Paradise City

Christmas was less than a week away.

It would be a busy week, with the presents that needed to be bought and wrapped, and the decorating that still needed to be finished. Dean was finishing up a round of house shows and would be home by Tuesday. Despite specifically asking me not to, I bought him a gift anyways; it sat wrapped under the tree that Violet and I spent the last two weeks decorating.

It was a Friday night. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Frank Sinatra was playing on Violet's gramophone. I was stringing popcorn along a fishing line to hang on the tree. It had always been a tradition for my family. I sent James a picture of my work, along with the caption 'I miss you'. He hadn't replied, still, after all this time. This was something we had always done together, year after year. This year, I sat alone while Kyle and Violet were out picking up some wrapping paper.

Christmas in Vegas was beautiful. I didn't think I would get past the fact that it wouldn't be snowing, seeing as for the last twenty-three years my Christmases have been holed up in my house with footie pajamas and space heaters, because driving on the back roads of Tennessee this time of year would land you in the hospital. There were a thousand tourists spending their vacation on the strip, and everywhere you went there were at least three families making sure to take a picture in front of something they felt was important.

I had gotten used to that warm, desert weather, and found myself using those sweaters I bought at the beginning of the year. Who would have thought, right? I longed for my sandals and bikini; cocktails by the pool, being able to drive down the road with my windows open. I was already ready for June and that 106 degree dry heat.

"Oh my gosh! It's so cold out there!" Violet said as she and Kyle came through the front door; their hands were stuffed with colorful wrapping paper and various other bags.

"What? You guys are lucky, it's 40 degrees in Tennessee right now." I said laughing at the two of them in their scarves and mittens. These Vegas kids didn't know anything about cold weather. "And it's supposed to snow next week there, too. Count your blessings."

"I couldn't do it." Kyle said, dropping the bags by the couch and moving to stand next to the fireplace. "I need the sun blazing, and burning, and feeling like your skin is gonna peel off kind off weather. What is snow? I don't think I've ever seen snow in real life." He grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl that I was using and plopped down on the couch.

"So," Violet said as she sat down across from me at the table. "It's just going to be you and Dean for Christmas? You're not flying home to see James, or going to Cincinnati to meet the parents?"

I shook my head. Dean hardly mentioned his family. I doubt he would ask me to go spend Christmas with them. Our plans were simple; ice skating at the Cosmopolitan rink, dinner, and spending the rest of our short time together in bed with each other. "It's just us."

"Well, I was thinking that I could do dinner with my family the day before Christmas Eve. Kyle thought that was a good idea, too. You know, so that we could all be together for Christmas. Because you guys are family, too." She said.

Kyle stood in the threshold of the kitchen and nodded his head. "I was thinking about flying to Phoenix on Sunday instead of Monday, so that I could leave a day earlier." Of course he was on board with anything Violet suggested. It was adorable how chained at the hip he was to her.

"You guys don't have to sacrifice your family time for us." I said in a low voice, surprised that they would even suggest it. I would love to spend Christmas with them. Besides James, who was currently M.I.A, Violet and Kyle were the closest thing I had to family.

"We want to!" Violet exclaimed, grabbing my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Like I said, you two are family now. We love you. And Christmas is supposed to be spent with people you love. I refuse to take no for an answer."

I smiled at her. How could I not agree?

After I was finished with the popcorn on the string, Violet and Kyle helped me hang it around the tree. Of course Violet had to take a picture of us in front of it and hang it on her wall. We watched The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Grinch. I decided to head to bed early so that I could get up and get what I needed done in the morning before I had to work. I still needed to find a nice Christmasy dress to wear to dinner.

"So we're spending Christmas with Violet and Kyle?" Dean asked into the phone the next morning when he called and I told him the change of plans.

"I hope that's okay." I probably should have asked him first.

"Of course it's okay, Snowflake. They're your friends, and I guess they're mine too, despite Kyle being annoying as shit." I laughed. "We can still go skating and spend time together. And you know I love Violet's cooking, so yeah, it's fine with me."

I smiled into the phone. "I love you."

"I love you."

When I opened my bedroom door, I didn't expect to see Kyle coming out of Violet's room with no shirt on and only in his boxers. His eyes went wide upon seeing me. "Good morning, Kyle." I said as I pulled my lips into a line to keep from smiling. He blushed and disappeared back into her room quickly. As I sat at the table with my bowl of oatmeal and cup of coffee, I could hear them giggling like children down the hallway. I smiled to myself, happy that this was finally happening.

Violet was the first one to come out. Kyle quietly gathered his things and left with a simple 'goodbye'. It was awkward to say the least. Violet sat across from me and held the back of her neck with her hand, letting out a deep breath. Her freshly dyed, auburn hair fell over her shoulder in waves as she tried to figure out something to say.

"You don't need to say anything," I told her before she could speak as I munched on my breakfast and read the news on my phone. I looked up at her and she immediately looked relieved. "I'm the last person you need to explain yourself to. I was kind of pulling for it, though, after I figured out that he liked you."

"I know," she sighed. A small smile tugged at her lips. "I figured that out shortly after you left."

"As long as you're happy, Vi. That's all I care about."

"He makes me happy." She said, unable to control the smile on her face. "He makes me so happy, Cal."

The weekend flew by. The salon had opened up on Sunday to help cut down on the mass of clients we were booking and shifts were longer. The strip was packed. Traffic was ridiculous. The shopping malls were hell, and almost empty. The same songs played on repeat every hour on the hour. This was the part about Christmas that I didn't like. Hot chocolate and sleigh bells were great, with cute sweaters and furry boots. I loved those things, but angry moms and long lines made me crazy.

I had been to a total of nine stores looking for a dress before I found one at Nelly. It was the last one they had, and it was in my size, and I swear at that moment I could have cried. The dress was a long sleeved, body contouring dress with a cut-out back and covered in red sequins. It was utterly perfect. Even the woman at the checkout counter said so.

When I got home, after having to take the long way to beat the traffic, Violet was waiting for me on the couch with a buffet of Chinese food in front of her. She looked exhausted after her ten hour shift at the salon.

"You have no idea how long it took me to get this," she sighed. "The lines are ridiculous this year." I plopped down next to her and grabbed the box of chicken and broccoli. "Did you find a dress?"

"Surprisingly, yes." I said with a full mouth. I hopped up and grabbed the dress out of the bag and held it up for her to see. "It was the last one they had, thank God. What do you think? It looks a lot better when it's actually on."

"I love it. It's very Christmasy. I'm sure it will look great."

I heard my phone ringing on the kitchen table. It was a Tennessee area code. My heart jumped, thinking it was James, and maybe the reason he hadn't gotten back to me was because he had gotten a new number or was having phone problems. That was a completely believable reason. People have phone problems every day.

"Hello?" I asked, hoping to hear my best friend's voice on the other line.

"Ms. Jordan," My heart stopped. It wasn't James. The voice on the other end of the line was a voice I prayed I would never have to hear again after leaving Tennessee. "It's Officer Peter McHannon. There's been an accident."

My phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor. Violet looked over her shoulder at me, her features instantly became concerned. Everything moved in slow motion. Violet left her place on the couch and rushed over to me. My eyes filled with tears as I stood where I was. She picked up the phone and handed it to me. Time began to pick back up and I could hear Officer McHannon through the speaker, asking for me and if I was okay.

I placed the phone back to my ear again and barely whispered, "what happened?"

"It's James."