He nodded, and they headed back out into the mall, arm in arm. Only now, she knew that the arm she was holding belonged to Jeremy, a very handsome, non-Santa-like man. Now that she knew what he looked like, she could feel his bicep under the layers of cheap cloth. It sent a rush of blood to her face. Maybe it was better when she didn’t know who was under the suit.
As they approached Santa’s workshop, she saw a group of people—not moms and children—standing by the entrance. Alex waved to them as they approached. It was the security guard and a teen in a green hoodie, looking somehow both ashamed and defiant.
“Steve from Security,” the guard said. “I caught this guy and wanted to know if there were damages before I take him up to write my report.”
“I tried to call Jeb, but he’s not picking up,” Alex said. “What should we do?”
Santa/Jeremy held up a hand. “We need a fitting punishment. Let’s have this young man sit in Santa’s lap for a picture.”
There was a beat where no one responded. Natalie, Alex, the security guard, and the boy all stared at Santa. Without visible facial expressions, he always looked deadly serious. He had put the eyebrows on too straight this time, so Santa looked a little angry instead of surprised. Natalie had to hold back her laughter with a hand at her mouth. The boy’s friends, a few feet away, snickered and slapped each other on the back.
“No way am I sitting in some dude’s lap,” the kid said.
“I don’t know that I can…enforce that,” said Security Guard Steve.
Santa shrugged. “What’s the alternative? You guys will likely ban him from the mall, right? Let him choose. That or this.”
“I guess that’s okay,” said Security Guard Steve. “Makes my job a heck of a lot easier. Sit in Santa’s lap and agree never to do that again. Or you’re banned from the mall for the next year. Deal?”
“How about a picture with Santa’s helper,” the boy said, leering toward Natalie.
“Don’t even think about it,” Natalie said, just as Jeremy spoke up.
“My elf is way out of your league, buddy. Avert your eyes.” He patted his knee. “Now. Your choice, son. Banned from the mall or one minute in Santa’s lap.”
“This is messed up,” the boy said. But he already was starting to move toward Santa. “I have to sit there?”
“One minute,” Santa said. “That’s sixty seconds. Come on. In the spirit of Christmas.”
“Messed up,” the boy said again, but he moved over next to Santa. He sat. Jeremy put his arm around the boy’s shoulders tightly to keep him from moving. Alex began snapping shots. Even he was smiling.
“Why don’t we invite your friends over here as well,” Santa said. “Come on, boys. Let’s get this on whatever you kids are on these days. Snapgram? Instachat? MyFace?”
“Dude, how old are you?” the boy asked. His friends crowded in front of them, snapping pictures or filming with their cell phones.
“Santa doesn’t age, son. I don’t have to ask if you’ve been naughty or nice. Maybe next year you’ll get something other than a lump of coal in your stocking.”
“Whatever. We done?” The boy jumped up as soon as Santa lowered his arm. The group of boys scurried off.
Security Guard Steve patted Santa on the shoulder. “If you ever need a job, I’d be happy to give you a recommendation.”
“Santa’s work is never done,” Jeremy said. “But thanks anyway.” The guard walked off, shaking his head and laughing.
“Seems like Santa has loosened up a bit today,” Natalie said. “Maybe getting a milkshake dumped on your head was a good thing.” He put a finger to his lips. “Aw, really? I like you when you’re chatty. You’ll talk to them, but not me?”
Santa nodded, and Natalie groaned.
“Guys,” Alex said. “We’ve already lost time. Let’s get going.”
“One last thing,” Natalie said, backing toward the line of waiting children. “You DO know that it’s not Snapgram and Instachat, right?”
Santa shrugged, but Natalie saw his blue eyes smiling.
When they finished for the day, Natalie took off the heels before they even left the photo area, holding them in one hand while slowly limping next to Santa. It felt like she had blisters both on her heels and in the middle of the balls of her feet. Maybe a few toes as well. Oh…the pain.
