Twisted (33 page)

D
iana's suspicions were right. When she'd arrived at the costume area, she'd found that Sue hadn't asked Heather to get her. But Sue had been very glad to see Diana, and she'd immediately put her to work getting the Santa costumes ready to wear.

When the costumes had been brushed and hung on hangers, Diana and Cindy had started in on the wigs and beards. They had to be combed out and placed on Styrofoam heads so they wouldn't get tangled.

“Why did they rent four costumes?” Diana was curious. It seemed like an unnecessary extravagance.

“They're hot and heavy.” Cindy explained. “This way each guy has his own costume and it can air out between wearings. How far along are you?”

“I'm all done with Jay's.” Diana pointed to Jay's wig and beard. She could hardly wait to see him in costume. “Who are you doing?”

“I just finished Dave Atkin, and I'm starting on Hal Bremmer.”

“Did it give you a thrill to do Dave's?” Diana grinned at Cindy. Dave was a handsome sophomore.

“Not really. Dave doesn't know I'm alive. He's going with a gorgeous girl in the drama department.”

“How about Hal?” Diana was curious. “Do you know him?”

“Sure. He's in my history class. I'm not sure if I like him, though. He bumped my grade down to a ‘B' when he aced the last test. Our professor grades on a curve.”

Diana set Larry Fischer's wig on its stand. Larry was Jay's best friend, and they shared an apartment. “Is Larry going out with anybody right now?”

“He's dating some girl from Duluth, and Jay says his share of the phone bill is astronomical. He always calls after the rates go down, but . . .”

“Get into your elf costumes, quick!” Sue came racing into the costume room. Her face was flushed, and she looked excited. “The crew from
Night News
is here, and they want to tape all the elves, skipping around the mall!”

“They want
us?”
Diana was surprised.

“That's what they said. Come out to the Christmas tree the second you're ready. I've got to round up the rest of the girls!”

The door banged closed behind Sue, and Diana turned to Cindy with a puzzled expression. “I wonder what happened? Heather told me the
Night News
crew was going to do a whole segment on her.”

“Maybe they couldn't get her on tape.” Cindy laughed. “Isn't there some old superstition that says you can't take a picture of the devil?”

 

“Once more, gang!” Sue shouted out. “Twice around the tree and then gather in front of Santa's throne.”

Diana did her best to keep the smile on her face, but it wasn't easy. They'd skipped the length of the mall twice, and now they had to skip some more. She hoped that the cute cameraman was getting good footage, because there was no way she could do it again. Even Sue was beginning to get slightly breathless.

As Diana skipped past Santa, she tried to figure out who he was. He was sitting on his throne, so she couldn't tell anything from his height, and the beard and mustache covered his face. She couldn't even see the color of his eyes behind his gold wire-framed glasses. But then she noticed that Santa was wearing a tinsel ring. It was Jay!

Jay seemed to know she'd recognized him, because he gave a little wave. And when they had skipped around the Christmas tree the last time, he motioned her over to sit directly at his feet.

“Cut!” A guy in a
Night News
sweatshirt motioned to the cameraman. Sue had told Diana that he was the field director. “Is Tracy ready?”

“I'm here.”

Diana stared in awe as Tracy Thomas, the
Night News
anchorwoman, walked to a spot in front of the Christmas tree. She was just as glamorous in person as she was on television. She nodded to the guy in the sweatshirt as he cued her, and then she began to speak.

“We're here at the new Crossroads Mall at the intersection of Highways Twelve and Fourteen. The mall doesn't open until tomorrow morning at ten, but there are over a hundred employees here today, getting ready for the opening.
Night News
is going to give you a sneak preview of this lovely new shopping area in the Morrison County countryside, so tune in at ten for all the details.”

Tracy fluffed her hair as the cameraman panned the mall. Then she flashed a smile as the camera focused on her, again. The field director gave her a signal, and she started to speak again.

“Here we are at the new Crossroads Mall, and Christmas is definitely in the air.” Tracy began to walk over to the group around Santa as she continued her speech. “The mall was completed only last month, in a cooperative venture by three Minnesota cities, Prairie Falls, Portersville, and Two Rivers. And I'm told there's plenty of fun in store for the shoppers who attend the grand opening. Let's find out from the man himself, Santa Claus!”

