Page 28 of A Baxter Family Christmas
“I guess.” Connor thought about that. Even a year from now he could text her randomly to see how she was doing. Maybe they could catch up and she’d be friendlier. The way she was the first time they met.
Bailey stood and made her way up onto the stage next to Brandon. Connor could see she wasn’t feeling well. But he knew this was Bailey’s favorite day of all. Opening night. The approaching showtime seemed to bring a rush of energy—not just to her, but to all of them.
Connor followed her up onto the stage and took his place near Maddie. He leaned close to her. “They’re going to do great.”
“I can’t believe how far they’ve come.” She smiled, but her eyes never quite met his.
Up front, Brandon had a quick conversation with Bailey. Then he turned to the group. “Okay, now who remembers the message of our show today?”
Several of the kids raised their hands. Brandon pointed to one little boy. “RJ?”
“Don’t pick a bad Christmas tree!”
A few of the kids snickered. Connor met Brandon’s and Bailey’s eyes, the three of them working hard to keep straight faces. Brandon took a step closer to the group. “It’s something more than that. Who else wants to tell us?”
More hands filled the air. Bailey pointed to a little girl in the front row. “Janessa?”
The girl was only four. One of the youngest in the show. She was the daughter of Ashley Baxter Blake—a local artist who designed sets for most of the CKT shows, including this one. Connor remembered her. Their families got together every year or so.
Janessa smoothed the wrinkles from her dress and straightened herself. “For unto you is born this day a Savior... which is Christ, the Lord.”
Bailey’s eyes filled with tears, and Connor watched her and Brandon exchange a look. Connor understood. This would be them soon, parents of a precious child like Janessa. Bailey nodded, taking a moment, probably, to find her voice. “Yes, Janessa. That’s exactly right.A Charlie Brown Christmasis about Jesus being born for all of us.”
“Okay.” Brandon put his arm around Bailey. “Let’s run the show once more from the top.”
Connor and Maddie stayed at the back of the group, helping children remember their cues and whether to walk off stage right or left when their numbers were finished. Again, Maddie was friendly but distant. Once, when their arms brushed against each other, Maddie practically jerked away. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Connor made a point to give her more space. Whatever was wrong, she wanted nothing to do with him. When the auditorium doors opened—thirty minutes before the show started—Connor found her backstage getting water.
“Hey.” She opened a bottle and took a long sip.
“Maddie... did I do something to upset you?” Connor uttered a laugh, but it held no humor whatsoever. “I keep thinking back to the first few times we hung out, that time over coffee. I get you don’t want to date. But now... it’s like you don’t want to be friends, either. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Really.” Her answer was quick. “I need to help the girls in the first number.”
She got a text at the same time, checked her phone and hurried off. Whatever was happening in Maddie’s heart, Connor was convinced she wasn’t being quite honest. Because as she turned away a single tear fell on her cheek. Connor watched her go and lifted his eyes to the theater rafters.Help me here, Lord... I’m at a loss. Completely.
There was no loud answer, no booming voice to tell him what to do. So Connor did what he needed to. He moved to his group of young actors and reminded them once more what to do when they got onstage.
This was why he was here—to help the kids. Tomorrow the show would be over and he would do what he obviously had to do next.
Put Maddie West behind him.
Maddie received the text from her mother as soon as the theater doors opened. Her parents and Hayley were picking up their tickets from the will call window.Come find us,her mother’s second text read.Hayley has someone she wants you to meet.
Maddie stared at the text a moment longer. Someone Hayley wanted her to meet? Maddie hurried through the side door into the seating area and scanned the room for her family. Almost at the same time she spotted her mom and dad. Already the theater was crowded, so it was impossible to see Hayley and whoever Maddie was supposed to meet.
She moved through the crowd to the back right side of the auditorium, where her family was seated. Then, four rows from reaching them, Maddie felt her breath catch in her throat.
Hayley was sitting next to a boy her age.
For a few seconds, Maddie stopped and stared. Hayley’s blond hair was curled and she wore a pretty red sweater and new dark jeans. Maddie continued pressing her way past the milling crowd and as she got closer she could hear her sister’s happy voice. And Maddie could see something else.
Her sister was wearing makeup.
Not too much, but just enough that one thing was very clear. Hayley had a crush on the boy sitting next to her. Maddie reached her mother first and hugged her. When their faces were close, Maddie whispered, “What in the world?”
Her mom didn’t answer. Instead, she motioned to Hayley and the boy. “This is Patrick. He’s a friend from Hayley’s class.” She paused. “This is Hayley’s sister, Maddie.”
