Daycare Santa

Chapter 1

“G randma said Santa can bring my mommy anything she wants.” Luca shifted on Santa’s leg and pulled a folded book leaf from his jeans pocket. His high-pitched voice carried to Gina, who watched him from a nearby booth.

“I wrote you a letter, but can you bring Mommy a boyfriend for Christmas? And maybe a daddy for me?”

“Luca!” Gina screeched while he pointed, then whispered to Santa, who looked directly at her.

She dumped the tablecloth on the trestle and called to her assistant as she rushed toward her son. “Can you finish setting up while I get Luca?”

Summer grinned, revealing a mouthful of braces. “Sure, do your thing.”

The fair being hosted by the shopping mall owner would start in another hour. Overnight, the decorators transformed the courtyard with garlands and a ten-foot Christmas tree as the focal point. Aside from the decorations on the tree, blue and silver tinsel dominated the space meant to be a small fairground for the shoppers’ children.

Gina preferred red for the décor, but the only hint of it was in the pile of faux gifts heaped around the tree. And, of course, Santa, whose smile grew wider as she approached him.

She was too mortified to do more than offer an anemic curl of the lips, although she wanted to snatch Luca off his lap. “I’m sure Santa would like some time to set up before the other children arrive. Come, Luca.”

Behind round steel-rimmed glasses, Santa’s gaze twinkled. He returned her gesture, revealing rows of perfect teeth. “It’s okay, I’m not busy.”

His gaze ran from Gina’s ponytail to her sneakers and stopped everywhere in between. Santa was checking her out. The ick factor would have made her grimace, but this man was no old geezer. His pearly whites, spray-painted beard, and smooth, dark-honey hands told a story that made her curious. Who was he and why was he playing Santa instead of Mr. Timmons, whom all the shoppers knew?

“It’s perfectly all right, Miss ...?”

She tipped one brow. Really? This was the only Santa the plaza management could find? One who’d likely be hitting on unsuspecting moms all day? Later, she’d have a word with the property manager, who was a decent sort.

Before she could respond, Luca piped up first, still perched on Santa thigh.

“Wright. My mommy’s name is Regina Wright, but Grandma calls her Gina.”

Santa gave her a saucy wink. “Thanks for that information, son.”

She ignored him and spoke to Luca. “Come here. Now.”

“But I wasn’t finished yet, Mommy.” He wriggled the letter between his fingers, gazing up at the impostor who studied her without blinking once.

Gina leaned in and gently circled Luca’s arm. “You can come back later, when the fair starts.”

“Are you sure?” Luca slid off Santa’s leg and pointed at him. “He’s going to be busy. That’s why I came now.”

She turned Luca toward the tent where Summer was in the middle of dressing the table. “Go.”

When she faced Santa, he was watching her. Gina straightened her spine and worked up a half-smile. “Sorry about that. My son thinks Santa is a superhero.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Soon enough, he won’t believe. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

He rose from a cushy fan back chair and held out one hand. “Nice to meet you, Miss Regina Wright.”

Gina wished she could say the same and thought about not shaking his hand, but good manners forced her to mirror his gesture. Santa towered over her, but wasn’t menacing. His palm was cool and dry, but somehow she was about to break into a sweat as her fingers came in contact with his. While his much larger hand enclosed hers, his eyes searched hers, as if he wanted to see into her soul. She stepped back and jabbed one thumb over her shoulder. “I have to go. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t delivered on the boyfriend Luca asked for.” His friendly grin was distracting, and she couldn’t ignore the warmth crawling up her neck.

“Not to worry,” she quipped. “I’m certain I can choose one for myself.”

“Noted.” His rich chuckle sent a shiver down her spine as he raised one hand in a salute. “See you later, Miss Wright.”

She headed to the tent, hoping there wouldn’t be a later for them. She’d had enough of slick men, and that thought brought back her immediate challenge. Nichelle chose the worst time of year to end their relationship and steal her boyfriend. Stiffening her spine, Gina reminded herself that Nichelle hadn’t stolen Boyd. He’d been a willing participant, fooling Gina into thinking their bond was solid when it wasn’t.

Aside from today’s fair, she had an event this evening, which didn’t leave her time to think about things that no longer mattered. Her catering business wouldn’t run itself while she moped about her new reality. The weight on her chest and shoulders were heavy, but she needed to wrap her head around this moment.

On the dozen steps back to where Summer was now filling jars with lollipops, Regina assessed what remained for them to do. Today’s fair was simple enough with her supplies pre-paid by the plaza. She was providing cupcakes for the children and fruitcake squares for the adults. She also had separate samples for the parents who might want to purchase Christmas cakes and puddings from her. Those contained more wine and rum.

How she’d deal with additional orders, Regina didn’t know. If she got them, she’d take them and figure out her schedule later. This business took care of Luca, who was her first and most important priority. She’d inherited her mother’s tenacity and in situations like these, Bernadette Muirhead often said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

That was good enough for Regina. For now, she’d complete the display for All Things Tasty and, if she was lucky, distract Luca from visiting Santa again.

An hour later, she and Summer were busy handing out cupcakes. Luca also gave each child that visited their stand a lollipop.

During the afternoon, when the stream of people slowed, they sat and stretched their legs. The folding chairs they brought with them came in handy for these breaks. They had another spurt of activity and, when it petered out, Summer left to run some personal errands.

Regina was ready to strip down their station when Luca craned his neck in a certain direction, then asked, “Can I go talk with Santa now?”

Regina angled her body to where the stand-in St. Nick was taking a picture with a toddler and said, “There’s still a line of children. Give it a few more minutes.”

“But Mommy.”

One stern look stopped Luca’s whining.

He folded both arms and spoke in his natural voice, tipping his chin in the air. “You promised.”

Sighing, Regina said, “I know, but as you can see, Summer is gone and I’m busy.”

A smile replaced Luca’s frown as he looked beyond her and hopped from one foot to the other. “Grandma!”

Regina spun at the same moment Luca dashed past and flew into his grandmother’s arms. She’d promised to stop by to watch him while Regina closed out the day’s activities.

Bernadette’s sharp gaze scanned the empty display cases. She’d come straight from the salon, where she’d had a wash and curl. Her silver hair carried a blue rinse and glinted like a halo in the sunshine.

“Hey, love. How did today go?” she asked. “Although the empty shelves tell the story.”

“Great.” Gina squeezed her mother’s arm. “The kids loved the cupcakes and all the fruit cake samples are gone.”

“I hope you got some orders.”

“Yes, but I’ll need help.” She bit her lip then added, “You know what the next few weeks look like for me.”

Bernadette put a finger to her cheek, as she did when she was working through a problem. “About that ... Julian invited your Dad and me to spend the holidays with him in Florida.”

“When are you leaving?”

“He bought the tickets for Monday. He and Paula want us to spend two full weeks with them.”

While her heart sank, Regina kept her smile bright. She didn’t want Mom to worry about her business. Her parents deserved the break, plus they didn’t get to see their other grandchildren often. Maybe her sister, Valencia, could help, although the holidays were busy for her, too.

She sent up a prayer that Seya could lend a hand. Her mental fog cleared when Luca tugged his grandmother’s hand. “Come on, Grandma. Santa’s leaving.”