Page 11 of Once Upon A Royal Christmas
Brian shot her a thumbs-up and then ushered a group of five small children toward the barn. Their faces lit up the moment they spotted Gracie, flanked on either side by the reindeer—one of which kept trying to nibble at the rhinestones on the bodice of her gown. She smiled so hard that her face hurt as she artfully dodged Jingle’s snout.
“Boys and girls, welcome to the Denver Zoo.” The zookeeper gestured toward Gracie. “We’d like you to meet Princess Snowflake.”
The kids went starry-eyed. Gracie’s heart swelled like it always did when a child gazed up at her as if she were real royalty. Someone special.
And even though she knew better—even though she was really just a regular girl who couldn’t even get a bank loan—Gracie almost believed. She couldn’t help it. Playing a princess was serious business where the children were concerned. She felt a responsibility to make the moment as magical as she possibly could.
“Hello there, my special snowflakes.” She glanced from one reindeer to the other. “These are my reindeer friends, Jingle and Belle.” Belle paused from attempting to eat Gracie’s gown and blinked her comically huge eyelashes at the children.
“Is it true that you’re made of snow, Princess Snowflake?” one of the little girls said.
Gracie turned her face and tilted her head so that the glittery silver snowflakes she’d painted on her cheekbones sparkled beneath the twinkle lights. Then she winked.
The children oohed and ahhed.
“And look! I brought the snow with me tonight from my frosted forest,” Gracie said.
She shifted Belle’s lead rope to the opposite hand with Jingle’s, then twirled her fingertips in the air and held out her palm. Snow flurries danced from the sky and landed on her outstretched hand. Even the reindeer seemed mesmerized.
“Does anyone have questions about snow?” Gracie fluttered her eyelash extensions. A little girl near the front of the crowd emulated her, blinking rapidly.
“Why is snow white?” a young boy called out. He tilted his head and the pompon atop his red knitted hat bobbed.
“It’s actually isn’t. Snow is made up of ice crystals that reflect light, just like the Christmas lights above.” She gestured toward the twinkle lights with a graceful flick of her wrist. Belle and Jingle both rose their heads in unison—probably because they thought she might have more grain in her hand, but the effect was awfully adorable, all the same. Like they were listening to her snow lesson, as rapt as the children.
“Since snowflakes are tiny, the light scatters in so many directions that they look white, even though they really aren’t.” Gracie twirled her fingers and pointed at her audience as if casting an enchanted ice spell. “Which just goes to show that tiny things—and tiny people—are more special and powerful than they appear.”
The children beamed. This was normally the point when Gracie might toss a little glitter or make a snowflake appear like magic, but she doubted glitter and live reindeer mixed well.
The zookeeper shot her a wide grin and a thumbs-up. Then he held up a finger, indicating she had about a minute to wrap things up so he could give his reindeer talk.
Suddenly, a Christmas carol chimed out of nowhere—Jingle Bells. Gracie recognized the tinny rendition immediately as the ringtone from Clara’s phone.
Odd. Clara was usually so good about putting her cell on vibrate during a princess appearance. She winced and fumbled with the phone, answering it in lieu of trying to turn down the ringer. The speedier option, probably.
Gracie ignored the interruption and began winding down her snow lesson. “Every snowflake that falls to the ground has its own special journey. That journey eventually determines what they look like. Every snowflake follows its own path, just like people do.” Gracie tipped head toward Jingle. “Reindeer too.”
Clara was probably loving this. The reindeer definitely added something special. Gracie wouldn’t have been surprised if Clara had the entire interaction uploaded to Instagram before Brian ushered in the next group of kids to meet the reindeer.
But when Gracie cast a quick glance in Clara’s direction, she spotted her business partner still talking on the phone. She wasn’t exactly speaking, though. Her mouth seemed to be frozen in a perfect, astonished O, and her face had gone as white as Frosty the Snowman’s. Gracie’s throat instantly constricted. What could possibly be wrong?
She blinked and switched back into Princess Snowflake mode. “Now who wants to hear more about my friends Jingle and Belle?”
The children’s hands flew up, and she transferred the leap ropes over to the zookeeper. The reindeer both pawed at the ground and snorted puffs of frosted breath. The snow was coming down harder now, coating their fur with a fine layer of white. As Brian began his reindeer spiel, Clara waved frantically from behind the group of kids.
Gracie’s smile froze in place. Clara knew better. Gracie was still in character; she couldn’t just excuse herself and walk away. Santa would never.
Gracie stood off to the side and responded with princess-appropriate glee to Brian’s presentation, while Clara pointed at her cell phone and continued to cast pleading glances in her direction.
She was still on the phone? What in the world could possibly be going on?
Then, just like magic, hope stirred in Gracie’s chest. Could it be the loan officer who said she’d get back to them?
Gracie posed for photos alongside Jingle and Belle after Brian finished his reindeer talk. The seconds seemed to stretch on forever, but at long last, the kids filed out of the barn and Brian told her to relax until the next group entered in ten or fifteen minutes.
“Finally,” Clara mouthed and thrust her phone toward Gracie.
Gracie bustled toward her as quickly as multiple pounds of velvet, tulle, and rhinestones would allow.
