And then we were laughing again.
Chapter 10
Holden
December 20th
The Santa suit itched.
Scratch that—theentire experienceitched, from the too-warm fake beard clinging to my jaw to the heavy red coat making me sweat like I was skating through a sauna. I tugged at the collar and glanced at the mirror in the resort staff room.
This was a mistake.
I wasn’t exactly great with kids. The Holiday Hockey Shootout had gone better than expected, but this? This was Breakfast with Santa.Actual childrenclimbing onto my lap and asking for ponies and iPhones and world peace. There was no stick, no puck, no helmet to hide behind.
And now the person who had been assigned to bemy elf had bailed. Something to do with a rash. So Jolly Old Saint Nick was flying solo with no backup.
I peered out from behind the door to assess just how many people we were talking about. The ballroom was packed with round tables of eight, nearly every one of them full, still ten minutes before the official start time. Apparently, Santa was a popular guy.
I still wasn’t sure how I’d gotten roped into this. My agent said it had something to do with my size, but there was also a football player here the same size as me, so I wasn’t buying it.
Then I spotted her—golden hair down and loosely curled—and my stomach did an unhelpful flip.
Great. That shouldn’t happen when I see a woman. Especially notBelle. Who has a boyfriend. A boyfriend who also happens to be my cousin. Funny how I had to keep reminding myself of that. And annoying that my body didn’t seem to care.
Belle sat at one of the front tables, Aunt Maggie at her side, smiling as she said something that made Belle laugh. I didn’t recognize the rest of the people at the table, but it was no surprise Uncle Paul and Alex hadn’t joined them. They probably had some precious meeting to attend.
I forced myself to look away and adjust the crooked Santa hat on my head. It didn’t help. The beard on beard was itchy, my boots were too tight, and I was about ten seconds away from making a break for the exit.
Sneaking back behind the door before any kidscould spot me, I could have sworn I saw Belle glance my way. I’d told her yesterday after the snowman-building competition that my charity duty today would be playing Santa at the plated fundraising breakfast. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when, seconds later, Belle was joining me in the small room.
“Is this where the magic happens, or are you just hiding?” Her lips curved in an amused smile that somehow made the itchy suit feel ten times hotter.
She glanced down at the red suit, the white fur trim, and the black boots, then back to my face, which must have had a stressful look on it. “Right. Totally normal amount of panic for a guy dressed like Santa to be hiding five minutes before going out to a room full of kids.”
“I wasn’t panicking,” I lied. “I was…strategizing.”
“Strategizing what? How to survive the sugar-fueled chaos? Or how not to get tackled by a six-year-old asking for a pony?”
My silence must’ve said it all because her smile softened.
“Holden.” She stepped a little closer, voice gentler now. “What’s really going on?”
I scratched at my beard and sighed. “My elf bailed. Some kind of rash situation, which is horrifying in its own way. And now it’s just me, a room full of kids, and a Santa suit that might actually be a torture device.”
She bit back a grin. “Okay, yeah, that’s a lot.”
“Just a little.” I tried to shrug it off, but my shoulders barely moved in the bulky suit. “I don’t really do thewhole ‘kid’ thing. The hockey event was fine—they had sticks and rules. This? This is free-range chaos. I’m pretty sure I’m going to ruin some poor kid’s Christmas dream.”
Belle was quiet for a moment, studying me. Then she said, “Well, good thing I brought my elf costume.”
I blinked. “Wait, seriously?”
She laughed. “No, but I do happen to be very good at winging things. And I don’t exactly have plans this morning.” Her voice dipped just slightly. “Alex didn’t come back last night. He’s still in New York.”
Something in my chest tightened at knowing he’d chosen work over her again, but I kept my tone light. “So...you’re volunteering to be my elf?”
She gave me a wink. “Only if you promise not to fire me for stealing the spotlight.”
