“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “But I hope this suit fits better than the last one.”
Clara laughed at that. “Just in case, I have something for you.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out a candy cane. I took it with numb fingers, feeling like I’d stepped back in time. She remembered, it seemed. I wasn’t the only one who had carried that memory with me for the last ten years.
“I can’t believe you,” I said, shaking my head. “I thought you had forgotten.”
Clara’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Never. Now go get festive, Santa.”
She slapped me on the ass for good measure and sent me on my way with Kerri to an office where I could change. The wholetime, I was reeling. I couldn’t believe Clara had just handed me a candy cane. Where had she even gotten it from?
It felt like we’d just had a whole conversation without words. She wanted to remind me of the Christmas Spectacular, of her on my lap and what happened after. And here I was again, thrust into the role of unwilling Santa, while thoughts of Clara tortured me.
Lucky for me, this time around, the Santa suit was adult-sized and it had the padding sewn into the suit, so there was no worry about showing the world anything I didn’t want them to see.
With the suit on, I popped on the fake beard and pointy Santa hat, then made my way back out to the party.
The response was immediate. Kids howled with excitement and they swarmed me like adorable piranha. Boys and girls shouted out what they wanted, the words turning into a jumble of nonsense. I didn’t know what to do.
I could yell at them, but that would sort of defeat the whole purpose of me coming out here dressed like an idiot. I was trying to brighten their holidays, not give them nightmares. Maybe if I just started walking, they would part like the Red Sea. Then two of them latched onto my leg, throwing me off balance. I panicked, thinking I was going to be dragged under.
Then Clara waded into the madness with gentle words and a guiding hand. In moments, the kids were forming an orderly line and the path to my Santa chair was clear.
I had survived my entrance. Now I just had to get through the rest of it.
CHAPTER 22
CLARA
Luke’s panicked face had been funny at first, but no one would have laughed if Santa had a real breakdown in front of everyone. I took pity on him and stepped in. Once the feral children had been herded into line, Luke started looking a lot more at ease.
He took a seat in the big leather chair by a towering Christmas tree, or as towering as the ceilings would allow. That had been a constant struggle during the design process. I went to stand by him and gestured for the first child to come forward.
The kids had been brave as a group, but they were much more timid now that they were on their own. The first little boy wrung his hands in front of him, head down as he approached. I went to comfort him, but Luke spoke up first.
His voice was gentle and soothing. “Hello, little friend. I have been trying and trying to figure out the perfect gift for you, and I don’t know what to get. The elves said you wanted socks.”
The little boy looked up at that and shook his head.
Luke nodded. “That’s what I told them. Socks? No, thank you. So what would you like for Christmas?”
The kid finally sat on his lap and told him about some game or other. Luke seemed to know what he was talking about andhe promised he would keep an eye out for one. The boy’s father snapped a pic of his son with Santa, and then the next little kiddo came up.
Luke was gentle and jolly with her too. She wanted a princess dress like a character from a cartoon she watched. And a kitten. Santa Luke told her he would see what he could do, which seemed good enough for her. She left with a huge smile on her little face.
Luke and I started getting a rhythm down, working together. I would call the next child up and ask their name. Then Luke would ask them what they wanted, although he always added little personal touches for each of them, and my heart swelled with affection. He would make an amazing father.
The thought was crazy and it came from out of nowhere. Why was I thinking about that?
I knew why. I was just too afraid to face my feelings head on. Our arrangement was supposed to be fake. Sure, real feelings were boiling up like lava from a volcano, but at the end of the day, this was a business deal. It had a price tag, conditions, and most of all, it had an expiration date.
I needed to remember that. To control the feelings Luke awoke in me with just a look and a smile.
When the last child had toddled off, Luke slumped in his chair and sighed. “Holy moly. I don’t know how Santa does it.”
I smiled down at him. “He has a lot of help.”
He nodded. “Speaking of which. I’m going to need help getting this suit off. It’s hard to move with all this padding.”
