Or sooner if he set her up with someone. She’d run away with a man without a backward glance at her son.
Although, he couldn’t do that to any of his friends or acquaintances.
“Thanks for volunteering to help with the cleanup,” said Mrs. Holland. She wore an ugly green Christmas sweater with candy canes knitted in and glued on. Her blonde hair was more gray than blonde these days and sometime between his elementary school days and Cody’s, she’d tattooed on new eyebrows. She’d been the principal for as long as Ethan could remember. When she retired, he was sure they’d rename the building after her–after all, she practically lived here.
Only a few people have the dedication it takes to educate children anymore. At least, that’s the way it seemed online. All he ever saw was posts about teacher quitting and job listings for substitute teachers to fill in the gaps. A person like Mrs. Holland deserved to be honored. It wasn’t easy being a teacher these days–heck, it wasn’t easy when he was a kid teasing the cute girls in class.
“I’m happy to help. You do so much around here; it’s time I did my part,” he replied.
Mrs. Holland wagged a finger at him as she pretended to search the room. “Where did Ethan Hall go? Are you the same kid who told me you didn’t have to clean around your desk because you didn’t sleep under it?”
Ethan laughed. “In my defense, my mom always told me that if we slept in the house, we had a responsibility to clean it. I didn’t realize it wasn’t a universal principle.”
She chuckled as she shook her head at him. “Why don’t you take that folding table back to the closet and head home? No one needs to be here any longer or they will think we all fell asleep on the job.”
He saluted and then picked up the table and carried it to the storage room in the hallway. Leaning casually against the brick wall, as if he’d known Ethan would eventually come this way, was the youngest Santa Clause Ethan had ever met. Nick jerked his chin in greeting. “‘Sup?”
“Ho Ho Ho,” he replied, studying Ethan like one would a Scrabble board. The scent of frankincense and pine hovered around him like a cloud of cologne. Did the guy just put it on?
Ethan put the table with the rest, leaning against the wall, and turned to go out. He pulled up short to keep from running into Nick. Not that it would have hurt. There was enough padding on his stomach to build a bear.
“Excuse me,” Ethan moved to go around him but Santa stepped to the side and stopped him.
“We need to talk.”
“Are you sure?” Ethan quipped.
“You’re in an interesting spot,” Nick said.
“I am?” Ethan looked behind him and then around Santa. “Looks pretty normal to me.”
Nick shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. I have two wishes–granted. Both of them granted–and they both involve you.” He poked Ethan in the chest.
Ethan‘s eyes widened as he scrambled to think of who would make a wish about him. Collin was the easy answer but who else. Wait–wishes? “Did you say wishesgranted?”
Nick drew himself up. “It’s kind of my thing.”
Ethan opened his mouth to ask a follow-up question, but Nick cut him off with a slice of his hand through the air. “We all have talents. This is mine. I’m good with it. I like granting wishes. It makes me feel … Kringle-ish.” He shook himself as if he’d gotten off track.
Ethan wasn’t sure the guy knew what a track was at this point—granting wishes?
“The problem I’ve run into,” Nick continued, “is that they both can’t happen. I mean, one could happen, or the other could happen.” He held out his palms as if weighing the two. “But they can’t happen together.” He touched the pinkie sides of his hands. “Because of that, you have to make the tie-breaker wish.”
He shook out his fingers.
“Is something wrong?” Ethan asked.
Nick tapped the tip of his middle finger with his thumb. “My fingers are tingling again.”
Ethan held up his palms. “I’m not even sure what you’re talking about. So I’m just going to…” He began sidestepping along the wall.
Santa matched him step-for-step as if he didn’t have to think about the movement.
Poof!
A breeze brushed his face, and he turned just in time to see a beautiful redhead with crazy curls cascading down her back and a pair of black-rimmed glasses perched on her pixie nose. She glared at Nick. “How long does it take? Your reindeer is getting antsy.”
Nick wrinkled his nose, making his beard lift too. “He’s notmyreindeer. I only brought him because he was the only one available. By the way, Ethan, this is Lux. Lux, your subject: Ethan.”
