Chapter 30 Once Upon a Christmas
Once Upon a Christmas
Eve
Stella Fischer-Fox: Hey lady. Just checking in. I wasn’t sure if you’d gotten my last couple emails so I thought I’d text you just in case. Hope your holidays are going well!
Maya Baudin: Friend! I hope you have the MOST AMAAAZING time at Dollywood! Ride all the rides! Eat all the food! (I heard the food there is bomb.) Take all the pictures!!! Enjoy every minute, friend! Because dreams that you dare to dream really do come true!
Maya Baudin: In case you’re wondering, yes I am high af
Maya Baudin: But I don’t mean it any less!!!
Maya Baudin: Don’t judge me. It’s Christmastime
Maya Baudin: Most importantly I can’t wait to finally see you again bitch!!!!!
Eve was genuinely thrilled when Jack asked her if she would come to Dollywood with them.
She’d been waiting to experience the park since her childhood, and even though she never got that chance, she relished getting to see it through Jack’s eyes.
Christmas in the Smokies was Dollywood’s annual holiday festival, and apparently, a spectacle not to be missed.
Jack and his best friend, Riley, had been coming to Dollywood since they were five, and they enjoyed all iterations of the park, but their favorite, by far, was Christmastime.
They arrived just before noon that day, and thanks to their fast passes, the kids very quickly racked up multiple rides on every roller coaster available.
Eve knew that in her younger days, she’d be right there alongside them, screaming through every dip and dive the rides had to offer.
But as an adult, Eve only had the wherewithal to try each roller coaster once before her stomach started asking questions like, Girl, what the fuck are you doing?
But luckily, at Christmas in Dollywood, nighttime was the pièce de résistance.
The park was brimming with Christmas lights, literally millions of them, casting something of a celestial glow over their evening.
Riley had somehow convinced them to go on the Drop Line, a ride that took them nearly three hundred feet in the air, then quickly dropped into a free fall.
It was awful. But for the few minutes they were suspended over the city, with the view of glittering Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and all the mountains in between, it was worth the mild heart arrhythmia that came with the drop.
When the foursome was back on solid ground, they visited all the light displays, taking pictures among the many trees adorned in everything from red and green to purple and yellow.
Eve snapped shots of Jack and Riley, still running everywhere they were allowed, because their energy was boundless.
Riley was a cute little Black girl with dimples and big, curly hair, reminding Eve a lot of her nine-year-old self.
She’d asked Eve to hold on to her purple-and-blue eyeglasses when they got on the rides, and Eve took care of them like precious cargo, wanting Riley to trust her in the same way Jack seemed to.
Just a year ago, it would’ve been inconceivable for her to hang out with two little humans without absolutely falling apart.
Her friend Wesley and his wife had twins two years ago, and at some point, she’d stopped answering his texts because she couldn’t bear the thought of being invited to his home and having to be around those precious babies. What a difference a year made.
“I don’t wanna leave this place,” Eve said.
She was clutching Jamie’s arm as they strolled through a passageway of lights, archway after archway bedecked in green, purple, and pink illumination.
Jack and Riley were just a few paces ahead of them, giggling through a series of silly selfies, but she and Jamie were in their own little world.
“I can’t believe you’ve never been here,” he said. “You stayed a whole summer with Miss Hazel and never came?”
“I wanted to. So badly. But my grandma was not one for crowds.”
“That’s true,” he granted, taking a swig of his hot chocolate. “She would tell me she didn’t mind individuals, but she sure couldn’t stand people.”
They both giggled at the anecdote. “Relatable,” Eve said. “Either way, it wasn’t like I had friends to come here with. And I haven’t been back since then, so…I’ve missed out.”
“Well, I’m glad I could be your first.”
“You’re certainly that.” She grinned, her gaze finding his as she finished her sentence.
The twinkle in Jamie’s eyes was one of the first things Eve ever noticed about him, but under the shine of all the lights, they were positively dazzling.
She had to resist the urge to stop in the middle of the crowd and kiss him.
