Page 78 of Santa of the Creek
“Poor Comet. Does she need medicine? Mommy has medicine in the cabinet, but we’re not allowed to touch it unless she says so. She says it’s dangerous for small children. Is it dangerous for reindeer?”
I tap my chin, pretending to think about it. “I don’t know about human medicine, but Santa would know what to give to his reindeer, don’t you think?”
He thinks about it for a long moment. “I think so.” He stares at me, his eyes going wide, his mouth open. “That means you know how to give medicine to reindeer?”
I nodded and leaned forward as if I was about to tell him a big secret. He leans forward to listen. “You have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“I promise. Pinky swear.”
We awkwardly do a pinky swear with our gloves on. Then I whisper, “It’s magic medicine.”
“I knew it! Connor told me I was wrong, but I said Santa and his reindeer are magic.
Please to whoever is listening that this kid doesn’t lose his innocence too soon. We need more kids like Tommy.
I suck in a breath. “So Comet was poorly, and she sneezed, just at the wrong moment, and the sleigh went twisty and turny, spinning around and around,” I did the hand movements to show him, “until?—”
“Thomas Patrick Doyle, how dare you scare me like this. You’ve taken ten years off my life.”
I turn to see Toni Doyle running across the street, dragging another boy with her, and Echo awkwardly trying to keep up.
“Mommy,” Tommy yells, and I’m forgotten as he bolts across the square toward his mom.
I stand, groaning a little as my now cold and tired leg muscles remember how to work.
Tommy leaps into her arms and she staggers a little under the weight, but she keeps her footing, sweeping him into her arms, scolding him and loving on him at the same time. Her other boy clings to her legs as if he’s afraid of getting lost.
Echo limps over to me. “Found her.”
I smirk at him. “So I see.”
“She hadn’t even realized he was lost. She thought he was playing with his brother who was staring in a shop window, looking at computer games.”
“I’m guessing the two boys are gonna be grounded for life?”
“I would assume so,” Echo says.
“How’s your ankle? You were limping.”
“I twisted it on the way there. I’ll be fine. It just needs kisses and attention from my boyfriend,” he assures me.
I flinch at the cough from Toni. Echo shuffles to my side and presses a discreet hand to my back, trying to give me comfort.
“Thank you, Dean.”
Tommy starts this frantic waving in front of her face and nearly knocks his mother out in the process.
“What are you doing?” she asks, pushing his hands away before he actually does clock her in the face.
“Not Mister Dean,” he mutters. “Santa. This is Santa. He just pretends to be Dean.”
His brother, JoJo, older than him by maybe four years, opens his mouth. I raise my eyebrow. He shuts it again.
Toni watches the exchange with amusement. “You’re gonna have to teach me how to do that.”
“Magic,” I say smugly.
Her lips twitch. “It must be. Well,Santa, thanks for looking after my boy. We’d better be getting home now.”
