Chapter 10: Deals
When Christine got back to the inn, she sat in the car for a minute, delaying the moment she would have to go inside. She didn't want to see Erik yet. She didn't know what to say when they did see each other, especially after she had literally ran away that morning.
She finally made herself go inside. She ran through the rain to the front door, and knocked hoping someone would be in the lobby and able to let her in. The door swung open and she hurried inside, wiping her feet on the mat.
"Hey Chrissy," Celia said, with a smile. "You've been out for a while."
"Yeah, I needed to get out of the house," Christine said.
"I wish I could drive," Celia sighed.
Christine laughed. "It's not that exciting."
"I know but then I could go out whenever I wanted to," she said.
"But then you wouldn't have the excuse of needing Fred to drive you," she teased and Celia blushed before hurrying to the kitchen to put the groceries down.
Christine managed to get upstairs and change without seeing anyone, which was a real trick.
She wandered back into the lobby and saw Lillian sitting behind the front desk looked distracted.
"Are you alright, Mama?" she asked, leaning again the counter.
"Oh, fine I guess," she said with a sigh and Christine nodded.
"Do you have a telegram for me? I'm expecting something," she asked.
"I do," Lillian said, coming out of her daze a little. "The Garden Club will have you and Meg whenever you're available."
Christine grinned. She had been trying to get the elite New York restaurant to book them for months. Plenty of big producers had lunch there and it would be a wonderful opportunity to meet the right people.
"How do you know? Did you hold it up to the light?" she asked.
Lillian scoffed. "That's for amateurs. I use steam."
Christine laughed and opened the message, reading it with a smile.
"People would think I'd have picked up your tricks after all these years," she said.
"Well, I'm thinking of stepping down soon so maybe you can take my place," Lillian sighed.
This was news to Christine.
"What? Why?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, you just spend so long sticking your nose into other people's business you learn things you wish you hadn't."
"Anything specific?"
Lillian sighed, looking around to make sure they were alone before speaking.
"Did you know the boys were planning on putting the whole show on television?" she asked.
Christine's eyes widened.
"What?"
"They're televising the whole thing from here on Christmas Eve! I just heard Erik settle it with Nadir Khan in New York," Lillian said matter oh factly. "Planning on putting a bunch of heart into it. They're planning on putting Artie on and everything."
"I don't believe it," Christine sighed, fiddling with the telegram. Her eye brows knitted together. Were Erik and Raoul really going to do it? It seemed a little rude to expose Artie in such a way, airing his dirty laundry in public.
"He'll look like a pathetic figure from coast to coast! He's a war hero! What's it going to do to his pride?" Lillian wailed, blowing her nose into her handkerchief. "And of course Destler and Chagny are getting thousands of dollars in free publicity."
Christine gasped. "Lillian, that's a terrible thing to say. Are you sure that's what he said?"
"I didn't say it! I heard Erik say it over on the phone clear as day!" Lillian insisted, shaking her head.
"No!" Christine said. "Erik would never do something like that. I'm sure you're wrong."
"If I am I'll step down as chair of the New England Busybody Society," Lillian said as the switch board rang, causing them both to jump. "My nerves! I have to get that."
She hurried off into the office, leaving Christine alone and confused. She didn't have time to process it before Raoul came in from the lodge, sweaty from his second dress rehearsal of the day.
"Hey, Christine, have you seen Erik?" he asked. "Do you know if he made a call to New York, Lillian?"
"I believe he did," Christine said, standing up straight and pursing her lips. Raoul didn't notice the ice in her eyes.
"Oh good," Raoul said, smiling.
"Yeah, I heard something about television," she said.
"Great I'm glad. Did he and Nadir figure it out?"
"Beautifully," Christine muttered, thumbing through a notepad that sat on the desk.
"It's a great plan, isn't it?" Raoul asked. Christine was disgusted by his excitement for the whole thing.
Raoul took a step closer and lowered his voice saying, "Keep this whole thing under wraps though. It's a big surprise and we don't want the general to know, you understand?"
Christine gave him a thin smile and nodded. "I got it."
"Christine, that was Erik for you," Lillian said, approaching them. "He wants to rehearse in the lodge."
Christine glanced down at her watch and nodded as Raoul groaned.
"Tell him I'm on my way," she said. She turned to go and saw Meg walking towards her.
"How about some lunch first, huh?" she asked.