As they continued their stroll, Jack turned to them with Jamie’s phone, walking backward as he captured the two of them on camera. “Dad, say something.”
“You should probably watch where you’re going,” Jamie said.
“I’m good, Dad.”
Eve waved to the camera as she held tighter to Jamie’s arm. “Merry Christmas from Dollywood!” she shouted.
“Are you cold yet?” Jack asked, laughing.
“A little,” she admitted. She spent the last month making fun of Nashville and its lack of winter weather, but she’d forgotten that East Tennessee, especially up there in the mountains, was a different story, and she’d been shivering since the sun went down.
“But your dad’s doing a good job of keeping me warm. ”
“Miss Evie, since this is your first time, what was your favorite ride?” Riley asked.
“I think…I’ve gotta go with Thunderhead,” she said, winking at Jack. “It’s a solid choice.”
“Nice.” Jack nodded approvingly.
It was his favorite ride in the park, a mammoth of a roller coaster, mimicking one of those old wooden rides, complete with that slow, heavy climb to its apex, followed by the heart-stopping drop down, before taking you on a wild ride through the trees.
And it boasted the best views of the full park.
They’d gone up for one last ride at sunset, and it felt like they were in some fantastic painting.
“You’re a good sport,” Jamie told her as the kids resumed ignoring them.
“A good sport about what?”
“You’ve been on your feet all day. The kids have dragged you to every roller coaster and bumper car, you did a full photo shoot at Dolly’s house. It’s been a lot.”
She also stood in interminable lines for cinnamon bread—which, to be fair, was worth it—and ate Dippin’ Dots in forty-degree weather.
It was a relief when they rode the Dollywood Express through the park, not only for the reprieve for her feet, but because it gave Eve a moment to genuinely marvel at all the lights and sights.
Somehow, the park felt large and small; she didn’t understand how this behemoth of a theme park could be homey and intimate.
There was always a bit of magic embedded in the playgrounds of the world, places designed to make children happy—and yes, boatloads of money—but the charm of Dollywood felt like straight-up wizardry.
“Excuse you. I’m genuinely reconnecting with my childhood over here,” Eve said. “And I really did like that ride. Reminded me of the Cyclone at Coney Island.”
“Just don’t let Jack hear you,” Jamie said. “Last thing he needs is news of another amusement park to conquer.”
Eve smiled at the thought of Jack at Coney Island. “I have to imagine he’ll be sick of amusement parks by the time he gets through Disneyland.” Between Dolly and Disney, the kid was going to spend an entire week on roller coasters.
“The thing about eight-year-olds is they don’t easily tire of the things they love. I kinda envy it.”
“Fair,” Eve said. “But I also think everyone should visit Coney Island at least once, so I will not begrudge him that.”
“In that case, you’ll have to take me there when I’m in town,” Jamie said.
Eve sent a quizzical glance his way. “Oh, are you coming to New York?”
“Your play opens in May, doesn’t it?”
“Oh. Yeah. It does.”
“You thought I wouldn’t be there?”
“I…hadn’t thought about it.” Her confusion morphed into a mixture of awe and excitement. “Really?”
“You don’t want me to?”
“No, of course I do. I just…I don’t know. I keep forgetting we can exist outside of Tennessee.”
“A few weeks ago, you didn’t think we could leave your cabin.”
“Okay, well, stop bringing up old stuff,” she said, gently swatting his arm with her open hand.
They strolled another few feet before Jack stopped in front of them, using his camera to record the sparkling ceiling again.
“I hope we get to see all this footage when you’re done,” Eve called out to him.
“I’ll think about it,” Jack said.
“He’s very particular about his art,” Jamie said.
Eve could relate. “Has he told you what he wants to be when he grows up?”
Jamie sighed thoughtfully before replying, and a visible puff of air followed his warm breath in the cold evening. “I don’t think he’s said anything more consistently than comic book illustrator. But I happen to think he’s a pretty good writer, too.”
“He definitely seems drawn to visual media.”
