Christmas On Pointe (A Silver Bell Falls Holiday Novella) Read online

  With a smile and a wave, Abby watched as they walked out the door. For a moment she stood there in stunned silence. Was it possible? Was it really something that could happen for her? Her own dance studio? A place where she could have more room and be able to offer even more classes? And maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t have to work as a waitress anymore because the dance studio would be her full-time job!

  With every thought that came into her head, her excitement grew. Looking at the clock, she saw it was three – time for her shift to end. Ripping off her apron, Abby stepped around the counter and did a happy little spin and then a grand jeté across the diner. When she landed on her feet, she heard the bell above the diner door jingle. Smoothing her hair and her shirt, she turned and almost gasped.

  Dean was back.

  And beside him was a little blonde-haired angel.

  “Did you see that, Uncle Dean? That’s what I want to do!”

  ****

  For a moment, Dean didn’t move. Didn’t even blink.

  That move...that leap...that...wow.

  Beside him, Maya tugged at his coat. “Did you see her? Did you see her? She’s a real-life ballerina! I know it!” Then she ran over to Abby.

  Abby Foster. Hell, he’d always admired the way she moved around the diner, but he’d never seen her do anything quite like that. It was...damn. It was impressive.

  “Maya,” he called out lamely but still couldn’t bring himself to move. Instead, he stood in fascination as he watched Abby crouch down to talk to his niece.

  “Are you a real ballerina?” Maya asked with awe – as one would ask Santa Claus if he was real.

  Abby smiled as she looked at her. “Yes, I am. And who are you?”

  “I’m Maya and I just moved here to Bell Falls...oops...I mean Silver Falls. No,” she sighed dramatically and looked over at her uncle. “What town is this?”

  He smiled and took a tentative step toward them. “Silver Bell Falls,” he said softly.

  “Right,” Maya said, nodding. She faced Abby again. “I just moved...here.”

  “Really?” Abby said with pleasure. “Well I just know you’re going to love it here! There are a ton of kids around and I know you’re going to make a bunch of friends!” She stood up and smiled at Dean shyly. “Hi, Dean. Would you like a booth or the counter?”

  “Um...a booth,” he said, but couldn’t seem to let himself look directly at her. It wasn’t as if Abby were a stranger or that he’d never noticed her before – he had. Unfortunately, their interactions had been limited to him ordering his breakfast and talking about the local news. She’d always been nice to him and even those small conversations seemed to brighten his day. Of course it would make sense that she’d be sweet and friendly to Maya. That was who Abby was. Everyone in Silver Bell Falls knew Abby and how she always seemed to be there for everyone.

  She was a good person.

  A sweet person.

  And yet he was still reeling – and a little turned on - from her little leap across the diner.

  Once they were seated, Dean realized that Maya was still talking. “...and I want to get tights and a tutu and then I’m gonna learn how to jump up like you just did!”

  Abby smiled and didn’t seem put off by Maya’s overly-enthusiastic chatter. “Well I’ll tell you what, I’m just getting ready to leave here and go over to the community center where I teach ballet classes. Maybe after you eat, you and your uncle can come over and observe a class.” She paused and looked at Dean. “That is...if you have time. Sorry. I should have thought of that first.”

  He was just about to tell her that it was all right – that bringing Maya over to the community center would really help him out a lot – but his niece beat him to it.

  “We don’t have anything else to do, right Uncle Dean? You said that we were going to look into ballet classes right away so we need to hurry up and eat so we can go and watch the class and then I can get signed up and then we can go and buy my tights and tutu and stuff!”

  Without missing a beat, Abby turned and grabbed a couple of menus for them and smiled again at Maya. Picking up the menu, the little girl pretended to read it and then announced, “I’d like a cheeseburger, french fries and a strawberry milkshake!”

  “Uh...Maya...maybe you should...” Dean began.

  “That is a lot of food, but you know what?”

