Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
MATTHEW
“So, what are you going to do now?” Mitch asks, his voice loud and clear through the speakers in my dad’s car.
“What do you mean?” I ask, taking my left turn, giving a small wave to Dave Miller, the town’s pharmacist.
“Well, you’re out of the games; it’s Christmas Eve so I’m assuming the store is closing early today. What’s your plan? Are you coming back on the next flight?”
As tempting as that sounds, I have to admit that I hadn’t actually thought about it. As much as I’d like to get out from under my parents’ roof and back under my own, being with Avery has been such a wonderful distraction that I find I haven’t thought about Vancouver in days.
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“What do you mean you don’t know? It’s all done. You did what your parents asked you to. You said yourself your dad is getting better.”
I did say that. I caught him trying to shovel snow yesterday after getting home from the gingerbread competition. I agreed to keep it from Mom in exchange for him paying Johnny Mathers, his part-time seasonal employee, to work the morning and close up so I can surprise Avery.
“Matthew? Did you cut out? Don’t tell me they tried to build candy cell towers instead of regular ones.”
“No, I’m here. But I wouldn’t try to put it past Cal.”
“It’s that bad, huh?”
“That bad,” I agree.
I pull onto the highway, looking in the rearview mirror to double check I still have the box I picked up before leaving town.
“Are you finally going to tell me why we had to rush to reach out to every business contact we have to donate to a company I’ve never heard of before? It’s a good thing I know you so well, because ‘trust me’ only gets you so far.”
I suck in a breath. “It’s the company Avery works for.”
“I should have known,” Mitch groans.
“I wasn’t lying when I said it’s good for the community.”
“But you just happened to leave out the part where it’s good for your fake girlfriend as well?”
“Probably not-fake girlfriend.”
“What?” I cringe at the volume of Mitch’s voice.
“It’s complicated. I need to talk to Avery before I say anything else.”
He lets out a heavy breath. “What happened to swearing off long-distance relationships?”
“And what happened to telling me I need to get out there and not hide away?” I retort.
I can feel my anger rising, but I know it shouldn’t be aimed at Mitch.
He was there for me after finding out about McKenzie’s engagement to Cal.
Through my time with Emily. I know he’s just trying to look out for me, and while I appreciate that, he doesn’t understand how it is with Avery. She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever met.
“I’m sorry,” I continue. “But I need to talk to her before I can answer any questions.
“And our company? What about everything we’ve worked for?”
“Nothing’s changing there. I still love our company.”
“I hope you remember that when you’re talking with her.”
“Look, I’ve got to go. I’m at my exit.” I may have lied a little, as I’m still about fifteen minutes away, but I no longer have anything to add to this conversation. “Merry Christmas, Mitch.”
He sighs. “Merry Christmas, Matthew. And make sure you find time to watch Miracle on 34th Street tonight after all the Gingerbreadian hoopla.”
“What makes you think I watch that?” I straighten in my seat, gripping onto the steering wheel.
“Really think I don’t know? You’re not as stealthy as you think you are.” He laughs as he hangs up.
After fighting my way through traffic, I finally pull up to the C.O.C.O.A warehouse. Elves in their full costumes rush from truck to truck, their arms filled with boxes and bags. To me, it’s chaos. But knowing Avery, it’s an organized chaos.
“Does anyone know where Blitzen is?” the elf in question shouts in the middle of the parking lot.
“Here!” A shorter male elf responds, rushing through the crowd. “Sorry, the hot cocoa machine broke before we could finish filling the thermoses.”
They speak in hushed tones as he reaches her, and I find I can’t turn away. Seeing her at work is like seeing a completely different side of her. She’s confident as well as kind. She always has a smile on her face, and everyone eagerly approaches her.
It truly makes me in awe of her.
“Matthew?” I finally catch her eye. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to surprise you.” I close the distance between us, holding out a paper cup in my hand.
“And you brought me coffee?” She takes a sip. “A Gingerbread oat latte with eggnog sprinkles? From Brew Haven?”
“I have to say, it’s not as bad as I thought. A little sweet for me, but still good…” I take a sip from the remaining cup in my hand.
“You got yourself one?” Her eyes track my movements as I take another sip.
“I figured I’d need a little fuel, too. I was hoping you’d let me tag along today. Maybe be an honorary elf?”
