Page 19 of A Curvy Wonderland

“Yes,” Holly said maniacally.

“Not a chance,” I said, backing into a chair and then sidestepping it. I waved my hands in front of me forming anX. “There is no way you're getting me into that.”

Tatum leaned over and whispered in her little sister's ear, and then Lucy came up to me.

“You are not playing mind games with me,” I said to them. “Puppy-dog eyes won't work.” I reached the wall, unable to go any further.

Lucy walked up to me anyway, her little hands folded in front of her, and looked up at me with big brown eyes and stuck out her bottom lip.

“No,” I said. I looked up at a Holly who was giving me the same, pleading look. “No," I repeated, but then I looked back at Lucy. “No," I said again. “Not happening.”

And then Lucy said, “Please.”

11

HOLLY

Eldan marched several feet ahead of us on the sidewalk, wearing the Santa suit, including a floppy red hat, and a beard he said itched like crazy.

It was my favorite outfit I'd seen him wear–and that was saying something because I’d seen him in a Henley the other day, and everyone knew those things were to women what cookies were for Santa.

We reached the first house on our delivery route, and he stepped forward, pressing the doorbell. We could hear it sing a tune of “Jingle Bells” throughout the house.

A mom came to the door, holding a baby on her hip, and two younger kids followed behind. They couldn't have been more than five years old.

The kids stared at the four of us, and the mom smiled.

She opened the door saying, “Can I help you, Santa?”

I was about to speak, figuring Eldan wouldn’t be up for it, but he said, “Ho ho ho, we're here from the giving tree, and we have presents for Max and Greta. And little Eli too.”

The two kids poked out from behind her legs, much less shy now that presents were in the mix. But it was the mom who captured my attention. Her smile was one part surprised, one part grateful, and another relieved. Like she needed this as much as the kids did. “Really?” she asked so softly I wouldn’t have caught it if I hadn’t been watching her.

Eldan set the big red bag down from over his shoulder and pulled out three gifts carefully labeled in cursive handwriting.

He handed them to the kids, and said, “Have a very Merry Christmas.”

The kids took their presents, staring at them in wonder, and the mom cleared her throat. “What do we say to Santa and his reindeer?”

The little boy said, “Thank you,” and his sister echoed him in a raspy voice. The baby even let out a little baby babble.

“Have a great day,” I said.

The mom smiled, her eyes shining. “We definitely will now. Thank you again so much.”

As we walked back to the Polaris to drive to another house, I leaned in close to Eldan and said, “Ho ho ho?” Those were the last words I'd ever expected to come from him.

He stifled a smile and said, “I had to be in character.”

“It was really nice,” I told him, meaning it.

He turned to me, giving me a smile. A real smile. And it made my heart squeeze in an unexpected way. It was like waiting for the sun after a thousand rainy days.

“Thank you,” he said. Then he turned away and got back in the Polaris, but the day was still so much brighter having seen his smile.

We spent all morning delivering presents, and around noon, we went back to Scrooge's Diner for lunch.

Scrooge gave us a wave, which was about as close as he ever got to greeting someone as regulars, and we all took our seats. We didn't even have to order, because soon he was bringing out our regular meals.

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