Double Date (19 page)

On the morning after Thanksgiving, Emma walked over to Felicia's house and together they rode the bus into the city, where they'd arranged to meet Isaac and Marcus at the Family Assistance Center. According to Abby, this was a great place to connect with needy kids. Kent had given Isaac a list of potential candidates. The plan was to select four children—one for each of them. What they would do after that was still something of a mystery, but at least they were getting started. After showing Helen at the front desk their IDs and release forms for the kids' parents plus the vouchers they'd gotten from school for this project, they filled out the visitors' information and were given name tags.

“Go ahead and make yourselves at home,” Helen told them. “We encourage guests to participate in whatever activities interest them.”

“I think we should all go our separate ways,” Emma said as they studied the map of the building hanging by the front desk.

“I'm going to the gym,” Marcus informed them.

“Me too,” Isaac told him.

“I'm going to the arts and crafts room,” Emma said.

“I'll check out the sewing center,” Felicia proclaimed.

“Let's meet back at lunch,” Marcus suggested as they parted ways.

Emma found her way to a rather dismal little room where an older woman named Diane was supervising arts and crafts.
She seemed unenthused and the kids, who did seem interested in doing something artsy, were restless. “Do you have a project for them to do?” Emma asked Diane.

“Not really,” Diane admitted. “I usually just let them do what they like.”

“Mind if I get involved?” Emma asked. “I love art.”

Diane nodded eagerly. “Sure. I'd appreciate that.”

Before long, Emma had a dozen kids making Christmas tree ornaments together, but it was a six-year-old girl named Mindy who really captured her attention. “You're an artist,” Emma told Mindy as she watched her decorating a cardboard gingerbread man.

Mindy looked doubtful. “Really?”

“Absolutely.” Emma pointed at Mindy's careful work. “That's beautiful.”

Mindy gave her a cautious smile. “You like it?”

“I love it.”

“Thanks.” Mindy returned her attention to the glue she was using to draw a vest on the gingerbread man. Then she carefully sprinkled it with green glitter, shaking it onto the folded paper like Emma had shown them. “How's that?”

“Very elegant.”

By lunchtime, Emma had made up her mind. If Mindy was interested and if her parents agreed, Emma would choose her.

As it turned out, they each found a child they wanted to help. Isaac had bonded with a seven-year-old boy named Jackson who loved playing basketball. Felicia and Marcus had picked twin siblings—six-year-old Rosa and Roberta Gonzales. With the help of Helen at the front desk, by the end of the day, all arrangements were made with the parents, and Isaac and Marcus offered Emma and Felicia a ride home.

“So what's next?” Emma asked as they got into Isaac's car.

“We should take the kids to do something fun,” Marcus sug
gested. They kicked around various ideas, everything from seeing
The Nutcracker
, which the guys vetoed, to go-cart racing, which they decided was too old for these kids. They finally agreed on several things, including Christmas-gift shopping, a visit to Santa Village, lunch at a place with a kid-friendly environment, and a fun Christmas movie.

Emma knew some of these activities wouldn't be cheap, but she didn't want to put a damper on things by admitting that her budget might be a bit challenged. Plus, she knew there were available resources to help with some of these things. “What about the Christmas parade?” she asked. “It's tomorrow.”

“Good idea,” Felicia said eagerly. “And it's free.”

“Speaking of that,” Emma said carefully, “I want to contribute as much as I can to this project, but the truth is, I'm not exactly, uh, wealthy.” She made a nervous laugh.

“That goes for me too,” Felicia admitted.

“Maybe we should stop somewhere and have a kind of planning meeting,” Marcus suggested. Because the guys were hungry and Marcus insisted on treating, they quickly agreed to have their meeting over burgers and shakes.

Emma offered to take notes for their ideas, and by the time they were finished with their food, they had scheduled a number of activities for the next two weekends, as well as a budget and a list of responsibilities for everyone. As it turned out, Isaac and Marcus wanted to cover most of the expenses, while Felicia and Emma helped to round up all the available free resources.

“With everyone doing their part, this should be a very cool Christmas for our kids,” Isaac declared as they walked to his car.

“I'll borrow my mom's minivan to get the kids to the parade and everything tomorrow,” Marcus told them.

