Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
T he next morning, Natalie was in a very bad mood. Her most recent job application was met with an immediate thanks, but no thanks from the hiring manager, her cell phone was hit with an emergency weather alert at four a.m., causing her to tumble off the bed in shock, and her elf costume was riding up her…
Well.
Tugging at it viciously, she stomped along the cobblestone sidewalks toward the town hall, jingling all the way, earning a few alarmed stares from passersby that she studiously ignored. This was a bad idea , she repeated in her head as a never-ending mantra as she brushed the snowflakes from the sleeve of her elf costume, because of course it was snowing. Of course it was. And windy. And cold enough to make her nose hurt the moment she stepped outside. The elf costume did little to ward off the cold, and by the time she arrived at the town hall, she was practically growling at everyone she passed.
Then she tugged open the ornate front doors, and her jaw nearly hit the floor.
The interior of the town hall had been transformed into a glittering winter wonderland, with dozens upon dozens of snow-dusted pine trees lit with soft white lights, clouds of very realistic-looking fake snow artfully arranged around the vast room, and silver and gold decorations adorning the walls and dangling from the ceiling. A beautifully carved throne that sat in the middle of a raised stage was draped in red and green velvet, and a pair of stunning white horses stood serenely in front of an actual sleigh in soft, shimmery shades of silver that looked as though it had been carved from ice.
A red carpet blocked off on either side with green velvet rope was where the children would stand in line for Santa Claus, and a long table was set up beside it, laden with so many trays of exquisitely decorated sugar cookies that Natalie was amazed it hadn’t buckled under the weight. At the very back of the room, a few dozen men and women, all wearing elf costumes, were buzzing around three enormous wooden workbenches, and Christmas music was drifting out from hidden speakers.
The pièce de resistance, however, was standing in a pen beside Santa’s throne, placidly munching on apples of several different varieties while watching Natalie with liquid brown eyes.
“Hey there, buddy,” she said, approaching the reindeer, whose tawny fur looked soft and silky. She reached over the pen and stroked his head; he let out a snort of acknowledgement, but continued gnawing on the apple. Leaning in close, she whispered, “I bet you don’t really want to be here either, do you?”
Those liquid eyes continued to watch her, solemn and steady, and Natalie stroked his fur for a few more moments before turning… and running directly into Gabe.
“Whoa. Hey there,” Gabe said, catching her by the shoulders with a laugh. “Didn’t mean to startle you—I was just coming over to say hello.” His gaze wandered over her elf costume, his eyes crinkling in amusement. “I see you and Faith had a little… conversation. She’s in charge of the whole event, and every year she ropes me into decorating.” He gestured around the room .
“Yeah, well, she can be very convincing.” Natalie was fairly certain her cheeks were the same shade of red as her elf hat, and if the earth itself decided to open up at that moment and swallow her whole, she would have accepted her fate wholeheartedly.
Gabe laughed again, and a pool of warmth spread low in her belly. This man, he did something to her. Something strange, something she’d never experienced before. It almost felt as if… as if she knew him. As if she had always known him. But that was impossible, of course, because the two of them were strangers.
Holly , she reminded herself. His wife .
Suddenly, Gabe’s hands were in her hair, and a jolt of electricity so powerful shot through her that her knees were shaking. “Your elf hat,” he said, his lips tipped up in a soft smile that did little to quell her racing heart. “It was slipping.”
“Thanks,” Natalie muttered, stepping away from him, looking every which way but into his eyes. Then, casting her mind around for something else to say, she pointed to the trio of workbenches in the back. “What’s going on over there?”
“That’s our magical workshop,” Gabe said, leading her across the room, talking as they walked shoulder- to-shoulder. “Every fall, we put out a call for toy donations in Chestnut Cove and the surrounding communities. The donations are dropped off here at the town hall, and every year during our Santa’s Wonderland event, volunteers in elf costumes wrap the gifts and load them into the sleigh. On Christmas Eve, they deliver them to children whose parents might not have the money to buy gifts for them otherwise.”
He gave her a crooked smile that was like a bullet to her heart. “So the magic is twofold: the kids who come here to see Santa think they’re in his actual workshop, and we do our part in helping to spread a little extra Christmas cheer.”
Tears sprang unexpectedly to Natalie’s eyes. “That’s nice, Gabe,” she said, hurriedly wiping them away. “That’s really nice.”
“Thanks.” He gave her a soft smile. “It’s all about community, right? Especially at this time of year. That’s one of the reasons I love Christmas so much—the togetherness, the sense of belonging. It really makes me feel like I have a purpose in life.”
Natalie didn’t respond to that. She couldn’t, not only because she hadn’t experienced that in many, many years, but also because her voice was no longer working. She looked up to find Gabe watching her, his eyes intense, probing, as if he could read her thoughts.
