AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It had taken an hour just to get to the fabric store andthrough the cutting line for the pieces laying on my table. Traffic, crowds, malfunctioning cash registers, and cranky, impatient shoppers didn’t help.
Ironic, how the happiest time of the year sometimes brought out the worst in people.
I gave my gown a fleeting glance. The ball would have to wait. Those kids couldn’t wake up with only a handful of them receiving pillowcases and not others.
They all deserved a happy surprise Christmas morning.
“I’ll go buy fabric,” Chloe said. “My flight doesn’t leave for a few more hours.”
I held out a hand. “No, you can’t miss that. It’s okay. I’ll go.”
Chloe glanced at the material. “But your dress…”
“Will still be here when I get back.” I smiled.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said. “I won’t even be here to help you.”
I pushed aside the budding heartache and fastened on a smile. There was still time to finish them all, and that was what mattered.
“Don’t be. This isn’t your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. It just happened. What matters is that we get these pillowcases done in time.”
Chloe pursed her lips. “Maybe you can call Brandy. She might be able to come.”
“Not happening. You know how excited she was to go to that Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree party her family has been planning. It’ll be fine. I have noplans—not really.”
Hawk had asked me, that was true, but how could I go now? I had to call him and tell him the truth.
“It just doesn’t seem fair,” Chloe said. “You deserve to go to the ball just like everyone else.”
I willed the tears away. Smiling would help with that.
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “Go get yourself to the airport.”
An argument lingered in Chloe’s expression, but she sighed, releasing it. “Fine. Here. Give me a hug.”
“Thanks for all your help with the other ones,” I said. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Merry Christmas, Ella,” Chloe said, retrieving her suitcase and leaving the apartment.
Once again alone, defeat began to rust inside of me. It tarnished every attempt I made at finding something good in this.
I had to face facts. I wouldn’t have time to make my dress, which meant no ball.
It meant Pris would win.
I just didn’t know how to tell Hawk.
I left the pieces I’d cut on the table, snatched my purse, coat, and hat, and scurried out into the cold.
Footsore and soul weary, I kicked my apartment door closed and hauled the bags of cloth to my table. I’d had to estimate amounts while waiting in horrendous lines. The ticket counter ran out, and the poor woman at the cutting tables had to stop cutting inorder to put in refills.
The numbers got all out of order. I was sure a fight was about to break out over who would be getting their material cut next.
Women could be vicious if someone got between them and their fabric.
Now that I was back home, I wanted nothing more than to curl up under the covers in my bed with a good book, but instead, I began digging out folded cuts of cloth from the gray plastic bag and worked like the only honeybee in a hive, cutting, pinning, and sewing. Cutting, pinning, and sewing.
One pillowcase really only took about an hour to put together once everything was ready.
