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Chapter 25
Paige
My heart felt happy and it hurt at the same time. I was so happy for little Anna, but it also brought back all the pain and sadness of my youth. The rest of the day was busy, which helped me snap out of the gloomy mood I was in. I sent a text to the mystery man.
“I know you’re a man, but I don’t remember a wife or girlfriend ever looking through my contents.”
“That’s a funny way of asking if I’m married or have a girlfriend. You’re definitely a girl.”
“Yeah, you got it right, and you didn’t answer! lol.”
“I’m not married, nor do I have a girlfriend. What about you?”
“I’m not married, nor do I have a girlfriend either. lol”
“Now who is avoiding answering?”
“I did answer. How’s the party planning going?”
“Thanks to you, it’s going great. Any other ideas?”
“Have each guest bring a gift for kids. There are a lot of homeless, foster, and orphaned kids.”
“Another good idea. You should be a party planner, once you’re done being a phone, that is.”
“It’s an idea. Now it’s my turn. I have to go work. Catch you later.”
I looked over to the workshop and could see the line had built up while I was on a break in the food court. I walked to the bathroom and slipped on another wig color, then hurried out. Brad waved me over to let me know he was leaving me food again. I was beginning to think he had a little crush on me. Sherry was about to leave, so I tossed my purse behind the counter and took her place.
“Is everyone having a good time today?” I called out to the line of people. “Alright, you guys are up next.”
Santa Aaron was really good with the kids, so the line went down pretty quickly. I could hear groups of people singing Christmas songs. It made the whole mall feel like Christmas. I wanted to go sing, too. I made the decision to make Kim go sing with me on one of our breaks. I was having fun texting with the mystery man.
Maybe I should look into what it would take to be a party planner. I wonder if the party he’s having is for family or a work party?
The line stayed pretty steady. I never got a chance to sit down or check for texts. My stomach growled while I was cleaning up the area after closing, and Aaron laughed at me.
“I’m starving, too. Time went by so fast tonight. I liked it way better than having nothing to do.” Aaron pulled off his Santa hat and beard. “I think it’s going to get crazy busy for the next few weeks with all the stuff the new owners are doing to bring people into the mall.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing the fireplace on and I’m gonna go to movie night.” I turned off the snow machine. “You should bring your girlfriend.”
“What movie are they playing?” Aaron asked. “Wait, I wonder if the mall will want us to be open during it?”
“I don’t think so. The mall will be closed.” I thought about it. “You know what? You might be right. What a good way to encourage people to come.”
“I could use the extra hours, so it’s alright with me.” Aaron handed me the camera to lock up. “That’s everything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Santa.” I smiled and waved.
I hurried over to the food court to see if the burger place had closed so I could get the food from Brad. It hadn’t, so I went back to the workshop and grabbed my purse. I walked to Kim to tell her the idea of going caroling one day on break. Kim was in a hurry to leave tonight, so I wandered back over to the food court. Brad waved me over.
“Sorry, my boss was still here,” Brad grinned. “I didn’t want him to see me give it to you.”
“Oh no, are you not supposed to?” I worried. “I thought it was leftover food that gets tossed out.”
“It is, but that doesn’t mean I want him to see what I really do with it,” Brad grinned again. “It’s all good. Don’t worry about it. I left a cup out for you so you can get your hot chocolate.”
“Brad, your girlfriend is very lucky,” I smiled back at him. “You should bring her to movie night.”
