Page 28 of Naughty Elf: Shimmersnap

“I love all of that. I think you’d like the North Pole. There’s a lot of business stuff that you’d be interested in. It’s not all fun and games.”

“Shimmersnap, let’s be serious. I mean, I do want to know more about you, but this North Pole nonsense is a little over the top.”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

I squeezed his hand. “I appreciate you trying to cheer me up. But claiming to my elf and that you work at the North Pole is a little extreme. It sort of feels like you’re teasing me about the elf.”

“I don’t work at the North Pole. I was fired for being too sparkly. You don’t believe me?”

I laughed. “I believe that you could be fired for being too sparkly—not that I agree with that, I love your sparkle. But the North Pole? Shimmersnap, be serious.”

“I am.” He pulled his hand away. “I’m an elf from the North Pole. I worked with Santa.”

My irritation rose and my cheeks heated. This wasn’t funny, and it had the feeling of a high school prank. “Cut it out, Shimmersnap. If you’re making fun of the fact that I like my elf figurine, that’s just not nice.”

“I’m not. I am the elf figurine.” His face contorted with sorrow, and I began to second-guess what I knew as fact.

There was no North Pole. No Santas. Elves weren’t real. I dug in my heels. Who knew that Shimmersnap was such a good actor. “Sure. Listen, if you’re just going to make fun of me, you can go.”

“What?” The sadness in his voice tugged at my heart.

“You can go. Leave. I’m not in the mood to be teased about my elf.”

“Walter. I’m not teasing! Iamyour elf. We watched movies together. You got me at an estate sale. Your friend thought you were crazy because you don’t like knick-knacks. You brought me home and put me on the mantle. In July there was a holiday movie marathon and you and I sat together and watched Elf. You talked to me!”

I stood up, putting some distance between us. His touch was a distraction I didn’t need right now.

“How did you learn all that? Did you spy on me? Am I on some sort of prank show? Seriously, Shimmersnap, this isn’t funny.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I really think you should go. I… I need to think and... I don’t really know what I need actually.”

Shimmersnap curled in on himself, and I felt like the lowest of life forms.

“Shimmersnap—”

“I’ll go,” he said. “I should have found a better way to explain all of this. But I swear to you I am not lying. I meant what I said earlier, I want to be with you. You’re… You’re it for me. The one I’ve been looking for for a long time. No one else has ever just accepted me, sparkles and all.”

I stood in silence as he stood. He gave me one last, sorrowful look, then he disappeared into thin air. Leaving just a cloud of glitter where he once stood in front of me.

I didn’t see him put on his shoes, but they were no longer at the door, as if they had disappeared with him.

Magic.

Chapter 17

Shimmersnap

I didn’t have a ton of places that I could go, but when Walter told me to leave repeatedly, I had no choice. It wasn’t as if I could just stay there. Eventually, he would call the police, and I just didn’t think I would sparkle well in jail. Orange was not my color. I bet it wouldn’t look terrible if I added a little pizazz. Though I was sure the warden might have a thing or two to say about that.

However, leaving Walter’s house meant I had no place to go. Technically, I lived with him. I didn’t even have a car, and the office was closed.

I needed to think, to regroup.

The North Pole was an option. But this close to Christmas, I’d likely just be in the way. I couldn’t jeopardize Christmas joy because I was having relationship problems.

I wasn’t going to give up on Walter. Accepting the fact that I was an elf who came from the North Pole was huge, and really, if I had been smart, I would have found a better way to break the news to him. Maybe I could have made him a card—one that sparkled—or I could have given him a better show of my magic, rather than just disappearing into thin air. Pretty sure I left a pile of glitter in my place. For all he knew, that’s what I had turned into when I popped out of the room.

I could have also just changed back into my elf figurine form, but I didn’t want to know what would happen if I did that and my mate rejected me. I refused to believe that it was a full, true rejection. But would Santa see it that way? Had I failed in my mission and would now be a figurine forever?

That fear had me avoiding being the figurine. I couldn’t risk it.

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