Dr. Noah and the Sugar Plum Fairy (7 page)

“What?” He asked the dog. “I don’t have time to go home and put on a suit. I don’t even know where my suit is.”

He snatched his keys off the desk. He felt a little foolish. And somewhat excited.

By the time he got to the theater, Act Two had started and there was no one left at the door to sell him a ticket. He’d stopped at the grocery store for flowers because he remembered that was appropriate. Amidst the bunches of red and white carnations with pine cone branches and other Christmassy decorations, he found a bundle of tiny pale pink roses. They looked like Jane.

He slipped in the heavy back doors and found a place to lean against the wall. When enough light filtered from the stage, he studied the discarded program he’d found in the lobby.

It didn’t make much sense to him.

But what suddenly did make perfect sense was Jane’s magnetic appearance as she twirled and jumped and swayed and drifted across a stage decorated with tall, glittery peppermint stick pillars and oversized pink, yellow, and purple set pieces made to look like candy. She danced with incredible poise and not once did he spot the same woman who dozed off and tumbled from a rolling stool in his treatment room.

Later she was back on stage—with a partner this time. With expert timing and precision, the couple made their way through a five-minute dance with fixed but genuine smiles. At the end, Jane answered the audience’s enthusiastic response with a deep, sweeping curtsey. She turned to her partner with a huge smile of relief and admiration, and acknowledged him with an additional bow. Her chest rose and fell as she slowly regained normal breathing after what Noah guessed was an exhaustive workout. As if handling delicate and very important glass, her partner graciously took her hand accompanied her offstage.

Now he understood the magic of the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Nutcracker Prince. Even if he won her heart, she would never look at him quite like that.

Noah crept along the side wall toward the front of the auditorium during the going-on-three-minute standing ovation. Eventually an usher at a side door stopped his progress.

“I need to see a dancer,” he told the teenager. “How do I get backstage?”

“You can’t,” he said over the applause. “But if you’ll wait in the lobby, all the dancers come out in full costume to greet the audience and take pictures with the kids. Give them about five minutes to get out there.”

Now moving with the crush of an exhilarated crowd, he cushioned his bouquet of flowers and stood next to a giant trash can and waited with everyone else.

Jane came out last to more applause and a deluge of adoring fans. He was impressed when the theater’s security came along to help disperse the crowd. One officer took up sentry near her and seemed to be concerned for her safety among the masses.

Noah checked the time. Now or never.

Her pleasant smile blossomed into full blown sunshine when she spotted him. He’d take it.

“Noah! What are you doing here? I thought you had to work.”

“These are for you. And I do have to work. Dr. Salmons sent me. Long story.” He paused to take it all in. Glitter everywhere, plum-colored lips. Even her teeth were shiny. “You were great, Jane. I was blown away.”

“Thank you for the flowers. I love them.” Her eyelashes sparkled when she batted them. “And I’m glad you enjoyed the ballet.”

“You’ll have to break down the plot for me later. I’m not sure I get it.”

“It’s actually a pretty bizarre story when you think about it.”

“I’d also like to know how you spin that much without getting dizzy or losing your balance.”

“Well, the trick to that is called ‘spotting.’ I can explain later and you can give it a shot.”

“That will not happen. There is no dancing in my blood. I once pulled a hammy while attempting the Cotton-Eyed Joe at a wedding reception.”

She laughed out loud. “Wow. But speaking of receptions, can you stay a while? We’re having a cast party.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. I have to get back.”

“I expected as much. We’ll talk later.” She reached for his hand. “Thanks again for coming and for the flowers. I’d give you a hug, but this costume doesn’t really allow it, and I’m sure you don’t need glitter all over you.”

He leaned in. “I’m thinking of taking the risk.”

The officer nearby cleared his throat as an obvious signal to stand back.

Jane laughed. “What a rush. Nothing like that’s ever happened to me.”

Noah stepped back. “I’m going to go before I get my you-know-what kicked. Talk to you soon. And Jane?”

“Yes?”

“You’re beautiful and amazing. You should do this every year.”

