Plain Christmas (Plain Fame Book 6) Page 6

  “Miami concert?” Isadora perked up and ran forward, placing her hand on Geoffrey’s shoulder as she walked behind him. “Did you find out if I can bring my friends, Uncle Geoff?”

  Amanda had forgotten about Isadora’s request to bring her friends with her to the Jingle Ball concert in Miami. With all of the top bands and singers that were performing at the event, everyone wanted a ticket. Isadora, however, wanted to be backstage so she could meet the performers.

  “Izzie, you shouldn’t ask for such favors,” Amanda said. She was always wary of Isadora getting hurt by people trying to take advantage of her. At the same time, she knew their daughter needed a social life, too. Most of her friends attended the same private school and came from privileged backgrounds, but none of them came from a family that had so many ties to the entertainment industry.

  “Unfortunately,” Alejandro said, answering for Geoffrey, “that cannot happen, Isadora.”

  “Papi!” she whined. “Why not?”

  Amanda frowned. Wasn’t it enough that Alejandro had agreed to let Isadora attend? While he usually let her attend his Miami concerts, this one was different. The backstage scene would be more chaotic than usual, and Alejandro normally objected to Isadora attending a concert with so many performers and their entourages. It simply was too mature an environment for a young girl. But now that she was fourteen, he had agreed to let her come, especially since Banff, her favorite band, was performing.

  While Alejandro often gave in to his firstborn’s demands, this time he held firm. “Not this year, hija.”

  “Can we at least get some tickets for Jennifer and Cathy?” she pleaded. “You know I told them you would!” She stared at her father and then, when he didn’t answer right away, she looked imploringly at her mother. “Mami! If I don’t get those tickets for them . . .”

  “We’ll see,” Alejandro finally answered but in a far too noncommittal way to sound convincing.

  Amanda reached over and touched her daughter’s shoulder. They both knew that a “we’ll see” from Alejandro usually meant no.

  Isadora groaned as she covered her face with her hands. “I’ll be a social outcast if they don’t get to go!”

  “At least you won’t have to see them afterward,” Sofia said sarcastically as she walked past her sister, “since we’re going to Pennsylvania for Christmas!”

  Alejandro pointed his finger at her. “That’s enough, young lady.” He turned to look at Amanda, giving an irritated shake of his head. “Ay-yi-yi!”

  “Can you manage while I go change, or should I send Grace or Renata to help?” she asked as she started to walk back toward the house.

  He shook his head to indicate that he didn’t need help, but by the time she reached the door, she knew that he was on his cell phone, and the two girls were already bickering.

  She hurried to their bedroom, removing her blouse as she walked into her closet. Jeremy had probably spent weeks selecting the perfect outfit for her to wear for the photo shoot, and she knew she would hear about it from him. Nothing she chose for herself would rise to the level of perfection her stylist demanded. She sighed as she rummaged through her closet trying to find something that was at least similar.

  “Amanda,” she heard Alejandro call out to her, his voice carrying from the backyard through the open window. “Con rapidez! The photographer doesn’t want to miss the morning light.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Amanda sighed again as she buttoned up her new blouse. She wondered if there would ever be a time that they could enjoy a normal day without the constant demands that came with Alejandro’s fame.

  For the next hour, the family stood together, the photographer’s crew directing their every movement. It wasn’t the first family photo shoot, and although Amanda suspected that it would not be the last, she hoped it was a long time until the next one. The smiling and posing became painful after the first fifteen minutes, the children losing interest and Alejandro starting to glance at Geoffrey, who was pacing on the grass, his cell phone held to his ear. Clearly, something was amiss, and that made Alejandro fidgety.

  “Nicolas, look this way,” the photographer said. Amanda looked at her son and saw that he had turned around, his shoulders slumped from boredom. “Amanda,” the photographer said to her, “can you please try to keep the children still?”

  She placed her hand on Nicolas’s shoulder and gently pulled him against her.

  “When will this be over, Mami?” he whispered.

