Chapter Three
JAMES
“ Y ou’re hovering,” I say through my teeth, looking out at the chaos in front of me.
“I’m supervising,” Casey says, his eyes fixed straight ahead as well.
“You can supervise from your car,” I say, turning to him and crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Jeffrey suggests otherwise.” He sighs and turns to me. “Plus, it was in the deal with you being here. I’m stuck to your side. Where you go, I go.”
“Good thing I like you,” I mutter.
“We’ll see how you feel by the end of today,” he says, smirking.
“Hi, are you James?” a bubbly blonde with a tablet stuck to her hand asks, looking at Casey.
“Thankfully, no,” he responds, right before I give him an elbow to his ribs. I knock the air out of his lungs, causing him to cough.
“I’m James,” I say, holding out my hand to her.
She’s pretty with big, bright blue eyes and seems to almost bounce on the spot.
“I’m so sorry. I even looked you up. I mean, I didn’t like ‘look you up,’ but I looked into you. I didn’t recognize you out of your jersey.” I can see she’s starting to get flustered. Her cheeks are turning pink, her words coming out faster as she places her hand in mine. “I thought you’d be wearing your jersey.”
I looked down, the large Lumberjacks logo covering a large portion of my chest.
“Oh my goodness, you are wearing a jersey. I’m so sorry.” She pumps my hand before letting go and holding her tablet to her chest. “This is not how I wanted our meeting to go.”
“I think this is amazing,” Casey says with a bright smile. “It’s not often he meets people that aren’t fawning over him. Knocks down his ego a couple of notches.”
“I don’t have an ego.” I turn to him, my eyebrow raised.
“Whatever you say,” he chuckles.
“Anyway, I’m Avery Geller, Head Elf here at C.O.C.O.A.”
“Wait, those job titles are real?” I ask.
“Oh, yes, and we take them very seriously.”
“But it’s not Christmas.”
“Christmas magic doesn’t end when the season does.” She tilts her head and narrows her eyes at me. “Plus, no offence, but I thought for sure you’d be trying to fight your way back onto the nice list.”
“Not you, too.” I rub my hands over my face.
“Told you,” Casey gloats.
“Great timing. I want you to meet my top elf, Victoria.”
I’m nearly stunned. Where Avery is cute, Victoria is beautiful. Her brown hair shines auburn in the sunlight as it flows into curls past her shoulders. She’s also dressed far from anything I’ve ever seen an elf wearing. She has a flowing pale blue dress with easter eggs printed all over the skirt. She has a wicker easter basket draped over her arm, filled with brightly coloured plastic eggs, looking like she belongs frolicking in a field, not in the middle of a child-ridden town square.
“Hi, James. It’s nice to meet you.” She holds her hand out to me.
I take her hand in mine, but I can’t find any words to come out of my mouth. I probably look like a fool standing here, staring at her, but I can’t help it. I’ve never been this awestruck by a woman before, and I don’t know what to do about it.
“What he means to say is, it’s nice to meet you too, Victoria. Thank you for letting me come to your event. I appreciate the opportunity,” Casey says beside me, his smile widening.
I’m not going to live this down.
“Yes, sorry. Thank you for having me,” I repeat, still holding her hand.
“And I’m Casey, his babysitter.”
I roll my eyes as I let her hand go. “Agent. He means agent.”
“Same thing with you,” he jokes, shaking Victoria’s hand.
I can’t take my eyes off where he has her hand in his. There’s an emotion rising in my gut I don’t recognize, but I don’t like it. I don’t like that he’s holding her hand and making her laugh. About what? I don’t know, but it's probably at my expense. All I know is I don’t like it.
“Everything is all ready for you,” Avery says, looking up from her tablet. “We’ve set up a table where you can sign autographs and take pictures with the kids.”
“That’s it?” I ask, not sure if I’m happy or sad. Before coming back to town, this is what I’d hoped for. They could put me at a table, I’ll work my magic meeting the kids, and then everything from Family Talks would be forgotten. I love doing that for the kids–usually without traumatizing them–but now I want to help more, especially if more means spending more time with Victoria.
“Yup, don’t worry, we won’t ask too much of you. Plus, the kids are so excited to meet a real professional hockey player, especially one from Gingerbread Grove.”
“Thank you, we appreciate that,” Casey says. When I don’t answer–because I’m still watching Victoria with a ridiculous look on my face–he adds, “Don’t we, James?”
“Huh? Yeah, thank you.” My words are halted, but I realize that if I want to get through today and make Jeffrey happy, I’ll need to play along with whatever they have planned for me.
“Great. Victoria will show you to your table. I have to run off and make sure that the Easter Bunny is ready to go.”
“The Easter Bunny?” I ask, looking behind her for an oversized rabbit with a basket.
“Yes, to lead the children through the Egg-cellent Maze,” she says as if it were the most natural thing to call a maze.
“As long as it’s far away from this guy, it’ll be perfect,” Casey says, jerking his thumb in my direction. “He doesn’t have the best track record with bunnies.”
“Casey,” I sigh, looking at the cloudless spring sky.
A light, airy laugh draws my attention, and I’m just in time to see Victoria stifle the sound and cover her mouth with her hand. I want to hear that sound again, even if it’s at my expense.
“Sorry,” she says, forcing her face into a serious look, but I still catch the lift at the side of her mouth.
“No, it’s okay. He’s right. I don’t have the best track record right now.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then,” Avery says with a smile before turning and nearly speed-walking down the path.
“Now, then. Should I show you to your table?” Victoria says, adjusting the basket on her arm.
