Page 16 of Just A Dash of Holiday Magic
Chapter 3
KARA
I end up sharing all the cookies and milk with Mr. Castile, or rather, Sebastian. He insisted I call him that since we are stuck together that he couldn't have me calling him by any formal title.
“So how come you drew the short straw to work tonight?” he asks, wrapping a loose string from his hoodie around his finger.
“I volunteered,” I explain. “Everyone is married or has kids. I didn’t want them to miss out.”
“Don’t you have anyone you want to be with tonight?”
There is something in his tone that sounds like there is more to what he's asking me. It's almost as if he's trying to find out if I have a boyfriend in a roundabout way. Naturally, I dismiss this thought almost immediately. Sebastian is way too good-looking to be showing any interest in me. Not that it’s stopped me from thinking about him when I’ve been with BOB, my Battery-Operated Boyfriend, each night this week.
“I was supposed to meet up with my parents for the Around the World feast.”
“The what feast?”
“It’s a tradition in town that started when I was a kid.” I smile, thinking back to that first night. “A snowstorm hit the day before Christmas Eve and knocked down a few trees that took out the power in town. The only place that had power was the hotel because we had a generator. Since the hotel is normally empty over the holidays,” I give him a pointed look. “The whole town was able to come here and stay the night. No one wanted their holiday feasts to go bad, so they brought their food to share with everyone else. There was an array of different traditional items that represented many countries from around the world. My father joked that Santa would likely be having the same meal as us as he traveled.”
Sebastian chuckles. “That sounds nice.”
"It was," I say. "It was the best Christmas any of us could have hoped for. We got to experience the true meaning of the holiday season by helping others and being with the ones we love. And that began the tradition of the Around the World feast."
“How come it’s not here at the hotel?”
“A few years ago, it was moved to the town square so we could enjoy the tree while we eat.”
The smile on Sebastian slips into a frown. “And you are missing out on all of this because I’m here.”
“It’s my job.” I shrug. “Besides, there is always next year.”
SEBASTIAN
My life is steeped in traditions, but none of them hold a candle to the one that Kara has just shared with me. Sure, my family is together over the holidays, but it’s only for the photos to share with the people that my father leads. We smile and pretend that we want to be there, but it’s all for show. The moment the photographer leaves, we all go our separate ways in the castle. What I wouldn't give for one night of what this small town has to offer. It's no wonder I find no joy in the holidays, and Kara seems to be overflowing with it. At least she was until I came along.
“What do you normally do when you aren’t traveling abroad for the holidays?” She tilts her head and gives me a curious look. “It’s subtle, but I can’t quite place your accent.”
She doesn’t outright ask me where I’m from, so I manage to dodge the question. I like the anonymity I seem to be having with her, not that I expected many people in the United States to be familiar with the royal family of San Lorenzo.
“Our holiday traditions are probably a lot like what you have here. For example, Papá Noel comes at night with presents for the good boys and girls. But instead of a red suit, he wears a long red robe and carries a long walking stick.”
“He doesn’t have a sleigh with reindeer?” she asks.
I laugh. “Sadly, no.”
“Tragic.” She shakes her head.
“Instead of leaving him milk and cookies, we leave him a glass of brandy and an orange.”
“Hmm,” She smiles and shakes her head. “Isn’t it funny how a Christmas tradition we think is so normal to us could sound so out of the ordinary to someone else?”
“I suppose that could be said about a lot of things.”
"I love learning about everyday things that people do in other countries.”
“Do you travel a lot?” I ask.
“I wish,” she says, but her eyes lose a bit of the twinkle in them. “One day.”