  “Soon, sweetheart. Just try to smile and not look away. Think of something wonderful, and it will help.”

  “Like Christmas?”

  She laughed. “Ja, like Christmas.”

  She followed her own advice and let her mind drift to the upcoming family sojourn. For just a few days, life would be simpler. There would be no demands made of their family, at least not from the outside world. A serene smile graced her face as she imagined the children with no cell phones or tablets as they played in the hayloft, and Alejandro with no one demanding his time, relaxing and just . . . being. There would be nothing to do but take in the fresh air and enjoy one another.

  “That’s perfect!” The photographer moved around as he took a final series of photos. “Beautiful, Amanda,” yelled the photographer. “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it!”

  Finally, the photographer lowered his camera. “That should do it.” He called out to the rest of his crew, “It’s a wrap!”

  No sooner had he said those words than Alejandro hurried over to Geoffrey, and the children scattered in different directions. They were all clearly grateful to be finished with another mundane chore. Amanda stood there alone, watching as everyone in her family disappeared into their individual worlds, a world that centered strictly on them and no one else. She sighed, wondering how she had let this happen. She was finally realizing that instead of easing up, Alejandro’s chaotic lifestyle had not only increased but now trickled into her children’s lives.

  Chapter Five

  Amanda paced the floor in the sitting room. Her high heels left little marks in the white carpet, creating a trail of polka dots behind her. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous; it was just one holiday. At least that’s what she tried to convince herself. How bad of a reaction could Alecia have?

  Yet, try as she might, there was nothing she could tell herself to quell her anxiety.

  She paused at the window and stared blankly outside. A man wearing khaki pants and a white shirt stood by the pool, listening to music while he vacuumed it, and two landscapers tended to the rest of the backyard.

  A typical day. At least on the surface. However, Amanda knew that it would be anything but typical.

  The previous afternoon, Alejandro had left after the photo shoot. Just prior to walking through the front door, he reminded Amanda again of her promise. Then, after placing a soft kiss on her lips, he was gone. Standing in the doorway, she watched her husband as he got into the waiting car, pausing to give her a final wave before it drove away.

  As she shut the front door, she had known that she couldn’t make any more excuses. With a sense of growing anxiety, she headed to her office. She had to make the dreaded phone call to Alecia.

  She had promised Alejandro that she would inform her mother-in-law about their decision to spend the Christmas holiday with her Amish family in Pennsylvania, not with Alecia’s family in Miami. Avoiding the situation would only make matters worse. Amanda couldn’t even imagine Alecia’s reaction if she heard the news from another source. Regardless of how tight-lipped Alejandro’s and Amanda’s inner circles were, word traveled quickly once someone slipped up. Amanda learned that a long time ago.

  Isadora and her cell phone didn’t help.

  Technology, she thought with a shake of her head. The way that their daughter depended on her cell phone and laptop to communicate with the world bothered Amanda. Whether they were out in public or relaxing at home, Isadora seemed to always be hunched over, her finge
rs tapping furiously. When had she grown so dependent on technology?

  Amanda hated feeling as though she was always talking to the bent-over form of her daughter, but it was even worse that she had to filter everything she said in the presence of the children. Too many times the family had planned a private outing, only for Isadora to comment about it on social media or for Sofia to confide in her friends. The blunders were innocent lapses in juvenile judgment, but the result usually was the same: chaos. Especially in Miami, there was always a readily available mob of paparazzi eager to snap a photo of the Diaz family. They simply didn’t care if they ruined what should have been a peaceful family affair. All they wanted was to sell a photo or video to the highest bidder.

  It would be good to get away, Amanda thought, to a simpler environment without housekeepers and personal assistants. Best of all, there would be limited access to technology.

  Still standing at the window, she looked toward the side yard, taking a moment to admire her flower garden. As much as she loved cutting the flowers in the mornings, she missed the planting and weeding of truly working in a garden—a real garden with vegetables that would feed her family. While Alejandro hired landscapers to tend to her flowers, Amanda knew she was too busy to care for the type of garden she would have preferred.