“I'll do the phoning to set it up with their parents,” Felicia offered.

“Maybe we should get the winter coats I told you about
before tomorrow's parade.” Emma rubbed her hands together for warmth. “I heard it's going to get even colder and the kids might need them.”

“Good idea,” Marcus said. “We're not far from the police department you mentioned.”

Isaac turned back toward the city, and before long they were sorting through an enormous pile of both new and “gently used” winter clothes that had been donated to the police department.

“Good thing you stopped when you did,” a uniformed officer told them. “The rest of this is going to be dropped off for distribution after the Christmas parade.”

It took about an hour for each of them to accumulate a set of coats, mittens, hats, boots, and other things for their Christmas kids. Emma couldn't wait to see Mindy's face when she presented her with the pink-and-purple jacket and matching hat and mittens. “Hey, we should take photos of the kids in their new stuff,” she suggested as they loaded their loot in the trunk.

“Yeah,” Marcus said eagerly. “Maybe we could put the pics in the sleigh, you know, to show that the kids really have them.”

“Or we could make a video,” Isaac suggested, “and put that in the sleigh.”

“And give copies of it to the kids too,” Felicia added.

“Hey, Isaac,” Emma said. “Where are you going? You missed your—”

“That woman at the police station told me to swing by the fire department,” Isaac told her. “They have Toys for Tots collected there, and if we show them our vouchers, we can get some things for the kids.”

“Fantastic!” Felicia declared.

Just like at the police station, the fireman helping them explained that the remainder of the toys they'd collected would be distributed following tomorrow's parade. “I'm sure we'll collect more before Christmas,” he assured them. “But you never
know. Might be slim pickings by then. You kids are smart to get a head start on it.” He grinned. “Nice to see teens taking an interest in something like this.”

By the time they got back to the car, they were loaded down with all sorts of great stuff. And all of it was free! Emma could hardly believe it. As Isaac dropped her at home, she was even more determined to go over the list of resources that the school counselor had posted on the school's website. This was turning out to be even more fun than she'd expected. Sure, it was work too. But it was enjoyable work, and it was made much easier by everyone doing their part.

A
s Bryn stood in front of the full-length mirror on her closet door, she knew that this creamy white formal was absolutely gorgeous. From the structured, form-fitting strapless bodice down to the luminous pearly beadwork that glimmered like moonlight on the lower half of the skirt, everything about this gown was total perfection. With the right shoes and accessories, a sophisticated up-do for her hair, and a little tanning, she would definitely be the belle of the ball. Bryn gave a happy spin, watching as the weight of the beaded skirt made it swirl out slightly. Some three-inch heels would be perfect.

She gently removed the splendid gown, carefully hanging it back into the sleek Nordstrom's garment bag. It had been on sale, but it had not been cheap. Not by any means. Still, she assured herself, it was well worth it. If nothing else, it was already worth it just for the reaction she got from Amanda, Sienna, and Devon when she'd announced she was getting it. She knew they were not only surprised but understandably envious. Everyone
had admired the gown on the rack, but Bryn had been the brave one who'd decided to try it on.

She hadn't told her parents how much it had cost yet, but it wasn't like Dad had really given her a limit. Oh, he'd warned her not to go overboard, but she would remind him that, as the chair of the Christmas ball, she was expected to wow everyone at the dance. And this gown was designed to do just that.

She couldn't wait to see Beth and Jack Hartford's faces when they saw her in it. For some reason that seemed almost more important to her than Jason's reaction. She did want Jason to be proud of her too, but the Hartfords were so rich . . . so influential . . . so supportive of this whole event. She really wanted to show them that she was something special. She wanted to impress them. Now if only she could find just the right shoes.

She went online, starting what would probably turn into an exhaustive search for the most chic pair of pearl-white shoes. Hopefully she'd find them for a good deal too. Dad would appreciate that. She'd just located a good possibility when she heard someone tapping on her door. Assuming it was Mom, she called out a distracted “come in,” but it was Abby who entered her room.

“I texted and called you,” Abby said a bit glumly as she peered over Bryn's shoulder.

“Check out these shoes.” Bryn pointed to the photo. “Aren't they to die for?”

“They're okay, I guess.”

