“Santa’s Enchanted Forest the day before Christmas Eve…” Jess wraps her arm around mine and gives it a squeeze as we walk toward the main entrance. “It’s gonna be a madhouse.”
Frankie slides on sunglasses as Leo pushes Sammy in a stroller next to her. “Hey, we’re here on a mission.”
“An absolutely insane one at that,” Leo adds.
“Asher, buddy!” I call at my wild child of a son, who’s literally sprinting toward the park. “Slow your roll.”
Jess catches up to him and puts her hand on the back of his neck. “Remember what we talked about? Sight lines. You’ve gotta be in mine.”
“Sorry, Mommy.”
Hearing my boy call Jessica Mommy, even after two years of marriage, still gives my heart a nice tug.
“A reindeer and a sleigh.” Leo pulls out the tickets he printed last night and passes them out to us. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Exactly,” I agree, already dreading the droves of tourists and people who recognize us sneakily trying to take pictures. “We accomplish our goals, and we get out.”
Leo gives me a fist bump in agreement.
“Well, honey…” Jess touches my arm. “We can take the boys around a little bit, right?”
“Yeah, come on, babe,” Frankie coos to Leo. “It’s Sammy’s first time here. He should at least see Santa!”
Asher tugs on Jessica’s hand and stares up at her with that absolutely soul-melting puppy-dog look. The same look that convinced me to get animal-print wallpaper in my living room and three different hedgehog throw pillows. It’s a look I can’t refuse.
“Please, Mommy?” he whines.
“You know what?” I say as we hand over our tickets at the big entrance area of the park. “Sterling and I can handle the Christmas missions. You four go have fun.”
I glance at Leo quickly for approval.
“Good call.” He nods in agreement and pats my arm. “Wives and boys, you guys do your thing. We got this.”
Frankie kisses Leo with an exaggerated mwah. “You guys are the best.”
I pat Asher’s head and kiss my wife. “We’ll shoot you a text when the missions have been accomplished.”
“Finding a sleigh and a reindeer to take home…” Leo says under his breath. “It could be a little while.”
Jessica and Frankie walk off with the boys, Asher running around and Sammy in a stroller.
“Great idea, man.” Leo fist-bumps me. “Love them to death, but they aren’t exactly the most efficient people in the world.”
I chuckle and glance down at the park map I picked up when we walked in. “Especially the little ones. All right…” I hold out the trifold map so we can examine it together. “There’s the reindeer exhibit.”
“We should start there. A live-ass animal is gonna be a little harder to secure than a sleigh.”
“Let’s roll,” I say, folding the map and slipping it into my pocket.
“I have a feeling we’re going to need to charm some zookeepers,” Leo says on a laugh, giving me a high five as we both straighten our sunglasses and cap brims that’ll hopefully help us avoid being recognized.
We make our way through the crowded park, and somehow I’m actually almost sweating in December.
“Hot as balls out here,” I remark to Leo as we turn toward the area with all the animals.
“No shit.” Sterling wipes his brow. “This is gonna be one weird sleigh ride, that’s for damn sure.”
Just then, a girly squeal stops us in our tracks. “Oh my God!”
“It’s them!” another girl whisper-shrieks. “It’s Riders guys!”
“Shut up, you’re lying, Marissa.”
“No, I swear! Look!”
The excitement is coming from a flock of teenage girls, who are snapping pictures with their iPhones.
Leo and I exchange a look, then mutually and silently decide to be good dudes and make the girls’ day. A few minutes won’t impact our grand Christmas Eve plan.
“Hi.” One of the girls comes up to us, friends in tow. “You’re on the Riders, right?”
I laugh softly and take off my sunglasses. “Yeah. I’m Elliot, and this is my buddy Leo. You guys want some selfies?”
“Yes!” the four girls exclaim in unison.
“Extra props if any of you can name what positions we play,” Leo adds as we lean in and smile for their cameras.
“Um, quarterback?” one girl asks with a giggle.
“No,” her friend answers. “That’s Chase Kennedy. Everyone knows that.”
“Uh-uh, not anymore,” Third Girl adds. “Now it’s Matt McKenzie.”
