Page 2 of Magically Generated
He whistled along to “Let It Snow” as he picked up another Santa ornament.He had quite the collection of Santa decorations.This particular one was a ceramic ornament of Santa getting stuck in a chimney.He hung it on the tree below a whimsical ornament of Santa reading a book to a snowman.
It was a little sad to be trimming the tree by himself.When he was a kid, they’d always done this as a family.But his family was on the other side of the country, and he’d told them that he wasn’t coming home for Christmas this year.
What he hadn’t mentioned, however, was the reason: he’d hoped this was the year he’d be able to execute his plan.He couldn’t say anything because he’d never told them about his abilities.Nobody knew, in fact, and he had no intention of changing that, but he wanted to prove to himself that he could do something special with his magic.
As a kid, Everett had imagined it would be great fun to be Santa Claus.Not just because he wanted to have flying reindeer and eat lots of cookies, though that was part of it, but because it would be satisfying to bring joy to so many people.
Though he couldn’t deliver millions of presents in a night, he could do something else.
Nearly all of his friends were married now—he’d gone to a wedding just last weekend—and many had children.They had less time to hang out than before, and so he had few social engagements these days, especially since he hadn’t dated in a while.For whatever reason, none of his romantic relationships had worked out.He hoped that would change one day, but for now, it was just him.
It would be a good year to make his dream come to fruition, and maybe it would bring Christmas cheer to others who were lonely over the holidays.
Once he’d finished decorating the tree, he pulled out his old sketchbook and studied the drawings.It was important to memorize every detail—that was the key to executing this successfully.
A knock on the door startled him.Before going to see who it was, he shoved the sketchbook under the tree skirt.
Anything related to his magic would remain a secret.
Chapter 2
Norastaredatthewreath on the door.It was filled with pinecones and baubles, and there was a big red bow at the bottom.It was infuriatingly festive.
The door swung open, revealing Everett.
EverettSun.She hadn’t known his last name until a minute ago, when she’d heard a noise at her door.She’d opened it to find a package.To her frustration, it wasn’t the one she’d been expecting, but one meant for the person who lived across from her.She could have left it in front of his door, but someone on the first floor had apparently had a package stolen the other day, so she’d decided to knock.Besides, it was obvious he was home from the music.
“Hi, Nora.”Everett smiled and adjusted the square frames perched on his nose.
The damn man was always smiling whenever she saw him, and in that red flannel shirt, he looked like an Asian Santa Claus.He didn’t have a big white beard, but he did have a neatly trimmed black one, as well as a rather round physique.
It also looked like Christmas had thrown up in his apartment, which contributed to the whole Santa thing.Over his shoulder, she could see a Christmas tree with lights in a rainbow of colors.It was loaded down with ornaments, including a star that twinkled at the top.On a small table, there was a Christmas village set, sitting atop a cotton wool sheet that was meant to be snow.The lights in all four buildings were on, making it look like miniature families were cozying up inside.
Nora pulled herself together.She should stop assessing her neighbor’s Christmas decorations and do what she came here to do.She thrust the cardboard box in his direction.
“This was delivered to me,” she said, “but it’s yours.”
“Thanks.”His grin broadened.He looked at her as though she’d done him a great kindness, even though she’d merely taken a minute to hand over a misdelivered package.
Rather than closing his door, he ripped off the packing tape and opened the box, revealing…even more ornaments.
“Perfect timing,” he said.“I was just decorating my tree and…oh.”He held up an ornament that depicted three reindeer having what could only be called an orgy.“This isn’t what I ordered.”
She arched an eyebrow.
“Really, it’s not.”He shoved the ornament back in the box and pulled out another one.It was a naked Santa figurine, but the naughty bits were covered by a large stocking.“Nor is this.”The tips of Everett’s ears were almost as red as his shirt.“I wouldn’t have opened the box in front of you if I’d known what was in here.They must have given me someone else’s order.The store sells lots of interesting Christmas décor.”
He was clearly surprised and embarrassed, so she was inclined to believe him.Not that there was anything wrong with the existence of such ornaments, but opening them in front of a woman he barely knew?She might have worried about uncomfortable sexual comments.
Instead, he said, “Hopefully, they have decent customer service rather than a useless chatbot.”
“Yeah, those can be terrible.I ended up going in circles with one the other day.But least you didn’t travel to the store during a storm.”
Though even as she spoke, she considered the fact that unlike her, Everett looked like someone who enjoyed being outdoors in winter, if there wasn’t a snowstorm.He had a bit of a lumberjack vibe going on.Maybe it was just the flannel shirt.
He nodded.“I hope you don’t have to go anywhere this weekend.”
“No, I’ll be home.”She glanced at his tree.“Well, I’ll leave you to it.”Even though she hadn’t intended it, her voice sounded a touch snarky.
