Page 28 of All I Want for Christmas
She smiled and walked with him down the hallway, her mind awash in all the possibilities the words “and then” could contain.
—
Sadie and Max took the stage hand in hand, the closeness they had been feeling in the dressing room still lingering. Sadie could almost believe they were the only two people in the auditorium. She sat down at her piano and Max sat beside her on the bench. They locked eyes for a moment before Sadie turned and began the opening bars of “ ’tis the damn season.” She sang the first few bars and then Max joined in, and they alternated throughout the song, their voices weaving in and out, looking at each other intensely. Sadie heard her voice genuinely break when she sang the line about how he was the only one who could tell which smiles she was faking. He squeezedher hand when that happened, and she was sure she heard the studio audience sigh rapturously.
Sadie knew, without having to look out at the crowd, or at the faces of the judges, or at the screen that measured viewer reactions to the live broadcast with a series of hearts and stars, that they had done it. There was no contest. This competition wastheirs.
After so many years of working and hoping, failing and failing again, it didn’t feel real.
The music ended. They looked at each other, until Max grinned and mouthed,We did it(a moment that would later play over and over again in viral videos and eventually become a long-standing meme). They left the stage to gasps and applause, and sat together hand in hand, as nervous as Olympic athletes waiting to receive their score, while the judges conferred.
Tasha, back for the finale as a guest judge again, spoke first. She said they were incredibly authentic as a duo—and Sadie couldn’t help but squeeze Max’s hand as she said this. She leaned her head against Max’s shoulder, breathlessly happy, as the dream continued to unfold: D.J. talked about the technical aspects of what they pulled off—the way they arranged the song to make it their own, turned it into a duet, and a successful one at that. “You should contact Taylor and see what she has to say about you two recording this one and making it legendary,” he said with a smile. “I honestly don’t think there’s anything you twocan’tdo together.”
And Cruz? He was silent for a long, agonizing moment—then threw up his hands, jumped onto his chair, and gave them a standing ovation—much to Johnny King’s obvious chagrin. “What can I say? That was freaking great. It was perfect. Youare the next big thing, Sadie Hunter. And Max Brody.” For just a second, Sadie felt Max stiffen, and knew he felt Cruz had added his name as an afterthought. But otherwise, there was no ruining this perfect moment. “No question about it. You’ve stolen the show—and everyone’s hearts.”
The viewers’ votes started to roll in and Max and Sadie’s were the highest in the history of the show—as were the show’s ratings that night: more than double the already high ratings they had commanded after their second duet. Max jumped up, grabbed Sadie, hugged her, and swung her around. “We did it, Sadie!Wedid this!”
Sadie laughed with delight as it all started to sink in. Theyhaddone this. Later, when Johnny performed, he appeared shaken and deflated, with not even a fraction of his normally swaggering confidence. It was #Saxie by a landslide.
“Off you two go,” Joni, the production assistant, said, hustling them toward the stage to claim their prize. “Congratulations!”
The judges crowded around, golden confetti flew everywhere, and Max lifted Sadie off her feet and swung her in a circle. After that Tasha put crowns on their heads and handed them star-shaped trophies. Someone brought out a novelty check—although Sadie knew her contract by heart. She knew she wasn’t going to get that money until they performed their original holiday song at next year’sStarmaker All I Want for Christmas Holiday Extravaganza. Cruz approached, brandishing a recording contract on a clipboard. They signed it and as he walked away, he whispered in Sadie’s ear, “Let’s chat at the after-party, yeah? You have a bright future, Sadie, and I’d love to be a part of it.” Max was talking to Tasha and didn’t see thisexchange, so Sadie shared her own private smile. It was all starting to happen!
And then it was time. They were to take their final bow and Max was going to drop to one knee and secure their place in the hearts of their fans for the next year. Sadie’s heart fluttered, but in a different way now.
She turned to face the small audience and could see Bobbi and Amalia in the front row, waiting, as expectant as Sadie was. But Max kept hold of her hand, kept facing the crowd. He did not kneel and pull out a ring. Sadie waited, but still, Max didn’t turn to her. He just bowed to their adoring crowd over and over. Eventually, she did the same, her hand now clammy in his grasp.