“Oh yeah. He’s cute!”
Leo and I roll our eyes subtly as they stick their tongues out for selfies and hold up peace signs next to us.
“Oh my God, that was so cool!”
“Thank you, guys!”
Leo waves at the teenage gaggle. “Stay in school, girls.”
We head back toward the path we were on, and I slide my sunglasses on and give Leo a side-eye. “Stay in school? Really?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know! What was I gonna say? ‘Don’t get caught getting a lap dance at your opponent’s bachelor party’?”
“Hey, that whole debacle got you Frankie, so maybe that’s what young people should be doing.” I nudge his arm.
“Holy shit,” he says as we reach a big glass enclosure. “That’s a reindeer.”
I draw back at the huge, almost cartoonlike animal romping through a large, grassy square and shaking its head and antlers.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
“So.” Leo rubs his hands together, studying the exhibit and the surrounding areas. “What’s our game plan here? Sneak into the cage?”
I turn my head slowly and slide my sunglasses down my nose, narrowing my eyes at him and his ridiculous idea. “Sneak into the cage? Seriously? Yeah, we can politely ask it to come with us. Then it can sit shotgun in my Mercedes on the way home and choose what’s on the radio.”
He raises his hands defensively. “Okay, smartass. What’s your idea?”
“We talk to someone.” I glance around for anyone in a park uniform. “Hopefully a football fan. Explain the situation. Flash a shiny smile and a few dollar bills. Get them to transport it to the beach tomorrow.”
“Might be more than just a few dollar bills we’re talking about here. But for Coach…anything.”
“There.” I gesture at a woman in a khaki jumpsuit walking toward the back of the reindeer’s enclosure.
“Good!” Leo exclaims. “She looks like one of the animal people. Let’s go talk to her.”
“Hey, excuse me, miss?” I say as I jog lightly over to her.
The woman turns, whipping a long, black ponytail over her shoulder. Her expression looks like she means business.
“Hi, how are you?” I ask, holding out a hand.
“Hello there,” she says slowly, declining my handshake due to the thick, elbow-length gloves she’s wearing. Whoops. “I’m Alicia. Can I help you guys find something?”
Leo and I exchange a look.
She doesn’t recognize us? Really?
“Uh, actually, we’re, um…” He gestures between the two of us, waiting for the usual face-lighting-up with the holy shit, you’re famous athletes look to strike this woman.
“You’re…” She shakes her head a little impatiently, waiting for Leo to finish.
“I’m Leo,” he says, almost as if she should already know. “This is Elliot. We’re NFL players for the South Florida Riders.”
Alicia narrows her gaze and studies us for a second, then blinks. “Huh. Cool. I don’t really follow sports. If there’s nothing you guys need help with, I really gotta get in there and feed Dasher.”
Unfazed. Completely and totally unfazed.
Alicia starts walking toward the back entrance of the enclosure, and we quickly follow.
Leo leans close to my ear. “Something tells me an autograph and a selfie aren�
��t going to cut it with this one,” he mutters under his breath.
“I know,” I whisper back, pointing to the elegant, fuzzy creature loping around the grassy patch. “But that’s our guy, so we’re gonna have to figure something out.”
“Maybe someone else works here,” Leo suggests as I continue to follow the zookeeper down a dirt path. “Someone who knows who we are and will help us out.”
“I don’t think we can use our stardom and status this time, Sterling. How did you get what you wanted before you were able to just use charm?” I mumble to him as we round a corner, keeping Football Hater in sight.
“What the hell makes you think there was a time before I could use charm?” he retorts.
I roll my eyes and pick up my pace. “Christ. This chick is faster than Smoke on a pick six.”
“Excuse me,” Leo calls to her. “Sorry to keep bugging you.”
She just raises a brow.
“We just…” He lets out a deep sigh. “We’re really in kind of a predicament.”
“An extremely bizarre predicament,” I add.
“Look, I’m just the reindeer keeper.” She holds up her hands. “Unless your issue involves Dasher over there, I’m not sure what I’d be able to do.”
“Actually…that’s exactly what we need.”
