“Lead the way,” I said. “I’m not in an elf costume, but I can still lend a hand.”
He got up and made his way out of the party, waving at the kids and maintaining his cheery demeanor until we were locked away in the office where his clothes were.
“This isn’t your office, right?” I asked.
“No, that’s downstairs,” he said. “I think this is Marshall’s office actually. That’s why it’s so nice.”
Looking around, I noticed it actually was pretty fancy compared to the other ones I had seen. There was a lot more polished wood in there and big leather furniture. “There’s a full bar and everything.”
Luke laughed. “Executive privilege. It’s classy when you day-drink here. Working at Target? Not so much.”
“I suppose that big couch is for afternoon naps,” I said.
“And mid-morning naps, I’ll bet.”
“Is that why you want to get promoted?” I asked him. “So you can drink and nap all day?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I want to develop my own shows here, put my ideas into action. You get it, right? I mean you like creating things and sharing them with the world.”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “Tonight was amazing. After all that hard work, all that planning, seeing everyone’s reactions made it all worthwhile.”
Luke looked into my eyes for a little too long. “It’s crazy. I think you and I are a lot more alike than I thought.”
“Yeah?” I asked, not liking how soft my voice sounded.
“Yeah, we also both wanted to get out of Harrison City,” he said. “Not because we don’t like it, but because it didn’t have the opportunities for us to do what we wanted to do.”
I nodded. “I love it there. But you’re right. Ganymede Raye won’t ever put on a play at The Helios. To work on one of her shows, I need to be here.”
“It sounds like it’s all lining up for you,” he said, still staring too much. “Looks like you might be sticking around here after all.”
“Looks like there’s a decent chance.”
“Well, I expect free tickets to all your shows.” Luke laughed and gestured down at the Santa suit. “Alright, help me get out of this thing.”
“Don’t take it off just yet,” I said without thinking.
“What? Why not?”
“Maybe there’s something I want to ask Santa for,” I said, feeling brave.
Luke rolled his eyes and chuckled. “You can ask me for anything you want.”
“Well hold on, this isn’t how it works,” I complained. “You have to sit.”
I pushed his shoulder and he sat on the couch. Luke laughed and gazed up at me, eyes burning with curiosity. I smiled and hopped onto his lap. He grunted in surprise, but he didn’t complain.
I nestled my ass firmly over him and met his eyes again. “So, Santa. Here we are again.”
Luke’s jaw clenched. “So, what are you asking for this year?”
“You remember the Christmas Spectacular, right?”
“Of course. No one will let me forget it.”
“I want to ask you something about that night.” I stopped and looked away from him, feeling my bravery fail me.
Luke touched my cheek and softly guided my face back toward his. “Ask me.”
