by Regina Duke
Reese’s gap-toothed grin softened the effect of his wagging finger. “Now, now, I’m not falling for that again. Who else would I go to when I need to fill in the gaps? You carry the finest things.”
Mina smiled fondly at her cousin-in-law. “You’ve always been good to me, Reese. It just disturbs me that I can’t remember even talking about it.”
Brewster said, “Perhaps after dinner, Santa can show you the paperwork and put your mind at ease.”
“Great idea,” said Alice Kate.
Mina sighed with relief. “Thank you all.” She lifted her glass of punch. “Here’s to the holidays!”
Dinner was delightful. Mina was sure everything would be resolved once Reese showed her the contract. She couldn’t help but worry about that lapse in her memory, but she didn’t want to interrupt their lovely celebration with her concerns, so she relaxed as best she could. Dessert was served, and to the delight of the attending staff, along with dessert came wrapped gifts for everyone.
Mina was relieved to see her two shop clerks at a nearby table. Like everyone else at the party, they had dressed in festive colors, and each wore one of the Christmas scarves she’d been giving to customers. Whatever had caused her memory lapse, she finally began to feel like it was just an anomaly. Everything would be all right. She peered around the dimly lit restaurant. She’d never noticed before, but the McAvoys seemed to employ a lot of short people. She would ask Alice Kate about it. Maybe there was a special organization aimed at helping the height impaired. The chefs were visible from time to time as the kitchen doors swung open and closed, and they were as tall as ever. She shook it off. It was probably a trick of the lamplight. It softened everything, including faces. She noticed that as she glanced sideways at Brewster. He seemed carefree and happy, and his eyes sparkled whenever he looked at her.
Alice Kate tapped Reese on the arm and spoke softly to him. He nodded his understanding, then stood and tapped his fork against his punch glass. A hush fell over the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m so happy to see you all here having a good time. But as you know, I have much to do in the next couple of days, and I’m afraid my dear wife has told me it’s time for these old folks to retire for the evening. We can’t have an exhausted Santa behind the reins on Christmas Eve, can we?” He laughed heartily. “So I urge you to continue the party. But remember, I expect you all to be alert and productive in the morning. The big day is coming fast! Good night, everyone!”
Alice Kate stood and crooked a finger at Mina.
Brewster stood, too, and followed them from the restaurant.
The lobby of the hotel was much quieter, and the tree was stunning. Alice Kate said, “Come along, dear, we promised to find a copy of that contract for Mina.”
“I know exactly where it is,” said Reese, leading the way behind the front desk and through a door to his private office. He went straight to a large wooden filing cabinet that stretched from floor to ceiling and filled an entire wall. He pulled out a chest-high drawer and began fingering through file folders. They were multicolored, red, green, or white. “It should be right here in front.” He lifted out a handful of folders and handed them to Alice Kate. “Check these for me, will you, dear?”
Happily, Alice Kate carried her folders to the desk, sat, and began opening one after the other. Reese was doing the same with his armful of files.
Mina walked around the office, marveling at the extent of her cousin’s Christmas decorations. Brewster followed her closely, smiling brightly whenever she looked at him.
“Marvelous decor,” he said.
“When do they find the time?” whispered Mina behind one hand. She examined some of the photos on the wall and did a double-take when she spotted one that looked like Reese in full Santa regalia standing in a Christmas sleigh, holding the reins to a team of reindeer. She moved in for a closer look, but before she could examine it thoroughly, Alice Kate cried out in alarm.
“What is it?” asked Reese.
Brewster and Mina drew near. Alice Kate was holding an official-looking letter in the air.
“Is that the contract?” asked Mina.
“No, no!” Alice Kate threw herself against her husband’s chest, sending his armful of files cascading to the floor. “This letter says our marriage is invalid!”
CHAPTER FOUR
Mina took the letter from her cousin’s hand and looked at it. “Alice Kate, this letter isn’t real. The heading says ‘North Pole Office of Documentation.’ But as for your marriage, I know that’s real because I was your maid of honor, remember?”