Tracy stepped up to Santa's throne and smiled at Jay. “Hello, Santa. Can you tell us about some of the activities planned for tomorrow?”

“Ho, ho, ho!”

Diana grinned as Jay gave his merriest laugh. His voice was so deep, she might not have recognized it if she hadn't seen the tinsel ring on his finger.

“Mrs. Claus has been very busy in the kitchen, and she's made cookies and punch for everyone who comes to the grand opening.”

“I'm sure the mall will be very crowded tomorrow.” Tracy smiled at Jay. “Will parking be a problem?”

“Ho, ho, ho! Not at all.” Jay laughed again. “Just pull up to the valet sign and my helpers will park your car for you. Then hop on Santa's sleigh-ride shuttle and we'll bring you right up to the main entrance.”

“That's very convenient. How many stores will be open, Santa?”

“The Crossroads Mall has twenty-four stores that are opening tomorrow, with another fifteen planned for the first of the year. There's a wide variety of merchandise, and each and every store has a complimentary gift for you. And if you attend the grand opening and enter the winter sweepstakes . . .”

“Yes, Santa?” Tracy looked excited.

“Just come with me.” Jay stood up and gave her his arm. “The grand prize is right over here.”

Jay and Tracy walked over to the two shiny, red snowmobiles which were displayed on podiums. When they got there, Tracy clapped her hands. “This is the grand prize?”

“That's right. If your name is drawn, you'll win this pair of his and her snowmobiles, generously donated by the Crossroads Mall Corporation!”

“I'd love to win those!” Tracy smiled at the camera as they began to walk back. “You just convinced me, Santa. I'll definitely be here. But how about my little niece and nephew? Will they get a chance to meet you?”

“Yes they will, Tracy. I'll be right here in Santa's Village, and I'm looking forward to meeting all the kids.”

Tracy nodded. “Now, Santa . . . I don't want you to give away any secrets, but one of your elves told me there'd be a surprise for the kids at the Tree-Lighting Ceremony tomorrow night.”

“Oh,
ho!
That's right, Tracy. And I know exactly which elf told you. It was this cute little red-headed imp right here, wasn't it?”

Diana giggled as Jay pointed to her, and then she blushed as the cute cameraman turned his lens her way. She slapped her hand over her mouth, and managed to look comically distressed.

“That's all right, little elf.” Jay reached down to pat Diana's head. “I was going to tell them anyway. Do you kids at home see all those presents piled under the tree? If you get your mommy and daddy to bring you out to the Grand Tree-Lighting Ceremony at eight o'clock tomorrow night, you'll get an early Christmas present from the Crossroads Mall!”

“Thank you, Santa.” Tracy reached out to shake his hand, and then she turned to face the camera again. “We hope to see you all tomorrow at the grand opening of the Crossroads Mall.”

“Cut!” The field director rushed up to Tracy. “Great job, Tracy! I think we've got everything we need.”

“But how about me?”

Diana turned to look at Heather, who was sitting on her gold-cushioned chair. She was dressed in her angel costume, and she looked mad enough to spit.

“I thought you were going to interview me!”

The director smiled at Heather. “Don't worry, sweetie. We've got you in the long shot, and you'll be on the show.”

“But you told me you were going to . . .”

Heather's objection was interrupted by a flurry of activity at the mall entrance. Four people came in, brushing the snow off their coats, and stomping their boots. Tracy turned to look, and then she nudged the cameraman. “Cover me, Paul. That's Shane Winter!”

Diana watched as Tracy and her crew hurried down the walkway to meet Shane's group. There was a limo driver in full uniform, an older man carrying a leather briefcase, and a gorgeous brunette in a full-length mink coat. Shane was standing in the center of the group, and Diana gasped as he turned her way. He was even more handsome than he'd been when he'd lived next door to her!

She was in such a daze, Diana didn't even notice as the other elves got to their feet and raced over to stand in a circle around Shane Winter and his group. Cindy gave her a little nudge. “Aren't you going to go over and say hello?”

