Page 77 of Santa of the Creek
I let out a long breath. “I want to show you that I don’t hate Christmas anymore.”
“I know that. You told me this morning. We’re sharing our Christmas together.”
I shake my head. “It’s not just that. Well, it is, but not only that.”
Echo chuckles. “Dean, honey, maybe it’s because I’m tired, but you’re gonna need to explain that to me.”
Another deep breath. “We’ve had a weird month.”
“I don’t know. I liked it.” He nibbles on my earlobe. It must be fuzzy because of the beard but he seems to like it.
“Me too. But every other year I’ve hidden from anything related to Christmas.”
His amusement fades, and I think he’s finally understanding I’m trying to tell him something serious.
“You know this was the town, right? They’re the ones who set this whole thing up.”
I snort. “Of course I do. Between my brother and Gloria, I stood no chance.”
“Santa?” I feel a tug on the bottom of the jacket.
I look down to see Tommy Doyle, his bottom lip wobbling. He’s seven years old and one of my elementary school kids. I read with him most weeks. I kneel to smile at him. He looks a little scared. “Hi, Tommy. Is everything all right?”
“I played hide and go seek with a kitten, and lost my mommy and my brother, and I know I have to be a big, brave boy but it’s,dark and I’m scared, and she told me to come to the tree if I got lost,” he wails.
He flings himself at me and I hold him, feeling him shake, because what else can I do? I look up at Echo. “His mom likes Lucian’s flower shop.” I point in the right direction. “I’ll stay here with Tommy. Can you run over there and see if she’s there. Her name is Toni. I’d go, but Tommy is…”
Echo nods. “I’m not sure about running, but I’ll find his mom. Hey, Tommy, will you look after Santa for me while I’m gone? Make sure no one tries to take him.”
Tommy nods, sniffling and wiping the tears away with the back of his glove. “I’ll watch him, Mister Echo. He’s safe with me, I promise.”
I’m not going to cry, I’m not, I swear, as Echo and Tommy promise to look after me.
As he limps away, I look down at my new charge. “You know Mister Echo, Tommy?”
Tommy gives me a wan smile. “He makes me a strawberry and banana smoothie when we have chicken wings.”
“That sounds yummy.”
Then he throws me for a loop with his next words.
“I promise not to tell anyone you’re the real Santa, Mister Dean.”
“Thank you,” I say solemnly. We stare at each other for a moment, and I see his lip wobble. I’m not sure what to do with him as I haven’t got a book in my hand.
“Hey, Tommy, have I told you the story of Santa who got lost on Christmas night as he delivered presents, and the kind man who found him?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know that one.”
I point to the bottom light on the tree. “We’ll pretend these lights are the pages. It all started when one of his reindeer sneezed…”
“Which one?”
I frantically think of the names of Santa’s reindeer. “Comet. It was Comet who sneezed and…”
“Why does she sneeze? Santa’s reindeer are girl reindeers. Did you know that?”
“I didn’t,” I tell him, “and she sneezed because she had a cold.”
