Plain Christmas (Plain Fame Book 6) Read online

  “Now,” Alejandro said, “finish your packing. We have to meet with Geoffrey in thirty minutes.”

  She sighed.

  He tucked his finger under her chin and tilted her face so that she was forced to look at him. “He’s one of the good guys. Besides, it’s important, Amanda.”

  Averting her eyes, she nodded her head. There weren’t many “good guys” in their lives; too often the people around them seemed most focused on what they could take from them. Amanda found herself turning the other cheek far too often—and limiting the people she considered friends. Alejandro was much more accommodating, although he was also well aware of unethical people, especially after his previous manager had tried to stage a media scandal involving another woman and Alejandro. With experience comes wisdom, Alejandro had repeatedly reminded Amanda.

  But Geoffrey had helped Alejandro transition from an international music sensation to a worldwide business mogul, advising him to invest in developing new talent while continuing to build his own brand. Additionally, he had encouraged Alejandro to finance several new companies and endorse their products, the result being a financial windfall that benefited all of them.

  Yes, Amanda thought, Geoffrey is definitely one of the good guys.

  “¡Bueno!” Alejandro kissed her forehead before he turned and started walking toward the door. “And don’t forget! Enough with the black clothing. Add some color, mi amor!” He did a quick dance move, his hips moving in the fluid way that only Alejandro could achieve, as he sang, “Red! Add some red to your tour clothes!”

  “Red!”

  He pursed his lips, giving her a playfully seductive look. “Umm. Sí, Princesa. Red is hot. Like you, mi amor.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. When Alejandro acted so mischievous, Amanda remembered exactly why she’d fallen in love with him. He always had that ability to give her a single look that made her heart flutter and pulse quicken. He knew when to be playful and when to be serious. And most important of all, he knew how to make her feel like a woman—the only woman for him.

  “Oh, and I forgot to tell you,” he said with a quick wink, which led Amanda to believe that, perhaps, he hadn’t really forgotten at all, “my mother is coming for supper tonight with Tío and Tía.”

  “Alejandro!”

  He held up his hands as if making a peace offering and backed out the door. “I’ll leave you to work out the details with Señora Perez.”

  Once he’d disappeared, Amanda turned back to the rack of clothes. She sighed, reached for one of the black dresses she had previously set aside, and replaced it with a red dress.

  She felt frustrated that, once again, Alejandro hadn’t warned her in advance about his mother coming for dinner and bringing some of her family. Yet, despite not wanting to entertain the night before they left for Michigan, Amanda appreciated Alecia’s commitment to her family. She could only assume that Alecia had insisted on bringing her extended family to the house for a pre-holiday gathering before the upcoming trip to Pennsylvania.

  Perhaps she wasn’t that different from Alecia, Amanda thought. After all, wouldn’t she do whatever she could to keep her husband happy and her children safe? The only difference was that Amanda only now realized how important it was to show her children the true meaning of Christmas. She wanted them to experience a plain Christmas—a Christmas without all the trappings and distractions that came with their life of privilege. Above all else, she wanted them to experience it as a part of the other side of their heritage: the Amish.

  Chapter Seven

  With its streets lined with small shops and restaurants, Grand Haven, Michigan, reminded Amanda of the tourist town of Intercourse in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The only thing missing in Grand Haven were Amish people driving their horse and buggies down North Harbor Drive.

  Earlier that morning, they had flown from Miami to the Muskegon Airport in Michigan. Dan, an editor with Brilliance Audio, had been waiting for them outside the security check. When he spotted them, he waved enthusiastically and hurried toward them.

  “Alejandro! Amanda!” His light-brown eyes lit up behind his black eyeglasses as he gave them a contagious smile and shook their hands. “I hope your flight was good?” he asked as he offered bottles of sparkling water to each of them. Amanda had laughed, immediately deciding she liked this Dan, and not just because of his thoughtfulness. Although she was impressed that he’d taken the time to find out she preferred sparkling water to still, she found his positive energy contagious.

