Page 32 of Naughty Elf: Shimmersnap

“And how long will this stuff stay up?” Walter asked.

I smirked. “I guess the date is negotiable.”

“I take it the day after Christmas is out of the question?”

“Absolutely not,” I replied. “We’re still well into the holiday season at that point. We have holiday parties to attend all the way until New Year’s Eve.” Once Walter and I made our relationship official, we began reaching out to some of his old friends. They were more than happy to bring him back into the fold.

“New Year’s Day?”

“February first,” I said with a grin.

He laughed. “I can agree with February first. Then we have the whole year to negotiate when it’ll go back up.”

“October first,” I said without hesitation. “With a few things making an appearance during Christmas in July.”

He laughed again. “I suppose that will be just fine.”

“There.” I placed the last ornament on the garland, stepping down from the ladder and admiring the display.

The green of the garland had a shimmer of sparkle that resembled snowcapped trees glistening in the sunlight. There were ornamental balls of varying shades of red, some with sparkles, some smooth glass. Nestled in between the garland were branches of winterberry giving the decor the pop that it needed.

“Hmmm, it needs a little something,” I said, tapping my finger to my cheek.

Walter came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle, his hands resting over my tummy. “It could use a little more sparkle,” he murmured, kissing my neck.

I smiled. “You’re absolutely right, it could.”

With a snap of my fingers, a coat of glitter shimmered over the decorations. The overhead lights caught on them, casting a soft glow across the room, and everything sparkled.

“Perfect,” I said, satisfied.

“It really is.” He led me to the couch, pulling me down beside him. “You know, if you’re this good at decorating, we should work on the baby’s room next.”

I gasped. “Oh, can I? I have so many ideas!”

“Will it be Christmas-themed?” he asked, chuckling.

I laughed too. “I don’t think so, but there will be a little bit of sparkle.”

“Of course.” He smiled and held me tight. Walter rarely went long without holding me in his arms as if he was afraid I might disappear any moment. He also never hesitated to accept my sparkle. I was pretty sure he was going to love the glittered ties that I’d snuck under the Christmas tree.

“I do like the idea of reds and greens, maybe polka dots for the baby’s room.”

“Whatever you wish, we’ll make it work.”

We hadn’t yet talked about whether I’d keep my job or how that would work with the baby coming. I wouldn’t mind working, but once the baby arrived, I’d probably need to care for them full-time. Plus, I’d learned just how much volunteering was needed in the human world. Helping others sounded more enjoyable than crunching numbers all day. Though I was hesitant to leave Walter shorthanded. I really had been very helpful with his work. Either way, we had time to figure it out.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

“You expecting someone?” Walter asked.

“I know two humans in this world— you and your friend. Who would I be expecting?” I joked.

Walter laughed and went to the door, returning with an envelope.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Not sure,” I said, eyeing it. It had an aura to it, so I knew it was from the North Pole.

---