“Then after a suitable amount of time I was going to ask you to marry me.” I winced, waiting for her to laugh.
Instead, she drawled, “Let’s put a pin in that one. Is that the end of the plan?”
Absolutely not. I wanted to have at least two children with her adorable spunk and whatever my best quality was. I wanted to take her on trips to Caribbean resorts and art museums, to sporting events and National Parks. I wanted to argue with her about chore charts and then have delicious make up sex. I wanted to see the woman she would become, what kind of artistic mark she would make on this world. I wanted to help her become that woman. But instead of all that, I said, “I think that’s more than enough for now. What do you think?”
She studied me carefully. “I think it’s a solid plan, but maybe we should wing it from this point forward.”
“Wing it?”
“Yes. Wing it. As in play it by ear. As in, we have been on a date. We have kissed. I will happily be your girlfriend. Now, we are going to do a little chemistry experiment and then take it from there.”
“You’re sure.”
She stood and hobbled over to where I stood in front of the tree. “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”
“You know, I’m boring Cole. I believe someone in this room once called me a stick in the mud. And—”
“Don’t talk about my boyfriend like that.” She pulled me in for a kiss.
This time when she reached for my belt buckle, I didn’t stop her.
After all, we had some experiments to conduct. For science.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Aubrey
Ishould’ve had the oddest sense of deja-vu on my first day of my new job, but I didn’t. Now I was dressed as an elf and would be taking pictures of the kids who came to see Santa starting the next day when Santa’s Wonderland officially opened. It was the perfect temporary job for a student, even if it didn’t play much to my talents in graphic design.
Paying the bills came first. A career would come later when I finally graduated in the spring.
Cole had taken apart my old transcript with the precision of an academic mechanic and had guided me on what to say to the advisor in order to get as many credits as humanly possible to transfer. A few semesters and maybe summer school. That’s all I needed to convert my old art major into something a little more cutting edge.
This job would help me pay a chunk of the bills. Even better, I’d sifted through my old emails and journal entries to make High Spirits Liquor Distributors aware of several events and emails that had happened while I was employed there. They were offering me a settlement. Isaac was calling me for a reference while applying for a new job. Or he had called me before I blocked his number.
That act had been an early Christmas present to myself.
“Now, you hit this button,” the wizened elf woman was saying to me.
“Ho, ho, ho. If it isn’t Aubrey Longfellow!” Santa had entered the chat, or, rather, he’d entered the world of picket fences, candy canes, and cotton snow and was taking his place on the throne so we could take some promotional photos now that the mall officially closed for the day.
“Oh, it’s you,” I said as I recognized therealSanta.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he said. “Sometimes I have to let one of my brothers take care of mall work, but tonight is going to be a special night.”
It was a Tuesday at ten p.m. There was nothing special about Tuesdays except the occasional taco. Certainly, there was nothing special about taking promotional pictures and training, but who was I to argue with Santa?
I turned back to my elf tutor, and she guided me through a couple of shots before grudgingly declaring me ready. “At least you’re ready until the kids arrive tomorrow. Then we’ll see what you’re made of.”
Sterner stuff, sister. I was made of sterner stuff, and I wasn’t likely to forget it ever again.
“Well, now. What’s your name, young man?”
I took a step toward Santa, ready to gently tell whoever was there that we wouldn’t officially open until the next day.
“Cole Frost,” my boyfriend said even though his eyes were on mine. He was wearing candy cane boxers. I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from giggling.