  Maya’s eyes went wide as she moved in closer to Abby as if getting ready to hear a secret. “What?”

  “Strawberry milkshakes are my favorite.” Then she ran a hand over Maya’s curly little head. “Enjoy your meals and I’ll see you soon.”

  Just as Abby turned to walk away, Maya called out to her. “Can you do that jump again? Please?”

  Dean saw the uncertainty on Abby’s face. “Maya, the diner probably isn’t the best place for Abby to be doing that. And besides, she needs to get going so she won’t be late for her class.”

  The little girl considered him for a moment and he knew in an instant that she didn’t care for his observation. She looked back at Abby with her big blue eyes and pled. “Please? Just one more?”

  Abby chuckled softly as she moved away. “Okay. But just one more and then I have to go.”

  She walked toward the front door and seemed to gauge her space. Dean had to admit, he really wanted to see her do it again too. If she could move like that in the tight confines of the diner, he couldn’t even imagine what she’d be able to do with an empty room.

  Her expression turned serious and he watched her sort of sway this way and that before taking a steadying breath. And then he watched in pure awe as she gracefully spun around a few times and then did a massive leap in the air – as if doing a split in midair!

  Holy hell!

  She landed elegantly on her feet, struck a dramatic pose and as Maya began to clap enthusiastically, she took a bow. She wasn’t even a little bit breathless, but Dean sure as hell was!

  Abby walked up to them, smiled and said, “I’ll see you both soon!”

  Both Dean and Maya watched as Abby disappeared through a back door. Just as he started scanning the menu, she came back out in her coat and had a cute knit hat on her head and a cheery red scarf around her neck. She waved at them one more time and then made her way out the front door.

  Damn.

  It wasn’t until Bev cleared her throat that Dean realized he was still staring at the door. He looked up at her and felt heat burning his cheeks. He also noticed the knowing smirk on her face.

  Great.

  “So...any specials today?” he asked and immediately cursed the slight crack in his voice.

  For the next few minutes they talked specials and Maya chatted with Bev – her voice happy and animated. For the first time in two weeks, Dean felt himself start to relax. They were going to be okay.

  They hadn’t even made it back to his house yet. They’d been driving through town when Maya said she was hungry. They ate breakfast late and while they were on the road, neither had been particularly hungry for lunch. As soon as Dean spotted the diner, though, his stomach protested and demanded to be fed. Knowing there wasn’t going to be any food at his house for a home-cooked meal, stopping at the diner seemed like a good choice. . His day was far from over, but hopefully they’d eat some lunch, make a quick stop at the community center and be home before dark.

  And then it would easily be midnight before he had everything unloaded and a room set up for Maya to use.

  Dammit.

  Maybe today wasn’t the best day for them to go to the community center to check out the ballet classes.

  “And Abby said that she’s going to make me a list of what I’m gonna need for the classes!” Maya was telling Bev. “I already know about the tights and the tutu but there are special shoes too and stuff.” She took a breath before going on. “Do you think I should get a pink tutu or a purple one? Or maybe yellow! Do they make yellow ones?”

  Bev chuckled and looked over at Dean with a grin. “You’ll get used to
it.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked wearily. “I’m sitting here thinking of all the things we still have to do.” Stopping, he looked at Maya. “I think we should wait until tomorrow to go see Abby. We still have to get home and unpack the trailer.”

  Those big blue eyes instantly filled with tears and her bottom lip quivered.

  Then she lowered her head and seemed to pull herself together. “Oh. Okay.”

  This had to be the worst feeling in the world, he thought. He looked up at Bev helplessly – silently begging her for advice.

  “Like I said,” she began softly, “you’ll get used to it.” Then she walked away to get their drinks and put in their order.

  “Maya...sweetheart...I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s getting late and we still have so much to do. It’s been a long day and a long drive and...I want us to get settled in a bit tonight. Tomorrow we’ll go to the store and get things for your room and I promise we’ll go to the community center and talk to Abby, okay?”

