Page 89 of Jam and Jingle Bells
Ellis snickered and shook his own head. “I had to,” he explained, resting his hand on my hip, “she said she’d make me go ten rounds with Mason if I didn’t.”
“Holly,” I said, a brow lowered to my nose.
She huffed and crossed her arms. “It was before I found out his heart was bad. I shouldn’t have said it but my mom was really worried he was going to make you sad. I was already sad and I didn’t want you sad too.”
I stroked her forehead and pushed the hair out of her eyes. “It’s okay. We know you were having a hard time then.”
She sat up and nodded, her eyes bright as she stared at the tree. “I was, but then I met Santa and his magic bell gave me something else to think about.”
“I want to hear why you think I’m Santa. I’m not Santa, Holly.”
She turned to him and motioned at his hair. “Ellis, let’s be real here,” she said and I snortled.Oh, Mel and Mason had their hands full with this one. “I saw the movie.”
“What movie?” I was completely stymied by this turn of the conversation.
“The Santa Clause. The one where Santa is young here but old at the North Pole. Then he has to find a Mrs. Claus or he can’t keep being Santa.”
Ellis grinned. “I love those movies. Except for the creepy Santa robot. I don’t care for him.”
“I don’t imagine you do,” she said, her voice way too grown up for her age. “I wouldn’t either if I was the real Santa and there was a robot being mean to kids.”
“Holly, I’m not Santa,” he said again, forcefully and with authority.
“It can be our little secret,” she said winking. “I knew it was you the first day in the gazebo even though it wasn’t you.”
“Holly, I think you need more sleep. Even I’m confused now.” I motioned for her to lie down.
She waved her hand around. “You know how you see someone and you think they’re familiar but you can’t figure out where you know them from?” she asked and I nodded. She motioned at Ellis. “That’s what I’m trying to say. Santa, he walked and moved and sounded like Ellis, but he looked like Santa. He tried this fakeho-ho-hothing in a deep voice that made me giggle, but I knew him somehow. It took me the whole week to figure it out. That’s why I came back and asked for help on Saturday. It just made sense.”
“It made sense that I can help you because I’m Santa?” Ellis repeated and she nodded.
“That’s why Mason can see you in the diner and why he can email you. That’s why I knew you could help me with my problem.”
“I’m not sure that’s how this works, Holly,” I said slowly.
She gave me the okay sign with her fingers and winked. “It’s okay, Addie. I won’t tell anyone. I know that Ellis wants you to be his Mrs. Claus and you’ll go to the North Pole and be old there, but stay here during the summer and be young again. It will be our little secret.”
Rather than argue further I gave Ellis the palms up and grinned. “You have to promise not to tell a soul, Holly. This Santa magic is strong stuff and nothing to mess with.”
She held up her hands as she lay down on the pillow. “I won’t tell anyone, not even Mom. It’ll be hard, but I can do it.”
Ellis leaned over me to hold Holly’s gaze. “You still haven’t told us what that has to do with a broken door.”
She looked at him like he wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box. “It was Robot Santa. He doesn’t want you to go back to the North Pole. You’d see him being bad to all the kids, but you have to go back, Ellis. I mean Santa!” she said sitting up so fast she almost knocked him in the head.
Ellis grabbed her before she hit him. “Oh, you’re right!” he exclaimed. “Good thing you’re here. I never thought about that. I better go back north and see what’s going on.”
She shooed her hand at the door. “Go, go, hurry.”
He waved his finger in front of her face. “I can’t do that. Kids aren’t allowed to see. You have to be asleep before I can go. Don’t be surprised if when you wake up, I’m back here again. The time continuum is different between here and the North Pole. A day in the North Pole is like five minutes here.”
She immediately plopped back to the pillow and closed her eyes. “Okay, I got this, Santa!” she promised, squinching her eyes shut tight for all she was worth. He was laughing behind me to the point I didn’t know how he wasn’t making a sound. I wasn’t doing much better, but I stroked her arm rhythmically until she relaxed and started to drift off again. It didn’t take long and soft breathing filled the room, her body pliant again.
I rolled to face him and grasped the nape of his neck, bringing his nose to mine. “She’s something else.”
“Her theory works,” he whispered, kissing my lips tenderly. “I’ll have to watch the movie again tomorrow. I need to make sure I get it right.”
“I love you,” I whispered. “You’re the best Santa to ever Santa.”