“Well, wait until you see my dress.” Bryn sprung to her feet, unzipping the garment bag to show Abby her fabulous find. “Did you ever see anything so beautiful?”

Abby's brow creased as she looked at the white gown. “Wow, it's really formal, isn't it?”

Bryn laughed as she extracted the dress. “Isn't it yummy?”

“I guess.”

“What's up with you?” Bryn held the dress in front of her, dancing before the mirror again. “Why so gloomy?”

Abby frowned at Bryn. “I guess I'm worried about you.”

“About me?” Bryn blinked in surprise. “Why? I'm doing just fine, Abby. You don't need to worry about me.” She hung the dress back in the bag, carefully zipping it closed.

“Well, you and Jason are supposed to be our partners in Project Santa Sleigh,” Abby began, “but it seems like you're more interested in things like your dress than you are in helping with it.”

“I'm going to help with it,” Bryn assured her. “Like I told you, I just wanted to get my dress figured out. That frees me up to focus on helping you.” She pointed a finger at Abby. “Have you gotten your dress yet?”

Abby shook her head. “Mom and I are going shopping next week.”

“Well, you don't want to put it off too long. Poor Sienna and Devon. They couldn't find a single thing today. Although Amanda got her dress too.” Bryn gave her a smug smile. “Not as pretty as mine.” She described it in detail to Abby. “To be honest, red is not Amanda's best color. Not that I mentioned that to her. She looked kind of washed out in it, though.”

“Kent and I are going to FAC tomorrow. Do you want to come?”

“FAC?”

“Family Assistance Center.”

“Oh.” Bryn sat down to consider this. “Do I really need to go there? I mean, I want to help with these kids and everything, but is that the best use of my time?”

Abby scowled, making her face resemble an old lady's.

“It's just that I might be more useful doing things like shopping for the kids, you know? I'm such a good shopper. If you gave me the kids' sizes and stuff, I could probably put together
some cool outfits.” Bryn brightened. “Wouldn't that be fun? It could look really awesome in our sleigh. You know, to lay the clothes out with everything. Kind of like a store window. And we could prop some toys around and—”

“Wouldn't it be easier for you to pick things out for them if you knew them?”

“Tell me about them.” Bryn waited.

“Well, Sarita is seven and Samuel is five.”

“Wait.” Bryn grabbed a pen and notepad from her desk. “What size do you think they wear?”

“I don't know. They seem about average size for their ages.”

“The girl's seven and the boy's five?” Bryn asked.

“Yes.”

“And what kind of coloring are they?” Bryn made notes.

“My kind of coloring,” Abby said in a slightly chilly tone.

“Right.” Bryn nodded. “They'll look great in bright, bold colors. This will be fun.” She turned around to her computer and quickly pulled up some children's clothing websites. “What do you think of this?” She pointed to a sweater with big stripes of primary colors.

Abby leaned over to see it. “I guess that would be cute, but I'm not sure about sweaters. They might need stuff that's easier to wash, you know? Like things that are warm and sturdy.”

“Still cute, though, right? I mean, just because kids are poor doesn't mean they can't look cute.”

Abby's somber face cracked into a bit of a smile. “Yeah, Bryn, I guess being poor doesn't mean you can't have style.”

“I can do my part by getting them some clothes?”

Abby let out a sigh. “Sure, why not.”

“You don't sound very enthusiastic.”

Abby patted Bryn on the back. “Look, Kent and I will be grateful for any help you and Jason can give. We just didn't like feeling like we were pulling this sleigh by ourselves. By the
way, we got started on it and it's looking pretty good.” Abby pulled out her phone and showed Bryn a photo of a cardboard structure that resembled a sporty-looking sleigh.

“Hey, that's not bad.” Bryn nodded. “Maybe we could have a real chance to win this thing.” Now she was imagining filling the sleigh with some pretty cool-looking stuff—maybe it could all be color coordinated. “What color do you plan to paint it?”

“We haven't decided.”

“What if we kept everything in primary colors,” Bryn suggested as she returned to her computer, switching over to toy websites and finding some sturdy-looking toys. “Like these. The sleigh could be red and blue and yellow.” She pointed to a wooden puzzle. “And the clothes could be coordinated too. Can you imagine how cool that would look?”

