Page 2 of Stuck With My Christmas Crush

“No, that’s okay.” I slow down and indicate a U-turn. “The fairy looks like she needs some help. Let’s go ask?”

“Sure.”

The road from the mansion links up to the main highway north and south, but it’s windy and narrow and, unless you live up here, there’s no advantage to using this route. The lack of traffic means that the road is not well-maintained and takes you up and over a hill instead of around it. I hardly ever see another vehicle when I’m driving to or from Ridgewood, the nearest town, about an hour away.

As I approach the ladybug car, the fairy lowers her phone and pulls the light-colored faux fur jacket tightly around her shoulders. She eyes me suspiciously as I park the Chevy close by in front of her.

“Hey there,” I say, getting out and beginning to walk toward the young woman all decked out in glittery pink. “We noticed your hazards are on. Is everything alright?”

“Hi there. Thanks for stopping. Bertie’s broken down. But I called the roadside assistance.” The fairy holds up her phone as if showing me proof of her actions. “They should be here soon,” she says with a nervous smile.

“It might be something simple like a dead battery,” I offer. “Do you have jumper cables? I have some in the truck.” I turn to point over my shoulder, then notice Maddie is at my side.

“Excuse me, fairy,” says Maddie in her most polite princess voice. “Were you at my friend, Isabel’s party in the summertime?”

The fairy seems to relax at the sight of a little girl and gets out of her car.

“Isabel. Mmmm. Let me see.” The fairy considers Maddie’s question. “Was that the party at a big white house? Does your friend have a naughty cat called Custard who tried to jump onto the table to eat the cake?”

“That’s right!” says Maddie, delighted. She turns to me and beams a bright smile. “It is her. See, I told you.”

“Maddie is seldom wrong.” I reach out to stroke Maddie’s hair. She leans casually onto my leg.

“Don’t you remember?” Maddie says, looking up at me.

I glance from Maddie to the glittery girl and see something familiar in her eyes. A fleeting memory flashes of the warm summer’s day when I picked Maddie up from herfriend’s party. As I arrived on the street outside Maddie’s friend’s house, a van pulled away and, for a second, I was caught in the gaze of an incredibly pretty woman; the same pretty woman who is standing beside the broken red, black-spotted, ladybug car.

“No. Sorry Maddie, I don’t,” I lie, but the fairy looks at me and recognition lights up her face.

She’s about to say something. Her pretty lips open, then, in an instant, she checks herself, and they close again. A hand covers her mouth.

I’m conscious that I may be staring but I’m mesmerized by her face which is decorated with swirls and daubs of glittery paint. Her clear blue eyes sparkle more than the sequins on her dress.

To distract myself, I clear my throat with a cough then say, “So, do you want to get a jumpstart? Or maybe you might be out of gas, in which case, I can tow you to a gas station?”

“That’s kind of you, sir,” the fairy says looking directly into my eyes. “But don’t let me hold you up. A trained professional is on their way.” The fairy checks her phone. “They’ll be here in a few minutes. At least, that’s what the guy said.” She laughs. “Thanks anyway.”

“If you are sure you’re okay,” I say as Maddie reaches up and takes my hand. “Then, we’ll be off.”

“No,” says Maddie emphatically stamping her foot. “We can’t leave her here.”

“Don’t worry Maddie.” The fairy crouches down, smiles at my niece, and whispers, “I have special magic, so I’ll be okay.”

Maddie thinks for a moment, then says, “If you have special magic, then you should use it to fix your car.”

“Good point. And I would if I could but sadly, my poor car, Bertie, has been cursed by an evil wizard, and the only way the curse can be lifted is by a roadside assistance technician wizard.” The fairy stands up and pats the hood of the little VW. Then she looks at me and says, “I’m fine. Really. But thanks, again, for stopping.” She turns to climb into her car but pauses to wave and says, “Bye Maddie. Say hi to Isabel and Custard when you see them again, okay?”

“Okay, I will,” Maddie says back. “Nice to see you again fairy Charlie.”

“Charlie?”

“Yup. Fairy Charlie. That’s me.” The fairy smiles and, pulling the jacket tighter around her, she says, “And Merry Christmas.”

“Alright.” I stand still for an awkward moment, glancing up and then down, the road as I decide what to do. “Weshould get going. Maddie go get in the car. And make sure you…” Maddie finishes my sentence.

“Buckle up. I know.”

Part of me wants to stay until the roadside recovery people arrive, but I promised Meredith that Maddie would be home by now. I check my Fitbit. I’ll need to call my sister to say we’re going to be late. I’m about to offer Charlie a ride to wherever she needs to be, but her phone rings.

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