  A wave of guilt washed over her. Despite her love for gardening, now her days were filled with interviews, photo shoots, and attending events on behalf of Alejandro. When had she lost that passion for connecting with nature instead of with cameras?

  Her life, like an untended garden, seemed consumed with weeds. And while her actual flower gardens flourished from being cared for by many people, including herself, Amanda knew that her life-garden needed weeding in order to let the flowers grow.

  She heard a noise from the hallway and turned toward the French doors. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Amanda realized that Alecia must be running late. It was almost time for Nicolas and Sofia to arrive home from school. She’d have to hurry to ensure that any emotional outbursts from Alecia were long over before then.

  When she heard the telltale sound of Alecia’s footsteps approaching, Amanda took a deep breath, said a quick prayer for strength, and braced herself for the storm that would, undoubtedly, descend upon her in just a matter of seconds.

  Teresa appeared first, her expression unreadable as she opened the glass doors so that Alejandro’s mother could enter the room. From the sound of Alecia’s rapid-fire Spanish, Teresa was receiving a litany of either requests or complaints. Amanda couldn’t quite determine which. Knowing her mother-in-law, it was probably both. Alecia’s partiality to Señora Perez’s authority over her son’s household had been challenged when Teresa had been hired. In Alecia’s view, a housekeeper needed to be quiet and in the background. Teresa’s stern, confrontational manner rubbed her the wrong way.

  Once she had finished with Teresa, Alecia swept into the room, her arms laden with shopping bags. Her blue eyes, so similar to Alejandro’s and the children’s, met Amanda’s and lit up. “Amanda! ¡Querida!”

  When Alecia walked into a room, it was always with a great flourish. People stopped talking and turned their heads in her direction, her presence commanding respect from those who willingly gave it—and demanding it from anyone who didn’t. Amanda fell in the former category, while Alejandro leaned toward the latter. Amanda couldn’t count how many times she had been forced to run interference between the two over the years, usually calming Alejandro enough to make quick peace with his mother.

  That was one of the reasons Amanda had always gotten along so well with her mother-in-law.

  With great joy, Alecia crossed the room and embraced Amanda. “What a pleasant surprise! I was so thrilled that you called me.” Kissing Amanda’s cheeks, she added, “We need to do this more often, no? Not just when Alejandro is away.” Then, she took a step back, her hands still on Amanda’s shoulders, and gave her a quick study. “Ay, you look beautiful . . . as usual.” She laughed.

  “And you look—”

  Alecia interrupted Amanda. “The decorators! Ay-yi-yi!” She shook her head approvingly and made a satisfied noise with her tongue. “Just beautiful.” She paused for a long second. “Although I would have preferred more red. It’s just a little bland without it, no?”

  Amanda bit her tongue. “I don’t think it—”

  Ignoring her, Alecia gave a little laugh. “You won’t mind if I add a few red bows here and there before Christmas Eve.”

  “Alecia—”

  “Now, let me show you what I bought, querida. Two new dresses for Sofia! I know how fussy she can be, but she is still a little girl, sí? She can pick which one she prefers for our family gathering.”

  Amanda gave up trying to speak and stood there watching as Alecia hurried back to where she had dropped the bags.

  “Neiman Marcus had some wonderful sales the other day,” Alecia said in an excited tone. With great pride, she carried the bags to the sofa and sat down, gesturing for Amanda to sit next to her. “Not that it really matters.”

  Since Alejandro had started paying his mother’s credit cards, Alecia had gone overboard more than once. While Alejandro grumbled about it from time to time, usually around April 15 when his accountants complained about her expenses, he’d never once questioned her spending habits. Amanda, however, knew far too well that Alejandro had become an enabler to his mother’s addiction to lavishing gifts on her grandchildren.

  “¡Ven!” With a big smile on her face, Alecia patted the seat beside her again. “I also picked up a pair of dress shoes for Nicolas. Perfect for the holidays, no?” She began rummaging through the bags, pulling out a few items to display for Amanda. “Sofia will wear this, no?” she asked and held up a very childish white sleeveless dress that was covered in polka dots. It had an abundance of ruffles around the collar, and a big gaudy sash circled the waist.