  She nodded and quietly thanked Bev who put their drinks down on the table.

  His gut clenched and his mind raced with how he could get everything done that needed to be done. Maybe if they only spent fifteen minutes in Abby’s class it could work. Or if they ate really fast. Or maybe...

  “Hey, Dean.”

  Dean looked up and saw Josiah walking toward him, smiling. Relief washed over him. A friend. Someone who could possibly help him with all the things he still had to do. “Hey,” he said and moved further into the booth. “Good to see you.”

  “I’ve been watching for you,” Josiah said as he sat down. He looked at Maya and smiled. “And you must be Maya.”

  She nodded solemnly and took a sip of her milkshake.

  Josiah glanced at Dean briefly and then back at Maya. “So your uncle told me all about you. I’m the sheriff of Silver Bell Falls and I’m here to officially welcome you.”

  Maya raised her head. “Really?”

  He nodded and then showed her his official badge. “I like to welcome all of the new residents of Silver Bell Falls personally. I think you’re really going to like it here.”

  “It’s cold,” she said with a bit of a pout.

  Josiah nodded. “It sure is. But you know what’s good about that?”

  “What?” Now she looked mildly interested.

  “We get lots of snow and then we all ride our sleds and build snowmen and have a whole lot of fun. Do you like building snowmen?”

  She shrugged.

  It only took a second for Josiah to catch on. “How about this? The first time it snows, I’m going to come over and help you build one. What do you think?”

  “Okay.” There was little to no enthusiasm in her response.

  Dean was just about to beg for mercy from the five-year-old, but Bev came back with their food and saved him.

  “Can I get you anything, Sheriff?” Bev asked.

  He shook his head. “No thanks.” After she walked away, Josiah turned toward Dean. “So it looks like you’ve only got the small trailer out there. Would you like some help unloading? I can meet you at your place at six. Melanie and I were already planning on stopping by, but I figured I’d double check with you first.”

  “I appreciate it,” Dean said after finishing a bite of his cheeseburger. “We’re going to head to the house after we’re done eating and get started, but any time you can stop by and help would be great.”

  Nodding, Josiah looked over at Maya. “Are you excited to set up your new room?”

  Silence.

  “Maya,” Dean said, his voice low but firm. “Sheriff Stone is talking to you.”

  She looked up at him defiantly and then looked over at Josiah. “I was more excited to go see Abby’s ballet class. But Uncle Dean says we can’t today.”

  “Ah...” Josiah said and then paused for a moment. He turned to Dean. “You’re going to have extra hands helping you once I get off work so why don’t you...”

  Dean simply nodded and took another bite of his burger. “Sure. Thanks.”

  Standing, Josiah wished them both a good afternoon and waved as he walked away. “See you both around six!”

  Dean waited until both he and Maya were almost done with their meals before speaking. “Since Josiah and Melanie are going to come help us out, we can go and see Abby. But...”

  “We can?” she cried excitedly, all traces of sadness completely gone. “Yeah!”

  “But...” he quickly interrupted, “we can only stay for thirty minutes. Understand?”

  She nodded vigorously and took a long sip of her milkshake.

  “So when I say it’s time to go, I don’t want any argument about it. Okay?”

  Straw still in her mouth, she nodded again.

  “I need you to promise, Maya,” he said firmly – mainly because he had a feeling that she was testing his boundaries. And then he almost cringed at that thought. Damn parenting websites. He had been reading up on parenting ever since he went to Pennsylvania and found out that he was Maya’s guardian. He read a ton of articles on the child’s art of manipulation. It was hard to believe that someone so young could actually pull it off, but then again, it was also hard to believe how she went from bubbly and vivacious to sullen and weepy and then back again as soon as she got her way. He’d heard of this technique and how kids use it to wrap their parents around their little fingers.