"I'm not hungry," Christine said, walking past her.
"But you didn't eat break-"
"I said I'm not hungry," Christine snapped.
Meg and Raoul watched as she walked away. Once she was gone they looked back to each other.
"What's up with her?" Raoul asked.
"I don't know," Meg said with a small smile. "I have an idea. I want to think about it."
"Well let's think about it over a sandwich. I'm starving," Raoul said, grabbing her head and pulling her towards the kitchen.
She walked up onto the stage, trying to act professional while balancing the new information she had and trying to push all her feelings aside. She needed to keep her head on her shoulders and a bunch of silly emotions weren't going to help.
"Christine, would you come here for a second, my dear?" He called and she frowned.
"Don't call me that please," she sniffed as he approached and felt a smaller amount of satisfaction at his hurt expression than she had hoped for.
"Whatever you want," he said, sitting down at the piano. "I wanted to talk to you about the lullaby song we sang last night. I thought we could sing it together in the show. Let's try it from the release."
He handed the music to Christine and started singing. He stopped when she missed her cue.
"What is it? Do you not like it? We don't have to do it," he said, his brow furrowing.
"I don't think this is a good song for me," she said with a small shrug, tossing the music down on the piano.
Erik frowned.
"It's perfect for you. I wrote it for you."
Christine shook her head.
"It's not for me," she said, standing up.
"Please just sing it once to see-"
"I'm trying to say that I don't want to sing it," Christine snapped. "I don't know if I even want to do the show anymore."
Erik stood up and walked over to her.
"Are you okay? Did you sleep alright last night?" he asked, worry filling his voice.
"I don't want to talk about last night," Christine said, her voice getting quieter as he approached.
"Oh," Erik said reaching out to touch her. "Christine, I got caught up in the moment. I didn't mean to violate you in away or manipulate you. I'm sorry if I did anything. I feel terrible."
"You should," Christine sniffed. She wasn't talking about their kiss anymore, but Erik didn't know this. He recoiled, twisting his hands together. He ran over every moment they had spent together the night before, trying to find where he had taken a misstep. The obvious one was the kiss, but she had kissed him back, and he was certain he hadn't tricked her into doing so. She could have pushed him off if she didn't like it, he had made sure not to hold her too tightly.
"Christine, I'm sorry. Are you sure you're feeling alright? Have you eaten enough today?" he asked.
She hesitated a moment before shaking her head. "I haven't had anything today."
He choked out a weak laugh and said, "Maybe we should talk once you're had something to-"
"Why is everyone so worried about my eating habits?" She snapped. "You don't mean anything to me. You're just some guy who I met in a restaurant!"
"We just want to make sure you're healthy," Erik said softly. He hadn't heard half of what she had said. 'You don't mean anything to me.' That's what she had said. He hated the stinging feeling in his eyes and the way it felt like his throat was closing up.
"It isn't your concern!" she shouted.
"I just want the show to-" He started, but she cut him off
"I'm sorry! If I had known my personal health was going to affect the great business plans of Destler and Chagny's then I would have been more conscious of my diet!"
"If you have something to say, just say it! Do you want to sing the damn song or not?" Erik snarled.
"I would rather die than sing your music," she snapped, and tearing the music right down the middle. She felt a twinge of guilt and her stomach dropped when she saw the pain that flashed in his eyes, but it was too late to go back. "You're a filthy business tycoon masquerading as a performer and I want nothing to do with you!"
"Fine! No one is forcing you to do anything!" He shouted. He didn't understand why she was so upset about everything. He was trying to be nice by writing her the song. She had enjoyed it last night why was it in pieces on the floor now?
"Great! Is that all you wanted Mr. Destler?"
She was furious now. How dare he? He was using Artie and she didn't want any part of his disgusting schemes.
"That's all, Miss Davies," He sneered.
She gave him a final glare and stormed off, brushing past the people close by who were pretending not to have listened to the whole exchange.
Erik bent down and picked up the music she had ripped up. Clutching it in his fist, he stalked out of the room. Tears stung at his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He had worked with difficult performers before. She wasn't any different. Why did it feel like she had ripped him up with the music?
Meg and Raoul were sitting the common space at the other end of the Lodge. They had been roasting hot dogs over the fire. Meg nudged Raoul when and they watched first as Christine stormed by, slamming one door and then as Erik tore past them heading in the opposite direction as Christine.
