Page 51 of 5 Golden Flings

“I know. And I apologize for waiting until the last possible minute to say this. But I have a confession to make.” Foster swallowed hard and tried to force out the words that clung to his throat. “I love Christmas,” he said, rushing the words out at last.

Alice blinked a few times, her wide eyes confused. That didn’t seem to be what she was expecting him to say, and he understood. He never expected to say it aloud either. “You don’t hate Christmas?”

“No. I... I was angry with my mother and I hated what she did to my Christmas memories by leaving. As a kid, it was my favorite time of the year. I wished away my summers waiting for the lights and the familiar music to come back. I loved it so much that when she left, it was never the same. I blamed the holidays for falling short when I was really just mad at her. But deep inside, I still loved it. I just couldn’t let myself enjoy it. Until now.”

Foster reached out and took Alice’s hands. “I have been thinking about you non-stop since we argued. And I realize now that when I was with you, some of the magic of the holidays I’d lost, came back. This week with you had been special and different, and it has brought the joy of the season back to me in a way I never expected to ever feel again. I don’t want to missout on another Christmas. And I don’t want to spend another Christmas without you, Alice.”

The fake smile faded away as her jaw fell open. Her mouth moved a few times without any words coming out. Finally, she shook her head. “The parade is about to start. I’ll be happy to finish this conversation with you later.”

“No.” Foster reached out and grabbed her upper arms before she could pull away. “We’ve got to talk about this right now. There won’t be another time better than this moment.”

“I don’t understand. What are you saying, Foster?”

Foster took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m saying that I don’t just love Christmas, Alice. I think I may be falling in love with you too. And if you’ll take me, I’ll happily be your Santa Claus in the parade.”

Jingle bells.

Alice heard them again, and this time there was no mistaking what it meant. That lady with the Airstream camper hadn’t been lying when she said the ornament she was buying was special. Her Christmas wish had been granted in more ways than one.

She rushed forward and kissed him, hoping that would suffice for all the words they didn’t have time to say. “Let’s go,” she murmured against his lips as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the sleigh. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

“Simon!” she shouted.

The skinny Santa popped up from behind the sleigh. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Thank you for volunteering, but you’re off the hook. Get out of that suit and go man your patrol car, Officer Chamberlain.”

With a relieved grin, the young man peeled off the suit and handed it over to Foster, who tugged on each piece as he received it. Underneath, Simon was in his full uniform, and made a run for it.

“Simon!” Foster shouted.

He stopped and turned, realizing he still had on his fake beard. He snatched it off his face, ran it back over to Foster, waved, and headed off to his car.

“That was the best Santa you could find?” Foster asked once his whiskers were in place and he was fully attired as Saint Nick.

Alice laughed. “Bless his heart, he’s too sweet to say no. But we both knew he was just a warm body. As for you,” she said, fully looking Foster over. “I think this is a great improvement.”

Foster nodded and inspected his outfit. “Next year, I think I might want to upgrade the outfit a little bit. This is just a step up from the costume store. I think we could do better than mall Santa. Maybe I could grow my beard out a little, too.”

Alice smiled to try and hide how surprised she was. Not only was he volunteering to be her Santa Claus this year, he was planning for next year. That meant he was really serious about Christmas, his change of heart, and about his growing feelings for her.

Thoughts began spinning through her mind. Did that mean he was moving back here to Rosewood? Would they live together? Should she tell him how she felt about him now or wait until later? It had only been a week! Were they both crazy?

“Stop,” Foster said, his white-gloved hands resting on her shoulders. “I can see your brain working overtime. Nothing matters right now but putting on the best Christmas parade in the history of Rosewood. We’ll figure the rest out later. We have all the time in the world.”

Foster leaned down and kissed her. His fake whiskers tickled her face in a way his real ones hadn’t, making her giggle. “Somehow I feel naughty kissing Santa Claus.”

“I think once you’ve officially taken on the role of Mrs. Claus, kissing the big man will feel as natural as baking Christmas cookies. Speaking of which,” Foster hesitated, “do you know how to bake Christmas cookies?”

Alice shrugged. She hadn’t in years, but she had her mother’s old recipe book. “I have a few I used to make for the boys. Why?”

“Because I haven’t had a good snickerdoodle in over twenty years. I’ve got a lot of Christmas merriment to catch up on. And I can’t wait to do it. With you. Merry Christmas, Alice.”

“Merry Christmas, Foster.”

ABOUT ANDREA LAURENCE

Andrea Laurence is an award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance. She has been a lover of reading and writing stories since she learned to read at a young age. She always dreamed of seeing her work in print and is thrilled to share her special blend of sensuality and dry, sarcastic humor with the world. A dedicated West Coast girl transplanted into the Deep South, she’s constantly trying to develop a taste for sweet tea while caring for her husband and two energetic golden retrievers.

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