CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The long line of adults with small children awaited Santa’s arrival at the Children’s Closet clothing store, where he was set to make his appearance. He handed Lindy a Santa hat and a bucket of candy canes. Her job was to manage the line, making sure each child had time with him.
When Santa had first asked for her help, Lindy had hesitated. Yet, there was something about the way he’d studied her, as if he knew the decision that weighed on her mind. He just might have a word of wisdom to share, and she certainly was willing to listen.
Once Santa was in place and the children took their turns, one by one, Lindy found herself caught up in the magic of the moment. It surprised her how much she enjoyed the exchanges Santa had with the children and their parents. He played his part perfectly. She’d never seen anyone do it better. He asked the children questions and seemed to recognize several as he asked things only an insider would know. She remembered her own time with him while in Leavenworth and how he seemed to know her. He was good, she’d say that. Really good with children and adults alike.
Most of the kids were eager to visit Santa, while others clung to their mothers, terrified of the man in the red suit with the long white beard.
“Do you have a special Christmas wish for Santa?” she asked the next child in line, who waited patiently. The little girl, who looked to be about five, nodded enthusiastically. “It’s a secret; I can only tell Santa.”
“He’s a good listener,” Lindy assured her.
“I wrote him a letter, too.”
“So did I,” Lindy told her.
“Did he read it?” she asked, her eyes round and curious.
“He did,” Lindy said with a smile.
When it was her turn, she raced up to Santa and leaped onto his lap. Lindy couldn’t hear what the child said, but Santa got a big belly laugh out of it and gave her a gentle hug before he sent her on her way.
One little boy stuck out in Lindy’s mind. He seemed sad and preoccupied.
“My sister is sick,” the little boy said. “If you can help her get well, then I don’t need anything for Christmas.”
Santa nodded, as if he was well aware of the sick little girl. “I’m sorry little Anna needs surgery, but you know what?” he said, “I believe she is going to get the very best care possible and that she’ll be home soon. Don’t you worry.”
“Thank you, Santa.”
“And, Buddy, I think you need to check under the Christmas tree later. Santa hasn’t forgotten you.”
Hearing the conversation, at first Lindy was alarmed that he might be giving the child false hope, but then she saw how the little boy brightened with the news. At least he would have hope for Christmas. Silently, Lindy sent up a prayer, asking God to heed Santa’s words.
There wasn’t any need for a photographer, as all the parents had phones, snapping dozens of pictures in the few minutes their children spent on Santa’s lap. The lack of a photographer made Lindy wonder how Santa was being paid for his time and energy, and then realized the store probably compensated him.
Santa’s patience with the children amazed her. Even the crying, squirming ones. He comforted each fussy child in a way that soon had them staring up at him with faces filled with wide-eyed wonder.
Santa was booked for three hours, and the time flew. It felt like Lindy had been assisting him for minutes when the shop owner announced the time was up. The store was closing early for Christmas Eve.
“We can’t thank you enough, Santa,” the woman said. “You don’t know what this means to us and our small shop.”
“I enjoyed every minute,” Santa returned.
“Are you sure you won’t take anything…We did a number of big sales while you were here.”
He held up his hand, stopping her. “It’s my pleasure.”
So Santa wasn’t being compensated. He’d volunteered his time. That he would do this for the children on his own deeply impressed Lindy.
She handed Santa the bucket with only a few remaining candy canes. “You were wonderful,” she said, in appreciation of his patience and charm with each one of the children.
“Been at this awhile,” Santa said, as he stood and stretched, working his shoulders back and forth.
“It shows.”
“Now, my dear, it’s your turn.”
“Are you sure? You must be exhausted.”
He checked the time. “Not at all. I loved seeing the children, but I’ll need to watch the clock. I’ve got a busy night ahead of me.”
Santa must have a long list of appearances lined up.
“Let’s grab a cup of hot chocolate and chat for a bit.” He led the way, even before she could refuse.
The small coffee shop across the street was open, and he held the door for Lindy. She should have realized Santa would be nothing less than a gentleman.
“Allow me,” Lindy said, as she started toward the counter to place their order.
“Nonsense, I owe you for your help this afternoon,” he insisted. “Besides, Santa rarely gets charged. People seem to think one good deed will wipe out all their transgressions for the year.” He chuckled and escorted her to a table, pulling out the chair for her to take a seat.
As he approached the counter to order their drinks, Lindy mulled over what she could possibly tell him, or if she should say anything. And like Santa, she needed to watch the time. Billy had asked her to stop by the Wine Press that afternoon, plus she needed to get home early enough to help her mother set up for the church group following the evening candlelight service.