They exchanged a glance and stood up, looking out the window at Christine.
"How do ya figure that?" Raoul muttered as they sat down on the padded bench bellow the window.
"I'm not sure but I think the puzzle's coming together," Meg said. "She can't sleep, she won't eat. She's in love."
Raoul scoffed.
"Not after that they're not. And if that is what love looks like, then there's no hope for the rest of us."
"She didn't mean any of," Meg assured him. "She's just putting up walls."
"Why?" Raoul moaned. "I didn't think this would be this hard."
"Because of me," Meg explained. "She thinks she had to protect me, like a mother hen. She won't leave the coop until I'm settled with someone else."
"You sure?"
"I know it. I've been trying to set her up for ages but she won't even have dinner with a guy until I'm married or engaged."
"I guess that's the end. We really tried," Raoul sighed. "They're just not meant for one another."
"Oh, be quiet. They'd be perfect together," Meg said. An idea popped into her head and she looked at Raoul. "It would all work out great if I got engaged to someone really quick."
Raoul let out a bark of laughter.
"Oh yeah that's likely up here in the north woods of Maine. There's no one up here," he said.
"I don't know about that," Meg said with a shrug.
"Come on, Meg, be realistic! Who could you find around here to get yourself engaged to that fast?"
"It should be someone I know," she said.
"That always helps," Raoul muttered sarcastically.
"It should be a mature man, with a stable career, and talent," she said. She listed a few more adjectives(witty, charming, attractive) and Raoul nodded along, rolling his eyes.
"Sure, but where are you going to find such a superman?" he asked.
Meg ran her finger up and down his arm.
"Don't be so modest," she said with a sly smile.
"Sweetie, guys like that don't just- OH!" He said when realization hit him. "Me?"
"You're no superman, but you're awfully available and will do in a pinch," she said.
Raoul was scooting backwards across the bench, slowly backing himself into the corner.
"Meg, I'm not the marrying kind!" He said with a gulp, glancing at where she had put her hand on his thigh. Ever since they had danced together, Raoul had secretly decided that he wanted to marry Meg, but thought she would never settle for an idiot like him.
She let out a high, tinkling laugh. "I don't need to marry you. I just need to be engaged to you."
"Well I'm not the engaging kind either!" he cried.
"What kind are you then?" Meg asked. She was practically on his lap at this point and was enjoying watching the beads of sweat collect on his brow.
"I'm the kind of guy that will push my best friend and business partner into it but the second I get anywhere near it I get scared out of my mind!" Raoul exclaimed.
"It's only a couple of days! It couldn't be that bad," Meg said. "Am I really so terrible?"
Raoul shook his head weakly and Meg smiled.
"You do find me charming, witty, and attractive, don't you?" she asked.
"O-of course!"
"And you enjoy spending time with me and think I'm fun to be around?"
"Y-y-yes! I do, but I feel that way about my beagle too and I don't want to marry him!" Raoul cried and Meg backed off with a sigh. Of course, Raoul did feel all these things about Meg, but he was afraid that if they even play engaged, he would want the real thing with her and he knew she only wanted to do this when it was fake but would never really want to marry him.
"Alright," Meg sighed. "I was only thinking about Erik and Christine, but whatever you think is best. I guess she'll be alone forever and he'll die alone in a basement writing music."
"That seems a little dramatic," Raoul muttered, but guilt was already starting to eat at him.
"I'll be alone forever, driven crazy by my jealous sister whose one chance at love was dashed, because we couldn't think of any other way to save her from herself," Meg moaned, lying back on the bench, her forearm draped over her eyes.
"Fine!" Raoul shouted. "Temporary, right?"
"Temporary!" Meg agreed with a smile. "I'm not the kind of girl who would throw herself at a man!"
She looked away, forcing her smile to go a little extra wider.
"No one thinks that, sweetie," Raoul said. "It'll only last a few weeks at the worst- Most! At the most I mean."
"Of course," Meg purred, inching closer to him again.
"And we won't tell everyone until we absolutely have too?" He asked.
"We'll wait till the last possible second," she agreed. Secretly, she wouldn't mind if it went on forever. Maybe Raoul would forget it was fake and it could keep going.
"And it's only for Erik and Christine, right?"
"For Erik and Christine."
Raoul nodded. "It's a deal."