  Inwardly he sighed. There was going to be a whole hell of a lot of trial and error and it was going to go on for a while. He just knew it.

  Across from him, Maya finished off her milkshake and looked at him with her sweetest smile. “You’re the best uncle in the whole wide world!”

  Yeah...he was a goner.

  ****

  Abby was doing warm-ups with her group when a movement by the door caught her eye. She smiled broadly when she spotted Dean and Maya and motioned for them to take a seat in the corner where the other parents were sitting. Doing her best not to focus on Dean being in the room – or how rugged and sexy he looked – Abby turned and helped the group go through the next three positions.

  “Great job, everyone! Now let’s step into the middle here and line up like we’ve been practicing,” Abby called out and then walked toward Maya while her students got ready. “If you’d like to come and join us, you are more than welcome to.”

  Maya’s eyes went wide. “Really?” she whispered loudly. “But I don’t have the right shoes. Or anything.”

  Abby stood and held out her hand. “That’s okay. I just want you to stand by me and watch what the girls are doing and see what you think.” When Maya took her hand, Abby gave her another smile. “And it’s completely okay if you just want to observe and not do any of the steps, so I don’t want you to worry.”

  Nodding, Maya quietly followed Abby and then stood next to her as she called the class to order.

  “Everyone, this is my friend Maya and she’s here to observe our class today,” Abby told the girls. “She’s going to be standing by me so I don’t want you to get too distracted. Stay focused on what you’re doing and remember to look straight ahead and not at the floor.” Using the remote for the music, she positioned herself so she could see everyone.

  “We’re going to start with the routine we performed at the fall festival and then we’re going to start learning some new moves for our Christmas play. Is everyone ready?”

  There was a collective round of yesses and then everyone took their positions. Abby clicked on the music and then stepped back to watch her girls dance. They were sweet and enthusiastic and while not completely graceful and coordinated, she was beyond proud of them. Sometimes one would leap left while everyone went right and then there was the occasional overly-enthusiastic spin that would make someone dizzy and end in a minor collision. Everyone took it in stride.

  Standing beside Abby, Maya was simply swaying and watching every move the class made. Abby could tell that it was almost painful for the little girl to be still but she was incredibly
impressed with her restraint. It was almost as if she didn’t want to make a move until she had a clear understanding of how everything was supposed to go.

  The music ended and everyone held their poses.

  Abby broke the silence with a loud clap and the parents all joined in the applause. She had trained the girls not to get distracted and to simply take a small bow, then move into their positions for the next dance.

  “That was wonderful,” she said and began walking in front of the group. “I want everyone to line up the same way again and let me see how you look.” Abby studied the girls. It was easy to see who had a growth spurt and would need to be moved while also taking into consideration who was struggling with being in the front. Within minutes, she made some minor adjustments and was pleased with the results.

  Then she glanced over at Maya.

  This would be Maya’s class and if she did end up joining, Abby was going to need to make adjustments – better to do that now rather than once the girls were comfortable in their positions.

  “Maya? Can you join me and the girls over here?”

  Nodding, Maya joined her and soon enough, she had the perfect formation. Abby felt slightly bad for her new student – she certainly didn’t fit in with her blue jeans and sneakers while the rest of the girls wore pink leotards, tights and tutus. For one day, though, she figured it would be all right. For the most part, Maya was so busy studying everyone’s poses that she didn’t seem to notice.

  For the next thirty minutes, she slowly walked the group through the new steps and movements of their dance to “Winter Wonderland.” Last year they had gone with “Silver Bells” but Abby felt it was important to keep their routines fresh. The beauty of the beginners’ class was that the steps were all fairly simple. Either way, the students, parents and the town loved it.

  The thought of getting to teach a more intensive ballet class to older students was really what Abby hoped to do eventually. Maybe if things worked out...

  “Abby! Heather stepped on my toe!” little Dana Miller called out.

  “I have to use the bathroom!” Ava Brady cried.