She furrows her brows and crosses her arms. “Huh?”
“Look.” I level my gaze with hers. “Long story short, we’re trying to save a marriage. It’s a Christmas thing. A sleigh ride, actually. And it’s gotta be magical and romantic and exactly the way it was twenty years ago in Vermont.”
“Vermont?” She frowns.
“Yeah, with…you know. A reindeer.”
“Whoa. Wait.” She waves her hands in front of her and laughs in disbelief. “You guys want to use my reindeer? To re-create a sleigh ride in seventy-degree weather.”
“It’s supposed to be, like, sixty-five tomorrow, to be fair,” Leo adds.
I jab him subtly. “I know it sounds insane, but you’re our only option. This person means the world to us, and we just want to do everything we can.”
“And…” Alicia uncrosses her arms, her face softening a little. “That guy in there is somehow going to help save a marriage by pulling a sleigh? On the…” She looks around slowly. “Copious amounts of snowfall we’ve been getting this year?”
“The snow is McKenzie’s job,” Leo remarks. “So we’re not too worried about that.”
“Is there anything, literally anything, we can do to work something out? Just, like, rent Mr. Dasher for an hour or two?”
“I’m going to get my supervisor. This is way beyond my job description.” She hustles off, then looks back over her shoulder. “I’ll try.”
Leo holds his hands to his head. “Please, for the love of God, let this supervisor be a football fan.”
I pull my phone out and check a text from Jess.
Any luck with the crazy mission? We’re in line for Santa. Ash wants a kitten. Oh boy.
I type a quick response and look back at Dasher behind the glass. He’s chewing on something and prancing around.
“Even if we somehow get this to happen…” Leo leans against the wall. “What about the sleigh? That’s a lot to ask to borrow.”
I chew my lip. “I know. I got faith, though, bro. If we can win a Super Bowl, we can figure out how to channel some Christmas magic, or whatever.”
He snorts. “Or whatever.”
Zookeeper Girl returns with a slightly taller, older woman with long gray braids and a soft-looking smile.
Not the stereotypical vibe for a football fan, but we can hope.
“There they are.” Alicia gestures toward us.
“Hello, boys.” The woman smiles and nods slowly. “I’m Nancy, vice president of the South Florida Animal Refuge.” She places her hand gently on the glass and looks lovingly at Dasher. “We work with Santa’s Enchanted Forest to provide animals and exhibits in a safe, ecofriendly, and animal-first way.”
“That’s awesome,” I say enthusiastically, weirdly relieved to know that Dasher is being treated well.
“Now, Alicia here has sort of filled me in on what you boys are looking to do, but…” She laughs softly, her bony shoulders shaking up and down. “I can’t say I’ve ever had such a request.”
“It’s insane,” Leo agrees. “Totally insane. But Dasher is really our key to saving our Coach’s marriage. It would really be a…”
“Christmas miracle,” I finish, trying not to cringe.
“Exactly.” Leo pats my shoulder. “A Christmas miracle.”
“Well…” Nancy clasps her hands together and grins, narrowing her eyes at us. “Alicia also mentioned you two are NFL players.”
“You recognize us?” Leo asks quickly.
“No, sorry. I don’t follow sports.”
We both sink a little.
“But I’m certainly aware of the kind of lifestyles and salaries you two are bringing in, yes?” She raises a thin brow.
“Money?” I lift a shoulder. “We’re happy to pay whatever the fee would be to transport Dasher so he can pull our sleigh. Whatever the cost, seriously.”
“Actually.” Nancy purses her lips. “I can arrange to have it done for free.”
I almost choke in surprise as Leo draws back and laughs in shock. “What?”
“Ma’am, we really would feel more comfortable compensating your people or the park or whoever for the effort—”
“If.” Nancy speaks loudly and holds up a finger. “You make a donation to the animal refuge.”
“Done.” Leo laughs and nudges me enthusiastically. “Name your price.”
Nancy crosses her arms and leans back, studying us both. “Half a million.”
I almost choke on surprise again.
“Half a…” Leo whispers.
