“I heard, Fallon, I heard.”
“Balfour, you must bring them, him, her, to dinner when you come!”
And then my mouth did it again!
“Him,” I said softly, seeing mischievous brown eyes, a shock of red, red hair, and a smile that always made my heart speed up a tiny bit when he would grin at me.
“Wonderful! We’ll see you tomorrow,” Mom told me cheerfully. “We’ll need to find someone for Adaia,” she said to herself, “maybe she and Birch will get on.”
And the phone went blissfully silent. I briefly wondered if I should warn my brother, Birch, but then thought better of it. He was kind of an asshole and I wasn’t gonna feel sorry for him if he got set up on a blind date originally meant for me.
Now I just needed to convince Kendrick to be my fake date for Thanksgiving.
If he agreed, he would never–and I mean absolutely never–let me forget this teeny tiny favor he would be doing me. I was going to owe him big time.
It was a price I was willing to pay to not be subjected to whatever blind date my parents wanted to saddle me with.
Pulling out a second cell phone from my pocket, I quickly typed a text message.
Me:I will pick you up at 8 tonight. Be ready. I don't have time to wait on you.
When I didn’t get a response right away, I opened my bottom drawer and pulled out the snow globe I kept there. It depicted a decorated Christmas tree, surrounded by snow and a mountain in the background.
Shaking it vigorously, the dome turned completely white before clearing and showing me the man I would be traveling to the human realm later tonight to pick up and bring back to Santa’s Village.
Kendrick Mallory sat on an impossibly tiny and uncomfortable looking chair surrounded by a group of small children at his feet. I couldn’t hear him, but he held a large picture book, and I could tell by the way his lips moved he was reading to them in his classroom. When he finished the page, he flipped the book to face them, pointing out something on the page to them.
Glancing at the clock on my computer, I quickly calculated the time in the human realm, in the Pacific Northwest. Kendrick was in Sweet Alps, California, located in the northern part of the state.
Calculating time differences between Santa’s Village and the human realm had baffled me in school. But since taking over ashead elf, it was something I had mastered. I would patiently wait for Kendrick to text me back and contemplate how I was going to ask him to please act like my fake boyfriend for a few hours in front of my parents.
Hours later, I was jolted from analyzing the numbers on yet another spreadsheet, when my phone vibrated across the desk where I had tossed it. Realizing it was the special phone that allowed me to text the human realm, I grabbed it up, seeing it was a response from Kendrick.
Nemesis:No can do. Make it 9. Better yet, 9:30.
Me:That won't work. I have a schedule to keep.
Nemesis:Just stop time like you do. Use your elf magic. I'll see you at 10.
Me:Nik can stop time, not me. 10? No, I said 8. Schedule, remember?
Nemesis:Yes, yes, your precious schedule. See you at 11.
Me:Absolutely not! 8! What are you even doing that is so important?
Nemesis:I got suckered into a blind date. I’m waiting at the restaurant for him now. I just don’t want to hear any bitching and whining from you about it being past your bedtime.
Me:When do I bitch and whine?
Nemesis:*laughing emoji* All. The. Time. So much bitching and whining with you. Aren’t Santa’s elves supposed to be jolly? Isn’t that like part of the job description?
Me:You enjoy making me grind my teeth together, don't you?
Nemesis:So, soooo much. It’s one of my favorite things to do.
Nemesis:Oh, Goddess, he’s here. Fuck. Me. Gotta go. Maybe make it 9. I do NOT see this going well. In fact, call me in 30 and act like there is an emergency.
Me:Why would I do that? What emergency? Have you been drinking? Talking to you makes my head hurt.
