ELDEN
Chapter Four
Once I make it in, Larry is trying to deal with one of the sales staff who has fallen down the staircase with a pile of decorations.
I leave him sweeping up the broken glass as I take the makeup counter assistant to the ER with what appears to be a badly sprained ankle.
When I come back, the repair guy says the elevator’s been fixed, but I’m met by Dave.
Upstairs, Santa is unashamedly and unapologetically drunk.
His beard is pulled to one side, his pants are falling down and he’s slurring All I Want for Christmas is You at Neva, who is eye-poppingly gorgeous in that short, tight, red and white outfit.
There’s no way I’m going to let Bad Santa on the floor or anywhere near her in this state.
“Dave, get him out the back and drive him home. Quickly and quietly as possible. I’ll do the morning shift and you can cover the afternoon.”
There’s already a line of kids waiting to meet Santa so I need to be quick.
I rush to the storeroom, where we have another Santa outfit.
I put it on as fast as possible, taking the back route to the workshop.
Neva’s eyes widen as I pull on the beard and sit down in the sleigh.
There are several empty brandy bottles in the bottom which I get rid of, grabbing some air freshener to get rid of the stale smell of alcohol.
I gesture at Neva to send the first kids in.
That skin-tight red bodice barely contains her incredible breasts, creating a magnificent cleavage that I can’t stop admiring.
The skirt of her outfit is too short, displaying her luscious thighs and curvaceous legs, and it’s hard to concentrate when she walks into view.
I’ve been polite to her after our kiss, but she hasn’t mentioned it and our paths haven’t really crossed, since I’ve been incredibly busy with the pre-Christmas rush.
“Hey good work Neva - you’ve got a whole system going on,” I tell her as she comes back from her break, bringing me a cup of coffee and a gingerbread cookie.
“Well, I dressed windows in my previous job and we had too much to do every day, so I’m good at getting a schedule running.
” She smiles up at me, then turns a bit pink.
Is she thinking about me kissing her in the fitting room?
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it myself.
When she brought up our date all those years ago it made me walk away - if she’s not into it, or just wants a fling that’s not where my head is at.
I’ve always carried a torch for her, even after she left me sitting alone in a diner and never showed up.
“Hey bro!” It’s my younger brother Tannen, his wife Hollee and my cute-as-a-button nephew Hunter. Tannen and Neva were at school together so they have a chat about what she’s doing back in town before she goes back to control the queue, which is getting a little rowdy.
Hollee takes about a thousand photos of Hunter sitting on Santa’s - my - knee before taking him over to choose a present.
Tannen gives me a look. “Didn’t you have a real thing for Neva when we were at school?”
“Yeah, but she left me standing bro - don’t think she thought of me in a serious way.”
“Elden - I see the way you keep looking at her. You’ve still got it bad.
Take my advice and do something about it.
If she’s right next door you’re going to keep seeing her and it will drive you crazy.
That’s how me and Hollee got started!” Tannen looks lovingly over at his wife and walks over to put his arm around her.
I glance over at Neva. The line of kids has finally reduced, as it’s around lunchtime, and she’s stacking more presents by the tree.
“Hey Neva!” Hollee calls. “I want to have a photo of you and Santa - first time in the red suit for Elden!”
Neva looks at me with wide eyes and walks over to the sleigh. I can’t resist putting my arm around her. She’s soft and warm and smells delicious - a light, citrus scent that makes me think of lemon groves.
“Say cheese!” Hollee orders and we both smile. I’d give anything to reach around and pull Neva closer to me for a kiss but I’m dressed as Santa and unless she has a thing for white acrylic beards and padded bellies, then it would probably be a buzz kill.
I swap over with Dave during lunch and he takes over Santa duties; I have to admit to being glad to be out of that itchy suit.
There are a million things to sort out, so I’m running around most of the afternoon - blown light bulbs, problems with our payment system, a small flood in the bathrooms and yet another employee accident.
By 6pm things have started to quiet down - the weather is turning bad again and most folks have gone home to get cosy in front of their TV sets and dinner tables.
Will Neva want a ride back home? It’s going to be hard for her sister to get out here if the snow doesn’t let up soon.
Walking up the stairs to Santa’s workshop there is the sound of glass tree ornaments breaking and some muffled shouting. Great, another issue. I hope that drunk Santa hasn’t tried to make an appearance.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I run around the corner.
“Get your hands off me you pervert!” Neva is struggling by the tree with Dave, who seems to be trying to fumble at her dress. I run over, as angry as I’ve ever been, grab him by the scruff of the neck and drag him away from her.
“What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Think. You’re. Doing!” I have him against the wall in a headlock. He isn’t putting up any resistance and he’s spluttering.
Neva’s beautiful face is shocked as she pulls her outfit back into place. I could really hurt Dave but instead, I push him forward towards the stairwell, towering over him.
“Get your things and get the fuck out of here. If I see you within a 50-mile radius of her or the store, I’ll make you sorry.” He’s a coward and his face is white with panic. He scuttles off.
I walk over to her and put my arm around her shoulders.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Not really. He didn’t do anything but he wanted to. I’m glad you got here.” She looks up at me.
I try and make her laugh. “Bad Santa, eh?”
She smiles, just a little bit.
“You take that outfit off and I’ll drive you home.” I’m not taking no for an answer - she’s clearly too sexy to be left alone for any length of time and I want to keep her close to me.
Neva nods her head and goes to get changed. I push the Christmas tree back into place and sweep up the broken baubles. The wind has picked up and is howling against the windows. It’s going to be an interesting drive home, but my car will make it.
And I’ll have Neva with me, which means if we get stuck in the snow I don’t really care.