Charlotte strolled past her house on the corner of Derby Road and 34the Street. Strolling may have been a kind word. She hobbled on her sore legs, her thighs protesting with each step. The day after hadn’t been too bad, but this morning she’d woken up to the realization that she wasn’t ten years old anymore. She hadn’t done that many laps on the sledding hill since 6th grade.
What in the world was she thinking?
She burst into a grin. She thought that she liked being tucked into Micah for the ride down. The thrill she got each time he put his arms around her was better than the swooping in her stomach as they flew down the hill.
And Lizzie? Her big old heart was right on her sleeve for everyone to see. Charlotte loved every minute with the girl. She’d melted the entire family when she offered her sled to Charlotte’s brother-in-law because she noticed he hadn’t had a turn.
She paused in front of the house. Her wish hovered near her head, vibrating so hard she could hear it. “Go play,” she admonished it.
With a leap, the sphere took off and raced through the house. She tipped her head, considering its behavior. Here, it acted much like it did when it was near Lizzie’s wish. It bounced around the inside of the house like a pinball–as if trying to become part of the building. Perhaps it would, once she cleared Lizzie’s wish out of the way and hers could be granted.
“Ho Ho Ho,” boomed Nick from behind her, making her jump at his sudden appearance. No jingle bells this time made her wonder how long he’d been waiting here.
She pressed her hand into her chest. “Giving me a heart attack might solve your wish issue, but my family would come after you.” She glared.
Nick chuckled, the sound like cathedral bells in the belfry. “If only it were that easy.” He leaned on the fence. “Any luck with Lizzie? We haven’t seen a letter come through the mailroom.”
She sighed. “I got nothin’. That girl doesn’t want anything. She’s content. Which is normally a great quality to have.” Lizzie’s ability to take joy in the moment and not yearn for things was probably because she valued people. A hard lesson learned by losing her mother at such a young age. Props to Micah for helping her through all that and providing a home where Lizzie was loved and cared for deeply.
Switching gears, she folded her arms and glared at Nick. “I’ve a bone to pick with you.”
Nick brushed his hair off his forehead. Where did this guy get his clothes? Elves? She bit back her laughter as she realized he probably got them from elves. Ha! Still… No coat. No hat. Charlotte shivered, just noting his lack of outerwear.
She poked him in the chest. “I’ve been wishing for this house a lot longer than Lizzie. Shouldn’t my wish take precedence?”
Nick stroked his bare chin. “It’s not working out like that. But it should. I mean, if anyone deserves this house–it’s you.”
“Thank you!” She threw her arms up.
“So why isn’t it?” he said thoughtfully. He suddenly scrubbed his face. “Robyn will be happy to help me look into it. Maybe it will take her mind off of fixing me.” His shoulders sagged. “I keep telling her I’m too broken to be fixed.”
“Nobody’s that broken,” Charlotte testified boldly.
Nick glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t know what I’ve been through.”
“But I know what Jesus went through, and that’s enough for me to tell you that you could never be too broken for Him to reach you.” Her words were strong, and her voice steady. Her heart warmed–which it often did when she had the chance to talk about her Savior.
Nick continued to stroke his chin. After a moment, he straightened up and turned off his contemplative attitude. “I’ll work on your question.” He rolled his eyes. “It will thrill Lux that I’m taking an active part in figuring this out—even if it’s not how she wants me to do it. But it’ll have to be enough for now.”
“Do you always talk in riddles? Like, is it a Santa thing, or are you vague on purpose?” she accused him. Obviously, something deeper was at stake here, which shook Nick to his Kringle family tree roots. She’d be happy to be the one he confided in–a friend in his time of need.
He chuckled, his shoulders shaking. “I can’t tell youallour secrets. You already know too much as it is.” He pointed to her wish as evidence that she had insider information on how Christmas Magic worked. Her wish had slowed down–like a puppy exhausted from chasing its tail.
“Christmas confidentiality and all that,” Charlotte flapped a hand. “I’ve heard it before.” She had, and, in a way, it pained her. She tucked her hair over her shoulder. Some things she could change, and others she had to accept. Perhaps that was part of growing up–you became okay with not having all the answers.
“Any chance you want to change your wish?” He added a hopeful lilt to his question.
Charlotte chuckled, her shoulders bouncing, purposefully copying his movement from before. She suddenly cut off and grew serious. “I don’t think so.”
“Yeah, I thought it was a long shot.” He kicked at the fence. “I’m supposed to go to the school today; I’ll see if I can get Lizzie to change hers.”
Charlotte frowned, thinking of the way Lizzie hugged the wish to her like a favorite stuffed animal. “Good luck.” Charlotte moved to walk away and stopped as a new question popped into her head. It was more personal, so he would probably answer it. “Hey, why do you do all these Santa appearances? It’s not like you don’t have enough on your plate.”
“Spreading Christmas cheer is a Kringle responsibility. With my unique gift, I can spread it the fastest.”
“Huh.” That made sense. “But why do you keep ending up here?” Every year for the last three years, Nick had played a part in her family’s holiday experience. And what experiences they were–including last-minute flights in a sleigh for Aubrey’s family to return from a cruise in time for Jacob and Lauren’s wedding. Of course, Aubrey insisted they’d flown in on a chartered airplane–her eyes too clouded with common sense to see the magic.
“We have quadrants. Areas of the country we each work on.” He snapped his lips closed. Narrowing his eyes, he shook his finger at her. “Stop asking questions. There’s still room for you on the Naughty List.”
