Johnny and his date drifted off to mingle.
Clara turned to face me and waggled her eyebrows at me. “See? You need to keep me around.”
“If you end up moving out here, you’ll be around plenty,” I said. “If you want to be, that is. By this time next year, you’ll be too busy and famous to make time for little old me.”
She laughed and patted my chest. Starlings took flight where she touched me. “Busy, maybe, but famous, no. I’m a behind-the-scenes gal. Honestly, can you name one Broadway set designer right now?”
I searched my mind for an answer I knew wasn’t there. “Um… Melanie Smith?
Clara smiled and shook her head. “That’s not a real person.”
“It might be. We can’t know for sure.” I grabbed her hand in mine and squeezed it. “Ask me again next year. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to name at least one Broadway set designer. Clara Snow.”
Her cheeks flushed red and my pants got tight. If we had been alone I would have kissed her. Instead, I nodded toward the dance floor. “I’m not usually much of a dancer, but it would be a shame if you didn’t get a chance to dance at your own party.”
The flush deepened and she looked at me with wide eyes. “Are you serious, Luke?”
I grinned. “Tonight, I’m not Serious Luke. I’m Christmas Luke, and Christmas Luke wants to dance with Christmas Clara.”
I was still holding her hand and I guided her over to the dance floor. She glided after me without a word. I had neversuffered from stage fright or shyness, but dancing had always been the exception. For some reason, it made me self-conscious. I didn’t feel that way tonight.
Maybe it was because I was already wearing a sweater from hell, and nothing could embarrass me after that. Maybe I was growing up and maturing. Or maybe her happiness was more important to me than feeling comfortable.
That was a scary thought, putting someone else’s needs before my own.
Lights had been set up around the dance floor, and multi-colored beams kept painting Clara’s face as we danced. It gave her an otherworldly quality, like this was all a peppermint-infused dream I never wanted to wake up from.
When a slow song came on, I pulled her closer and she leaned her head against my chest. We swayed together, lost in each other, forgetting all about the celebration humming around us. We were having our own private thing right in the middle of it all.
Kerri came rushing up to us, looking frazzled. For a put-together woman like her, frazzled meant a few hairs out of place, but I could tell something was wrong. It wasn’t me she was looking for, though.
“Clara, I’m so glad I found you,” Kerri said. “We have a major problem. Santa didn’t show up.”
I smiled at Kerri. “Relax. There’s still time before Christmas.”
“No, silly,” Clara said. “She means Santa was supposed to be here tonight.”
“How did you get his invitation to the North Pole?” I asked, grinning.
“Luke, this is serious,” Kerri said. “All the kids here are expecting to talk to Santa, take pictures, and ask him for presents. It was going to cap off the family portion of the evening. Now it’s ruined.”
“No, we can save this,” Clara said. “I know someone who can fill in. Someone who already has experience playing Santa.”
“Wait,” I said, the wheels in my head turning. I had a feeling this was going somewhere I didn’t want it to.
“Luke can do it!” Clara said.
“Now hold on?—”
Kerri grabbed my hand, sighing with relief. “Oh, my God, Luke, you are a lifesaver. First you connect me with your amazing girlfriend and now you’re saving the party.”
Clara saw my hesitation and she smiled. “Think of it this way. You’ll be able to get out of that terrible sweater.”
“Okay, that’s a pretty good way to convince me,” I said, my stomach sinking.
“Please?” Clara asked, looking up at me with puppy dog eyes.
I absolutely did not want to dress up as Santa. The last time I’d done it, my brothers had made fun of me for it for the last decade. Then again, they weren’t here and Clara was. The way she looked at me with so much hope and trust made it impossible to tell her no.