As soon as they were inside the employee hallway, Natalie dropped Jeremy’s arm and leaned against the wall, sighing.
“Can I help?” Jeremy asked.
Natalie chuckled. “If there was something you could do to help, I would totally let you. But I don’t think—”
Before she could finish, Jeremy scooped Natalie up, careful to tuck her skirt under his arm so she wasn’t flashing anyone in the hallway. She was pressed against his chest, his fake beard tickling her cheek. She was too surprised to even fight him. Heat flooded her face.
“Oh, you don’t need to—”
“You said I could help,” he said.
Natalie didn’t protest again as he moved down the long hallway. Walking was incredibly painful, but it also felt strange to have someone hold her close. He smelled faintly of cologne underneath the costume and carried her like she weighed nothing. It had been a long time since she had been this close to a guy and that guy had been Seth. Her stomach was doing somersaults and she wanted to both run away and snuggle closer.
Alex looked up as they walked in, blinking in surprise.
“You probably shouldn’t do that,” he said, frowning. “Jeb would have a coronary.”
Santa gently set Natalie down. Her feet immediately began aching again. Aching was too nice of a word. Throbbing, burning, dying. That was more like it. She hobbled to the locker to snag her purse.
“Jeb isn’t here. And no one else is either, so it’s fine,” Jeremy said. He glanced at Natalie. “You need a ride?”
She slammed hers shut. “I drove.”
“No, I meant to your car.”
Natalie smirked and crossed her arms. “Are you asking to carry me? Like I’m some weak woman in need of rescue? No thanks.”
“Hey, accepting help when you need it doesn’t make you weak. If it makes you feel better, I’ll carry you piggyback. Looks a little less damsel-in-distress than how I carried you in here.”
The idea of being close to him again had her heart knocking around in her chest. Alex made a disgusted sound behind them. Natalie had forgotten he was at the table. His chair scraped against the floor and he stood to leave.
“See you guys tomorrow,” Alex said.
The door slammed behind him, leaving Natalie face to face with Jeremy. He had changed out of the costume and stuffed it into a plastic bag to take to the cleaners. Her body felt like Jell-O: a total jiggly mess. Except hot. Her face and neck and even her ears felt like they were burning at his intense gaze and killer smile. The way he looked at her was completely different from the way Alex did.
“You’re hesitating. Is it because we just met? You only accept piggyback rides after the second date?”
Natalie laughed and slammed the locker, gathering her coat and purse. “Usually I make a guy buy me dinner first.”
His eyes lit up. “You want dinner? I’m totally down for that.”
Nerves flared up in her stomach and Natalie found herself grinning. She hadn’t been on a first date since the first semester of college. Seth had been the only guy she had dated, literally in years. Jeremy seemed so different—so much more light-hearted. Seth was kind and smart and she enjoyed him, but he never made her laugh like Jeremy had in just two brief conversations.
Natalie opened her mouth to say yes, when she remembered that she was supposed to meet Emily for dinner.
She bit her lip. “I actually have standing plans with my best friend tonight.” His face fell. “But I will take you up on that piggyback ride. Because honestly? I’d rather just sleep here on the floor than try to walk on these feet. You really don’t mind?”
He shook his head and turned
his back toward her, crouching down a bit. Natalie put her coat on first, hoping it would hide the back of her. She stuffed the horrible shoes into her purse and managed to climb onto his back. He stood, then hooked his arms under her thighs, bouncing her up a little higher so she felt secure.
“You good?” he said.
“I feel a little silly, but yes.”
He grabbed the bag with the Santa suit. As he began walking down the hallway to the main part of the mall, she realized that he was still in just a T-shirt. “Hey, you don’t have a coat!”
“You’ll keep me warm,” he said. “Plus, I’ve been sweating under that Santa outfit all day. I don’t know what it’s made of, but it certainly doesn’t breathe.”
Natalie was giggling when they got out into the main part of the mall. People stared, but then, they had been staring at her all day. It was starting to feel like her new normal. And she would take these kinds of looks over the ones she got just for wearing her costume.