Santa returned with two mugs of steaming cocoa and set them down on the table. Once he was seated, his gaze settled firmly on her. His look was gentle, understanding, sympathetic. “Now tell me what’s got you all twisted up inside. Decisions don’t need to be difficult, you realize, once you weigh the pros and cons.”
If it were only that easy. “What makes you think I have a decision to make?” she asked, tilting her head to one side as she studied him. This man seemed to know far more about her than he should.
“I’m Santa,” he said, as if that was all the explanation necessary.
Lindy wasn’t that easily bamboozled. She had to assume he’d overheard her and Peggy’s conversation at the pizza parlor.
“You have a choice to make. Do you like living in the big city?”
“I like Seattle.”
He nodded, encouraging her to continue. “I enjoy the cultural advantages available there. Celeste and I…” She’d been about to mention the Broadway shows they’d been able to attend, the sporting events, the shopping, and the fine restaurants. They splurged once a month on a fun outing. Lindy badly missed those girlfriend times. Going out with guys was a completely different experience than with her best friend.
“Ah, Celeste,” he said, and shook his head. “She proved to be a real disappointment, didn’t she?”
She nodded, preferring not to get into the past. Santa had definitely been listening in on her conversation with Peggy. Although she didn’t remember mentioning her former roommate.
“What about Media Blast? Is that what’s holding you back?”
She had to wonder how Santa figured out she worked for Media Blast. Seeing how much of her conversation he’d listened in on—she was tempted to ask if he enjoyed his pizza with or without anchovies.
“Lindy?” Santa asked.
She realized he was waiting for her reply.
“Not entirely. They pay well, and I enjoy my work.” This was getting a bit eerie, that Santa would know all this. She returned his stare, which he held with gentle patience. Lindy was the first one to blink.
“Starting your own business would require a giant leap of faith. It would be a huge risk. The thing is, Lindy, you’re fully capable of making it a success if you do decide to go for it.”
His confidence nearly drew tears to her eyes.
“But,” he said, “isn’t there something more—rather, someone—who makes this decision even more difficult? You want to give this new romance a chance and hesitate at the risk you’ll be taking. Am I right?”
Lindy lowered her gaze to her drink, preferring not to answer.
“Billy Kincade isn’t the same rascal he was at ten. He’s reformed his ways and learned some hard life lessons along the way. I have to say I’m rather proud of that young man.”
Oh yes, Billy. He’d been with her in Leavenworth when she’d first seen Santa. She’d already decided not to mention Peggy’s idea to Billy, knowing he’d already asked her to stay. He wanted her to leave Seattle and move back to Wenatchee. The temptation was to give in, leave all that she’d worked toward in Seattle behind, and basically start over from the ground up.
“It’s more than this young man, though, right?”
Good grief, Santa must have been sitting right next to her to have this much information.
“There’s a large project I submitted a proposal for that has yet to be accepted,” she said. A huge investment of her time, effort, and skill had gone into this bid. She’d waited a long time for the chance to work on a project like this. Now it felt as if she were standing on a cliff: afraid to look down, afraid to move, afraid to breathe, not knowing which way to turn.
“It appears you have a lot to think about, Lindy.”
“I do,” she agreed, seeing that he was finished with his drink and looked ready to go. “I appreciate you listening.”
“I was happy to be a sounding board.”
“You’re very good, Santa.”
He shrugged off her praise and scooted back his chair.
Lindy stood, too, leaving her mug half-full of cocoa. They left the coffee shop together and walked toward the street-level parking complex.
It was already late; the sky was darkening. By four-thirty it would be pitch-dark. Lindy had always loved winters in the Pacific Northwest for the opportunity to view the northern lights. She didn’t get a chance to see them in Seattle because the city lights made it impossible.
“Thanks again, Santa,” she said, as he approached his truck. “Have a good night.”
“Always. Best night of the year for me and the missus. Plan for it starting every January. And, listen, if you do decide to take that big leap of faith, you write me a letter and let me know. I’ve always enjoyed your letters.”
Lindy waited for the interior of her car to warm up and the windows to defrost before she headed to see Billy.
He’d told her the restaurant was booked with reservations, so she wasn’t surprised that it took her a few minutes to find a parking spot. What did come as a shock was how busy the bar area seemed to be on Christmas Eve. One would think most people would want to be home with family. Billy was pouring wine, and when he noticed her, his face eased into a welcoming smile. They’d both gone into this with the thought it would be nothing more than a holiday romance. Somewhere, somehow, in the last few days that had changed. For Billy, and as reluctant as she was to admit it, for Lindy, too.