Reese ignored Mina. He peered at the letter, then exchanged a troubled look with his wife. “How could this happen?”
Brewster’s brow furrowed. “What’s the problem?”
Alice Kate wailed, “We’ve expired!”
Mina pulled her chin to her collarbone. “Marriages don’t expire, unless you get a divorce, and you two have never done that.”
Another strange look passed between Reese and Alice Kate.
Mina shook the document until it rattled like a snake. “It’s fake! It’s someone’s idea of a joke.”
Brewster exhaled slowly. “You see why I was concerned?”
Reese nodded. “She’s completely out of touch with reality.”
Mina grimaced in disgust. “The man in the Santa suit says I’m out of touch with reality?”
Alice Kate put an arm around Mina. “Don’t you worry, dear. This has happened before. You know we love you, and we’ll stand by you until you’re yourself again. You’re not afraid, are you?”
Mina shook her head uncertainly. “No. You’re the people I trust most in the world. But this says the North Pole.”
Reese gently removed the letter from Mina’s grasp, then turned to comfort his wife. “It’s the time warp, dear. We lost track of the time warp.”
“How could we?” Now that she had to be strong for Mina, Alice Kate seemed more puzzled than distressed.
Reese read the letter carefully, then tapped the bottom line. “Remember that retirement party we had a few Christmases ago for Terrance, that elf from the South Pole?”
“Oh yes,” said Alice Kate. “The one that spoke with that thick South Pole accent.”
“That’s the one. He was in charge of tracking our time warp documents, and this says the last marriage renewal he submitted for us was done the day after he retired. So that made it invalid.”
“But this is awful.” Alice Kate hugged Mina tight, more to comfort herself than her cousin. “It’s two days before Christmas. We’re deep in the middle of the seasonal time warp. How are we going to re-validate our marriage on such short notice?”
“Christmas will be ruined,” said Reese sadly.
Brewster looked confused. “What has one got to do with the other?”
“It’s in the rules. Santa must be legally married.”
“But you are,” said Mina.
Alice Kate patted her shoulder. “In a sense, yes. Outside the time warp of Christmas, our marriage is valid. But inside the time warp, we have to renew our vows every hundred years or—”
Reese held up a hand. “Don’t even say it out loud.” He lowered his voice. “Some of our staff have trouble keeping their little mouths shut.”
Alice Kate nodded her understanding.
Brewster followed Reese’s lead and spoke softly. “According to this letter, you have to re-file proof of marriage by midnight December twenty-fourth. That’s only twenty-seven hours from now. What if the North Pole office is closed for the holiday?”
“Time warp rules,” Reese murmured. “If they issue a declaration with a deadline, they are forced to remain open until the deadline arrives.”
“Not Union, eh?” Brewster quipped.
“Time warp rules?” Mina wondered if she had gone totally off the deep end. A tiny voice in the back of her mind kept insisting that she was dreaming, but her cousin’s alarm felt all too real. Dream or no dream, she wanted to help.<
br />
“If it’s a matter of throwing a wedding together, Madlyn and Kirby—”
Alice Kate’s face lit up. “That’s right! We have the ballroom set up for their ceremony!”
Mina was pretty sure Madlyn and Kirby were going to be married in church, but her continued objections only seemed to upset her cousins more, so she held her tongue. After all, what if she was still sane and they were the ones having a psychotic break? The safest thing to do would be to play along.
“First thing in the morning,” said Reese. “Oh dear, how are we going to round up everyone for this and still make our Christmas deadlines?”
Mina asked hesitantly, “No time warp help for this problem?”
Brewster threw his head back in an exaggerated gesture of realization. “Of course! Just call a last minute Elf Meeting, and when everyone is assembled, spring the renewal of your vows on the whole group.”
Mina held up a finger. “Won’t you need a clergyman or a justice of the peace?”
Brewster whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry, he’s an elf. He’ll be at the meeting.”
