Page 40 of Not Just for Christmas

Dylan was torn. If he offered to play, the focus would be on him, not the kids. Plus, videos would be all over social media before they even made it back to the farm and ideally he wanted to stay out of the limelight while he was here.

Miss Cooper had tears running down her face. ‘This is a disaster.’

What the hell, he thought, he couldn’t stand by and do nothing. He held up a hand. ‘Hey, we can fix this. How about I play the chords, you take the melody?’

‘That would be …’ Miss Cooper gulped. ‘Amazing. Yes, please.’

‘Excellent idea. Now chop, chop!’ said Mrs Wheeler. ‘The caretaker says we can’t overrun because the badminton club has booked the school hall for its Christmas party at four o’clock. Also, one final request, Dylan. Would you be so kind as to draw the raffle tickets after the Nativity?’

Dylan sucked in a breath. ‘I don’t know, I guess I should call my agent and check with him.’

‘Oh gosh.’ The head teacher’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘I didn’t think. There’s me asking you to do a formal appearance willy-nilly.’

‘Willy-nilly is fine by me.’ Dylan leaned closer. ‘As long as you tell me your first name?’

‘All right. But please, I’ve heard all the jokes.’ Mrs Wheeler blushed and leaned into Dylan. ‘It’s Sheila.’

‘What a lovely name.’ Sheila Wheeler. Dylan covered up his laughter with a cough. ‘OK, people, let’s um, roll.’

Dylan followed Miss Cooper into the hall towards the piano. The babble of conversation dropped momentarily only to be replaced with gasps of shock and Dylan estimated that around two hundred cameras were simultaneously raised to take pictures of him.

‘Dylan? What are you doing?’ Lucy hissed as he went by.

‘I got myself the best seat in the house,’ he leaned in and whispered. ‘Wish me luck.’

He didn’t catch what she said after that, but when he made it to the front of the hall and turned to look at her, she was wiping tears from her eyes, a big smile on her face. The last time he’d been here she’d been overcome with grief, her face pinched and pale. She was smiling again and somehow he’d made that happen. His breath hitched with pride.

‘Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Rivendell School’s Nativity show,’ said Mrs Wheeler, taking to the stage. ‘Please put your hands together for Class Three, accompanied on the piano by Miss Cooper and our very special guest, Mr Dylan Wilde.’

‘Are you going to say something?’ Miss Cooper whispered.

Dylan shook his head. ‘Let’s keep it low key. This is the kids’ show, not mine.’

‘Not sure that’s an option,’ she said. ‘Have you seen all the cameras trained on you? I’m so nervous, I’m not sure even my good hand is going to be able to play the right notes.’

‘Take a deep breath and think of the loudest singer in school,’ he teased. ‘What’s your name, by the way?’

‘Don’t laugh.’ She chewed her lip. ‘It’s Alice.’

‘Not laughing,’ he said in a strangled voice. ‘Do you only get a job in this school with a cool name?’

‘My dad’s idea of a joke.’ Alice rolled her eyes.

‘OK, Alice, don’t be nervous, we got this.’

‘I hope you’re right.’ Miss Cooper turned the music book to the opening number.

Dylan glanced at the chords; he hoped so too, or Lucy would kill him.

A boy with a clipboard stepped to the front of the stage. ‘A long time ago in a town called Nazareth there was a carpenter called Joseph and a woman called Mary. They had to go on a journey to Bethlehem on a donkey.’

At this, the donkey strode out proudly, elbows bent, head high, followed by Sam hand in hand with the girl playing Mary. Sam paused to search the audience, he waved first to his family and then gasped when he spotted Dylan at the piano.

‘Our first number is coming up,’ Miss Cooper whispered. ‘Are you sure about this?’

Dylan turned and found Lucy looking straight at him. She pressed a hand to her heart and mouthed Thank you to him.

‘Totally,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t miss this for the world.’