“I guess so.” Leaning forward, he copied her posture and scrutinized the house. “Here’s what I don’t get–”
“And why you pulled Prancer out of his warm stall at this unholy hour to talk with me?” she interrupted.
Prancer tucked one front leg back and bowed gallantly:Thank you! He thinks I don’t need REM.
Charlotte giggled. Reindeer antics always brightened her day.
Nick cleared his throat, grumpy at being upstaged by his reindeer. “Why this house? There are mansions–in much better shape–just up the mountain.” He brandished his arm to indicate where said mansions glittered like diamonds against the snow.
Charlotte didn’t even look in that direction. “I want a home for Christmas.” She closed her eyes, and in her mind, she was once again five years old, standing in this very spot with her father.
“Can’t you see it, Nick? The wraparound porch adorned with garlands tied with red bows. Wreaths hang over every window. The giant tree in the front room sparkles through the window for the whole town. A wisp of smoke rises from the chimney. A snowman guards the front walkway.” She drew in a deep breath. “Nick, this house has what no mansion on the hill has,” she paused for effect. “influence!” She threw her arms out to the sides. “Located right before you step onto Main Street, it’s seen no matter which direction you come from. Built in 1901, it has a history. Everyone in town has a story about this house–whether they picked blackberries off the bushes along the back fence or hit a baseball through a window. On this corner, it’s the connection between the old part of town and the new part of town–it is the link. If it isn’t restored, Moose Hollow will lose some of what makes it so special.”
“I think you got that wrong.” Nick’s blue eyes swirled as he looked down at her. “It’ll still have you.” He turned and walked back to the sled.
“Are you sticking around today?” she asked his retreating form. He’d been in Moose Hollow for the last two Christmases–spreading magic and a bit of chaos to its residents. Not to mention love. Her own brother had a hefty dose of it two years ago, and her new sister-in-law was the best thing that happened to him. Then there was Ethan and Valerie. Valerie was the only daughter of two country music superstars and had a voice that could make angels pause to listen. Ethan’s son, Collin, adored his step-mom, and despite the challenges of a blended family–they were incredibly happy. Valerie made gourmet dog treats she sold in Charlotte’s store, and they’d become close friends.
Just as Nick reached for the side of the sleigh to pull himself in, Prancer stepped forward, and Nick missed, his foot landing in a pile of snow. He glared at the reindeer. “I might fly around the world a hundred times just to cool this guy’s jets.”
Prancer chortled:As if that would slow me down.
“You two have fun together,” Charlotte called as she started toward Main Street, where The Christmas Shop awaited her last-minute preparations before opening its doors on Black Friday. Her wish floated beside her, a ball of warmth, comfort, and hope for future things.
Growing up, she knew she was different. Other children believed in Santa, but Charlotte had seen him. Met him. She’d sat on his lap next to her Christmas tree when she was seven years old. She’d helped him pull presents for her siblings from his sack and arrange them under the tree, more excited about her brother and sister’s gifts than her own. It had never been about the getting for her–but the giving.
The sleigh whooshed overhead. Charlotte tipped her head to watch it fly as Nick grumbled at Prancer. Why those two ever started flying together was beyond her. She much preferred Dunder’s protective and gentle nature. The rock star of a reindeer was out to pasture at a ranch in North Dakota. She knew because she followed his social media accounts. Maybe one day she’d go out for a visit.
Unlocking the front door, she stepped inside her shop and drew a deep breath of vanilla and cinnamon-scented air. “Let Nick worry about granting wishes–I have Christmas cheer to spread.” She smiled to herself as she got to work. Next to the Kringle Family, she was one of the busiest proponents of Christmas on the planet–as evidenced by the 3000-plus orders in her inbox. “Whew–people are up early this year.” She started her holiday playlist, including songs from her new BFF, Valerie Remmington-Hall, whose Christmas album released last October.
As Valerie crooned about finding love at Christmas, Charlotte blocked all thoughts of romance out of her mind and told her lonely heart to keep itsBlue Christmasfeelings in the safe deposit box. She didn’t have time to consider her lack of a love life today.
“Maybe next year,” she lamented. Allowing herself even one second to feel the loneliness was one second too much for this elf.
ChapterTwo
Micah Bowman would rather be anywhere else than Moose Hollow at Christmas. The town was so full of cheer it made him want to gag.
And yet, he’d moved his daughter here for a fresh start. They needed a place where her history didn’t pop up at every turn, and Moose Hollow was a hot spot for country music artists. There were two recording studios in town and enough work for him as a freelance mixer to provide for both of them.
He frowned. Provide was a strong word. They got by in an apartment smaller than his parents’ garage. While they were proud of him, they weren’t the type of parents to help financially.
Not that he’d asked.
Lizzie was his responsibility, and he would care for her. Thankfully, she was a contented soul and didn’t need much by way of possessions to feel happy in life. Which only made him want to buy her every toy in the store and then heaped guilt upon his shoulders because he could not afford to do so.
Parenting was hard.
Which was one more reason not to like Christmas.
As a child, he believed in Santa and wrote letters asking for a puppy. Instead, he got a skateboard–which he broke his arm riding–and a science experiment kit–which he accidentally poisoned his pet fish with on New Year’s Eve. In his defense, the box said the crystals needed water to grow and DID NOT warn him that the contents of the packet were deadly to marine life.
After that, he figured he was better off not getting his hopes up.
Unfortunately for him, Lizzie was the exact opposite. The little girl oozed so much Christmas cheer it lit up her eyes and penetrated even his grumpy exterior. She’d insisted on writing her letter to Santa last night before bed and got him up before the sun to walk it to the post office.
He couldn’t believe he loved her enough to indulge in a pre-dawn snowstorm walk. Yet here he was, buried into his scarf and clutching her hand as they walked the block and a half to the mailbox.
The post office wasn’t even open today.