“Lead the way,” I say, stepping to the side and sweeping my arm out in a dramatic arc.
Is it over the top? Yes, but the smile on her face and the giggle that escapes her lips is worth me looking like a fool–again.
I watch her as we follow her down the path. She says ‘hello’ to people as she passes, knowing more people in town than I seem to remember. I have some of the older townspeople stop me to catch up and give me their unsolicited advice about what happened on the show. I try my best to smile and nod, careful not to do anything that would seem ungrateful or frustrated. The last thing I need is for it to get back to the Lumberjacks and give them more bad press.
While this happens, Victoria waits patiently beside Casey, watching the interactions with a smile. She holds the basket filled with eggs in both her hands in front of her, giving her a holiday princess look.
“Mrs. Williamson, thank you so much for your time and suggestions,” Victoria says, interrupting the vaguely familiar woman. “I’m sorry to rush you, but we have to get James to his table. The kids are going to start lining up for autographs soon.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” she says, patting my hand. “It’s great to see you back in Gingerbread Grove, James. I just hope you remember your small-town roots. That big city seems to be a bad influence on you.”
“Now, June,” her husband says.
“I’m just saying, Henry.”
“Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Williamson,” Casey interjects. “I’m here to keep an eye on him. I’ll make sure he takes the time to get reacquainted with the town.”
I stifle an eye roll and put on my best smile.
Satisfied with his answer, the older couple walk off, arm in arm.
“You don’t have to make it look like I’m a child, you know,” I mutter under my breath to Casey.
“Do you want to make it through today without another incident, or not?” he says as we begin following Victoria again.
“This is it,” she says, turning. We stop at a tent. Inside is a single table with a black tablecloth and a stack of what I’m assuming are my pictures to sign.
That’s not what’s grabbing my attention. What I can’t stop staring at is the life-sized poster of me standing next to Victoria. Usually, that wouldn’t bother me, but what catches my eye is the oversized bunny ears that have been photoshopped in.
“What is that?” I ask no one in particular.
“The team sent it over this morning,” she says, looking up at it. “I have to say, I was a little surprised they had this readily available, but it adds a nice touch.”
“Did you do this?” I whisper to Casey, not able to turn away from, well, me.
“No, but I wish I did,” says through his laughs. “You must have really made the PR team mad.”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose.
It’s fine. It’s an Easter event. I can get through this. It’s one day.
“Are you the Easter Bunny?” a small voice asks from my side.
Looking down, a little bit, not much taller than my knee, he looks back up at me. His big blue eyes and shaggy blond hair remind me a bit of me.
“No, bud. I’m just a hockey player.”
“But, you’re wearing ears,” he says, pointing at my picture.
“Nah, the Easter Bunny is much cooler than me. He brings you candy and treats. The best I can do is an autographed picture. Would you like that?”
The little boy squints his eyes and tilts his head as he looks up at me. “Do you really play hockey?”
“You bet. I play for the Vancouver Lumberjacks.”
His eyes widen. “Really? You’re a Lumberjack?”
“I am.” I can’t help that my chest stands out a little more with him looking at me like I hung the moon.
“Are you the captain?” he asks.
“No, that’s Hammond.”
“Goalie?”
“No, that’s Marshall.”
“Oh,” he says, his shoulders dropping and the smile disappearing from his face.
I need to shift gears before I make this kid cry. The last thing I need is for that to get back to Jeffrey.
“But they’re good friends of mine. Do you want me to tell them you say hi?”
“Would you? I love hockey. I’m starting to play for our team this year. We’re the Gingerbread Grove Blizzards!”
“That’s so exciting. “ I take a few steps to the table and grab a picture, scribbling my name and number across the front. “Here you go. I hope you have a great year, bud.”
“Thanks!” He takes the card and runs the other way. “Dad! Dad! This guy knows the captain!”
“Can’t even catch a break from the little tykes,” Casey jokes, laughing.
“Don’t…” I say, watching as the kid shows his dad.
The dad looks vaguely familiar. It isn’t until he looks up and nods that I realize he graduated the year before me. And he has a kid. Two, by the looks of the younger one, sitting on his shoulders.
“At least you didn’t make him cry. Came close, though.”
I close my eyes and tilt my head, letting the sun’s warm spring rays wash over me. Maybe if I stand here long enough, he’ll walk away.
“I think you did great,” Victoria says. “Davey is a huge hockey fan. He’s been waiting to be old enough to join our minor league.”
“That’s great. I remember being not much older than him and in the league. Of course, we were the Woodland Springs Warriors, then.”
“I guess a lot has changed since you grew up here, huh?” she asks.
“You could say that.”
I’ve been back to town since they changed the names, but it was always in the summer during the off-season. I would lay low, never seeing much outside my parents’ property on the edge of town. Looking around, I see how the storefronts that face the town square have all changed to look like gingerbread houses, their names reflecting different holiday traditions and symbols. The street names have changed, but it feels like, despite that, maybe some things have stayed the same.
“You’re not from here, are you?” Casey asks her.
“No, I’m from Kamloops. I moved here a couple of months ago. I have to say, it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite places, though.”
“It’s definitely…different,” I say, not knowing how else to express how much has changed since I grew up here.
“Looks like word’s gotten out that you’re here,” she says, looking over my shoulder. “Let’s get you all set up and ready to go.”
Walking past her to round the table, her hands clutch the handle of her basket a little tighter, just as the sweet smell of jasmine engulfs me. I don’t know why I had expected her to smell of sugar and cinnamon, but the floral scent reminds me of spring and new beginnings, which is exactly what I’m getting here today.