“I guess.” Abby cocked her head to one side. “But we want the stuff in the sleigh to be practical and enjoyable for the kids. Not just cool to look at. You know?”

“Look at these wooden puzzles. What kids wouldn't like them?”

“I don't know. Check the age range that the toys are made for. We want them to be appropriate for five- and seven-year-olds.”

“I'm on it, Abby.” Bryn clicked onto another site.

“Okay then. I better go because I'm on my bike and it'll be dark soon. I just wanted to make sure you were helping . . . that you're into this.”

“Believe me, I'm into this.” Bryn gave Abby a big, confident smile. “You're going to love what I bring to it. Who knows, it might be you and me doing the red carpet next year. Can you imagine?”

Abby shook her head. “Not really.”

Bryn pointed to the bag hanging on her closet door. “I already have the perfect dress for it.”

Abby laughed. “You're not going to be the star walking down
the red carpet, Bryn. Even if we won, we'd be sitting on the sidelines. Remember?”

“Who says we can't be shining like stars on the sidelines?”

Abby waved. “Good-bye, my delusional friend. Happy shopping.”

The next week and a half passed in a crazy-busy blur for Abby. She was so glad that she'd quit the basketball team. Along with the demands of school and daily life, she was investing a lot of time on Project Santa Sleigh. Between doing things with young Sarita and Samuel, who had both become very special to her and Kent, she was also doing all she could to keep everyone else's enthusiasm for the project up. She continued to find and post new resources on the school's website, hoping to make quality gifts and goodies accessible to all. From what she was hearing, everyone in the school was really getting into the project. Whether it was for the kids or for the prizes was anyone's guess, but Abby didn't care—as long as it was a success. And she'd been thrilled to hear that the skating party was really going to happen. Scheduled for the Sunday afternoon after the dance, it was estimated that more than 130 children would be in attendance—with 78 filled sleighs awaiting them.

To Abby's pleasant surprise, Bryn had come through with flying colors on their sleigh too—well, sort of. She had certainly found a number of great bargains for the sleigh—all in the primary colors that she'd decided upon. Abby had to admit their stuff looked pretty stylish in the sleigh as the four of them admired their handiwork in Abby's garage on Thursday afternoon.

“I'll fluff it up with red, yellow, and blue tissue paper, and I'll have helium balloons in the same colors.” Bryn beamed at them. “I think we could have a real good chance of winning.”

“Wow.” Jason poked Kent in the ribs. “Imagine you and me at the Rose Bowl, bro.”

“Two days until the big night.” Bryn eagerly rubbed her hands together. “I can't wait.”

“What I'm really looking forward to is the skating party,” Abby admitted. “I can't wait to see the looks on the kids' faces. Not just our kids either. All of them. It's going to be awesome.”

“Speaking of awesome,” Bryn said to Abby, “are you going to let me see your dress?”

Kent elbowed Jason. “I think that's girl-speak for ‘time to split.'”

After the guys left, Abby led Bryn up to her room. She was pretty sure that Bryn wouldn't be overly impressed with the formal she'd chosen. “I wanted to be frugal,” she explained as she opened her closet.

“Don't tell me you went to the rental place too!”

“I thought about it. But Mom and I went to Dress 4 Less and they had a markdown rack that—”

“Dress 4 Less? Markdown rack?” Bryn gasped dramatically as she collapsed onto Abby's bed. “Tell me it ain't so.”

Abby removed the cranberry-colored cocktail-length dress and held it up to her. She actually kind of liked it and could almost imagine wearing it more than once.

“It's short,” Bryn exclaimed.

“Yeah. But some girls are wearing short dresses. Emma's is short and—”

“But mine is floor length,” Bryn said. “You saw it—remember?”

“I know. That doesn't mean I have to—”

“But I wanted us to look good together.”

“We will look good. We'll be red and white—very Christmassy.”

Bryn just shook her head. As Abby looked at her image in the mirror, she was pleased with her choice. Not only did it look
good, it would be comfortable too. “My shoes are really cool,” she told Bryn. “I think you'll like them.” Bryn approved of the glitzy silver-heeled sandals, but she was not a fan of the dress. As Abby told her good-bye, she realized that she really didn't care. Bryn might be a fashionista, but she wasn't Abby's boss.