Then it was over. The cameras turned off and they were alone on the stage, facing each other now. Max’s expression was serious, filled with resolve.
“You didn’t propose,” Sadie found herself whispering.
“I’m sorry, Sadie. I just couldn’t do it. I don’t know what to say—except, it didn’t feel right.”
Sadie didn’t know what to say, either. She didn’t know how to explain how, all at once, she wanted to cry. She had everything she wanted, the very thing she had been working toward: a recording contract, fame. And yet, all she could think about was that Max Brody had somehow managed to break her heart.
—
By the time Sadie had composed herself, the after-party was in full swing. Hugo had come to her door with a glittering blue evening gown which he suggested she pair with the white cowboy boots she had worn during the performance. “SadieHunter is going to need a signature style—and I think edgy-beautiful is it,” he said, taking the white headband out of her hair and arranging her locks so they hung loose and natural around her shoulders. It was something Sadie had noticed that evening—more than a few people had spoken of her in the third person, and she was starting to feel like she was floating above herself. “There,” Hugo had said when he was done. “Perfect. Effortless. You’re going to be all anyone can look at.”
She still had the sensation of being set adrift in a new world as she entered the soundstage, which had been transformed into a glamorous gala, complete with ice sculptures in Sadie’s and Max’s likenesses. There were champagne fountains, glittering strings of lights crisscrossing the ceiling, towering floral arrangements, and crowds of people—all of whom turned when she entered the room. Hugo was right. No one could take their eyes off of her. Except Max Brody, who couldn’t quite meet her gaze when she saw him. She felt her cheeks start to burn. The whole thing had been a ridiculous idea—but it had been a ridiculous idea they had both agreed to. It wasn’t fair that he had made the unilateral decision to ditch their grand plan.
Aside from Amalia and Bobbi, no one else knew about the fake proposal that hadn’t happened. Everyone believed they were perfectly in love. So, she smiled brilliantly and walked across the room toward the supposed love of her life. The crowd parted like a sea. Johnny stepped forward to congratulate them, attempting to share some of the spotlight, but he now seemed dull in comparison to them, quickly receding into the background as flashbulbs erupted all around them. When Max murmured, “I’m sorry about that,” in her ear and, “But you understand, don’t you?” she just kept right on smiling.
Sadie felt her phone vibrating. It stopped, then started up again. She turned away from the cameras. She had five missed calls from her mom.
She headed toward the restrooms, hoping to find somewhere quiet to return her mom’s call—and feeling guilty because this huge thing had happened to her, and she had been too caught up in her complicated feelings about Max to remember to call home and celebrate with the people who loved her most. But she could only inch her away across the room. Everyone wanted to talk to her or take a photo with her or congratulate her. She was just a few feet away from the restroom door, finally, when she felt a warm hand on her arm. “Well done, gorgeous,” came Cruz’s voice. She turned.
“Thanks, Cruz,” she said. “It’s pretty thrilling. But I have to—”
“Thrilling is right,” Cruz said, keeping hold of her arm and pulling her into a quiet corner hidden by a tall urn filled with spruce fronds, holly berries, and snowy white orchids. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have your name on my roster of artists I work with at my studio.” He lowered his voice, “But I have to be honest with you: I think you’d be better off alone.”
“Excuse me?” But Sadie’s phone was ringing again and she couldn’t focus. “Cruz, I really—”
“Whatever’s going on between you and Max—pardon me for being blunt—it’s not real, is it? It’s a publicity stunt, yes?”
Sadie’s voicemail notification sounded, and then a text message from her mom arrived. She was barely listening to Cruz as she read it.Sadie, please call.
Cruz nodded knowingly. “It was a smart move, at least as far as winning the competition went—but it’s not going to work.I’ve seen a lot of talent come and go in this business, and Brody may have a famous name, but he doesn’t have staying power. He doesn’t have his daddy’s charisma, is the thing. He’s soft. Knits sweaters for dogs, for God’s sake.”