“He’s a good student, but all his teachers tell me how distracted he gets with the sketching and doodling.”
“And he’s so into the superhero stuff. I bet he’d be great at animation, too.”
“He hasn’t gotten into that so much yet. So far, he’s been kinda old-school about it.”
“Gee, I wonder where he got that from.”
Jamie chuckled. “Why?” he asked. “Don’t tell me that’s another trick you have up your sleeve.”
Eve snorted as she had to work to hold on to the mouthful of cinnamon bread she’d bitten off. “Absolutely not. I was just thinking about the next few months. I know his mom has him in the summers, but they’re gonna have a new baby then. It might be nice for Jack if he has something to focus on.”
Jamie looked at her like she had two heads as she went on to mention that she had some friends who would be able to point him in the right direction, perhaps at Vanderbilt University. She paused when she noticed his strange regard. “What’s wrong?”
“No, I just…I wasn’t sure I’d see the day you were talking about the future. And not just ours, but Jack’s.”
“Oh.” Eve felt sheepish, shrugging it off as no big deal, but her cheeks grew warm as she wondered if she’d gotten ahead of herself. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m very good at overthinking things.”
“No, I’m glad you’ve thought about it,” Jamie said. “I went ahead and sent in my application to Vanderbilt…and NYU.”
Eve went from abashed to beaming in a matter of about a second. “Yeah?”
Jamie replied with his own shy smile. “You said I could take it slow, so…Yeah.”
“I mean, you’re obviously not struggling to pay bills. There’s no rush. You can just do summer classes if you want.”
“If I get into Vandy, it does mean I can’t come out to Gatlinburg as often as I was. Classes are evenings and weekends.”
“Oh, then this is a terrible idea,” Eve said.
“But…maybe…you can spend more time in Nashville, instead of out here alone.” He sounded unsure of himself, but he quickly appended before she could respond, “If you want.”
Eve hoped her smile was as bright as it was earnest. “Yeah,” she said. “Maybe so.”
Seemingly pleased with that answer, Jamie took her hand in his, the welcome warmth of his skin suffusing her entire body as they continued their walk.
As they neared the end of the gallery, Dolly Parton’s version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” blared throughout the park, and Eve sang along, serenading him animatedly.
“You’re adorable,” he said, unable to suppress a laugh as his entire face turned a bright shade of pink.
Eve had never been called adorable before. It wasn’t an adjective often applied to Black women—and certainly not ones too dark to pass the paper bag test. The farther you stood from whiteness, the less you were on the receiving end of cutesy descriptors. She appreciated it.
“All I want for Christmas is you ,” Jamie told her once the song faded out and “Joy to the World” took its place.
She regretted that they wouldn’t get to spend Christmas Day together. But this evening was doing a good job of making up for it, at least. “New Year’s,” she reminded him.
At the end of the gangway, where the crowd dispersed back into the park, Jamie turned to Eve, a grin on his lips, and Eve noted the way the lights danced on his face, making him look like a Christmas ornament.
She took the ends of his jacket into her hands, gently tugging him closer.
Neither of their smiles faded as Jamie tilted his head and cupped her face, pulling her in for a kiss.
His lips covered hers, his tongue pushed them apart, and Eve let out a gentle sigh when their tongues touched, the heat between them eclipsing the cold air surrounding them.
Eve’s fingers crept up to Jamie’s neck, coiling through his curls, as usual, while his hand wrapped around her waist and then slipped down to her backside, stealthily pulling her closer and giving her a little squeeze—as usual.
It was a passionate and sweet kiss all at once.
Dynamic and dizzying. A kiss that said hello and goodbye in the very same breath.
As a teenager, Eve thought of Dollywood as some enchanting land just beyond her reach; the adult in her had to believe that the enigma of whatever sat beyond those butterfly-adorned gates was more interesting than reality.
But no, Dollywood was magical. It was her somewhere over the rainbow, as Maya had so aptly reminded her.
Dollywood, and everything surrounding it, was where she’d fallen in love.