Not wanting to distract him, she slipped onto a bar stool and waited until he’d filled an order before he approached her.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes lighting up as they settled on her.
“Merry Christmas,” she returned.
“Merry Christmas,” he said. A couple minutes later, his replacement appeared, and he came around the bar to join her.
Taking her by the hand, Billy led her into his office and closed the door. Right away she was in his arms. He kissed her as if this were the final scene of a romantic Christmas movie. Her arms went around his neck as she surrendered herself to his lips, giving as well as taking.
“Wow,” she breathed, when they eventually broke apart. “What was that for?”
“Missed you,” he whispered.
It’d been less then twenty-four hours since they’d last been together. It made her wonder how he’d react when it was days or even weeks before they could see each other again. In her heart of hearts, she recognized that long-distance romances rarely survived beyond a few weeks or months.
“You’re busy.”
“It won’t be so hectic next week,” he promised. “I’ll take time off so we can be together. Didn’t I hear you promise Peter a sledding adventure? I volunteer to tag along.”
Lindy doubted Billy knew what he was getting himself into. “You’re on.”
“I’ve always loved the snow and was into snowboarding for a while.”
So much of his life, his likes and dislikes, were unknown to her. She hoped to learn more and share more of herself. Billy seemed to want to make the most of the vacation time she had left, and Lindy did as well. What the week following Christmas, before she returned to Seattle, would mean for their future, Lindy couldn’t tell. Of one thing she was certain: Spending that extra time with Billy would make her decision all the more difficult.
“I’ll be by your parents’ house tomorrow to play Santa for Peter,” he said, reminding her that he’d volunteered to give her nephew the thrill he would long remember.
“Chad and Ashley plan to arrive around noon, so you could come any time after that.” She seemed to remember her mother suggesting he arrive around three and she selfishly didn’t want to wait until midafternoon to see him.
“I’ll be there with bells on,” he said, smiling down on her.
“Funny you should mention Santa,” she said. “I ran into him today.”
“Oh? Just remember the only Santa for you is me.”
She must have had a funny look because he grew serious.
“Don’t tell me you fell for this other Santa?”
“No, silly. It was the same Santa from Leavenworth. He seemed to know about the letters I wrote him…I’m being ridiculous.” She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Santa needed my help with one of his appearances. He was amazing with all the children.”
“That’s what makes Santa Santa,” Billy said. “Every kid writes Santa at one time or another, so the fact that he mentioned your letters is all part of his routine.”
“You’re right.” Still, Lindy wasn’t fully convinced. It was far more than that, more than she wanted to explain. Santa had seemed to know more about her than what was feasible. Most likely, there was a logical explanation. He must have eaten at the pizza parlor, although she didn’t remember seeing him seated. Dressed as he was, he would be hard to miss.
“Shall we head for the city park on the twenty-sixth?” Billy asked, taking her mind off Santa and back to the promise she’d made to Peter.
“Sure.” Lindy didn’t have any other plans, and Peter had asked her several times already when they would be going. “That sounds great. Are you sure you can get away?”
“I’ll make it work,” he said.
Lindy knew Billy had been putting in a lot of extra hours because of the holidays. He needed the break. “If it doesn’t work that you can get the time off, I’ll understand. What’s important is you and the Wine Press.” She meant that from her heart. “We have all next week,” she reminded him.
“Seven days doesn’t seem near long enough,” he said. “I’m already dreading the thought of you returning to Seattle.”
No matter what her decision was, Lindy realized, she would need to go back.
Billy closed his eyes as if the news was unwelcome. “I guess it’s wrong of me to want you to stay.”
“Not wrong, Billy. It makes me happy you feel that way. It’s just that Seattle is where I live.”
He lowered his head. “I don’t know how often I’ll be able to get away, especially on a weekend.”
“I know.” She was well aware of the limitation with him owning and operating the Wine Press. He needed to be available to his staff and customers on the two busiest days and nights of the week. His day off was Wednesday, and it was highly unlikely he would be able to drive to Seattle and back on the same day.
Lindy knew it would be a mistake to mention Peggy’s idea. If she chose to not start her own small business, he might consider this her way of saying she wasn’t interested in them as a couple. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Lindy left the restaurant and then drove home, her thoughts heavy. She shook them off, determined to make the most of Christmas Eve. How could she not, seeing she was with her family for the biggest celebration of the year: the birth of baby Jesus.