  They had a long day of work ahead of them, and it had already been a long morning. There had been a conflict in scheduling the charter jet, which meant Alejandro and Amanda had to fly commercial. That also meant that many fans recognized them at the airport. Security had gotten involved to move them through the checkpoints and then to a private lounge, where the prying eyes of the public couldn’t bother them.

  Dan had arranged for them to stay in a small private cottage at an inn on South Harbor Drive. He had driven them through town, showing them some of the local sights and stopping at the inn for Alejandro and Amanda to take a moment to freshen up before he took them to Brilliance Audio.

  “So we have a full itinerary today,” Dan said as they walked toward the front doors of the Brilliance Audio building. “Our publisher, Mark Pereira, will join us for the tour of the facility and introduce you to some of the people who work on the production and distribution teams for the audiobooks.” He opened the door for Amanda and Alejandro. “You have no idea how excited everyone is that you’re here!”

  Amanda suddenly felt nervous. She had no idea how audiobooks worked and began to wonder why she had said yes to doing this. It had taken her years to adjust to speaking in public, and even now, the butterflies still formed in her stomach anytime she was asked to speak in front of a large crowd. Knowing that thousands of people would hear her voice was enough to make her want to turn around and get on the next plane back home.

  “And the interest we have had from so many groups that support the children is just . . . overwhelming,” Dan continued excitedly as if reading her mind.

  He must have sensed her anxiety. Was it that noticeable? she wondered.

  He pushed his slipping glasses back up on the bridge of his nose, his brown eyes sparkling as he spoke about the project. “Hospitals, too. They want to gift their patients with this audiobook, especially since so many of them are too young to read the printed version.”

  “Oh?” she whispered, suddenly feeling ashamed for even thinking of leaving. How could she disappoint all of those children? Her thoughts quickly turned to her own children. She was blessed with their good health, but what if one day she wasn’t? Even the best health care that money could buy meant nothing without research and good facilities to tend to them. She would do anything for her own kids. She had to try to do the same for others’.

  Dan nodded as they entered the lobby. “Oh yes! No one has done anything like this. It’s just an unbelievable gift you are giving to these children.”

  Her nerves began to abate, especially when she saw a black sign with “Welcome Princesa and Viper” in white letters. The simple sign said more to her than any of the usual greeting signs could, despite their flashing lights and over-the-top graphics.

  She liked this down-to-earth company. Besides their genuine interest in supporting her vision of helping sick children, she also liked that she and Alejandro were treated like regular people. Well, almost. Complete normalcy was impossible when in the company of Alejandro, unless, of course, they were in Lancaster County. The thought of home gave her comfort. Soon she would be free to roam the countryside without the prying eyes of the world. She would have the chance to feel normal, and more important, her children would know what life was like outside of the fishbowl.

  “Let’s see if Mark is available yet. He would have greeted you at the airport, but he had a phone meeting with his colleagues in Seattle that he couldn’t change,” Dan explained as he led them through
a door and down a short corridor.

  Unlike the offices of the high-powered executives Amanda often met with, offices intended to both impress and overwhelm, Mark’s office was simple but inviting. When they walked in, he stood up and greeted them with a firm, friendly handshake. Amanda felt instantly at ease. A firm handshake spoke volumes to her—her father had had a firm handshake, as did Alejandro. It was a sign of a strong character.

  “Alejandro. Amanda.” He leaned against the edge of his desk and smiled, seeming as genuinely happy as Dan was. “What an honor it is to have you here in Grand Haven! We’re all very excited about this project.”

  “When Amanda told me about it, we both knew that it was something we wanted to support.” Alejandro glanced at her and smiled. “It’s important to give back, no?”

  She felt shy under Alejandro’s steady gaze as she nodded in agreement.

