He broke into a grin. “Sure.”
Forest laughed at Ginger’s antics. She always knew how to bring a smile to a child’s face. Still, a pit of worry formed in his stomach. He had a feeling he knew what Billy’s Christmas wish would be. He’d want Snowflake to stay with him, and that just wasn’t a wish Santa could grant.
She leaned over and cupped her hand around Snowflake’s ear, which twitched when Ginger’s breath hit it the first time, like it tickled. The reindeer nodded along. Suddenly, her eyes went wide and she stumbled back a step.
Ginger Ho Ho Ho’d and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t look so surprised. It’s possible.” She moved forward so she could continue discussing her plans.
Snowflake leaned into her, and soon her face was full of joy. She nodded quickly, almost whacking Ginger with her antlers.
Ginger giggled. “Be a good reindeer, alright?”
I will. I promise.Snowflake trotted in a happy circle.
Ginger brushed off her bare hands. Kringles didn’t mind the cold. “That takes care of that.”
She ruffled Billy’s hair and then motioned for him to hop out of the sleigh. He did, making his way to the front of the sleigh to tell Cocoa goodbye.
“I’m headed home. That list isn’t going to check itself, you know.” She winked at Forest.
He finished buckling the last strap. He kept his voice low because he didn’t want to burst Billy’s holiday bubble. Meeting Santa was a rare treat, and it should be a happy experience—one that he could draw on for the rest of his life. One that he could hold close when guys like Jordan tried to take it away from him. He leaned in. “She needs to be with the herd.”
Ginger leaned in too and whispered, “I know.”
Forest stared at her. “So … How’s his wish going to come true?”
She picked up the reins. “Believe, Forest. Just believe.” She flicked the reins, getting Cocoa to trot in a wide circle so they had more room to take off. “Call me when you need a bigger sleigh,” she called to Forest.
“Why would I need a bigger sleigh?” he called back.
She laughed, as if he was missing something completely obvious. “On, Cocoa!” Cocoa bounded into the air and cleared the tops of the trees.
“Whoa!” Billy gasped.
“Merry Christmas to all!” Ginger waved.
Forest shoved his hat back and scratched his head. “What is she talking about? A bigger sleigh?”
Billy shrugged.
Forest did his best to keep his spirits up. Their training session hadn’t yielded any positive results, and on top of that, Ginger made a promise to Billy that Forest wasn’t sure he could abide by. Which in turn made him the holiday Grinch. That wasn’t a role he was used to taking, and it didn’t sit well with him.
Chapter Twenty
“But you told me we have until Christmas Eve to get the money.” Mitzi wanted to scream at her landlady, who’d come into work to harass her again. Of course, she’d waited until Carla was on her lunch break.
Louanne sniffed. “I’m only asking for half now.”
“I don’t have half now. My side job pays in full when the job is complete.” She ran her hand over her forehead, where a massive headache swirled like snow in a snow globe. She hoped it would settle down and let her finish inventory, but with Louanne standing over her, that was unlikely.
“What job is this?” asked Louanne. “I’ll need a phone number to verify your employment.”
That was the last straw—and she wasn’t talking about the straw in the manger in front of the church. No, this straw was dry and ready to light on fire. Mitzi rose to her full height. “No.”
The word smacked Louanne in the face, and she nearly stumbled into the display of ice melt.
“I will have the money by Christmas Eve. At that time, I will hand it over to you. But you can’t come to my places of employment and harass me anymore. Getting me fired won’t get you your money any faster.”
Louanne glanced around the store to see who had overheard them. There were a couple of guys in the plumbing section and one lady browsing light fixtures. None of them were close enough to know what was going on. Besides, no one was really interested in the drama unfolding at the cash register. She smoothed her hair back into the tight braid. “Well. No need to get upset.”
