Page 7 of Her Secret Santa

“You know me, I’ll be up early,” she says. “Just come by when you’re up, let yourself sleep in for once. You don’t get days off too often.”

I bite back a wince at the unpleasant reminder thatallmy days are currently days off, and that I really need to change that.

“I’ll be by after breakfast then.” There’s probably something they could use help with, and it’s not like anyone’s going to be calling me back about my resume on Thanksgiving. It’ll be nice to spend the day here with my grandma and the other residents.“You get some good rest tonight, ok?”

“Yes, ma’am,” she says with a chuckle.

I bend down to hug her tightly one last time, the scent of her perfume a comforting reminder of home.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!”

I make my way out of her room and back down the hallway, waving goodbye to Sarah as I make my way through the lobby. She’s on another call, but she waves cheerily as I wrap my scarf back around my throat and step outside. The rain seems to have stopped, which is nice, but it’s still plenty cold.

Thankfully, the craft store is only a few blocks away, and I should be able to make it before Lexi starts to clean up from craft night.

I hold the door open to let the last family out, a single mom herding three babbling toddlers covered in glitter and paper scraps. She shoots me a grateful glance, and I smile brightly at her before stepping in through the double doors.

“Clara, right on time,” Lexi says, beaming widely as she straightens up. “Don’t tell anyone, and I don’t know anything about this, but this magically appeared.”

She lifts a huge tote bag stuffed full of colored paper, glue sticks, glitter, and other craft supplies, holding it out to me. Her dark skin is covered in glitter and paint, but she looks happy as a clam. Lexi owns the store and has a huge heart. The first time I came in and asked if she’d be willing to donate leftover supplies to the children’s home, she pretty much decided to adopt me on the spot. Half the time I stop by she pushes cookies or a restaurant gift card onto me, but this is more than I could have ever expected. The kids are going to bethrilled.

“Lexi!” I exclaim, my eyes wide as I take the bag of donations from her. “This is too much! I’m absolutely going to take it, but it’s really—I owe you.”

She laughs, waving me off and tucking a loose black curl back into her bun.

“You don’t owe me anything, sugar,” she says, both firm and affectionate. “You do plenty, and those kids deserve a good Thanksgiving. I want you to have a good one too. Don’t work yourself to the bone.”

“I’ll do my best,” I promise.

As long as I think about all the good things coming up, it’s a little easier to breathe. My grandma will have a good Thanksgiving, and I’ll be able to take food over to the kids. Brooke will be excited to know the kids will at least have a proper dessert that’s not from the store. And I know Steele will be over the moon about getting to make a mess during craft time. He and Nina will probably be covered in glitter for a week to come. They’re siblings, both of them only five, and craft time is their favorite by far. I’ll have to let them know Santa sent these specially for them.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I shift the bag to one arm so I can pull it out. I’m hoping it’s something important. I can’t afford to miss out on an opportunity. Allie’s name isflashing across my screen, and I feel a little disappointed before I actually read the text.

Allie: SOS good news babes!!!! May have found you a job, get your butt over here!

My brows shoot up toward my hairline in excitement, and I shoot her a response before turning back to Lexi.

“I have to head out, but seriously, thank you for this,” I say emphatically, pulling her into a tight, one-armed hug.

“Nothing to thank me for,” she says, a warm smile on her face as she pats me on the back. “Go do what you need to do, girl, I’ll see you next week.”

I thank her again before rushing back out onto the street, booking it toward Allie’s. I make it there in record time and hoof it up the stairs to her apartment to knock rapidly on the door. She opens it moments later, the wreath hanging on it swinging dangerously as she shoots me a wide smile and yanks me inside for a hug before I can catch my breath.

“Ok, so, I’ve been working on the Hawthorne Mall branding redesign, right?” She babbles before I even set the tote down. “We were there today to get an idea of what they want some of the new logo placements to go, showing them mock-ups and everything, and I just so happened to overhear that the head elf for their Christmas Santa display quit out of nowhere!”

I laugh, excited and confused in equal measures, and follow her down the narrow hallway into the kitchen.

“Headelf?” I ask.

“Yeah, the one who, like, leads the kids to Santa and takes the picture and everything,” she says as she pulls a bottle of cheap wine from the fridge. “It’s only temporary, but they’re keeping it set up for all of December, and the pay’s pretty decent.”

I stare at her in shock, tears of gratitude welling up in my eyes as I watch her pour us each a glass of wine. She not onlyfound me a job in aday, but she found me something that I’ll actually be good at and enjoy.

“Is there an application online?” I ask, already pulling my phone out. “Should I head to the mall and drop off my resume?”

Allie turns and holds out an overfull glass of chardonnay to me, looking exceptionally smug.

“I already talked to the mall manager. The job’s yours,” she says, flipping her hair back in a teasing gesture of pride. “If you want it, obviously.”

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