Page 8 of A Candy Cane Christmas
“Exactly,” Theo said. “So I’m afraid we don’t have the time to ask Santa everything you want to know; otherwise, the coffee shop will be closed for the day before we get a chance to get your hot chocolate.”
I highly doubted that, as the coffee shop was open until nine, but Hazel gasped, her eyes going impossibly wide. “But Daddy, you promised I could have marshmallows. And whipped cream.”
“I did, yes.” He winked at me. “So maybe you need to choose the three most important questions for Santa.”
My insides went all fuzzy at the way Theo was talking to his daughter. Gone was the shy, stumbling guy I’d talked to in front of my apartment. In his stead was a young father with the patience of a saint.
Who would’ve thought patience could be equally sexy and adorable as shy mumbling?
“Hi, Theo,” I greeted him, then pulled back the velvet cord to let him and Hazel enter the now-empty line to the North Pole.
“Hi. Uh, thanks for doing this for us,” he said, gesturing at the North Pole. “I didn’t realize we’d be coming after hours. That really wasn’t necess—”
I held up a hand to stop him in his apology. “It’s no big deal,” I said, then winked at him conspiratorially. “In fact, it’s one of the perks of being so kind and inviting one of Santa’s elves over for Christmas.”
Hazel grinned at me, her brown eyes glittering in the bright lights surrounding us. “Daddy told me to always be kind. He also said I shouldn’t invite strangers over, but it was okay this one time because we’re getting to know each other and becoming friends. My friends in preschool don’t believe that I’m friends with an elf, but Daddy says he’ll take a photo of us so I can show them on Monday.”
Looking up at Theo, I raised my brows. “Is that so?”
Theo turned an adorable shade of pink. “Uhm… is that okay?”
I laughed and nodded. “Of course.” I couldn’t help but tease him a little. “But only if I get a photo with you, too.”
Hazel crinkled her nose. “Why do you want a photo with my dad?”
Mary slapped a hand in front of her mouth to stop herself from laughing. I gave her a withering look and nodded towards the entry to the North Pole to get her to check if Ben was readyfor us. Meanwhile, I smiled at Hazel. “I need a picture with your dad to prove that we’re friends, too, of course.”
Hazel pursed her lips, then shrugged. “Okay. You can take one with Daddy, too. But I want one with all three of us, too. And one with Santa.”
“That can be arranged,” I said, smiling.
It took another few minutes, in which Hazel told me all about her day, until Mary finally skipped over to us with her best elf-smile and declared that Santa was ready to meet Hazel.
“Can I have a cookie with my hot chocolate?” Hazel asked, pressing her face against the glass counter of the coffee shop.
My stomach rumbled in agreement. The selection looked amazing. Christmas cookies, cupcakes, macarons—my sweet tooth ached to try everything.
Next to me, Theo tensed for a second. Looking at him, I found his lips pressed into a thin line, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Damn.
Apparently, I wouldn’t be ordering an ungodly amount of sweet treats to share today.
Hell, if Theo said no, I wouldn’t be able to buy even a single thing for myself, would I? Eating one of those delicious peppermint chocolate cookies while Hazel wasn’t allowed to have one would be rude, wouldn’t it? Probably.
But they lookedsogood.
Giving Theo my best puppy dog eyes, I tried conveying that I needed something sweet to eat.
He rolled his eyes at me, then sighed.
“How about a compromise, Miss Hazel? Do you remember what a compromise is?”
She nodded. “If I want something and you want something else, and we meet in the middle.”
He nodded. “Right. And I want you to eat something that actually fills your stomach. It’s already dinnertime, you know. So… how about you select a cookie or a cupcake—one item—and I choose one of the grilled panini, and then we share?”
Hazel contemplated the option for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, Daddy. I want the big chocolate cookie. Mr. Elf, do you want a cookie, too?”
