Page 7 of Christmas By Lamplight
“Nothing’s happening. He’s being nice. He probably feels sorry for me because of the shelf thing.”
“The shelf thing where he saved your life, and you stapled him?” She smiled as she scrolled through her phone.
“His sleeve. I stapled his sleeve.” Carrie stopped.
“Oh!” Shannon’s expression shifted from glee to concern. “There’s some news here about your staple gun guy.”
“He’s not my—” Carrie rolled her eyes. “What news?”
Shannon turned her phone around. A blog post filled the screen, headlined in festive red and green.
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Bad Santa’ Tanner Blake Hiding in Small Town After Scandal Costs Hospital Fundraiser
Carrie’s stomach dropped, and the words blurred together as she read, “After a viral talk show incident, Hollydale Children’s Hospital loses a hundred thousand in funding when publishers pull actor Tanner Blake’s live book reading event from their Christmas fundraiser.”
“A hundred thousand dollars?” Carrie read it again.
“He cost them their fundraiser,” Shannon whispered. “The hospital’s pediatric wing. Children who need surgeries, treatments.”
Carrie sank onto the counter stool, still reading. The article was brief but brutal—screenshots from social media, people calling him names, demanding apologies. His career was crumbling in real time. She handed the phone back to Shannon and tried to absorb it.
“Oh, there’s more,” Shannon said, scrolling. “The real video—the full, unedited one from the talk show—is buried, but I found a copy. Diamonds and the internet are forever.”
Carrie watched as the host, guest Portia Pembroke, and her beloved voice actor took their seats after a holiday skit. They were still wearing their Santa hats as Tanner explained his latest project. He gestured broadly and accidentally splashed his mug of water on Portia Pembroke, seated beside him.
After a dramatic gasp, she narrowed her eyes and snapped, “You f—ing idiot. This dress is worth more than your mother’s trailer!”
Tanner, stunned for a second, soon rallied. “Oh, I don’t doubt its worth because that dress has more brains and talent in its zipper tab than the person wearing it—you shallow, mean-spirited shrew!”
Portia Pembroke blinked in disbelief before unleashing a string of vitriol ending with: “You really think you’re the star here? You’re lucky you’ve made it this far in the industry, but don’t expect to get farther. You’re done.” She turned to someone off-camera and commanded, “Fix that in post.”
The host hastily chimed in, “We’ll be right back after a word from our sponsors.”
Carrie said, “Well, everyone knows she’s a horrible person. She’s on all those lists of mean celebrities.”
Shannon slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Yeah, but the viral version just shows him unloading on her, so he looks like a big bully attacking a vulnerable woman.”
“That’s character assassination,” Carrie said.
“That’s the internet.” Shannon took her phone back. “But that hospital still lost its funding. Those children still need medical treatment. And he’s over there fixing our reading chair like nothing happened.”
Carrie glanced toward the back room and the steady sound of tools being set down, the creak of wood, and the quiet competence of someone who knew how to fix broken things drifted out. “So that’s why he’s here and asked me to call him Tom. He’s trying to hide from the scandal.”
“Can you blame him?”
“No, not at all.” Carrie stood.
Shannon nodded and rested her chin on her hands.
Carrie leaned on her elbow and thought for a moment. “But why would he come here where the hospital is? I mean, wouldn’t he want to be anywhere but here?”
“Good point. He’s fresh in everyone’s mind since the scandal, and not in a good way.” Shannon gazed abstractedly at the front window. “But isn’t he really known more for his voice? I mean, I know he’s an actor, but he’s one of those actors that nobody recognizes, you know?”
“I doubt he would like hearing it put quite that way.” Carrie glanced toward the back where Tanner was working.
Shannon shrugged. “Sorry, but it is what it is.”
Carrie couldn’t argue the point. “But I still don’t get it. He’s obviously hiding, but why here?”
