Inge quirks her eyebrow and looks at the tree, “I think it looks beautiful and anything that is making it unbalanced was done by Lina, she doesn’t listen very well.”
Ann laughs as Lina spins around in shock, “Oi, you have been barking orders all day at me and I have carried out every single one of them. If there is an issue with the tree, then it is because you didn’t give better instructions.”
Inge sticks out her tongue and all three start to laugh. Ann is still in shock at what they have done but smiles as she looks around her room at each decoration and ornament. She says in a quiet voice, “Thank you.”
Chapter 24
Ann is pacing the floor in the department store, “How could I have agreed to this? I need to make sure everything is in the right place for the voting and reveal but no, I hand over all responsibility to Lina and my mother.”
Olivia has watched Ann for the past few minutes mumbling to herself and throwing her hands in the air. She shakes her head and stands in front of Ann making her stop abruptly, “Ann, what’s going on?”
“Are you kidding me today is the biggest day for this store and I can’t see the upper floor until its unveiling. I must have been drunk when I agreed to that.”
“Ann, will you relax, Lina is not going to let you down, I have no doubt that it is going to blow your mind. Plus, Mr Willems hasn’t been hounding you for updates on it.”
Ann looks around, “Where is he anyway, I thought he would have been itching to have a sneak peek of the displays.”
“He already had a sneak peek and there was a new journalist, Jean-Luc who was here last night that interviewed him. Mr Willems was loving the feedback from him and believes we are a shoo-in for the award.”
“What do you mean he had a sneak peek and Jean-Luc was already here? No one informed me of this meeting.”
Olivia laughs, “You weren’t needed, and he will back again tomorrow for the grand unveiling. All you have to worry about is making sure your window displays are finished and enjoy the festivities when we are all allowed upstairs.”
“My displays are looking incredible, I just want to see what those two have done, is that so wrong?”
“You know you are sounding like a child right now?”
Ann pouts and stamps her feet and then laughs at how juvenile she has been. “Dammit, I hate when you’re right. Okay, what are we going to do to celebrate this award and reward those two bozos for their hard work?”
Olivia’s eyes light up, “Do you mean you want to have a party? A Christmas party?”
Ann rolls her eyes, “It doesn’t have to be a Christmas party, just a party with some drinks and nibbles.”
“And Christmas music, it has to be a Christmas party, you can’t just drop out of the festive season after all of this.”
Ann looks a little uncomfortable, “I haven’t thrown a Christmas party in a long time, Olivia, I don’t know if I can do that.”
Olivia puts her arm around Ann’s shoulder, “Okay, let’s review the last few months and then you can decide if it is just going to be a party or a Christmas one. You have opened your heart to a new love, you have come face to face with your ex and destroyed her. You have worked your butt off to complete the window displays. You have started to hum along to the Christmas music being played throughout the store for the first time in years and you allowed Lina and your mom to decorate your home.”
Ann smiles softly, “I will admit that it has been nice going home in the evening to the bright lights on in the house. It was a shock to see all the decorations in my living room but just seeing Lina curled up on my sofa with her coffee as we watch a movie it just feels so right. She makes me feel so warm inside and I didn’t realise how cold I had become. My heart is full because of her.”
Olivia spots the tears in Ann’s eyes and pulls her tighter against her side, “Then celebrate that feeling, Ann. You deserve to have this in your life you have been waiting long enough and now you have it.”
Ann sighs, “I just don’t want to jinx it, what if she leaves?”
Olivia rolls her eyes, “She is not Celine, she is besotted with you and every time she looks at you, I’m surprised you don’t combust with the heat. She is not leaving, quite the opposite I feel. Oh, and just as we speak here, she comes with that blistering smile and damn those eyes.”
Ann shoves Olivia laughing, “Hands off she’s mine.”
Lina cocks her head to the side, “Who is yours? It better be me or you have some explaining to do.”
Ann cuddles into Lina, “Of course, it’s you, dummy.”
