Page 32 of Stuck in Christmas

He had me there. “And that is?”

Kris/Santa raced before me and stopped me by touching my shoulders. For a chubby older guy, he could move fast. “Love is not a halfway game. You can’t be half in, give half of yourself, and expect to find total lasting happiness.”

Why did this sound familiar? “I’ve heard this before.”

He blushed. “Yes. I thought you’d take the story from Joe to heart, but you didn’t listen to him either.”

“How do you know about that?” I stared at this man suspiciously. Could he be some sort of spy? Acon man? Maybe there were cameras set up at Bonnie’s.

Kris/Santa looked over the rims of his glasses and smiled at me.

My stomach lurched. “No way.”

“Way.” The self-satisfied smirk on his face grew, and that aggravated me, along with all the rest of this holiday hell nonsense. If he was responsible for this, maybe I needed to stop worrying about the combination of things to help me wake up and figure out a way to take “Santa” out of the picture. Would that break the spell?

He wagged his finger at me. “Be careful, little one. I’d hate for you to end up on the Naughty List this year.”

“You don’t know what?—”

“You were just thinking if you offed me, you could break the spell you’re under and wake up.”

A cold sweat broke out over my skin.It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I have to give 100-percent. Then what?”

“Only you can answer that one. But you better figure it out fast because time is running out.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I cried.

“Have you looked at Bonnie’s pin today?”

A montage of Bonnie’s pins over the last few days came rushing back to me in a tidal wave of understanding. Her pin this morning had ten frogs. Ten lords a-leaping. “Noooooooo. Wait. Nooooooo.”

“Seems you have two tries to figure things out before you run out of time,” Kris/Santaclucked. “And maybe instead of trying to go it alone, perhaps you should ask for help.”

“Renee.”

I turned to see Eli rushing across the town square toward me. I waved, then turned back to ask Kris/Santa precisely who I should ask for help because no one ever remembers the reset, but he disappeared into thin air.

Exactly what my subconscious mind would do.

Or Santa.

No. No. No. That’s not possible.

Wasn’t it, though?

“Renee.” Eli smiled as he reached me. “How about a piece of peach pie and a hot chocolate?”

I sighed. “That sounds pretty good. And I need to see a woman about a Christmas pin.”

Sixteen

Bonnie’s greeting drowned out the ridiculous bells as Eli and I entered the diner, thank goodness, because I was one ring away from tearing those suckers down.

“There are my two favorite bakers. How’s the carnival?” Bonnie called from the counter.

Eli crossed the room and kissed her on the cheek. “Wonderful. Pie?”

---