  Alejandro was in an unusual mood. All morning he had been pensive and quiet. Even during the flight, Alejandro had been lost in thought, quietly staring out the window as he drummed his fingers on the armrest of the plush leather seat. She hadn’t wanted to disturb him, knowing that he was probably thinking of lyrics to a new song or mulling over a business idea. But when he had reached out suddenly and took her hand in his, raising it to his lips for a gentle kiss, she had wondered what, exactly, was on his mind.

  Now, as they met with the people from Brilliance Audio, Alejandro seemed even more reflective. From the numerous occasions when Amanda had attended business meetings with Alejandro, he was usually direct, to the point, and eager to conduct business. The serene mood emanating from him took her by surprise. Once again, she wondered what was making him so tranquil.

  “And we have exciting news,” Mark went on. He gestured toward the phone on his desk. “I just confirmed that corporate has committed to matching your donations from the sale of the audiobooks to the Princesa Cancer Center.”

  Amanda gave a little gasp. “That’s unbelievable,” she said in a breathless voice and glanced at Alejandro.

  He smiled but said nothing. Surely he, too, was thinking about how there was so much greed in the music industry that such a generous offer would never be extended. Over the years, she had witnessed that time and time again. Alejandro had once commented that there was no such thing as pure philanthropy. People only did things for others if there was something to gain. She had been quick to remind him of the way the Amish donated quilts and food to charity auctions. But while he might concede on that one exception, she knew what he meant. In his world, giving for the sole purpose of giving was a very rare occurrence.

  Dan glanced at his cell phone and cleared his throat. He looked at Mark and said, “Shall we start with the tour? We have a tight schedule with the recording this afternoon. I don’t want to run late with anything, especially since Alejandro and Amanda’s flight tomorrow is at eleven thirty.”

  Mark and Dan led them out of the office and through a series of large spaces filled with cubicles as they headed toward the back of the building, where there was an expansive production facility and product warehouse. Mark explained the different departments as they walked, pausing to greet a few people along the way. Amanda could sense that people were peeking over their low cubicle walls, eager to catch a glimpse of the famous couple.

  As they started to turn a corner, Amanda paused to read a small sign that was pinned on the wall of someone’s cubicle: “Proper punctuation can make a world of difference: Let’s eat Grandma vs. Let’s eat, Grandma.”

  She smiled as she read it.

  “¿Qué, Princesa?” Alejandro asked when he noticed she had paused.

  She pointed at the sign. “I never thought of grammar as being funny.”

  He stopped for a minute as he read the sign, and then he, too, laughed. “Clever.”

  “I like this place,” she whispered, tucking her arm into his.

  “I’d imagine you’d like any place surrounded by books or the idea of books, no?”

  She gave him a soft smile as if to confirm his observation. He knew her so well. Despite her busy, hectic life, nothing made her more content than when she was able to settle down for the evening with a good book in her hands. But that hadn’t been what she meant.

  “It’s more than that, Alejandro,” she said in a quiet voice so that no one could overhear her. “It just feels”—she hesitated as if trying to find the right word—“real.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Real?”

  Amanda nodded. “Yes, real. Real people, real joy, real life.”

  “And our life is not real?”

  She laughed at the quizzical look he gave her. Reaching out her hand, she pressed it against his cheek. “Our life is real to us, but it’s a fantasy to everyone else, Alejandro. We both know that by now.”

  Leaning over, he gently brushed his lips against her forehead, a gesture that surprised her, as public displays of affection were uncommon when they were working together. “Sí, Princesa, I know what you mean. Sometimes we forget that there are more ‘real’ people out there than there are ‘fantasy’ people. It’s nice to be with genuine, honest people, no?” Then, without waiting for her response, he took her elbow and guided her toward the place Mark and Dan stood, waiting for them.

  With another smile, Dan gestured toward a door. “Let’s go into the warehouse. I want to show you where we produce the actual CDs for the audiobooks we publish.” He led them through a doorway at the back of the building into a well-lit warehouse, where workers looked up as soon as Alejandro and Amanda entered. The hum of the machines created a buzz that filled the air, but after a few seconds, Amanda barely noticed it.