“Don’t act so shocked, cutie pie. I’m a businesswoman. And we need to rebuild our horse stables and create bigger enclosures for the tigers and the giraffes. We’re also securing the acquisition of an injured Zebra from Africa. Pricey, as you may imagine. Those babies need room to roam, and giving ’em the best care in the world ain’t cheap.”
Sterling and I look at each other for a second, and I shrug, glancing over at the reindeer again. “It’s for Coach.”
He puffs out a breath.
“And the animals,” I add with a grin.
“You really are Asher’s father.” He turns back to Nancy and Alicia. “All right, half a mil. For the animals.”
The two women high-five and give us hugs. “You guys are amazing. We really need the money.”
“And we really need the reindeer,” I say on a laugh. “Oh, last thing. Is there any way we could also borrow a sleigh? One that seats two, maybe?”
“We’ve got lots of sleighs here at the Enchanted Forest. We’ll put one in the truck with Dasher and the handlers and I will hook him up to it for ya. Get me your info, and we’ll make it happen. But…”
I draw back and hold my breath. “But?”
“You have to pay by tonight.” She narrows her eyes. “No exceptions. If I go to bed without that donation sitting in front of me, the deal’s off.”
“That can be done, no problem. You’re an amazing woman, Nancy.” Leo gives her a high five as we exchange numbers and information.
“I’ll get my team together and give you a call tonight. But nothing happens until you send us the money. Like I said, businesswoman.” Nancy smiles. “Toodle-oo.”
“You got it.”
As soon as they were out of earshot, Leo and I give each other a fist bump and a bro-hug. “We fucking did it, dude.”
I shake my head. “Only cost us half a mil.”
“Whatever. At least it’s going to a good cause. Let’s find our wives so we can get home and wire Nancy that money as fast as humanly possible. I don’t want anything to screw up this crazy miracle.”
Four
Ellie Vice-McKenzie
“Seriously?” Matt runs
a hand through his hair, holding Mason on his hip with the other one. “You’ve called every rental place that has snow machines in South and Central Florida?”
I shrug and stroke Mason’s soft little head. “Yep. Every last one. They all tell me they don’t have any machines for hire right now. Apparently, you have to book a snow machine for Christmas Eve in Florida, like, months in advance.”
“Damn. There’s no way we’re gonna get one by tomorrow, is there?”
I laugh and shake my head as I reach for Mason and let Matt transfer him to me. “One guy literally laughed at me when I said I needed it for Christmas Eve. And another lady asked me if I meant Christmas Eve of next year.”
Matt puffs out a breath. “Yikes.”
I bounce my baby on my hip, rocking side to side as he presses against me, his tiny, warm body feeling like an extension of my own.
“Well, shit, Vice.” Matt drops down on the couch of our new apartment and lets his head fall into his hands. “We gotta have one by tomorrow night. Falling snow is a critical part of the whole magical sleigh ride thing.”
I sit next to him and plop Mason onto my lap. “Definitely critical.”
“We can’t drop the ball on this.” He eyes me. “Elliot just texted in our team group chat that he and Leo have scored the reindeer and the sleigh.”
“Already?” I draw back, gasping in surprise. “How the…”
“I don’t know.” He shakes his head. “Lucky dudes. All they have to do is give this massive donation to the animal refuge by tonight, and their mission is secured.”
“Some people just walk in the light.” I lean down and kiss the top of Mason’s head as he coos and plays with my bracelet. “And you’re one of those people, Matt McKenzie.” I turn to my husband and level my gaze with those enchanting blue eyes that seem to captivate me more every day. “So let’s figure this out.”
“You’re right.” He stands up and rubs his palms together. “You’ve only been calling in Florida, right?”
“Yeah.” I bounce Mason on my knee and look up at Matt. “South and Central. Driving distance, I figured.”
He holds up an index finger and waves it at me. “We’ve just got to expand our search. They’re all gonna be booked up in Florida because there’s no real snow here.” His eyes light up as he flashes that soul-melting Matt McKenzie smile. “We just gotta go somewhere where they won’t be in as much demand!”
Sleigh Ride: A Holiday Novella Page 3