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I waved and walked toward the kitchen. “You too,” I called, and that’s when I noticed Santa for the first time. It was when he looked up and our eyes met that I was hit with the same jolt of electricity as last night. Someone was playing the role to the hilt and I had to say, I kind of liked that about him.

I lowered my backpack of tools into the hatch and closed it with a click. I noticed a white truck with jingle bells hanging from the rearview mirror next to mine and smiled. The jolly guy who owned it was walking toward it with his head down, and his ballcap back on top of his properly styled hair.

“Hey, Ellis,” I said, my voice cracking on his name. I cleared my throat and he turned toward my voice. This morning, when he arrived at the dinner, he was nervous and apprehensive. After a plate of turkey, potatoes, and a couple of pieces of pie, he relaxed into the event as if he’d lived here his whole life.

“Hey, Addie. Sorry I didn’t get to spend much time with you.” He released the handle on his door and walked toward me.

I pointed at the bag he carried. “I guess I know where you were needed.”

He held it up sardonically. “I do what I can to help out. I’m used to all the kids running around me anyway.”

“It was still sweet of you. I was worried when you first arrived. You had the deer in the headlights look on your face.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I do better with the ten and under crowd than the thirty and up crowd.”

“Not what I heard today, but regardless, you’ve been here for months now and you should get out more.” I was teasing since we spent a lot of time out in the community together, but he did need to get out of the yoga studio a bit more in my opinion.

He bit his lip and nodded. “It’s hard to do that when you’re either working or sleeping.”

“I understand, trust me. Running a business is time-consuming, and some weeks it feels like I never leave the salon. I love it, though. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

He patted his hair and grinned. “You’re good at it. My hair hasn’t been this soft since, well, ever.” He laughed, the sound deep and smooth.

“I noticed last night you must be using the conditioner I recommended.” I gently ran my fingers through his hair. “Oh, that’s nice,” I agreed, nodding my approval.

“I feel like a total girl while I’m doing it, but I do it,” he joked, his cheeks tinging an adorable pink. “I suppose I should let you go. I’m sure you have someplace to be.”

I pointed behind me at the car. “I’m going home to shower then to Stan’s for Thanksgiving dinner.”

His head tipped to the side. “Didn’t you just have Thanksgiving dinner?”

I chuckled and nodded, folding my arms over my chest. “I did, but Stan doesn’t make turkey, we have a beef roast. Long story.” I waved my hand at my neck likeforget it. “Hey, you should come over!”

He took a step back and shook his head. “Oh no, I don’t want to intrude on your family dinner.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “No, seriously, it’s not an intrusion. The more the merrier. There’s always a ton of food, laughter, wine, and joy. Melissa, Mason, and Holly will be there, and you can meet my mom.”

“Wait, your mom?” he asked, his head tipping to the other side.

My hand came up to my forehead to smack it. “Sorry, my mom is dating Stan, who is Mason’s dad. Little secret?” I asked and he leaned in, waiting for me to share, “he’s not my father.”

He snorted trying to hold in his laughter and finally let it out, the sound floating on the cold breeze blowing around us. “Thanks for clearing that up for me.” He winked and I dang near fell against the car when my knees went weak.

“Will you stop by?” I released his hand and clapped mine together.

He held out his hands, palms up. “Are you sure Stan won’t mind? I don’t want to impose.”

“I’m positive.” I grasped his upper arm and noted that yoga definitely kept him in fine shape. I should probably check it out myself, if only I had time. “Stan had a heart attack a year ago and ever since he’s into living life to the fullest. Please come?”

He laughed again and I was relieved to hear it was relaxed and easy. “You’ve sold me. I’ll come by. What time?”

“We eat at six. If you want to come around five, we can share a glass of wine and I’ll introduce you to everyone. The address is 622 Morningside Drive.”

“Got it,” he promised, tapping his temple. “I appreciate the invite. It gets lonely when you’re alone in a new town at the holidays.”

I squeezed his hand and offered a genuine, caring smile. “You should never be lonely in this town. Someone is always willing to talk your ear off.”

He chuckled and nodded, his eyes going to the sky. “Tell me about it. I was trapped with Audrey for an hour.”