Chapter Four
Blitz
The second day we were home, we reopened the shop.
As always. We were so deep in a rut, we didn’t see how we’d ever climb out.
Day one, get the house organized. Day two, the toy factory.
Out back of the house, we’d converted the old barn into our workplace.
Although we weren’t technically in hiding like the North Pole, we did enjoy keeping the rural ambiance, so from the outside, the barn was just that.
“Oh, sure.” We all had training on everything, even if some of us were better with one thing or another. “How many orders are we talking?”
“Hundreds.” He tapped away at a keyboard. “Even though we inform everyone that we take our winter vacation in November and December, some of them don’t seem to believe it.”
“Most people can’t afford to take that long off. We couldn’t either.” Those were the hardest months of the year. “Let’s see if I remember all of it.” I brought up a screen on my desk and began. “Is there anything in particular they want?”
“Video games, for one. They want me to design some custom ones again. After we did it last year, people got very excited.
“No wonder. I don’t know that there’s another way to get anything like them.” The first day was always like this. Getting back in the game, setting up the jobs.
Comet sent the orders to my device as well, and we discussed them.
What we had, what we needed to order, when the customers needed the items. This early in the season, we weren’t really expecting much for Christmas.
Although it was our biggest holiday, some of our clients were still trying to get something very last minute for Valentine’s Day or Easter.
And, of course, toys we needed to fill the shelves of small shops all over the country and even beyond.
Dash arrived then and we went to work on dividing the tasks and setting up. As always, we chatted as we worked, about anything and everything. These were the kind of friends who were always fun to be with, and who would always have my back.
That was part of what made our business work as well.
We were in a unique position with our part-time job at the North Pole, so it made perfect sense that we would do a job together the rest of the time.
And we’d spent enough time around the elves to appreciate the joy that could come from toy making.
Not that we were in competition. Nobody could compete with the magic infused in anything that came from Santa’s toy shop.
“Remember what it was like before he met the Mrs.?” Dash asked, watching the laser cut through steel like butter.
“I do.” We’d been there before they met. “Not always jolly. A good boss, but not nearly as happy as he is now.”
“Do you think we’d be nicer, jollier if we were to meet our mate?” Comet said. “Are we making things harder by wanting to share?”
“I don’t think so.” I hated that he worried. “We’ve always felt like that was what was meant to be. Besides, if a female showed up who was fated to only one of us, it’s not as if we’d push her away.”
“We should check the app.” Dash was on his feet, his machine still now. “And have some lunch.”