Page 61 of Clause & Effect
“Perfect!” St. Nick couldn’t look happier. “I’ll have breakfast ready for you in the morning.”
Stetson stands up pushes his chair back from the table. He looks over at me with an indecipherable look on his face.
“Ready Charlie?” He asks me.
Suddenly, everything feels more serious, like there’s a weird tension in the air and I don’t understand why.
“Sure,” I say but look at the mess on the table. “Shouldn’t we help your dad clean up?”
Stetson finally smiles.
“He’s got this,” he tells me and looks over at his father.
I wonder what other superpowers he has that I’m about to be introduced to.
“Have a wonderful time, Charlie,” his dad says with a sweet smile. “You’re going to just love the aurora borealis here. There’s nothing like the light show… it’s another piece of Christmas magic.”
“I can’t wait to see,” I smile back at him and don’t understand why I want to throw myself in his arms and again and hug the shit out of him.
“Okay, big guy,” Stetson says breaking the moment. “Don’t wait up for us.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Well, I’m really on Santa’s famous sleigh.
Honest to God.
And the reindeer line up is as follows… Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Is the song playing through your head yet? Haha, a person could go insane repeating this over and over again and yet here I am. I repeat it again and then…
The most famous reindeer of all…
Rudolph!
Sans red nose, but still a little different than the rest.
I tilt my head. Hmmm. There’s something special about him that I can’t quite put my finger on. Is it his fur? No, no, it looks similar to the others. His mannerisms match as well, maybe it’s just my imagination? Maybe it’s all the food, sexual tension, cocoa, or the very surreal experience of being on the sleigh. Stetson had a few of Santa’s helpers get us ready for a sleigh ride that I was told I’ve never experienced in my life before. Unmatched. Incredible. Better than the best ride of your life—I’ll leave my other comparison out of it— and finally magical. I was promised magical damn it, who wouldn’t be pumped?
We have thick, furry, cozy blankets covering us, keeping us warm from the cold frost and red thermals with spiked hot cocoa for our journey. I can already anticipate the buzz of whiskey as it hits my stomach, and I haven’t even had a sip yet. They even gave us some Christmas treats—as if I can fit one more bite in my body.
Stetson sure has no problem eating away though like his life depends on it.
He’s already had one of the small cakes and I can see him eying the other one with sprinkles. He shoots me a wicked grin as if to say he wishes the sprinkles were on me instead. I feel myself blush.
And strangely, he’s been suspiciously quiet since the meal with his dad. He looks over at me and pulls the reins to the ginormous, intricate sleigh.
“Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I tell him the truth.
“Let’s do it,” he says with the sexy smile I’m coming to adore so much that I find myself searching for it even when I’m sitting right next to him. The man is a threat to my heart.
The sleigh takes off and it’s as surreal as it sounds. I look up at the gorgeous sky. It’s like the whole world is glowing with a soft blue-purple light. Shimmering neon green is spread across the sky, rippling with waves as the aurora moves like heaven whispering down on us. It’s truly the most spectacular sky I’ve ever encountered. I wish I could freeze the moment, him next to me, the sky above us, everything about it is surreal—perfect.
The sleigh glides across the snow, cutting a silver path through the moonlight. Ahead, a forest rises—each tree dusted in frost and shimmering as if brushed by a touch of Christmas magic. I look over at Stetson in awe.
“This is the most magical view I’ve ever seen,” I say on an exhale taking it all in. “It’s unreal.”
“It is,” he agrees and looks up, his eyes bright. “It always hits me in a different way when I come back here.”