A few moments later, Reese was speaking into an old crank phone on the wall, ticking details off on his fingers.
Mina pulled Alice Kate aside. “What happens if you don’t renew your vows? And if you and Reese are Mr. and Mrs. Claus, wouldn’t I have known it before this?”
Alice Kate’s expression was one of gentle sadness. “You’ve always known, dear. But in the past you’ve never been pulled into the time warp with us. Oh, you wanted to see that contract. I almost forgot.” She thumbed through one of the files that Reese had dropped on the desk. “Here it is. See? All legal and signed by both of you.”
Mina examined the document. It was decorated with a very colorful border, like a scroll from the Middle Ages. At the bottom, she recognized her own signature, and next to it was written in Reese’s hand, “Santa Claus.” Mina felt woozy. “Oh how I wish I could wake up!”
“You will, dear. In the morning. After all, you have to be at the ceremony. We would never renew our vows without you. So just stay calm.” She reached into the pocket of her apron and tossed some glitter in the air. “Everything is fine.”
Mina felt as if she were being lifted on a cloud. Then the cloud turned into a fluffy mattress and pillow, and she sighed with relief. She was right. It was all a dream. She was just glad Marley’s ghost hadn’t shown up.
But the cats! What about her cats? She fought hard to wake up. The cats! The kittens! They’ll freeze if I don’t stoke the fire.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” Mina joked. The room was filling fast with short people, tall people, skinny people, fat people, all dressed in a jumble of bright holiday colors. “What was I so worried about last night?”
Brewster, who was standing next to her, replied, “The cats. Don’t worry, they’re fine. I popped over this morning to make sure they had food and fresh water, and the stove is keeping the shop at a perfect seventy degrees.” His period costume was still black, the only one like it in the room, but his scarf was now white with green Christmas trees on it. “They miss you, though. They send their regards.”
Mina leaned toward Brewster and asked softly, “Why is everyone wearing Spock ears?”
Brewster laughed, a short bark of amusement. “They’re elves. They’ve been around a bit longer than Star Trek. The question is, why does Spock have elf ears?”
Mina lifted a hand to one of her own ears. “Mine aren’t pointed.”
“Mine neither. But we’re not elves. We were just dragged into the time warp when we came over to ask about the contract.”
“Oh, I see.” Mina nodded thoughtfully, but she didn’t really understand any of it. “Am I still asleep? I remember a comfy bed but—”
“Time warp,” piped Brewster.
“If I hear that expression one more time, I’m going to bop you with a candy cane.”
Brewster chuckled.
Mina took every chance she got to sneak a peek at his expression. He seemed to be having a lovely time. And he certainly was sticking to her like glue. She felt a smile coming on. He was funny, too, and he sported a delightful sarcasm. She realized she didn’t care if she was dreaming or not. She was beginning to enjoy bantering with Brewster.
The room was filling up. Many of the elves seemed nervous, while others kept checking their pocket watches. Mina figured they all had a lot to do and were probably wondering what Santa wanted to talk about at the last minute.
Santa? Reese. Well, she was definitely going out of her mind, but Brewster was coming with her, so it should be an interesting trip.
Once the seats were filled, conversation dropped to a hum. Then Vicky Darby entered the room, sat down at the old piano in the corner, and began playing “The Wedding March.”
The room erupted in cheers and applause. Broad smiles replaced worried frowns. A moment later Reese appeared in his Santa suit. He looked good, all jolly and chubby, but Mina kept thinking something was missing. Then it came to her. He had no beard. She wondered what he was going to do about that. You can’t have Santa without a long white beard.
A few moments later, Alice Kate entered by another door, and walking at her side was a very flustered elf, shaking his head and muttering as he went. His concerns didn’t seem to bother Alice Kate. She was beaming, dressed in red and white, with a lovely bouquet of candy canes mixed with red and white roses.
