Page 22 of Magic in Mistletoe
“Let’s get you home, Sadie,” he said softly, offering her a hand up from the couch.
“Oh, okay,” she replied, tucking a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear. “I need to get my bag and say goodbye to Nora. I’ll just be a minute.”
If his words had wounded her, Sadie concealed it masterfully, plunging him deeper into a sea of guilt. He felt a gnawing ache in his chest. Martin needed breathing room, a moment to untangle the web of emotions that ensnared him. Confessing his secret identity as Santa was no trivial matter; it demanded careful thought, a readiness he wasn’t sure he possessed. Yet Sadie’s presence enveloped him, eclipsing all else. In her vicinity, his mind became a whirlwind of her—her smile, her laugh, the light in her eyes. She was a melody that played on a loop in his heart, leaving no room for anything else, not even the weighty decision that loomed over him.
Underneath the pale moonlight, the world transformed into a frozen wonderland. The sleigh waited nearby, two majestic reindeer harnessed and ready to guide them through the snowy landscape. As they climbed aboard, Sadie marveled at the beauty that surrounded them.
“Everything looks so different after the storm,” she mused aloud as they began their journey.
Martin nodded in agreement. “Storms have a way of changing things, don’t they?” His words hung in the air between them, laden with unspoken meaning.
The snow crunched beneath the reindeer hooves as they entered town, revealing the extent of the damage the storm had caused. Fallen branches littered the streets, shattered windows gaped open like wounds, and collapsed roofs revealed the heavy burden of the snow that now covered the town.
“Look at all that damage,” Sadie said. “I never thought the storm would be this bad.”
Martin’s features softened, his eyes focused on the destruction before them. “This is going to take a while to clean up.”
“Maybe you could use your magic touch,” she teased, nudging him playfully with her elbow.
“Magic touch?” Martin asked, hoping his voice sounded normal. “I’m simply an ordinary toymaker, remember?”
“Ordinary toymakers don’t have sleighs pulled by reindeer,” Sadie replied with a grin. “There’s something special about you, Martin Kringle.”
Martin’s cheeks flushed with warmth, both from the compliment and from the secret he still kept hidden. He longed to tell her the truth, but there existed a delicate balance between trust and secrecy.
“Maybe I’m just lucky,” he said, steering their conversation away from dangerous territory. “Or maybe there’s something special about this town that brings out the best in people.”
“Perhaps,” Sadie conceded.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I had a couple of guys from my crew come out and shovel your walkway. I figured you wouldn’t want to tackle that when you got home.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, and thank your crew. I’m sure that’s the last thing they wanted to do. Just how many people work at your toy store, anyway?”
The sleigh glided to a gentle halt outside Sadie’s cabin, now draped in a thick blanket of snow. “Here we are,” Martin announced, avoiding her last question, his breath misting in the chilly air as he helped her down from the sleigh.
“Thanks again,” Sadie said. “For everything.”
Martin heard a pang of sadness in her voice. She didn’t want their time together to end, either.
“Anything for you, Sadie,” Martin replied softly, tempted to reveal his secret then and there.
But there was no time for Martin to think because suddenly Sadie’s lips were pressing against his. The kiss was tender, lingering, and full of unspoken promises. As they pulled apart, he could still feel the ghost of her touch on his lips, a sensation he wanted to savor.
“Goodnight, Martin,” she whispered.
“Goodnight, Sadie,” he returned, his voice low and filled with emotion.
With a final smile, Sadie turned and walked toward her front door, her boots crunching in the snow. Martin watched as she fumbled with her keys, and when she turned back to wave, his heart beat so loudly he thought he might shake the snow off the roof of her cabin.
“See you soon?” she called out, warming his heart even more than the layers of his winter coat.
“Count on it,” he grinned. And with that, his decision was made.
Chapter 12
SadiehummedChristmascarolsas she approached the Snowflake Sugar Shop. The sight before her caught her off guard, and she immediately stopped humming—the sidewalk leading up to the store had been meticulously shoveled, and the doors were cleared of snow.
As she unlocked the door and entered the store, Rosie’s cheerful voice rang out behind her. “Morning, Sadie.”