“No.” Diana turned to frown at her. “I told you before . . . he probably won't even remember me.”

Before Diana had time to object, Cindy got up and hauled her to her feet. “You can refresh his memory. Come on. Let's go.”

“But, I really don't think I should . . .”

“Sure, you should.” Cindy pulled her down the walkway, and shoved her to the front of the group. “Hey, Shane! Look who's here! Do you recognize her?”

Diana knew she was blushing beet-red. The bright lights were on and she knew that the
Night News
cameraman was getting this all on tape. She vowed to smother Cindy with a pillow when they got back to their apartment, and did her best to look calm and composed. “Hello, Shane. I'm sure you don't remember, but I used to live . . .”

“Little Red!” Shane grinned at her. “How could I ever forget you? You made my life miserable, all through high school.”

Tracy laughed and pulled Diana closer, right into the glare of the lights. “How did she do that?”

“Little Red lived next door to me. And she used to peek through the hedge and spy on me when I sat on the front porch with my dates. She made some of the girls so nervous, they refused to date me.”

“Is that true?” Tracy turned to Diana.

Diana thought fast. She didn't want Shane to go into detail. She'd simply die if he told about the time she'd howled like a wolf to scare Shirley Mielke away. “I'm afraid it is. I practically ruined Shane's love life. Of course . . . there was a lot of love life to ruin.”

Tracy laughed, and so did Shane. And then Tracy started to ask him about his high school days. Diana took advantage of the opportunity to slip to the back of the crowd. She looked around for Cindy, but her roommate had made a quick exit to the other side of the crowd.

“Nice job, Diana. You've got a real flair for comedy.”

Diana whirled around to find Jay standing right behind her. He'd changed to jeans and a college sweatshirt, but the tinsel ring was still on his finger.

“Thanks.” Diana knew she was still blushing. She wanted to tell him that she really hadn't intended to be funny, but she remembered the article she'd read on accepting compliments gracefully, and she decided to compliment him, instead. “I thought you made a wonderful Santa.”

“Really?” Jay looked pleased. “We drew straws to see who'd do the interview, and I picked the short one. When did you realize it was me?”

“I'm not sure. I knew pretty early, though.” Diana grinned up at him. Jay didn't seem to realize that the tinsel ring had given him away, and she wasn't about to tell him.

Just then the bright lights went out, and the field director stepped up to stand beside Shane. They had a brief conference that Diana and Jay couldn't hear, and then he turned to the group with a smile on his face. “We're going to tape one more segment. I want the elves on the floor by the Christmas tree. Shane's agreed to sing a song, and they'll be the audience. What are you going to sing, Shane?”

“Let's do ‘Blue Christmas.' ” The man with the briefcase stepped up. “Shane always sings that to a beautiful girl.”

“How about me?”

Heather stepped forward to smile at Shane, and Diana almost laughed out loud. There wasn't a shy bone in Heather's body.

“You'll do just fine, honey.” The man with the briefcase smiled at her. “What are you? Some kind of fairy?”

Heather shook her head. “I'm the Christmas Angel. If we wheel the baby grand out by the tree, I could sit on top.”

“That'll make a nice shot.” The field director looked pleased. “What do you think, Shane?”

Shane shrugged. “Sounds good to me. Let's do it now. The weather's getting nasty out there, and Allison and I have plans for tonight. Right, Allison?”

“Right.”

The beautiful brunette in the mink coat gave Shane a very intimate smile. If Diana'd had any doubts about Allison's relationship to Shane, that smile would have erased every one of them. But she hadn't read anything about Allison in any of the fan magazines. Didn't the press know that Shane had a girlfriend?

It didn't take long to set up for the segment. The boys wheeled out the piano and Heather climbed up on top. The field director spread her skirts in a perfect circle around her, and nodded for Shane to take his place at the piano.

“Hold it.” The man with the briefcase hurried up to the piano. “We need a blanket.”

Diana turned to Cindy, who was sitting next to her on the floor. “Why do they need a blanket?”