Chapter 40
CHAPTER 40
PENELOPE
W hen I open my eyes, the dizzying spin of magic has ceased, but we’re not in the Kringle living room anymore. Noelle—and her puppy—are in my arms. We’re going to have to talk about this dog. I’m not ready for one. I glare down at it, and it licks my nose. Okay, it’s adorable, and it can stay. I always wanted a puppy just like this one. Ugh! I’m such a softy.
Nick’s arms are around the three of us. I’m so grateful for his strength and the fact that he wanted to protect and hold on to us more than anything. I almost cry with the relief of being loved so intensely.
I lift my head and look around. We’re standing on Waterfront Street, a place I know as well as my own reflection, but it’s... different. Everything has a gray cast to it as if all the color has been leeched away. It’s like we’re not in the real world but some alternate version of it.
Noelle takes in our surroundings. She doesn’t ask to get down, instead clinging to me tighter, her little puppy nestled securely between us.
“Nick?” I whisper, my voice sounding oddly flat in the colorless air. “Where are we?”
He shakes his head, looking as bewildered as I feel. “I’m not sure. Hazel can do things with time and space. . . I’ve seen it before, but it’s usually a dream state . . . she’s still learning about it all.”
“Did she do this?”
“I don’t think she did it on purpose.” He relaxes his hold and takes my hand.
We start walking down the familiar street, but with each step, my unease grows. The shops are all in their usual places, but there’s something off about them. It takes me a moment to realize what’s missing. “There are no decorations,” I whisper. There are no twinkling lights, no festive garlands, no cheery window displays. The town looks... lifeless. “Is Christmas over?”
Nick shakes his head. “I don’t think so.” Suddenly, a shopper comes out of a store. “Oh, sorry,” he starts to apologize.
“Get out of the way,” she snaps, pushing past us without a second glance.
Nick and I exchanged shocked looks.
Nick stops another passerby, a man hurrying down the street with his head down. “Excuse me,” he says, “could you tell me what day it is?”
The man barely pauses as he answers, “December 25th. ”
“Christmas Day?” Nick asks, his voice tinged with disbelief.
The man shrugs. “I guess. We don’t really care about Christmas around here.”
I can’t help but interject, my voice rising in incredulity. “Don’t care about Christmas? What about the Bazaar? The water light parade?”
His face twists into a scowl. “We don’t do that stuff here. Go away and come back during tourist season.”
As he walks away, Nick’s face falls. “It’s like I never came,” he says softly, his voice filled with a sadness that breaks my heart.
I shift Noelle to one arm so I can grab Nick’s hand with my free one. “What does this mean?” I ask, fear and confusion warring inside me.
Nick is quiet. “First, the Magic was mad I didn’t come back for you.”
I tip my head. “It was?” he nods. “I mean, as far as I’m concerned, that makes me a Christmas Magic fan.”
He smiles at that, and I do a mental fist pump. We’re in some weird anti-Christmas alternate reality, but I don’t want to see him sad. I love him.
He kisses my temple. “And then it bounced because I was going to leave the North Pole.”
“Seems like it’s paying a lot of attention to your heart. What does your heart tell you?” I take our clasped hands and bounce them softly on his chest.
His brow furrows in thought. Then, slowly, his expression changes. The sadness melts away, replaced by a look of wonder and determination .
“It means I’m important,” he says, his voice growing stronger with each word. “Me, orphan Nick, who never fits in anywhere, has a calling.” He turns to face me fully, his green eyes blazing with purpose. “I have to take Christmas to people. I need to bring it into their lives and their hearts, one town at a time, just like I did here.”
As he speaks, I feel something shift inside me. It’s like a puzzle piece clicking into place, a truth I’ve always known but never fully understood until this moment. I nod, squeezing his hand. “I know. I’m not sure how I know, but when you say that, I feel that it’s true, and I feel a tug, right here,” I place my hand over my heart, “to do it too. I’ve run the Bazaar and started the water parade. Nick, I can do this.”
He pulls me close, careful not to squish Noelle between us. “ We can do this,” he says, his voice full of love and conviction.
Then he kisses me, and it’s like the whole world starts spinning again. But this time, it’s not disorienting or frightening. It’s exhilarating, filled with promise and possibility. I close my eyes, losing myself in the kiss and the magic of the moment.
When we open our eyes, breaking apart from the kiss, the world has changed again. We’re standing in the same spot, but the gray is gone, replaced by the vibrant colors and twinkling lights of Christmas Eve in Founder's Grove. The familiar sounds of carols and laughter fill the air, and the scent of gingerbread and pine wafts around us.
“Thank goodness!” Hazel’s voice breaks through our daze. “We didn’t know if you’d make it out of there or not.”
I blink, still trying to process the rapid changes. “Out of where?” I ask.
Hazel shrugs, her ice-blue eyes filled with a mixture of relief and confusion. “I’m not sure what to call it,” she admits. “I just know that the family has been planning a wedding for you two, and it’s a little scary how good they are at it.” She leans in, “I’m scared Oliver might be right. The Kringle grandchildren are next on the single chopping block. Stella even used the phrase ‘single Kringle,’ which is scary the way she says it.”
Before I can ask for more details, Oliver walks by, his arms full of bright red poinsettias. “I told you we were next,” he says to Hazel, a knowing smirk on his face.
Hazel’s eyes widen, and she darts after him. “I’m not ready!” she calls out as they disappear into the crowd.
I turn my attention to Noelle, who’s still nestled in my arms, looking around with wide-eyed wonder at the festive scene. The puppy gives a little yip as if joining in the excitement.
“A wedding?” I ask.
Nick shrugs. “When a Kringle decides to get married, we don’t waste any time.”
“How about it, Noelle?” I ask, my heart full of love for my daughter and the man beside me. “Do you want to see Mamma marry Nick?”
Noelle’s face lights up with a brilliant smile. She cheers, hugging her puppy close. “Yes! Can I be the flower girl? Can the puppy come too? ”
Nick laughs, the sound warm and rich. “Of course, ice princess. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
As we stand there, surrounded by the magic of Christmas Eve in Founder's Grove, I’m overwhelmed by a sense of rightness. This is where we belong—Nick, Noelle, and me, bringing the spirit of Christmas to the world, one town at a time.
I look up at Nick, seeing the love and joy in his eyes mirroring my own. “So, Mr. Kringle,” I say, a teasing lilt in my voice, “are you ready to get married?”
He grins, pulling me close for another kiss. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”
As we make our way through the festive streets, heading towards whatever magical wedding the Kringles have planned for us, I can’t help but marvel at how much my life has changed. Just a few months ago, I was a single mom trying to spread the spirit of Christmas in our little town. Now, I’m about to marry the man of my dreams, who happens to be Santa’s adopted son, and embark on a life filled with more magic and wonder than I ever thought possible.
But as I look at Nick, at Noelle, at the joyful faces of the townspeople around us, I realize that the real magic isn’t in the flying reindeer or the wish-granting tattoos. It’s in the love we share.
As we approach the waterfront, where I can see a crowd gathering what looks suspiciously like an altar made of ice and twinkling lights, I feel a surge of excitement.
I’m getting married today.