“I’ll ride back here and Ronan can sit up front with you,” Hallie said.
“Sounds good,” Ronan said as he finished securing the tree on top of the car.
Niko waited until everybody was back in the car before he put the vehicle into drive. The sun had begun to set, taking its warmth and leaving winter in its wake. He adjusted the heat and glanced in the rearview mirror. Alice stared out the window, her profile brushed in shadows, eyes shaded from his view. He returned his gaze to the road and pulled onto the interstate.
Alice had broken up with Richard but it meant nothing. She’d need time to heal and by the time she did, she’d be long gone. They were opposites in many ways and although they found some common ground, it wasn’t enough to make a firm foundation.
Chapter Fourteen
Alice pulled out the gingerbread cookies from the pantry in the gourmet kitchen of Grace’s condo. With the construction on set in full swing, she had decided to film the children’s segment in a more intimate setting, away from the chaos. She carried them into the dining room where seven kids sat around the massive table scattered with strips of green, red, and golden paper. Chloe sat among them showing no signs of illness from their excursion to the tree farm.
Looks were often deceiving.
Don’t go there. Alice had taken time to familiarize herself with the contestants and their kids. From what Grace had told her, the chefs were well-known in the region for their exceptional skills in the kitchen. Good, she loved a show where the contestants challenged each other.
The kids varied in age from four to sixteen. All were enthusiastic. Alice watched Grace work the room, interviewing each one with equal attention. Alice sidled up to Hallie and casually propped her hip against the table. “Are you okay with Grace talking to Chloe on air? Niko and I—”
“It’s fine, Alice. I trust you,” Hallie said.
Don’t. She was perpetrating a lie on this nice woman and no matter Alice’s reasons, it was still a pretense.
“Besides, Chloe’s been chomping at the bit to get her ten minutes of fame. Don’t get me wrong, I love my daughter but she can be stubborn at times. Like me, I suppose. Like mother, like daughter,” she shrugged.
Hallie didn’t talk like a mother who’d adopted her child. How would a mother who’d adopted sound? Alice couldn’t say with any certainty that Chloe was her daughter. She hoped it was the case, but she might never know unless she discovered more information.
Alice excused herself and moved to the end of the dining room where her viewing station was set up. Climbing into the chair, she placed her hand over her ear, and addressed the crew over the ear mic. “Grace, finish up with the other kids and then focus on Chloe. I’d like five minutes of good footage if possible.”
“Will do.” Grace ended her conversation with the oldest of the children, Diana Field’s granddaughter. She moved to where Chloe was sitting. Ronan trailed her, pushing the tripod that held the camera.
“Look, isn’t it pretty?” Chloe said to Grace who entered the frame, dressed in an elf costume. She’d bought Santa hats for all the kids and Chloe’s insisted on flopping over her eye no matter how many times she adjusted it.
“It has a red nose. Is it Rudolph?” Grace perched on the edge of a stool and rested her elbow on the table while she inspected the painted ornament.
“Yes, it is, see.” Chloe picked up the reindeer and pretended to make it fly. “Rudolph guides the sleigh for Santa.”
Grace nodded, the bell at the end of her hat jingling at the action. “He does. That’s always been my favorite Christmas story. Is it yours?”
“No,” Chloe reached up and flicked the bell on Grace’s hat, making it ring again. “Cute hat.”
“Thanks. If Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer isn’t your favorite story, what is?” Grace asked, tilting her head, not bothering to hide her smile.
“My favorite Christmas story is mine. My birthday is on Christmas Day. Grandma said I was delivered on a sleigh by Santa.” Chloe rested both of her elbows on the table and rocked in her chair. She snatched up a paintbrush and added more red to the ornament’s nose.
Grace retrieved a pair of scissors from the pile of construction paper and began to cut out strips of green. “You were delivered by Santa? I bet that was fun.”
“I don’t remember. I was a baby, silly,” Chloe said, eyes sparkling, her sense of humor shining through the camera lens and straight into Alice’s heart.
“Yes, that was a silly question.” Grace applied glue and rolled the paper into a tube. She picked up a second piece of red and began to cut it into strips as well. “So, you were delivered by Santa. I’ve never met anyone who was delivered by Santa.”
Chloe dotted more paint onto the details on the reindeer’s harness her brow knit in concentration. “I was wrapped up as a present for my family.”
“Where you wrapped in a box with a big ribbon?”
Giggles erupted from Chloe and she beamed at the camera. “No, in a bassinet. Am I gonna be on TV?”
“You sure are. I was told the application your mom sent to the Epicurean Network is the reason 3Square is having this Christmas special.”
“I watch 3Square every week and my Uncle Niko is gonna be on the show. He makes chocolate and it’s delicious,” Chloe said.