“Seriously, tomorrow you just need to wear whatever shoes you want,” Jeremy said. “Jeb’s not going to fire you with two days left.”
“You’re right. Tomorrow I’m wearing leggings and boots.”
“That’s a good elf,” Jeremy said, and Natalie started to laugh again.
Outside, it was already dark and there was a bite to the air. Her breath puffed out in front of her, visible in the air and then gone.
“My car is over there,” Natalie said, pointing to the row. Even moving her arm away from him for a moment let the cold air reach her skin. She pulled closer to him as he neared the side of her car.
“Can’t…breathe…choking…” Jeremy said, and Natalie realized she had tightened her arms around his throat, not his shoulders.
“Oh, sorry!” She loosened her grip, spreading her palms down over his collarbone, trying to keep her balance.
“That’s okay,” he said, coughing. “I’ll live. I think.”
When they got to her car, he bent his knees a bit and Natalie slid down to the ground. Her sore feet were unsteady, and he put a hand on her arm as she bumped into the car door.
“I don’t know if I can do two more days of this,” Natalie said. “Between my sore feet and the cranky kids and Alex’s comments…”
“Please tell me if you want me to punch that guy in the face. I mean, I’m not violent. But I’d make an exception if he crosses the line. On behalf of men everywhere, I apologize for him. Guys like that are the worst.”
“I think if Santa punched someone in the face, it might traumatize the children.”
“Good point.”
“But thank you for offering,” Natalie said with a smile. “And thanks for the ride. I would still be trying to make it out of the mall otherwise.”
“No problem,” Jeremy said. He began backing away, still looking at Natalie’s face. “I guess now the only thing left is for me to buy you dinner, since I’ve given you a piggyback ride.”
He flashed her a grin, his dimple on full display. But before she could answer, Jeremy was jogging across the parking lot. She realized that she was standing there in the freezing cold, smiling all by herself. The chill from the air worked its way up Natalie’s legs and she jumped into the car quickly, rubbing her hands in front of the vent.
When her fingers were no longer numb, she pulled out her phone and sent a text, grinning.
Natalie: I think I just got asked on a date by Santa.
Chapter 3
Day 3 - December 23
Natalie squared her shoulders with her hands on her hips. “I’m not wearing them.”
“I’m not asking you.” Jeb stood in front of her in the break room, holding out a new pair of red heels. He shoved them toward her. She shook her head.
Natalie didn’t even ask how he had an extra pair of high heels in her size. She pictured the trunk of his car, filled to the brim with hats and fake beards and short elf skirts. Her cheeks were as red as her uniform. She was equal parts angry and embarrassed to be having this argument in front of Jeremy and Alex. No, scratch that. She was way more angry than embarrassed.
Both guys were pretending like they weren’t listening to her argue with Jeb, as if that were possible in the small room. Today Jeremy was reading As I Lay Dying and Alex had his eyes glued to his MacBook. She suspected if she needed it, Jeremy would back her up, but for now he seemed content to let her fight her own battle.
He hadn’t said a word to her about the date he mentioned the night before. She had hoped that getting to work early might give them a chance to talk, but instead she ran into Jeb. He took one look at her white leggings and comfortable black boots and freaked out.
“No,” Natalie said. “I’m not changing my shoes.”
“This is part of the uniform,” Jeb said. “You agreed to this when you took the job. You also need to lose the leggings.”
“I agreed to the job without seeing the uniform. The job is getting kids to and from Santa for the pictures, right? I’m doing that. My shoes don’t matter and most importantly, I can walk. Leggings are also much more appropriate than tights under a skirt this short. Fire me if you don’t like it. I bet you’d look great in this uniform if you can’t find another elf on short notice.”