“Nothing would make me happier.” The glint in her eyes and the smile on her face tell me I made the right decision to leave Gingerbread Grove and be with her today.
I’m risking a lot not being available on the last day of the year for my company and getting my dad to have Johnny work, but the look on her face makes it worth it.
“Miss Avery?” A young boy in a fleece elf one piece pyjama set asks shyly as he walks up.
“Yes, Oliver?” Turning to him, she bends slightly to meet his eye level, but doesn’t have to bend far. The red-headed boy is tall, reaching to her nose.
“I know I’m here to help get the sleighs ready, but I was hoping I could ride in one, too. I’d really like to be an elf in training. I want to be a real elf when I grow up, just like you!”
I watch as Avery is taken aback for a moment, her eyes glistening with tears.
“My mom said I had to ask you if it was okay,” he continues.
“Of course. I think you would be the best elf in training.”
“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” he exclaims in one breath, throwing his arms around her.
She closes her eyes and hugs him back, her face relaxing into another smile.
I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t overcome with emotion witnessing that as well.
It’s just another reason that I’m in awe of her.
Not only does she run herself ragged doing things for others, but she’s an inspiration, too.
I’m just happy that others are seeing it, too.
“Mom! Mom! She said yes!” he yells as he runs to a woman waiting with open arms.
“That’s really special.”
“He’s a special boy,” she says, following him with her gaze.
“So, since you’re accepting elves-in-training, what would you like me to do?”
“Let me check Santa’s List.” She pulls on a strap that crosses her body until her iPad is in her hands.
“Are you wearing your iPad like a bag?”
“What? No. That’d be silly. What could you possibly keep in a tablet like a purse? No, it’s just clipped to me.”
She says that with a straight face, as if wearing a tablet clipped to you is the most normal thing in the world.
She taps intensely, the space between her eyebrows creasing. “Check. Check. Double check,” she mutters to herself.
I peek over the screen to see her checking off a digital checklist. There are two columns so that the same tasks can be checked twice.
Like a literal Santa list.
“I think that’s it.” Looking up from her screen, she surveys the parking lot to find the chaos has quieted and most of the elves are either tapping on their own iPads that are clipped to them, or simply taking in a few moments of the calm before the second round of activity starts.
“I think it’s time we get the sleighs on the road.
Would you mind standing with me while I give the send off? ”
“Of course.” I take her hand, and we walk to the centre of the parking lot, all the elves fall in a circle around us.
“Thank you, everyone, for all of your hard work this year. This has been our biggest year yet, thanks to all of you, and our donors.” She sends me a side glance and squeezes my hand, but I just wink in return.
I haven’t actually admitted to my part in making sure she reached her personal goal, and I don’t plan to.
“Now that all the sleighs are loaded up and everyone is ready to make their journeys today, I just wanted to express my gratitude for all of our hard work. I pray that the families have a wonderful and joyous Christmas, that all deliveries are made without delays, and that you all return here safe in a few hours. Remember that we will be having our annual Christmas wrap up party when you get back, so don’t rush off once the sleighs are all unloaded. ”
“Oh! And there’s one more thing,” I say, remembering the box in my car. “Sorry, just one second.”
Handing my cup off to a confused Avery, I jog over to my dad’s car and grab the box.
Making my way through the crowd one by one, I encourage them to take a neatly packed bag, one for every family and every elf that’s here tonight.
By the time I reach Avery, I have just one special bag left, made just for her.
“I hope you don’t mind; I had all of these made up. There’s one for everyone. This one, though, is just for you.”
She takes the bag from my hand and opens it, pulling out a 3D printed ornament of the gingerbread store. The same one she designed for us that was destroyed last night before we could be judged.
“How did you?”
“I may have taken a picture of your rendering yesterday while you were drawing the murals and texted it off to a friend of mine. You had asked for ornaments and things for the families, so I had him send over as many as they would print and have shipped here for first thing in the morning. I hope you don’t mind. ”
“That’s just the most wonderful Christmas surprise I can think of. Other than you showing up here to spend the day with me, of course. Which reminds me! Stay right here!” She runs off toward a truck, and I lose her for a moment as everyone disperses on their way.
All the trucks are the same sized cubes, the boxes painted bright red with a large waving Santa taking up most of the side. They all have different sayings from ‘Merry Christmas’ to ‘’Tis the Season’ written on them.