Lina laughs and kisses her softly, “Good, or you would have seen a very jealous Lina. We are all done upstairs, on time and it looks amazing. I have one call to make and then my job is done.”
Ann smiles brightly, “I’m so proud of you, any chance I can see it now?”
Lina shakes her head, “Definitely not, but your mother does want to see you. I think you are in trouble.”
Ann quirks her eyebrow, “How the hell could I be in trouble? I haven’t seen her in days.”
Lina laughs, “Maybe that is part of the reason you’re in trouble.”
Ann grunts and Lina gives her a cuddle, “I’m just joking, you’re not in trouble but she does want to see you. She’s in the staff room waiting for you.”
Ann thumps Lina on the shoulder, “Ugh, you’re horrible, okay I will go and see what she wants. Will you be here when I come back?”
“No, I’m going to go home and grab a shower, I’ll collect you after work though.”
Ann grins, “Deal, see you later.” She kisses her sweetly on the lips and starts to walk away. Olivia calls after her, “What about the party?”
Ann looks over her shoulder and looks at Lina before she answers, “Let’s make it a Christmas one.”
Olivia claps her hands and jumps up and down, “Yes, this is going to be epic. I will help you with it, don’t worry.”
Lina frowns confused, “What party?”
Olivia is still excited and shakes Lina, “To celebrate everyone’s hard work and hopefully our award win too. This is huge, Lina. Ann wants a Christmas party.”
Lina smiles and looks after Ann who is almost out of sight, “Awesome, it’s all coming together.”
Olivia eyes her suspiciously, “What have you been up to?”
“Not much, just injected some Christmas vibes in subtle ways for the past six weeks and I hope that Inge will be able to get her to agree to this last part.”
Olivia watches as Lina grins at her and walks out of the store waving to her. Olivia mutters to herself, “Who needs Santa Claus when you have Lina Wouters.”
Lina gets into her car and blows on her hands trying to warm them up. She grabs her phone out of her backpack and scrolls through to the one she is looking for. “Matthias, my brother, today is the day.”
“Lina, what are you talking about?”
Lina laughs, “Today is the day you pay me back for saving your butt.”
She hears a groan on the other end of the phone, “Oh God, I was hoping you would forget.”
“Ha! Not a chance little brother and this is a fun task so just say you will do it and we can end the call.”
Again, Matthias groans and mutters under his breath, “Okay, Lina, what do I have to do?”
Lina fills him in and is surprised when he gets excited to do it. “This will be fun, I can’t wait, I’ll be there, you can count on me.”
∞ ∞ ∞
“Mom, where are you?” Ann walks around the staff room and runs her fingers through her hair. “Of course, she isn’t here anymore. Ugh.”
Inge steps behind her and taps her on the shoulder making Ann jump, “Jesus, you scared me! What are you doing?”
“I was just in the kitchen part leaving back my coffee cup. Why are you so jumpy?”
“I don’t know, maybe, I wasn’t expecting someone to creep up behind me. Lina told me you wanted to see me. What can I do for you?”
Ing
e cocks her head to the side, “I didn’t creep, I merely tapped you to get your attention. I wanted to give you this for the unveiling tomorrow. It’s non-negotiable.”
Ann frowns wondering what is in the bag. She opens it up and slowly takes it out. “Oh, hell no! I am not wearing this.”
Inge isn’t fazed, “Oh, yes you will, Lina is wearing the other one and those kids that are coming will love seeing two elves with Santa. You can’t let the kids down.”
Ann huffs and eyes her mother suspiciously, “What are you up to? You decorated my home and now you want me to dress as an elf. Why is this so important to you?”