  “We produce so many titles that we have different shifts running throughout the day and night,” Dan explained as they walked on a thick black rubber mat next to large, boxy machines with green lights on top of them. “Oh good! Lisa’s here today.” He slowed down. “Lisa normally works at night, but she wanted to come in early on the small chance she might be able to meet you,” Dan explained as they approached a woman who stood up straight as they neared. He whispered, “She’s a really big fan of yours. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Amanda could tell. Long ago, she had learned to recognize what she called “the look.” The color seemed to drain from the woman’s face as Dan led them over to her station. From behind narrow glasses perched on the middle of her nose, her blue eyes blinked as she watched them coming toward her. She had long, straight brown hair with a red streak at the front.

  While Dan introduced Alejandro to Lisa, Amanda’s eyes wandered up to the high ceilings and bright lights, then down the long counter and equipment in front of her. She noticed that each machine was numbered and whirring as it burned discs with audio recordings created in the nearby studios. Underneath the counter in front of her were boxes and packaging material, and farther down at the end of the aisle there was a four-shelved rolling cart stacked high with what Dan described as the finished discs.

  It was just one more new experience for Amanda, one of many in an endless parade since she’d married Alejandro. She had never really considered how the books she purchased were created. And she had never given a thought to audiobook production. She knew that Isadora preferred to listen to her books, being an auditory learner rather than a visual learner. It was strange to think that she was standing in the spot with a woman named Lisa who produced some of the audiobook CDs Isadora so often checked out from the library.

  Alejandro glanced around the warehouse. “So this is how it’s done,” he said, sounding very impressed. “I know that Amanda loves her books.”

  Lisa’s eyes opened wide, and Dan said, “All kinds, I hope. Print books, audiobooks, and e-books.”

  Alejandro laughed. “¡Claro! She always brings her Kindle, especially that small one that she can read while outside. Gets a lot of use out of that at home.”

  “Ah yes!” Dan said with a good-natured laugh. “The hazards of that Miami sun.”

  “If only we had some
of that sun here!” Lisa quipped and met Amanda’s eyes, her voice wavering nervously.

  “Miami winters are nice,” Amanda said, hoping her casual comment would put the woman at ease. After all, she knew only too well what nerves could do to a person. Over the years, Amanda had learned how to soothe the nervousness that fans tended to exhibit when they met her. She knew that simply talking to them often helped them relax.

  “Winters here are brutal,” Lisa admitted in a friendly tone.

  “It is cold, for sure and certain.”

  “Driving is terrible. Especially at night. Black ice,” Lisa explained. “Doubt I’ll ever get used to it.”

  Amanda nodded but didn’t reply. She was remembering winters in Pennsylvania, how just stepping outside and breathing in the cold air could sting her lungs. In some ways, she was looking forward to it. Without the brutally cold weather, it never seemed like Christmas to her. She wanted her children to experience the same Christmas feeling she had known as a child. In Miami, the blue skies and palm trees felt too tropical for the season.

  There was a small awkward pause between the two women, especially while Dan and Mark took Alejandro farther down the aisle to meet another Brilliance Audio employee, which meant Amanda was left alone with Lisa.

  “My daughter likes audiobooks,” Amanda said at last.

  At this comment, Lisa lit up. “Oh? Isadora or Sofia?”

  It never ceased to amaze Amanda when people she had never met before knew so much about her. The fact that Lisa knew her daughters’ names wasn’t unusual.

  “Izzie,” Amanda admitted. “We call her Izzie. Do you have children, Lisa?” She had seen a wedding band on Lisa’s finger and noticed she wore a silver necklace with a heart pendant and the word Mom engraved at its center.

  Lisa nodded. “Yes, a son and a daughter.” She proceeded to show Amanda several photos of her children, laughing at the one of her daughter making cookies—and a big mess—in the kitchen.