Kristmas Collins (22 page)

Not as much as I appreciated his.

When Hope closed her eyes, she could see her father singing it to her. “The candyman can … the candyman can.”

The song was from her favorite childhood movie,
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
, which she would watch over and over. She refused to fall asleep until her father sang the song to her. And now she was singing it to keep from waking up from her dream.

When she first laid eyes on Candi Kane and the judges, she thought she would faint. But she’d promised herself that she wasn’t going to leave with any regrets. So she entered the competition thinking she had nothing to lose, which allowed her to perform without the burden of pressure.

She’d made it through the interview process and the rigorous acting scenes. The contestants had been whittled down to a final four. And suddenly the nerves were back—being so close, she now felt like she had
everything
to lose, and would regret a poor performance for the rest of her life. The room began to spin.

But when the music started, she could hear her father singing backup in her head, and she grabbed the moment. “
Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it in dew. Cover it in chocolate, and a miracle or two? The candyman can … the candyman can.”

With each note, her confidence grew, and when she hit the final lines—
The candyman can cause he mixes it with love. And makes the world taste good. And the world tastes good cause the candyman thinks it should!
—she felt as tall as the Empire State Building.

All that was left was to wait for the judges’ reaction—it seemed like it took an hour! But it was worth the wait when they responded with a standing ovation, and Candi Kane was smiling right at her.

The other contestants were kept back in the dressing room during the performances, so for all Hope knew, the ovation might not have been unique to her. But she figured it couldn’t be a bad thing.

When all the contestants completed their final performances, they were brought back to the dressing room for what turned out to be the longest twenty minutes of Hope’s life. And when they were brought back before the judges, her legs were jelly once more.

The auditions were being taped to be used in the show, so they eliminated one girl at a time for dramatic effect. Hope braced when they called the name of the first girl. But it wasn’t her name. And when they got down to three, she was still standing. But since she couldn’t feel her legs, she wasn’t sure for how long.

As Candi prepared to send the last contestant home, Hope rationalized that no matter what happened, she’d made it far beyond her expectations. The perspective allowed her to smile as she braced to be eliminated.

At first it didn’t register when Candi called out a name that wasn’t hers, but then the other girl to make it—a blonde with giraffe legs who looked like she’d just leaped off the cover of
Maxim
—crushed her with a hug.

“Congratulations on becoming the final members of
Candi Kane & the Candy Stripers
,” Candi announced with a smile. She then walked out from behind the judges’ table and greeted Hope and Maxim.

When the filming was completed, and the cameras were turned off, Candi said, “I’ve never been accused of breaking up a party before, but we have no time to waste. We have an escort waiting for us outside to take us directly to the airport for the trip to Afghanistan, so gather your things from the dressing room, and meet me back here in five minutes.”

Hope suddenly felt sick. “I don’t think I can.”

Candi looked confused. “You don’t think you can do what?”

“My mom … she doesn’t know I’m here. I can’t just leave the country.”

“But you signed the consent form. It made it clear that we’d be leaving directly from the audition if you were selected.”

A lawyer-type in an expensive suit spoke up, “And it gave the US military the right to do any necessary background check, using any information at their disposal including your Social Security number, and can terminate your participation at any point.”

“I um … I didn’t think I’d win. It was kinda a last minute decision to come,” Hope replied, leaving out the part that some random woman she’d met in the mall had filed her information for her.

Candi looked disappointed, but the show must go on. She looked to the lawyer. “It’s not too late to get the runner-up, right?”

He nodded, but Candi gave Hope one last chance. “What’s it gonna be?”

She felt like an entire ocean was perspiring through her
Candy Stripers
uniform. “Um … I don’t know.”

“We don’t have all day,” the lawyer said, his tone unyielding.

“I’m going to be grounded forever.”

“The only thing that grounds us in life is not following our dreams,” Candi said.

Hope thought for a second, and felt the stares of everyone in the room. She still wasn’t sure … until Mrs. Claus’ voice popped into her head, and made it clear in no uncertain terms that she was to get on that plane to Afghanistan.

“You’re right. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I’m going!” Hope blurted out and rush of excitement shot through her body.

“You’re not going anywhere,” a voice came from behind her.

Hope turned to see her mom. Her arms were crossed across her chest, and she was looking more pissed than Hope had ever seen her.

“Mom—what are you doing here?”

She held up a brown paper bag. “You forgot your lunch this morning, so I thought it would be a nice gesture to drop it off at the Christmas tree lot before I went to work. Turns out you weren’t there.”

Hope found some fight. “I’m going, I don’t care what you say. This is my chance to catch my dreams and I’m not letting go.”

“Since you’re fourteen, and someone forged my name on the consent form, you don’t have a say in the matter. When you’re eighteen, you can do anything you want, but right now I’m taking you home.”

The slamming of a door stopped the sparring match, and the sound of clapping echoed throughout the room.

“Bravo, bravo … what great drama. I suspect you will have a ratings winner, Candi—too bad you won’t be around to enjoy it.”

Candi turned white as a ghost and took a step back. “Gooch,” was all she said.

Before anyone could respond, he pulled out a gun and fired at the lawyer, who fell to the ground. Then the two other judges. Hope screamed.

As did the
Maxim
girl. Gooch pointed the gun at her chest. “Please, no,” she begged.

