Page 45 of Miss Christmas

“You and I know better, don’t we?” he continued. “We know that you slept with me because you find me irresistible.” Now he was smiling. “Certainly not because of the pageant. And we know that no matter how much I might want to intervene on your behalf and hand you the world on a silver platter, I wouldn’t do it. Because I respect your independence, that you want to achieve success on your own merit without unfair or special favors.”

“Nice speech,” she said. She hated that he was right. It was between them and she knew that he hadn’t interfered on her behalf. She knew her intentions regarding him were, if not exactly pure, had nothing to do with cheating to win the pageant.

Still in that conversational, calm voice, he said, “In fact, aren’t you supposed to be at a photo shoot,” he looked at his watch, “in about ten minutes?”

* * *

“How do you feel?” Dee asked her after the pageant, after the audience, the photographers, the press, the judges, other contestants and almost everyone was gone and she was alone in the makeshift pageant prep room with Dee and Margo. Her new pageant friend Heather had finally left.

Heather, the freshly crowned Miss Christmas.

“I can say that I never in a million years thought that winning or losing this pageant would be such a minor thing compared to winning a man’s heart.” Scarlet sighed and a fresh wave of warmth went through her.

“Losing was a big letdown, eh?” Margo’s teasing dimple showed.

“Not really. Except for the crown. The crown would have been awesome.”

Dee looked indignant. “You should have won. Nothing against Heather, but the judges must be blind.”

“That letter Scarlet wrote to the judges might have had something to do with it,” Margo said.

“Letter?” Dee looked at her for an explanation, but there was no way Scarlet would admit to anyone that she’d sent each of the judges a letter. She’d had them delivered by special messenger. Her old boyfriend Jason played the role of messenger when he was in between gigs. She’d hand written the letters, promising the judges that she would forfeit the prize if she won and asking them not to choose her, to reconsider if they had planned to.

It was her compromise. Her conscience had demanded it. She stayed in the pageant because Will had tried so hard to make her feel better about it, make it seem like the fall-out from the photograph of them coming out of the men’s room would be no problem. Margo too. They wanted the opportunity for her to win the pageant for no reason but a giving spirit. She saw that now.

In spite of that, she would never have gotten over feeling guilty if she’d won. She knew her winning could cause all kinds of problems for them, that they’d have questions of unethical practices to answer to, that it could mar the Regal family’s sterling reputation. Scarlet wasn’t worried about her own reputation. Will had been right about that.

She eyed Margo now, communicating that she didn’t want to talk about her letter to the judges.

Margo nodded her understanding and said, “The prize for runner-up is one thousand dollars.”

She waved a hand, feeling the small fuzzy pleasure. “I’d forgotten about that. I bet that’s enough to get my mother a flight to New York in time for Christmas. Thank you for everything, Margo.”

“I didn’t do a thing.” Margo stood. No small feat lifting herself from the cushy chair with her big belly weighing her down. Except she didn’t let it stop her, did she? Scarlet decided Margo was a good example. She was more than hooked on a Regal man, she was married to him and having his baby, and yet she still managed to accomplish what she wanted to accomplish. She thrived.

“Let’s go, then,” Dee said. “Will is waiting for you and I think you’ve tortured him long enough.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” she said. “That’s what gets me excited.”

“Torturing Will?” Dee asked in a high-octave voice.

She laughed. “No, having Will waiting for me.” She swatted Dee’s shoulder. But then again, she could think of a few forms of torture that might be very exciting. Maybe . . .

Margo interrupted her thoughts as they pushed through the door and walked down the hallway to the elevator lobby where the others were gathered and waiting, ready to leave.

“I think Will has someone special for you to meet tonight,” Margo said.

Scarlet saw George and his father, George’s sister, Louise, and Will standing with an arm wrapped around a little old lady.

Because she couldn’t imagine doing anything else the second she saw him, she walked up to Will and hugged him. Enveloping her in his arms, he kissed her. It was no brief in-front-of-the-family kiss. He kissed her down to her toes, long and hard, as if they were all alone. Except he did let her keep her clothes on in deference to the audience and the assorted response of whistles, cheers, jeers, and throat clearing.

His grandmother said, “She must be the one.”

After he let her go and she’d blushed down to her panties, everyone took turns consoling her and disparaging the judges. Seeing first-hand the kind of supportive family Will came from caused a lump in her throat. She couldn’t wait to have her mother come to visit. Will put an arm around the tiny old woman who must be his grandma.

“Scarlet, I’d like you to meet my grandmother. You can call her Grandma Regal.”

Then he introduced Dee to everyone as Scarlet’s pageant assistant, best friend, roommate and second-biggest fan.