fulfill one of your requests.”
Melissa remembered making the wishes for romance and financial stability which Clarence jokingly had granted her after she’d helped save his job.
“But Terry’s told me that hardheaded photographer still hasn’t called and begged your forgiveness,” he grumbled.
Wishing Terry hadn’t said anything to Clarence about her disagreement with Rafe, Melissa smiled bravely while trying to block a pair of dark bedroom eyes from her memory. “Oh, it’ll all work out for the best.”
When Clarence frowned down at her, she knew she hadn’t fooled him. “Nevertheless, I happen to have a small thank-you tucked away in my pocket.” He pulled out a tiny package. “Something to remind you of your naughty Santa.”
“Oh, Clarence, I’d never forget you!” Melissa opened the green and red wrapping and revealed a miniature pink fairy on a gold cord. “Oh!”
“An ornament for your tree.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Melissa hugged the older man and quickly released him. “I’ve got to change.”
“Of course. Merry Christmas, Melissa.”
“You, too, Clarence.”
She couldn’t make herself say the words “Merry Christmas” any more than she could admit she had no tree on which to hang the beautiful little ornament. She couldn’t say Rafe had promised to help her pick one out and get it up to her apartment Sunday evening, nor that they’d planned to decorate it on Christmas Eve, tonight, but they’d fought instead and now Melissa didn’t have the heart to buy a tree, let alone trim it by herself.
Trying to swallow the lump that had been lodged in her throat since Sunday night, Melissa entered the dressing room and changed into her street clothes while trying to ignore the growing air of festivity around her. Christmas was here, impossible to ignore no matter how hard she tried. Christmas carols were piped throughout the store, and cheerful holiday greetings echoed off the metal lockers.
“You’d better hurry, girl. There’s hardly more than an hour left to finish your Christmas shopping!”
Arlene’s excited words cut through her thoughts and Melissa realized she’d been staring blindly at her sparkling pink costume. “Oh, you’re right,” she said, not wanting to admit that she had nothing to purchase. “I was just thinking about how much I was going to miss everyone. Especially you.”
“Hey, now don’t get all sentimental on me. I live in uptown Manhattan, not upstate New York.”
“Right.”
Quickly, Melissa hung up the dress, carefully folded the wings, then encased it in a protective plastic covering. She wished she could leave the costume behind—one less reminder of the holiday she wouldn’t be celebrating, one less reminder of Rafe and how she’d met him pretending to be the tooth fairy. But that would be foolish, a waste of the hard-earned money she’d paid for it.
Perhaps she could sell it to one of the secondhand clothing shops she enjoyed poking through. She could use the money. But remembering Rafe’s first kiss, the way he’d crushed her wings, and the way her rhinestone tiara had spilled onto his darkly handsome brow, Melissa knew she’d never part with the costume.
“Merry Christmas, girl.” Arlene hugged Melissa and headed for the door with a warning. “Don’t eat too many sugarplums tonight!”
Melissa had to grin at the other woman’s teasing. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Actually, she wasn’t sure what she was going to eat that night. “And call me like you promised.”
“I’ll call.”
Melissa hoped Arlene would. It was much more difficult to make friends in a big city like New York than it was in her small hometown. She’d miss the black woman’s sense of humor and high spirits, which never seemed to flag. Right now she could use large doses of both positive qualities herself. Gathering her things, she said her last goodbyes to the other women she’d worked with before leaving the dressing room.
Her
Melissa remembered making the wishes for romance and financial stability which Clarence jokingly had granted her after she’d helped save his job.
“But Terry’s told me that hardheaded photographer still hasn’t called and begged your forgiveness,” he grumbled.
Wishing Terry hadn’t said anything to Clarence about her disagreement with Rafe, Melissa smiled bravely while trying to block a pair of dark bedroom eyes from her memory. “Oh, it’ll all work out for the best.”
When Clarence frowned down at her, she knew she hadn’t fooled him. “Nevertheless, I happen to have a small thank-you tucked away in my pocket.” He pulled out a tiny package. “Something to remind you of your naughty Santa.”
“Oh, Clarence, I’d never forget you!” Melissa opened the green and red wrapping and revealed a miniature pink fairy on a gold cord. “Oh!”
“An ornament for your tree.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Melissa hugged the older man and quickly released him. “I’ve got to change.”
“Of course. Merry Christmas, Melissa.”
“You, too, Clarence.”
She couldn’t make herself say the words “Merry Christmas” any more than she could admit she had no tree on which to hang the beautiful little ornament. She couldn’t say Rafe had promised to help her pick one out and get it up to her apartment Sunday evening, nor that they’d planned to decorate it on Christmas Eve, tonight, but they’d fought instead and now Melissa didn’t have the heart to buy a tree, let alone trim it by herself.
Trying to swallow the lump that had been lodged in her throat since Sunday night, Melissa entered the dressing room and changed into her street clothes while trying to ignore the growing air of festivity around her. Christmas was here, impossible to ignore no matter how hard she tried. Christmas carols were piped throughout the store, and cheerful holiday greetings echoed off the metal lockers.
“You’d better hurry, girl. There’s hardly more than an hour left to finish your Christmas shopping!”
Arlene’s excited words cut through her thoughts and Melissa realized she’d been staring blindly at her sparkling pink costume. “Oh, you’re right,” she said, not wanting to admit that she had nothing to purchase. “I was just thinking about how much I was going to miss everyone. Especially you.”
“Hey, now don’t get all sentimental on me. I live in uptown Manhattan, not upstate New York.”
“Right.”
Quickly, Melissa hung up the dress, carefully folded the wings, then encased it in a protective plastic covering. She wished she could leave the costume behind—one less reminder of the holiday she wouldn’t be celebrating, one less reminder of Rafe and how she’d met him pretending to be the tooth fairy. But that would be foolish, a waste of the hard-earned money she’d paid for it.
Perhaps she could sell it to one of the secondhand clothing shops she enjoyed poking through. She could use the money. But remembering Rafe’s first kiss, the way he’d crushed her wings, and the way her rhinestone tiara had spilled onto his darkly handsome brow, Melissa knew she’d never part with the costume.
“Merry Christmas, girl.” Arlene hugged Melissa and headed for the door with a warning. “Don’t eat too many sugarplums tonight!”
Melissa had to grin at the other woman’s teasing. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Actually, she wasn’t sure what she was going to eat that night. “And call me like you promised.”
“I’ll call.”
Melissa hoped Arlene would. It was much more difficult to make friends in a big city like New York than it was in her small hometown. She’d miss the black woman’s sense of humor and high spirits, which never seemed to flag. Right now she could use large doses of both positive qualities herself. Gathering her things, she said her last goodbyes to the other women she’d worked with before leaving the dressing room.
Her
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