some of the logistics, reminding them that the plane would not be continuing to New York, but returning to the airport of origin in Los Angeles. When the pilot was finished, she handed the microphone to the mayor.

“I’d like to dedicate the last dance of the night to our good friends,” the mayor said on stage, “the castaways of Flight 1225.” “Same Old Lang Syne” started to play as the lights dimmed again. Ally and Jake just stood looking at one another. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like dancing. She just wanted to turn and walk away, get her coat and go out into the snowy night before she said something she couldn’t take back. She saw Jake watching her, and she could almost read his thoughts. He knows what I’m thinking, Ally thought. Just ask him to dance, she coerced herself. Just one more dance.

“Jake?”

She heard her phone ring and looked around for it. She was wearing a dress; her purse was on the coat table. Where could it be? Then she remembered as Jake coolly slipped it out of his jacket pocket. She’d given it to him to hold for her. He held it out to her like a challenge, and Ally took it.

“Sorry,” she said as she glanced at the screen. It was Devyn. Why is she calling on Christmas Eve? Does she just want to wish me Merry Christmas, or is it something urgent? Ally looked at Jake. “It’s my studio manager. I should probably take this.” Jake nodded, and Ally moved off the dance floor to take the call, catching it just before it went to voicemail.

“Hey Devyn, what are you doing calling on Christmas Eve?”

“I’m so sorry, Ally. I really wanted to wait to call you, but I just couldn’t. I’m still at the studio.”

“Still there?” Ally said. “I thought we were closing early today.”

“Ally, I’ve got some bad news,” Devyn said. Ally could hear her manager’s voice crack. Ally wondered how there could possibly be any more bad news, since she was pretty sure she’d crammed her quota for the year into the past several days.

“Okay,” Ally said. “Let me have it.”

“I was just closing up when a deputy from the sheriff’s office showed up.”

“The sheriff’s office?” Ally said.

“Yes,” Devyn said in a trembling voice. “Apparently, Tim wasn’t paying the rent—not for three months. He’d been hiding the notices and the calls and the messages. They delivered an eviction notice. We have sixty days to get out. I’m so sorry, Ally. I didn’t know.” Ally could tell that Devyn was crying. She looked over toward Jake. He was dancing with Maddie near Robbie and Amelia. The new couple was cheek to cheek, lost in each other. At least there’s one happy ending this Christmas, Ally thought.

“It’s okay,” Ally said to Devyn, but she didn’t feel her words. She knew that there was nothing at all okay about being evicted on Christmas Eve. “Devyn, just go home and be with your family. I’m going to get back there as soon as I can and try to figure something out. Go enjoy your holiday. Please.”

“Okay, Ally,” Devyn said in a shaky voice. “Ally, I’m so sorry this is happening to you. You’re such a good person.”

“Thank you,” Ally said. “We’ll figure something out. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Devyn whispered, and she was gone. Ally hung up and just stood there in the darkened room as she tried to process what Devyn had just said. Evicted. There was such a feeling of finality to the word. What was she going to do? How would she survive? And what about Devyn? She’d be out of a job, too. Ally felt suddenly out of place in a room of Christmas cheer and goodwill. She felt as if she didn’t have any right to the feeling. She just wanted out, and fast. She grabbed her coat, scarf, and beanie from the coat table and flung them on.

“Ally?”

Ally turned, and Jake was there looking at her. There was something about his face and eyes that told her he could tell something was terribly wrong.

“Is everything okay?”

She just stood there for a moment as if she was no longer sure how to take her thoughts and send them to her tongue to form words. She just wanted out, wanted to run, to get away, to be alone. She could have just told him that, and he would have probably understood, but the pain and emotion and devastating punch of the moment seemed to overwhelm her. Ally had been holding on to the belief that—despite everything Tim had done to her—at least she still had her studio. She had assumed the rent had been paid, that she had time: months, weeks, something. With her studio, she was still afloat. With her studio, there was still hope. She could mount a comeback. She could get her life back on track.

The phone call from Devyn shattered her failsafe. The call told her that her life raft had a gaping hole in it and was taking on water. Ally was sinking fast, and the ending was coming with a harsh finality, while she stood on a cramped dance floor in the community center of a tiny town a thousand miles from home. She’d never felt so trapped, so helpless. Ally realized that Bethlehem and Jake had lulled her into a false sense of security. The welcoming warmth had made her feel as if she truly could weather the Tim storm, as if everything would turn out okay in the end. I’m being evicted. Everything I worked so hard for is over. Gone.

“Jake. I’ve been kidding myself. I thought this whole thing going on with my life was just a bump in the road, and that I was going to be able to fix everything, all the while stranded, a thousand miles from home. But I was just fooling myself. It’s over. My money’s gone, my business is in shambles, and now I’ve been evicted from my studio. Everything I’ve built is finished. Done. I’m going to have to sell my house to pay off—”

Jake put his hands on her arms, stopping her. “Ally. It’s going to be okay. I know it’s bad, but there are people right here that care about you, that won’t let you fall. You can stay in Bethlehem for a while until…”

“Stay in Bethlehem?” Ally pulled back from him. “Jake, are you kidding?”

“Why not? Stay longer than a while, if you want. You can teach yoga right here.” He chuckled. “Bet you’d have a line of students at your door. I can help you find a place, get you set up. I’ve seen how you are here, Ally. You’re happy. I can tell. I’m afraid if you move back to L.A., you’ll lose that.” Ally stared at him. Her emotions were swirling, her stomach in knots. She couldn’t believe what he was suggesting. Stay there? In Bethlehem? Stick my head in the sand and hide from my problems? My responsibilities? She suddenly felt her ears turn red. Her life had just ended, and he was trying to recast it in his image.

“Stay here?” she said. This time there was an edge to her voice. “Why would you think I would stay here? This isn’t my home. I’m sorry, Jake. But I just told you everything I’d worked for is gone, and your response is for me to just…leave it all behind? Just give up?” Her voice cracked. She was starting to fall apart. “Just like that?”

“Listen, Ally,” Jake said. “I didn’t mean…”

Ally stepped farther back from him. “I think this should be our goodbye,” she said. “You obviously don’t really know me, and I don’t know you. I’m sorry, Jake. I need to live my life. And, I’m sorry, but it isn’t here. It never will be.” Ally turned to leave, but Jake took her by the elbow and turned her back to him.

“Ally, wait. I thought…”

“You thought what? That we had…a future? Jake, you’re a wonderful guy. Truly. But this…us…isn’t going to work. You don’t really know me if you think I can just chuck it all and restart my life like it’s nothing. I built something in L.A., and I’m not going to give it up without fighting for it. Even if it does no good. I’m…I’m sorry.” Ally could see his face change. She could read the pain of her words registering there. She’d left a mark, and, though she knew she’d later feel remorse, at that moment she just needed to get out. She looked past him and saw Tina watching. Ally wondered how much she’d seen and heard.

“You’re sorry?” Jake said. Ally could see the emotions surging in his eyes. She knew exactly what he felt. Hurt. Angry. Heartbroken. “What? Was I just a diversion to you, Ally? Is that it? Some poor schmoe to pass the time with?”

“Jake, no…”

“You go on back to L.A.,” Jake said. “I think that’s a fine idea. Merry Christmas.” Ally watched as he turned and walked away, heading over toward his sister. She saw Tina take her brother’s arm. She could see Jake’s sister speaking softly to him, trying to find out what was going on. Her chin started to tremble, and her eyes flooded with tears. Then, Ally took one last look around the room and headed for the door.