Inge sits down, “For years I saw you embrace Christmas and everything that came with it. You were the one that had to have the tree up first and would hound me to put up mine. We didn’t even get Sinterklaas done, you just wanted it to be Christmas. Every day all I heard was Christmas songs. Then everything changed, you got your heart broken and you lost every ounce of Christmas spirit. These past few months I have seen my daughter slowly returning. You are smiling more, you are humming along to the Christmas music and honestly, I never knew how much I missed it until now. When we were finishing up with all the toys, Lina had the idea of bringing Santa along. She wanted the kids to experience everything that went with Christmas and feeling special. From that, I got the idea of the two elves and Lina loved it. She warned me that you would object to it, but I was hopeful that you would do it. I guess I was wrong. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She walks past Ann and kisses her on the cheek. Ann sighs and looks at the elf outfit and smiles at how well made it is. “Mom, wait, I’ll wear it. It looks amazing.”
Inge smiles and turns around, “You will?”
“Yes, you’re right for the last five years I’ve been cold and withdrawn. Now, with Lina, she has given me back my smile, my heart and I feel warm for the first time since Celine left. I need to hold onto that feeling and enjoy every second of it. Celine has had a hold over me for too long and I am leaving her in the past and looking to the future and being with Lina.”
Inge hugs her tight, “I love you, Ann. You have come a long way in your job and your personal life, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
“Thanks, Mom, I couldn’t have done it without you.” They leave the staffroom singing one of Ann’s favourite kids Christmas songs much to Inge’s delight.
∞ ∞ ∞
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Willems department store unveiling of the window displays. Then we have an extra surprise of showing you all our Winter Wonderland on the first floor. Our window displays were designed by none other than our very own Ann Peeters. Let’s give Ann a round of applause and she has even dressed for the occasion as one of Santa’s helpers.”
Ann steps forward blushing and waving to the crowd. Mr Willems, gives her a hug, “Well done, Ann I knew you could do it.”
“Thanks, Mr Willems, I was just doing my job.”
Mr Willems hugs her tighter, “I have been waiting to see this smile of yours, for so long, you were just existing but now you are living. I’m proud of you.”
Ann wipes away the tear falling from her eyes. “You better do the countdown before my mascara starts running and then you will have to answer to my mother.”
Mr Willems laughs heartily, “Okay, everyone let’s count down from five down.”
Everyone counts and when they get to zero there are oohs and aahs at how beautiful the displays are with the lights and decorations. Mr Willems looks over at Jean-Luc who is taking photos and notes for his article. He gives him a big thumbs up. Mr Willems grins, “Excellent, now who wants to go and see our Winter Wonderland that has been designed and made by Lina Wouters, with the help of Inge Peeters.”
Everyone cheers and makes their way inside. Lina meets them at the bottom of the escalators, “I think we should let the kids go first, we have someone very special waiting to see you all.”
She is barely out of the way before there is a stampede of kids going up the escalators in excited chatter. The kid's eyes widen when they see Santa’s sleigh with the red velvet seat and leather reigns attached to wooden reindeers. The legs of the reindeer are moving along with Santa’s arms. The toys are all stacked up nicely so they can move around them without fear of knocking them down. Teddy bears and ragdolls sitting beautifully in the sleigh and trains on a large train track. There are carousels that are spinning around with music playing. The snowmen that Inge made dotted around and there is one little girl that is hugging one of them tight. Inge grins and wipes away the tear that is falling. Lina watches them smiling brightly as each child innocently runs their fingers over each toy in wonder. The lights are everywhere and the woodwork is exquisite with a mountain scene of penguins and snowmen skiing with lights placed throughout. Mobiles are hanging from the ceiling and scattered around with aeroplanes, rockets, birds, stars and moons. There are chess boards with cases and little figurines that could be placed on a Christmas tree. Some of the little girls are already playing with the dolls houses. Ann steps beside Lina, “This is incredible, I could never have imagined this at all. You have turned a boring space into an amazing Christmas adventure land. You really are Mrs Claus.”
Lina grins and hugs her tight, “This is what I love to do and for the first time I get to do it with the woman I love.”
