I shove my thumb toward him and look at Olivia. “This is what I’ve had to put up with.” I turn to Harold and ask, “Who’s we? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?”
His arm slips down my back and I know his hand is going straight for my butt. Again.
I free one hand from the baby and grab him by the front of his robes, yanking him up until he’s on his tiptoes. “If you try to touch my butt one more time, I will hold you down while I let this goat eat your pants, starting at the crotch.”
Harold’s eyes get big and his hands fall to his sides. “Understood.”
And then we hear a god-awful sound coming from the goat just a second or two before the lights on my robe go out.
“I think…the goat just got electrocuted by the lights on your robe,” Olivia says, stunned.
Charlie laughs so hard it seems like he may pee in his pants. “This is the most awesome thing ever.”
I drop Harold and turn to look at the goat. It couldn’t have been too serious because he’s already back chomping away on the end of my robe.
Before Charlie can see it coming, I hand him the baby.
“Whoa! Whoa! What are you doing?” he shouts as I storm off.
“I’m getting out of these robes before the goat takes a chunk out of my leg. That baby’s mom is the one in the blue shirt over there. Give him to her and then be ready to go.”
People going through the line are whispering and pointing, but I don’t care. I can’t take another minute of Harold. Or the goat.
I duck around the back of the manger, take off the costume, and hand it to some woman who’s trying to keep the chickens from running off.
“What’s this?” she asks, confused.
“Mary’s costume. It’s going to need some repairs before next year’s event.”
When I meet up with Charlie and Olivia close to the parking lot, I hear Harold scream, “You were the best date I ever had, Sophie. Call me if you want to go out again.”
“Well, that’s just adorable,” Charlie says.
Olivia puts her arm around me. “You’re on a streak. First, Seth wants another date, now Harold does, too!”
We’re almost to the car when I hear feet pounding the concrete behind us. It’s Aunt Patrice in hot pursuit.
“How are we going to have a Nativity scene without Mary?” she calls across the parking lot.
“Don’t stop,” I whisper to Olivia and Charlie. We pick up the pace until we’re running. By the time we reach Charlie’s truck, we’ve put some distance between us and Aunt Patrice.
“Get in,” Charlie yells.
Within seconds, we’re in the truck, pulling out of the parking lot.
“So how many times did that kid try to grab your butt?” Olivia asks once we’re back on the main road.
“Too many times to count! His nickname is Hundred Hands Harold. Some little girl warned me about him when we first got here.”
“Hundred Hands Harold!” Charlie howls. He glances at me from the rearview mirror. “I’ve laughed more today than I have in a long time. And you look a whole lot better than you did a few days ago.”
My cheeks actually ache from smiling right now. I remember that’s almost exactly what Wes said to me last night.
“I agree, you do look a lot better,” Olivia says. “We’ve missed you.”
It’s the first time any of us have mentioned out loud how distant we’ve become.
“Me too. Thanks for coming to get me. I’m sure y’all would rather be doing anything other than rescuing me from this date.”