****

Noah slipped in the back door of the clinic and went straight to his office to change into scrubs. Once he assessed the patient situation and sent Dr. Salmons home to face the music, he intended to return Skye’s call. His first glimpse of Jane on that stage confirmed what he wanted. He wanted to move forward, and the only way to do that was to find out what the past wanted before it came around and bumped into him again.

Tina caught him in the treatment room. “Glad you’re back. Was it wonderful?”

“It was.”

“Figures. I missed it this year, but I plan to be at their spring show.”

Noah flipped open his laptop and went straight to their electronic records system. “How are things around here?”

“Steady, but no majors. Respiratory distress, a couple allergic reactions. It’s all under control. Dr. Salmons is in room one and you have a couple visitors.”

“Visitors? It’s late and I don’t know anybody. Are they clients? Have I seen their pet or something?”

“They’re friends from California. I didn’t put them in your office because I wasn’t sure. They’re real nice. It’s a woman and her dad. They’ve been on the road and just wanted to stop in and see you.”

Noah froze. It made no sense that Skye and her dad would be driving through Texas two days before Christmas. And why would they be here? In her defense, though, she had been trying to get hold of him.

“Tell them I’ll be out in a minute. I need to check on everything back here.”

Noah steadied himself against the table. He remembered his prayer from earlier. “Guess that really opened up a can of worms,” he mumbled to himself. “When You start moving, You
really
start moving.”

He slipped into his professional demeanor, made the rounds of all his furry responsibilities, and paused to take a deep breath.

Skye was in Texas. And on the other side of the clinic door.

****

At midnight, Jane left the cast party and headed home. She tossed her dance bag on the stairs and hung her pointe shoes over the bannister to air. No one woke as she loaded her handle bag with plastic forks, napkins, and plates and slid a homemade apple cranberry pie into her mother’s pie carrier.

Noah mentioned pie, so she made him pie.

She doubted she would ever sleep again due to the recent outbreak of uncharacteristic excitement in her life, so why not share dessert with people at the all night animal clinic who would appreciate it? She placed the bag of homemade dog treats for Bridget on top of everything and then took a minute at the hall mirror. Yikes.

She’d managed to shed the costume and put on comfortable jeans, but it would take too much time to wash the whole Sugar Plum Fairy persona off her face. She’d have to replace it with something because, well, who would want to see her tired face without makeup at this time of night? As for the tiara, it was so plastered to her head it wouldn’t come off without pulling several strands of hair loose from her bun. And if she took down the bun, she’d have to wash out six layers of hairspray. A vicious cycle. Therefore, she would drive to the clinic in full character hair and makeup, and if Noah and Tina and whoever else was there wanted pie, they wouldn’t give her grief about it.

Now on to Starbucks for hot tea.

By the time she reached the clinic, she was seriously re-thinking her decision not to take the extra hour and re-do her face and hair. She felt ridiculous, especially when she saw more than a few people in the waiting room through the large glass front, including Noah who was huddled with a man and woman in the corner, so intently discussing something that he seemed frozen in his chair.

She managed to balance everything and breeze through the door when someone saw her coming and jumped to open it. She wasn’t even sure Noah saw her through the crowd at the coffee pot.

Tina squealed from behind the counter and took the drink carrier from her hand. “You look great. I heard you were awesome. What are you up to?”

“Shhh... I don’t want to disturb Noah. That looks serious. I just wanted to bring you all some pie and something to drink.”

“This has to stop. We’re all going to weigh five hundred pounds.”

“It will. I only bake like this during the holidays. Sadly, that includes Arbor Day, Valentine’s Day, Armed Forces Day, maybe any weekday...”

Tina burst out laughing.

“Shhh,” Jane repeated and held up a bag. “Check this out. Homemade gingerbread dog treats for Bridget. Let me know how she likes them.”

“Girl, you’re hardcore when it comes to baked goods.”

Jane glanced Noah’s way. The attractive light brown-haired woman in the fluffy turquoise ski jacket reached out to touch his arm.