Mr Willems takes to the centre of the floor and claps his hands to get everyone's attention. “Can I have your attention for just a few more minutes. Lina you have crafted an amazing spectacle that we are all enjoying. I am making a pledge in your honour to donate the takings on Christmas Eve to the children's hospital. I also want to fund your work to help you reach more children and keep your dream alive for many more years to come.”
Everyone cheers and claps, Lina is gobsmacked, “Are you serious?”
“Very, I have been taught a valuable lesson over the last few months and I want to share the wealth and look out for those who may not be able to do what they need or want to during this holiday season. Seeing these kid’s eyes light up and the smiles on their faces, I am embarrassed that I had forgotten what it was really all about.”
Lina hugs him tight, “This is incredible, I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, I thank you for opening my eyes and bringing me back the feeling of Christmas joy. I feel like a little boy on Christmas morning opening his presents.”
Lina grins, “Thank you so much.”
Lina turns around and grins at all the kids, “Hey kids, can you hear that?”
All the kids stop what they are playing with and look around eyes widening and some shaking from the excitement.
“Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas, everyone.”
There are screams of delight and a rush of kids to line up to see Santa as he takes his seat, a large throne with red velvet seat and armrests and brass studs. There is a carving of elves and the North Pole on the back of the seat. Ann laughs when she realises who it is and hugs Lina tight, “Thank you for all of this, you have no idea how much this means to me.”
Lina kisses her softly, “I love you and this was a pleasure to do.”
“I love you so much, this is the best Christmas ever!”
Epilogue
Lina reads the text and has to reread it, Hi baby, I expect you at my house no later than eight. It is a night of celebration and fun.
“Well, this is new.” Her phone rings in her hand making her jump. She looks at the screen, seeing Inge’s name flash up. “Hi Inge, yes I got the same message. I have no idea, I guess we will find out together. See you there, bye, Inge.”
She rushes around trying to pick out clothes for the evening. She finally settles on her tight jeans and the shirt she knows that Ann loves seeing her in. She jumps into the shower and starts singing. Washing her hair, she realises how happy she is and that the reason for her happiness is the woman that is continually surprising her. “Damn, I love you so much, Ann Peeters.” She belts out
another verse of Jingle Bells before she gets out of the shower and gets dressed. She picks up her keys and turns off the lights. She jumps into the car and makes the short trip to Ann’s home. Before she reaches the bottom of the driveway, she stops her car, her mouth drops open and looks at the number of lights and garden ornaments that are shining brightly. “Wow, this is incredible.”
She drives up and parks her car, she gets out and looks around. She hears another car and laughs as she spots Inge doing the same thing she just did. Inge gets out, “Did you do this?”
“No, I’m just as surprised as you are.”
“Who did this?”
“I did.”
They both turn around at the sound of Ann’s voice and again their jaws drop. Ann is standing in the doorway wearing her tight jeans a Christmas jumper with flashing lights and wearing a pair of antlers. Both Lina and Inge are frozen in place until Ann laughs and comes and gives them each a hug and places a Santa hat on their heads. Inge screams and pulls Ann into a tighter embrace, “I have my Christmas elf back.”
Ann laughs, “Well you did put me in an elves outfit yesterday for the photoshoot and will no doubt be plastered in the magazine’s next edition.”
“I am so happy to see this part of you back in full swing again. I have missed this, now please tell me that you have my favourite drink inside?”
Ann smirks, “Of course, I have it all warmed up for you.”
Inge scampers inside leaving Ann and Lina alone. Ann gets a little shy and starts to sway, “So this is me, the real, full me at this time of the year.”
Lina hears the nervousness in her voice and takes her in her arms. “I love you, every part of you. Seeing how much you have opened yourself up to me over the last few months makes me so grateful. Thank you for letting me love you.”
Ann smiles brightly, “You made it easy to fall in love with you. Let’s get inside and see what you think of inside.”
Ann turns and runs inside laughing, Lina shakes her head and then frowns, “Wait, Inge and I decorated inside...”
Calling Mrs Claus Page 16