On my way to The Bern, part of me was tempted to get a picture with Jolly Santa, but the line was long, so I just waved to Chestnut. He gave me a bewildered look and tentatively waved back. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking on the reindeer." I winked. Sometimes, it was hard to turn off the Sugarplum responses. Being an elf was just so fun. But so would being me.
I held my head high as people looked around for the source of jingling bells, which were still attached to my boots.
Harvey looked every bit a manager with his nice sweater under the apron. The fashion change was another facet of his boss-ness. He perked up and smiled as soon as he heard me. “Hey, sugar.”
I skipped up to him. “Hello, sir. May I speak to your manager-in-training, please?”
He strode out from behind the counter, pulling his apron strings away from his chest. “That’s me.”
“That’s you.” I grinned and went to throw my arms around him, then jerked back. “Oops, sorry. You’re still on the clock, aren’t you?”
He tousled my hair. “Yeah. Causing trouble, as usual.”
I clasped my hands behind my back to stop myself from touching him. “I can help you close up shop, if you want.”
“Nah, we’re doing good tonight. Where do you want to go for dinner? I’m starving," he said.
“Um, what about Cake Warehouse?” It was one of the restaurants in the mall, but it had a separate entrance, so it stayed open a few hours longer than everywhere else.
He smirked. “Sure. I won’t spoil your appetite with any snacks beforehand.”
Aw, sugarplum. I talked myself out of some free desserts. Although we’d already eaten a billion calories worth of cookies. We were on our feet forty hours a week, so we needed the energy. Wasn’t that how Zack justified extra burgers? He was smarter than his grades would indicate, but that didn’t really matter to our family.
I used the free wi-fi at The Bern to read and look up jobs, occasionally chatting with man-bun Mario and Harvey until it was time to go.
Harvey locked up, then mopped his face with a napkin. “I’m exhausted.”
“Would you rather go home?” I clasped his free hand with both of mine. “We could order in. Or if you need to rest–”
“No, I want to celebrate. Well, I want to go on a date.” He removed his hat and swept his free hand through his slightly sweaty hair. “Let’s have dinner. And cake.”
I rocked our linked hands back and forth a few inches. “My favorite.”
He laughed. “Me or cake?”
“You, silly. Aren’t I your favorite?” I batted my eyelashes and pressed into his side.
“Maybe.” From his little smirk, I had a feeling I was at least top three.
We cut through the mall as shops closed, metal grates coming down, doors locking up, and lights dimmed. It was a different world after hours. It belonged to the employees–and security. This was probably one of my last times strolling through the mall like this.
Harvey nudged me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, of course.” I slowed, entranced by a window display of Christmas plushies at Geppetto's Workshop. Soon, they'd be rehomed or put in storage, along with the rest of the holiday decorations. “I think it’s finally sinking in that I can’t stay here," I said, lowering my gaze from our reflection.
“At the mall?” he asked.
I nodded. But I also meant my mom’s. “The gates are coming down, the walls are closing in," I said.
He hummed and looked ahead. “Closing time comes for all of us.”
“That’s kind of dark.” I laughed.
Despite the low lighting, his piercings gleamed amidst his smile. “It just means we get to go home. Or wherever else we need to be. Knowing you, it’d be somewhere you could spread cheer and cause trouble.”
I giggled and laid my cheek on his arm. “I hope so.” I hoped it’d be somewhere close to Harvey.
