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Pandemonium ensued as Joy and Marci directed kids and their parents to line up for their turn to see Santa. What surprised him most was how quickly they got the job done. In less than a minute, the first little one was on his lap, telling him about his wish for a new pair of hockey skates. Remembering the quick lesson Joy had given him, Kian promised the boy he’d do his best, then handed him a candy cane and posed for a picture taken by the elf Joy had hired.

The boy thanked him, and Marci helped him down from the sleigh. A little girl climbed onto the sleigh and then into his lap. She smiled, tugged his beard, and nodded approvingly when it didn’t come off. He was suddenly very glad he’d agreed to beard tape to keep it from sagging.

“Looks real to me,” she said, leaning into his ear. “Mean Michael said, 'Don’t be dumb, Kyra. The real Santa wouldn’t be there because Santa doesn’t exist.’”

Kian gasped quietly, not loud enough to scare her, but he figured he’d better pretend to be surprised. “Well, since you’re sitting on my lap, it seems Michael was wrong.”

“I think you’d better check your list. His name is Michael Melland. He’s likely on the naughty one.”

Biting back a snort, Kian shook his head in disappointment. “I wonder why Michael is being mean. He’s usually such a good boy.”

Kyra put her hands on her hips. “I thought you knew every kid, Santa.”

“I do,” Kian said, his voice puzzled. All he could do was gauge Kyra’s age and pray he got it right. She looked to be in first or second grade. “Now that I think about it, there have been a few issues…” He let his voice trail off, hoping she’d fill him in.

“He’s always in trouble with Mrs. Peters,” Kyra said, shaking her head. “He doesn’t listen and he’s always asleep during story time. When we go outside to play at recess, all he does is say mean things or hog the swings without swinging. It’s getting very old,” she said again.

Was it weird that he was concerned about Michael? It seemed like there was a bigger problem here than Michael just being a bully. Then again, maybe that was because Kian remembered being that kid. He thought bullying other kids would get him the attention he lacked at home. It hadn’t worked for him, and it wasn’t working for Michael. He made a note to ask Joy to help him figure it out.

“I’ll have to look in on him,” he said, ho ho hoing. “Why don’t you tell me what you’d like for Christmas this year?”

“I just did,” Kyra answered, rather put out.

“You want me to check to see if Michael is on the naughty list?”

“No, I want you to talk to Michael so he stops being mean. Can you do that? Is that allowed?”

“Hmmm,” Kian said, buying time. He had no idea what to say, but Kyra clearly expected him to. “Seems to me that, since I know where he lives, I could send him a letter. Do you think that would work?”

“Yes!” she said, clapping. “Maybe if you send him a letter telling him to be nice or he’ll get coal for Christmas, he’ll be nice!”

“I’ll give it the old North Pole try,” Kian agreed, for lack of a better answer. “I think it’s admirable that you want to help Michael learn to be nicer and to help your classmates so he stops being mean to them. Why don’t you tell Santa what he could leave under your tree on Christmas, since you’ve been such a good girl this year?”

“I have been,” Kyra said, nodding. “My mom had surgery twice, and I always made sure she had a blanket and a book to read before I left for school. Sometimes I cried because I was afraid of leaving her.”

“That’s okay,” Kian promised. “That just means you love her. It sounds like you were a good helper. I know your mom loves that about you.”

“Maybe I would like a new bed.”

Wait, did she say bed?

“A new bed? Like a Barbie bed?”

“Just a bed,” she said with a shrug. “Since we moved into a smaller apartment, I’ve been sleeping on an air mattress in the living room. It’s okay, but I miss my own bed.”

This was not what Kian had in mind when he agreed to play Santa. He could handle Barbie dolls and hockey skates, but kids without beds? That really ate at him.

“I’ll see what I can do about that,” he answered, handing her a candy cane, which she accepted with a smile. As he posed for the picture, he noticed the girl wore a coat that was a bit too small for her and jeans that came up past her ankles. “And I’ll send that letter to Michael. I won’t tell him that Kyra Jones asked me to send it.”

Pausing as she climbed off his lap, Kyra glanced up at him. “Jones? My last name is Hale.”

Kian smacked himself on the forehead. “Of course! I was thinking of a different Kyra in Snowcap Mountain, Montana. Anyway, I won’t tell him we talked.” He laid a finger alongside his nose and winked.

When she winked back, he knew he’d covered his tracks. The next little boy was already waiting, but as he told him his wish for Christmas morning, Kian kept his gaze on Joy, who wore a questioning look as she organized the families and fielded questions. She was curious about his conversation with Kyra. He’d tell her about it, and maybe he could work his Santa magic with her, too. All he needed to do was convince her he wasn’t the same boy she remembered from high school. Once again, he wished he could come clean about her inheritance. The longer he kept it from her, the harder it would be to regain her trust once she knew.

First, he reminded himself, he had to gain her trust. That was proving as difficult as he’d expected. He wanted to show her he wasn’t the same Kian Van Adler she’d dealt with in school. That brought Michael to mind, and he wondered whether his job as Santa would extend beyond these walls and into the community. Maybe Michael Melland would end up on his lap this holiday season, and he could have a heart-to-heart with him. Suddenly, playing Santa had become more complicated than saying ho-ho-ho and handing out candy canes. He made a note to talk to Joy and get her take.

By the looks of it, he had at least another hour’s worth of kids lined up to talk to him, so he settled in for the long haul. Every time he turned and smiled for the camera, Joy’s sweet face made it hard to focus on anything but her. He couldn’t say how she’d beguiled him in such a short time, but he knew that if he wanted to continue working with her, he had to convince her he was no longer Mean Kian. That might take a Herculean effort, but he’d put in the work because Joy Brady was worth it.