“Well, you’re not a very good kid.” Nick tickles his nephew, making him giggle. “Tell you what, if you promise to be good between now and Christmas, I’ll put in a good word with the big man at the North Pole. You know I work for him. I’ve had to fill in for him today, as he’s a little busy.”
“I’ll be good, Uncle Nick. I promise.” He jumps off Nick’s knee.
Nick’s brother looks around the grotto. “So this is why you haven’t been at the gym as much. Nice little setup you have.”
I don’t miss the nod towards me as his brother’s gaze travels down my candy cane thighs.
“Joy, this is my brother, Nathan, and this is my sister Nora’s kid, Tommy.”
“Nice to meet you.” I turn around and remind Santa about the gift by sliding it closer to him.
“Hey kid, don’t eat them all at once, okay?” Nick says as he hands over the wrapped selection box.
“Thanks, Uncle Nick.” The kid takes the present.
“I’ll let you get back to work.” Nathan bends to scoop Tommy up in his arms, making him look tiny. “Nora wants to know if you and Theo are going to hers for Christmas dinner this year?”
“Are you going?”
“It depends. I've been seeing someone, so I'm not sure yet.”
Nick strokes the thick white fake beard while looking at me. “I may have other plans this year, too. I’ll let her know.”
My heart races. Do those other plans involve me? I always have Christmas dinner with my dad, but the idea of Nick wanting to spend Christmas with me shows me he’s thinking about us long term and not just wanting a quick romp in the office.
“Okay.” Nathan turns to me. “See you around.”
I smile and wave. He may see me sooner than he thinks. “That’s the last of the bookings until after lunch.”
Nick stands and pulls me towards him. “Good. Now we can finally get back to where we were this morning.”
“I’ll nip across the road and grab us a sandwich, then we can talk.” I peck his cheek. “Any preference?”
“I’ll have my usual turkey and cranberry.” He grips my hand as I step away. “Hurry. I want you in my office, sitting on my lap.”
* * *
My phone buzzesin my pocket while I’m waiting in the lunch queue at the sandwich shop across the street.
A smile tugs at my lips when Dad’s name flashes on the screen.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hello, pudding. I have some good news. Remember my friend who works in publishing?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a job opening here in London. He’s giving you first refusal. You need to call him. I’ll text you the number.”
My stomach tightens. “Great,” I say, lacking enthusiasm.
“It’s your dream job. You get to read books all day and the salary is double what you’re on now.”
“And so is the cost of living in London. Dad, this sounds wonderful, but I’m settled.”
“You can use your trust fund to buy a house. You’ve had access to that money since you turned twenty-one. I really don’t know what you’re saving it for when you could invest it.”
“I’m happy here, Dad.” I hold my breath, waiting for a lecture. Dad’s always thought this role was a stop gap after leaving university and looking for aproperjob, as he calls it. And it was, until I fell in love with the toy shop.And its owner.But not just that. I feel closer to Mum living in the town where I grew up.