  With one glance, Amanda knew that Sofia would never wear that dress. Not by choice, anyway. Besides, at school, her children wore uniforms, and Jeremy oversaw what they wore at public events. He always insisted that everyone be coordinated and in the most current styles. Simple elegance was his motto. Amanda agreed at least with the simple.

  “I—”

  Once again, Alecia reached into the bag for another box. This one was small, and she held it with both hands.

  “This,” she said proudly, “is something that I picked for you.”

  Taken aback, Amanda temporarily forgot about Christmas. “Me?”

  Alecia nodded and handed the small box to her. “Sí, querida. For you.”

  The box felt light in her hand. Amanda frowned as she looked at Alecia. “Whatever for?” Her birthday wasn’t until after New Year’s, and everyone knew that Amanda was much more practical than her husband and children. While she didn’t mind outfitting everyone else with the latest and greatest things, she tended to shy away from buying things for herself.

  With an overly modest shrug of her shoulders, Alecia looked away. She was trying to look demure, but Amanda saw through it.

  Carefully, she opened the box and saw a charm bracelet set against the blue velvet case. It was silver—which Amanda preferred to gold—and had a toggle clasp. And while it was beautiful on its own, it was the charms that gave Amanda reason to pause: six little people charms—two men and four women. For a moment, Amanda didn’t get it.

  “It’s lovely, Alecia,” she said, even though she did not usually wear bracelets. “Thank you very much. So thoughtful.”

  “There’s one for each member of your family,” Alecia said proudly as she leaned forward and pointed to each one. “Alejandro, you, Isadora, Sofia, and Nicolas.”

  But that left one unaccounted for. “And this one?” Amanda asked.

  “Why, that’s me!” She smiled. “It’s our family.”

  Amanda set the box upon her lap and took a deep breath. “Alecia,” she began, trying to pick her words carefully. “I have something to tell you.”

  Th
e night before, she had practiced her speech for hours, sleep evading her until she finally turned on the light and began to write out what she wanted to say. In the morning, she had practiced it with Teresa and Grace. Neither one offered her any advice, although Teresa gave her a generous pat on the back and wished her good luck, barely able to hide a smile.

  Now, with Alecia staring at her, a smile plastered expectantly on her face, Amanda forgot what she had planned to say. “I . . .”

  “¿Sí, querida?”

  Struggling to remember her prepared words, Amanda felt her heart begin to beat rapidly and she swallowed. “Well, I wanted to let you know—” She paused, and that was all the opportunity that Alecia needed to let her thoughts run wild.

  “¡Gracias a Dios!” she exclaimed.

  Amanda blinked, startled by Alecia’s reaction, especially given the fact that she hadn’t said anything yet.

  Before Amanda could say another word, Alecia clapped her hands together in delight. “You’re pregnant? ¡Yo sabia! It’s time for you to have another baby before you get too old for more children!”

  Amanda’s mouth opened. For a moment, she could not respond. Finally, she shook her head. “No, no! That’s not it at all. We already told you last time that we decided no more children.”

  The previous winter, when Amanda had taken ill, Alecia had rejoiced and began telling the family that she was going to be a grandmother again. It was no secret that her own regret at having only one child drove Alecia’s eagerness for Alejandro to have a large family. And while Amanda adored her children, she knew fulfilling her mother-in-law’s wish was impractical.

  When Alejandro had shared their decision with Alecia to not expand their family, she hadn’t spoken to either one of them for two weeks.

  Upon hearing that Amanda was, in fact, not expecting, the enthusiasm drained from Alecia’s face. “I see,” she said in a flat voice. For a moment, she stared silently at Amanda. Then, suddenly, she gasped and grabbed Amanda’s wrist in panic. “A divorce? ¡Ay Dios!” she cried out. Her lips tensed as she became steely-eyed. “What has he done now, that son of mine? Whatever it is—”