Page 1 of A Christmas Duet

Chapter One

Hailey Morgan’s doorbell chimed, and she hurried to answer, eager for her best friend to arrive. This was the last day of school before the holiday break, and Hailey was more than ready to celebrate. As teachers at George Washington High School, Hailey and Katherine Stockton were set for a girls’ night. They’d debated about going out, but in the end decided simply relaxing at home sounded like a far better idea. Hailey had offered to host. She had heavily spiked eggnog at the ready and would follow up with popcorn later for the Christmas movie. Katherine was ordering the pizza.

Throwing open her apartment door, Hailey greeted her friend with a hug. “Free at last,” she squealed. “Has any school day ever seemed so long?”

“It lasted forever,” Katherine said and groaned as she removed her hat and coat and tossed them over the arm of the chair.

The two had worked at the high school for three years. They’d been hired at the same time and quickly became fast friends.

“You got the eggnog?” Katherine asked.

“All accounted for,” Hailey assured her.

“The pizza is ordered for delivery.” She paused and glanced at the time. “At any minute.”

Just then the doorbell chimed. Katherine opened it, took the pizza box from the teenage driver, and passed along a generous tip. “Thank you,” she said and promptly closed the door.

Hailey got out the paper plates and red pepper flakes. Among so many other similarities, they both shared a love of spicy food.

Slouching down on the sofa side by side, they indulged in the Hawaiian pizza, too busy enjoying their dinner to talk.

After a few moments, Katherine paused between bites. “I take it your day was as hectic as mine.”

“As bad or worse,” Hailey said with a heavy sigh.

The music students had their minds on anything but schoolwork. Even her band class had been chaotic, with everyone anxious for the school day to end. The teens hadbeen watching the clock, counting down the minutes, which was exactly what Hailey had done.

Katherine taught American history, and Hailey could well imagine her friend’s day. In the best of times, it was hard to control the classroom full of hormone-enhanced teenagers glued to their cell phones and posting on social media. With vacation looming and Christmas in the air, it had become nearly impossible for a teacher to hold their attention. It had become especially hard for Hailey after the band’s holiday performance earlier in the week.

“We survived,” Hailey reminded Katherine.

“Barely,” Katherine added.

When they finished, Hailey took their dirty plates into the kitchen.

Katherine followed her, opened the refrigerator, and brought out the rum and eggnog mix. “What those little hellions didn’t realize was that I was as anxious to get out of school as they were.”

“Amen, sister.”

The two returned to the sofa and Hailey relaxed, bringing up her knees and bracing her feet against the edge of the coffee table. She brushed a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear.

“Which movie do you want to watch first?” she asked.

“You pick,” Katherine said with a wave of her hand. “I’m too exhausted to think.”

“How aboutLove Actually?” That was one of Hailey’s all-time favorites.

“Sure.” Katherine settled into the sofa as she sampled the eggnog.

Reaching for the remote, Hailey cued up the movie. Mentally exhausted as she was, her thoughts went every which direction. Her day had been nothing but drama with her students. The only thing that had kept her sane was this silly melody that had been bouncing around in her head. The tune hadn’t left her alone for several days now, to the point that it was all she could hear. This was the way it’d been from the time she’d been in grade school. Music was the language of her heart, and composing it gave her a sense of joy unlike anything else.

Even as a child Hailey had gone to sleep only to dream up melodies and then the lyrics. Writing songs was as much a part of her as breathing. She’d started piano lessons in first grade after her mother had been unable to tear her away from the keyboard at church. In all, she played six instruments, some better than others. Each one filled a need in her, a desire to create. She’d loved her piano teacher and hated it when the family had moved a year later. Her father’s job as a pharmaceutical salesman had required several moves during Hailey and her sister Daisy’s childhood.

As the assistant band director, Hailey enjoyed sharingher enthusiasm with her students. They inspired her. Her dream, however, was to one day support herself as a songwriter.

Halfway through the movie, Katherine reached for the remote and paused it. “Did I mention my parents arranged a ski vacation for the entire family at Whistler?” she asked, her eyes dancing with delight.

Hailey grinned. “Only about twenty times.”

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