“You’re very pretty—what pleasure would you provide me not to shoot?”

“Anything you want. Please …”

“I’m afraid that’s not enough,” he said and fired right at her.

The moment she hit the floor, he returned his attention to Candi. “Stone Scroggie sent me to teach you a lesson in loyalty. Depending on your cooperation, it will either be short and painful, or long and excruciating.”

Hope suddenly felt she was playing the lead role in a horror movie, and the jelly legs were back. This Gooch character was staring right at her and her mother. There was something scary in his eyes. Or maybe it was what wasn’t in them—any sign of compassion.

Candi stepped in front of them. “Leave them alone—they have nothing to do with this.”

He laughed. “Candi Kane is concerned about someone besides herself—now I’m sure that the apocalypse is near. Somebody call the Mayans.”

The laughter then came to an abrupt end as Gooch crashed to the floor.

Alyson dropped the nutcracker that she’d just purchased on the second floor. It was for her Christmas collection, so she was annoyed that she was forced to break it over Gooch’s head.

She rolled him over so that she could drive her boot into his nose. “Doesn’t feel too good, does it?” she shouted at the unconscious hitman.

She picked up his gun and moved to the victims—three men in suits, and a pretty blonde who was going to miss out on her big break. She checked their pulses, and reported to the others, “They’re fine—it was a taser. It’s going to feel like they got hit by a truck when they wake up, but it just knocked them out.”

She dragged them into the dressing room and locked the door. It should keep them safe until security could arrive. She then tied up Gooch. But there was no time to waste, so she guided Candi and the stunned group back into the busy department store. She held up Gooch’s taser and yelled, “Security—out of the way. Move it!”

The heavy Christmas crowds parted at the sight of the gun, clearing the way for them to run down the moving escalators. When the shoppers spotted Candi Kane, a buzz began to ripple through the store.

“Will you slow down—it’s not exactly easy to run in these Christian Louboutin heels,” Candi whined. “Some of us have a fashion image to uphold—we can’t be running around in combat boots.”

Alyson stopped in her tracks and whipped around. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m trying to save your sorry ass.”

“If
you
haven’t noticed, my ass is far from sorry.”

“You would know—your head is usually so far up it that you can’t see reality.”

They started moving again, but the sniping didn’t stop. “You barely know me,” Candi said as they hit the fourth floor.

“I know the damage you’ve caused to people’s lives.”

“And by people, you mean Kris. He’s a grown man, he doesn’t need you to protect him.”

“You’re right—he needed a full suit of armor and a shot of penicillin to protect himself from you.”

Upon reaching the main floor, they made a mad dash out onto 34th Street.

Despite the cold temperatures, Alyson remained hot under the collar. She couldn’t believe she was risking her life to save this narcissistic home-wrecker. Kris really owed her. But when she caught a glimpse of a scared and shivering Hope Roberts, huddled next to her dazed mother, she found motivation.

“Stay here—I’m going to flag down a cab,” she instructed the group, as they stood curbside.

“No cab—we need to stay right here,” Candi argued.

“Sorry—there’s no limo service today, princess. You’re going to have to rough it.”

“Are you deaf? I said no cabs.”

Alyson ignored her as she viewed the surrounding scene. Anyone in the bustling shopping crowds could be one of the bad guys—the socialite-looking woman draped in shopping bags, the bell ringer from the Salvation Army. The possibilities were endless. And none of them were good.

Her attention returned to Candi. “This isn’t Hollywood fantasy world—you don’t know who you’re dealing with in Scroggie!”

“I know exactly who I’m dealing with.”

“I forgot—of course you do. Your usual way of moving up the ladder.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just think it’s interesting how you’ve suddenly made a career comeback after you started sleeping with Stone Scroggie.”

“You have no idea what went on, but I don’t respond to the haters.”

“If that means you’ll finally shut up, then I’m all for it. Now I’m going to get that cab before Gooch wakes up and decides to give you that loyalty test—I’m betting that wasn’t your best subject in school.”

“Do what you want—I’m staying here.”

Alyson successfully flagged a cab, helped by the taser gun she brandished as if it were a Glock. She ushered Hope Roberts and her mother into the back, but Candi wasn’t budging from the curb. So Alyson forcefully grabbed her by the hair extensions and shoved her inside the cab.

As they began to drive away, the driver asked, “Where to?”

But when he turned back to face them, they knew they had no choice in the matter. They all edged back in their seats.

It was Gooch.

He handed the nutcracker back to Alyson, “I think you dropped this.”

“I guess we’re even now for my nose.”

“After I kill you we will be.”

Alyson attempted to shoot him with the taser, but he swiped it from her hand before she even knew what happened.

He had a good laugh at that one, and turned to Hope Roberts. “I’m sorry you won’t be going to Afghanistan. But if it’s any consolation, where you’re going is much more dangerous.”

“Please let my daughter go,” Marilyn Roberts said through sobs. “She’s just an innocent girl.”

“It seems your tune has changed. It never fails to amaze me how the specter of death can bring people together. Unfortunately, most don’t realize this until it’s too late.”

Candi shot Alyson a dirty look. “I told you to stay on the curb, but your ego wouldn’t allow you to listen to me.”

“My ego? You have some nerve.”

Gooch interrupted, “Nerve she has, but its attention that she craves. Don’t worry, Candi—you’ll have my undivided attention very soon.”