Jeremy snorted without looking up from his book. Jeb’s face registered his shock. Natalie froze with her arms crossed over her chest, hoping she didn’t look as terrified as she suddenly felt. She didn’t think of herself as weak, but she had never been forced to stand up for herself like this to a boss or authority figure. Her last snappy comment sounded more like something her best friend Emily would say. In fact, when they had dinner the night before, Emily had told her as much.
“It’s a four-day temp job,” Emily had said, talking around a mouth full of French fries. “Wear what you want and don’t worry about it. Tell your boss if he likes heels so much, he can wear them.”
Natalie had only laughed, but the words must have stuck in her head.
Jeb stared, his mouth a hard line. The awkwardness in the room hung heavy as she waited for him to speak. Alex and Jeremy kept their eyes down, but it was obvious they were waiting to see what would happen.
Finally, Jeb scowled. “Fine. But tomorrow is the last day. We aren’t going to discuss this again.”
“Great,” Natalie said. She didn’t plan to discuss it again. She would continue to wear leggings and boots. End of discussion.
Jeb slammed the door to the break room. The room still felt heavy with tension from the conversation. Jeremy set down his book as Natalie slumped into a chair, sighing out her relief. He smiled, those blue eyes lighting up and sending a nervous flutter to Natalie’s stomach.
“Nicely handled,” Jeremy said, holding up a white-gloved hand for a high five.
Natalie giggled and slapped her palm to his. “Thanks, Santa. I feel like I just won a battle for elves everywhere.”
“You certainly did. This day will go down in elf history.”
Alex rolled his eyes and stood. “I think it’s time. You guys coming?”
As Jeremy took her arm for the walk out into the mall, he leaned closer. It seemed like it was so Alex couldn’t hear. “I had an idea,” he said. “You like bets?”
“Betting is illegal. You know I’m planning to be a lawyer, right?”
“Not for money. Fun bets.”
“Maybe. How about you tell me what’s on your mind,” Natalie said.
“I was thinking maybe a game of twenty questions. If you can figure out my favorite meal, I’ll pay for our date. If you can’t guess it, you pay.”
Natalie found herself grinning as they walked out into the mall. “So, we are going on a date. You ran off last night after mentioning it, so I wasn’t sure.”
“Maybe I got a little nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve asked someone on a date. Consider me rusty. How’s tonight?”
“Tonight is perfect. And twenty questions should be easy.”
“Let’s make it a challenge: ten questions.�
�
They had reached the photo area and Natalie dropped Santa’s arm, holding out her hand instead. He shook it. “Deal.”
Jeremy took his place in Santa’s seat as Alex got the camera ready. Natalie felt an explosion of excited nerves in her core. She hadn’t gone on a date in what felt like forever. She hadn’t even felt this happy or excited about something in so long.
With each passing hour, she liked Jeremy more. They hadn’t had many conversations, but she had watched him treat children kindly and with endless patience. He carried Natalie to her car when her feet ached too much to walk. He made her laugh. When Alex made a gross comment, Jeremy said something about it, but he also let her fight her own battle with Jeb. It was a bonus that he was incredibly attractive underneath the Santa costume.
After months of feeling so dark and heavy, Natalie felt like she was coming up for air and back to the light.
For the rest of the morning, Natalie pointedly asked questions in the brief moments when Santa’s lap was empty. This only happened after dropping kids off with their parents and heading back to get the next ones.
“American?”
He shook his head.
“Mexican?”
“Italian?”
He nodded enthusiastically, the fake beard bouncing against his belly. A few kids later, she began moving down the list of Italian food she knew.
“Pizza?”
He shook his head.
“Ugh, that was too easy. Let’s see…Spaghetti?”
Santa shook his head.
“Manicotti?”
Again, no. Natalie lifted the rope for a little boy wearing what looked like red-and-green smocked Lederhosen. “Welcome to Santa’s Workshop!” she said brightly, taking his hand. “What’s your name?”
“Wyatt,” he said.
She walked him over to Santa. “Wyatt. What a great name. I’m Natalie.”
'Tis the Season for Love: A Charity Box Set Page 88