Swallowing hard, throat bobbing, she said, “I’d better go. I should probably figure out what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“Right.” Gabe tore his gaze from hers. He glanced around, then pointed toward the workbenches. “There’s Faith. I’m sure she’ll be able to tell you exactly what to do.”
Natalie gave him a faint smile. “I’m sure she will.” Then, with a goodbye nod, she left his side, feeling slightly off-kilter as she headed toward Faith, who was putting the finishing touches on a beautifully wrapped present. Natalie noticed that she wasn’t wearing an elf costume, just another entry in the “world’s most ridiculous Christmas sweater” contest that she seemed to be participating in on a daily basis. Today’s sweater featured a Rudolph made entirely out of… yep. Brown puff balls.
“Natalie! You made it!” Faith sing-songed, as if Natalie had any other choice in the matter. She set the present she was wrapping aside, gave a few quick instructions to a pair of elves on when to begin loading the heaps of wrapped gifts into the sleigh, then took Natalie by the arm and led her toward the stage. “Walter’s getting dressed right now, so you’ll have a chance to meet him before the festivities begin. The doors open in…” She glanced at her watch. “Goodness! Only half an hour to go. We’d better pick up the pace.”
She sped her walk up to a trot, with Natalie hurrying to catch up as Faith gave her a rapid-fire list of instructions, barely pausing to take a breath. She finished with, “…and when you’re leading the first verse of ‘Here Comes Santa Claus,’ make sure you’re singing directly into the microphone so the children in the back can hear you.” She looked at Natalie. “Did you get all that?”
“I… think so?”
They had reached the stage now, just as Santa Claus waddled out from the men’s bathroom.
“Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!” he called, waving to the elves still clustered around piles of wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows. “Ho, ho—well, hello there!” Reaching Natalie, he gave her a jolly wave.
“Natalie Belmont, this is Walter Miller,” Faith said, making the introductions. “Chestnut Cove’s Santa Claus for the past… what is it now, Walt? Thirty-seven years?”
“Thirty-eight,” he replied, wagging a finger. Then he stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Natalie. I take it you’re our newest elf? ”
“In the flesh,” Natalie replied with a little curtsy. She couldn’t help the grin spreading across her face as she scanned the older man from head to toe. “You’re… wow. The most realistic-looking Santa Claus I’ve ever seen. No wonder so many kids come to Chestnut Cove to see you.”
“I try.” Walter spread his arms wide, his blue eyes twinkling merrily, his cheeks tomato-red… probably from the heat, Natalie decided, because that Santa suit looked like it weighed about a hundred pounds. His black boots were polished to a proper shine, his belt strained against his ample— very ample—belly, and Natalie resisted the urge to tug his long white beard to see if it was real.
“It is,” Walter said with a wink, reading her thoughts. “And much to the delight of the missus here, I’ve recently decided to keep it all year round.”
“I’m not sure I’d go that far, but I do admit that it suits you.” An older woman dressed as Mrs. Claus had approached them and was now standing on tiptoe to kiss Walter on the cheek. “Hello, I’m Carol Miller,” she said warmly to Natalie. “I’m so glad you were able to join us today. Thank you so much for helping out. Faith said you would be the perfect elf, and judging by the costume alone, I’d say she’s right. You look adorable, dear. Absolutely adorable. ”
“Thanks,” Natalie muttered, shuffling awkwardly in her elf shoes, wincing with every jingle. She still felt ridiculous, though slightly less so, she decided, now that she was here. “I was sorry to hear that Jeannie came down with the flu.”
“Jeannie came down with the flu?” Carol frowned, then glanced at Faith, who was nodding vigorously.
“Oh, yes, a terrible flu. Stomach, in fact. Vomit everywhere.” Faith mimed throwing up, then shook her head sadly. “It was sort of like watching Mount Vesuvius erupting, the poor thing. But Natalie here was only too happy to help.”
Well. She wouldn’t go that far, but Natalie did have to admit that her foul mood was slipping away, bit by bit. It was hard to be a scrooge in a place like this.
Carol was still giving Faith an odd look. Then she turned back to Natalie. “Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re here. If you have any questions, I’ll be passing out the cookies.” She nodded toward the cookie tables; Natalie could see that the reindeer, having finished his apples, was now eyeing them greedily. He let out a snort and pawed at the hay strewn around the floor at his feet, then pressed his body against the pen, moving it an inch to the side. Natalie opened her mouth to point this out, but was distracted by a commotion just outside the front doors. Screeches of excitement and cheers of happiness, courtesy of the group of young kids who had just arrived, faces pink from the cold, and spotted Walter standing in full Santa regalia beside his throne.
“Ho, ho, ho,” he called to them, opening his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. “Come in, children, come in.” Then he turned to Natalie and Faith with a brilliant smile, one that exuded pure joy, a feeling Natalie herself hadn’t experienced much of lately. “Ladies and elves, it’s showtime.”