Mina took a moment to look around the room. It was one of the larger meeting rooms at the hotel, but evidently there was still no electricity, because the two dozen sconces on the walls held oil lamps. The lighting was quite flattering, and her cousin looked much younger than her fifty-some years. Although, if she and Reese, or rather Santa, had to renew their vows every hundred years, who knew how old she was? Mina struggled for a moment to make sense of the math, then shook it off, but made a mental note to arrange for soft lighting if she ever did find someone to spend her evenings with.
Brewster tugged gently at her sleeve. Everyone had taken a seat. Mina did the same.
The grumpy elf held up half a dozen pages of decorated manuscript and barked out, “Settle down. Last minute meeting. Seems the Boss—” He eyed Reese with the accusing stare of someone who was secure in his position. “—let a little detail escape his attention. So here we are again, renewing the Hundred Year Vows.” His wizened old face softened and he said sweetly to Alice Kate, “You look lovely, as always, my dear. You’re the perfect jingle bell bride. Are you sure you want to marry this old goat again?”
Everyone laughed.
The ceremony didn’t take long. Reese, Alice Kate, and the grumpy elf official all signed the paperwork, then the elf announced, “I pronounce you man and wife again. Now everyone can get back to work. I’ve got to file these papers right away. Please don’t keep me waiting another hundred years. You can actually renew at ninety-nine and a half years, you know. Off season is lovely for weddings.”
Reese said, “Thank you very much.” As the grumpy official started to leave, Reese added, “And please remember that if those papers are not properly filed, you’ll find yourself mucking reindeer stalls for the next hundred years.”
Mina and Brewster exchanged a quick glance. Leave it to Reese to let the fellow know he didn’t appreciate his attitude.
One of the nearby elves called out, “Santa, will you be honeymooning someplace warm?”
“Oh dear me, no. Not until after Christmas. There’s too much to do.”
Alice Kate chimed in, “I’m already four hours behind in my cookie making, and I haven’t even started the fudge for Christmas dinner.”
“We’ll help you. We can decorate the cookies.” The elf volunteer bore an amazing resemblance to Karla Fineman Wake, the girl from the Rocking Eagle who loved dressing up as a vampire. She and her tall best friend were decked out in green jeans and matching Christmas sweaters.
Mina wondered if wearing all those bright Christmas
costumes would do them emotional damage.
Alice Kate and the two girls went off in the direction of the Il Vaccaro kitchen. Suddenly very conscious of the time again, the rest of the room’s occupants began streaming out, heading off to their various tasks.
Mina asked Brewster, “What’s next for you? What’s your job over here in dreamland?”
Brewster took a long list out of his coat pocket. “Let’s see. Oh, I’m quite busy, as you can tell.” He let the list unroll. Every line said, “Keep Mina company.”
Mina was flattered, but spooked at the same time. She lowered her voice. “This isn’t really a time warp, is it? I mean, I’m dreaming, right? And what is Reese going to do about his beard? Santa needs a beard.”
Brewster looked sad. “That is so true. And Reese worries about it every year. He never has been able to grow one. Or so I hear.”
Mina nodded. “Never could, that’s true. He tried when he and Alice Kate were first married, but she told him it looked patchy, and besides, it made her sneeze. And that was the end of the quest for a beard.” Mina brightened. “Oh, that’s great. That proves I’m dreaming, because you can’t be Santa without a beard.”
Brewster leaned close and whispered, “He wears a fake one.” He put a finger to his lips. “Shhh. Don’t say it out loud. We don’t want any children to overhear. We mustn’t destroy their illusions.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the panicked cries of an elf in the lobby. Mina and Brewster followed the remaining elves out of the wedding room.
A group was gathered near the Christmas tree.
“What’s wrong?” asked Mina.
The crowd parted to let her approach a short fellow with a green cowboy hat topping off his elf suit.
“The reindeer!” He gasped for air. “They’re gone!”
CHAPTER SIX
Cries of horror and disbelief rose from the crowd of elves.
Brewster kept a cool head. “How can the reindeer just be gone? Where were the reindeer wranglers? Did you look for hoof prints?”