“I better go. Tell Noah I hope he enjoys his pie, and I’ll talk to him later.”

“He shouldn’t be too much longer,” Tina said as she lifted the lid off the pie. “He tried to get them to go to his office but they said no, that it wouldn’t take long.”

“Well, I don’t need to be hovering around here looking like this when you have pet parents here possibly getting bad news.”

“Those aren’t clients. Those are friends from California.”

A twinge of terror gripped her heart. She glanced over again. What were the odds she was the ex-fiancée he’d mentioned? And if so, why now?

Noah happened to look her way through the crowd. He paled.

That answered
that
question.

Steady... steady... You don’t have any facts...

“I’m going to go, Tina. I’m really tired. Have a great Christmas and enjoy the pie.”

“Sure, Jane. Thanks so much. TTYL.”

“What?”

“Talk to you later.”

“I knew that. Guess my tiara’s too tight.”

She made a beeline for the door at the same rate Noah was crossing the room to catch her.

They got there at the same time.

“So close,” she whispered to herself.

“Are you all right? What are you doing here this late? I thought you had a party.”

“I brought you a pie.”

“You brought me a pie?”

“Yes. And tea.”

“You brought me tea?”

“For Pete’s sake, Noah, are we going to do this again? You said you wanted pie so I brought pie. I believe the exact conversation began with me asking you if cinnamon, ginger, and cloves were safe for a dog, and you said my time would be better spent making you a pie.”

“I was teasing.”

“Yeah, I know, but you shouldn’t tease a woman on the edge. You might just get a pie.”

“I’ll remember that. Thank you. If you want to wait I—”

“That’s OK. I can see you’re really busy, and I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“I’m talking with some people I know from California. I’ll introduce you.”

“No!” That came out too loud and harsh. “Sorry. I mean no. I look like I escaped from a circus, and I can tell you’re having an important conversation, so I’m going to head home and sleep.”

He grabbed her arm as she pushed through the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sure,” she said. “TTYL.”

****

‘Twas the day before Christmas

And Jane was confused,

Was Noah for real

Or was she being used?

The ballet was a blessing

She had peace with her dance,

It’d been a season of miracles

With a spark of romance.

Now time to reflect

And sing with great joy,

The birth of a Savior

A new baby Boy...

Jane woke at noon on Christmas Eve. She got up, made a stop at the bathroom, and headed straight for her sister’s bed.

She smacked Mel on the bottom. “Are you still contagious?”

“No.” She didn’t even open her eyes. “Mom changed my sheets at ten this morning—with me still in the bed—and sprayed another can of disinfectant over the whole upstairs. If anything, I’m choking to death.”

“Good. Move over. Sister Cuddle Committee.”

“What’s wrong? I heard you were a triumph in your great return as the Sugar Plum Fairy. You’re the darling of all the social networks. At least in our little circle of friends and neighbors. People are posting pics.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Nothing bad. I’ve been keeping watch.”

“Thanks. And I have to tell you, I had a great time.”

“Good. Glad I could get sick and accommodate you.”

“Not funny.” Jane fluffed her pillow and settled in. “Moving on... do you think you’ll feel up to attending a Christmas Eve service with me tonight?”

“Absolutely. I have to get out of this house.”

“Great. I’m thinking we’ll go to the early one. I know Mom and Dad like us to go at eleven for the candlelight service, but I’m exhausted. And by the way, a handsome veterinarian kissed me on the street the other day.”

Melody sat straight up and felt her forehead with the back of her hand. “Jane? Kissing a boy? How long have I been ill? And why was he kissing you on the street? Couldn’t he find your lips?”

Jane snorted. “You know what I mean.”

Melody sat back on the pillows. “That’s old news anyway. Grandpa already told me. He saw the whole thing from the front window.”

“Aw, man, I didn’t expect to hear that. Did he say anything else?”

“Just that his blood cells look like grapes.”

Jane hopped out of the bed and went to get a bottle of chocolate milk from the mini fridge. “Want one?”

“No, thanks, but I’ll take a juice box. Apple please. Back to the vet. How did you meet this guy?”