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“He’s right there! Hurry! He’s gonna crash!”
Just in the nick of time, the huge doors cranked open, icy arctic air blasting us all in the faces like needles. The steam-powered conveyors had not been running since Nick left and the room had become frigid. Only then did I realize I had no shoes on.
With a wild bray, reindeer, frothing and drenched in snow and ice, rocketed into the Launch Hall. The golden sleigh listed wildly side to side as my brother, pulling back on the reins with all his might, looking like a wild yeti from the north, fought to stop his fast-as-fucking-light team. The reindeer landed with clanking thuds of evil hoofs, the bells on the harnesses frozen silent.
I expelled a breath when the entire sleigh and livery came to a halt, showering all those within ten feet with wet snow and ice crystals. Elves raced to close the doors behind him. The red alert had been turned off, and the only sound to fill the hall was that of guilty anticipation, snorting, pawing reindeer, and a jubilant yelp from Nick.
Face red from windburn, goggles frosted over and ice crystals covering his clothing, Nick jumped down, handing the reins off to the stable elves, Erik amongst them. So pumped up, Nick didn’t even notice one of the elves wore no shirt and Erik was missing a shoe.
Nick threw back his hood and raced toward me. “Did you see it, Frieda?” he cried, grabbing me and twirling me around. “I set a new record!”
I grunted as he put me back on my feet, trying not to wince because the floor felt like ice on my bare soles. “Yes, you surprised us all, Nicky.”
He didn’t acknowledge the nickname he hated. Instead, he shoved his goggles back like a headband, his blond hair sticking up in frozen wild spikes.
“It was awesome.” He talked fast, hands moving wildly. “I thought when I came around that last turn over Beijing, we weren’t gonna make it, but then we hit the jet stream, andwhoosh!” He made an excited gesture with his hand like a flying airplane. “We hit Australia, and then it was on like Donkey Kong!”
I hadn’t seen my brother this amped up on adrenaline in decades. Hells, he even hugged Donna. Flustered at the unusual lack of decorum from her boss, Donna chuckled and adjusted the glasses on her nose. I wanted to be happy for Nick, but the starts of frostbite had begun on my toes. Not to mention the axe of deep doo-doo was about to drop.
“Where are your shoes?” Nick asked when he saw me hopping about.
“Dammit, Nick,” I grumbled. “You’re two hours early. We weren’t ready for your return. We work hard all year, and this is a hectic time for us. We were all in bed.”
Well, itwasthe truth.
He looked taken aback then glanced around the room, noticing all the frantic, disheveled elves. Shame crossed his face until a telltale piece of glitter floated through the air, stirred up by the sleigh’s rambunctious arrival. His brows knit together suspiciously. “What’s going on here, Frieda?”
Blustering, I couldn’t think of a reply fast enough.
Thank the gods for Donna.
“Your welcome back party, sir,” she announced confidently before giving him an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately, one of the elves got a bit over excited and dropped the confetti too soon, and you missed it all.”
“A welcome back party for me?” Nick asked, looking as happy as—yeah, I’m gonna say it—a kid on Christmas morning.
I felt a little bad lying to him but quickly joined in Donna’s story. “Yes. We knew you were excited about your new lineage. Speculations that you would set a record tonight were high.” I heaved a believable sigh of regret. “Sorry, Nick, we wanted to celebrate with a big bang, but now it’s all ruined.”
He smiled, comforting me. “Frieda, honey, it’s the thought that counts. You should know that. And I’m touched.” He took another look around, taking in the expectant elves hanging on his next words. “I can also see all of you are burnt out. We worked hard this year and no good deed goes unrewarded. Everyone will take Boxing Day off, too, not just Christmas. No one will work at all. I want everyone to rest and enjoy themselves.”
Shoulders relaxed and murmurs of relief whispered amongst the elves. Too shell-shocked to absorb how easily Nick believed Donna’s fish story, I couldn’t even muster a smile or a thank you. All I could fathom—Nick had just granted the entire North Pole two whole days off.
Damn, we would need it just to recuperate from the party.
I noticed Pip out the corner of my eye, standing off to the side and looking as if nothing at all were the matter. He winked at me and as my brother took me by the shoulders, I hid the smile just the sight of him caused.
“Now you, young lady, are going to go straight to bed,” he told me in a fatherly way. The ice and snow covering his shoulders sprinkled my face, making me shiver. “I pushed you all too much this year.”
“Oh, don’t be too hard on yourself,” I insisted as he led me back to my chambers, leaving wet clumps of snow in his wake. Fortunately, his attention had been on my face as we passed that shit-faced reindeer and the elf still battling him at the end of a hallway, and Nick didn’t see them.
Thank, Odin!
Luckily, we had managed to get my room in order, and it appeared as if nothing wild or naughty had occurred at all when my twin opened the door and gently gestured me inside. “Now, I have to tend to my reindeer, sis. You rest and when I’m done, we’ll see what can be salvaged of my welcome home party, eh?”
I caught Donna’s eye behind him, and she gave me a weary but confident thumbs-up. The girl had made more work for herself, trying to pass off our drunken shenanigans as a chaste celebration for Nick. But she’d make it work.
She always did. I didn’t know what I would do without her.
“Sounds like a plan, Nick,” I said, stifling a genuine yawn. Those three horny elves had worn me out.
Nick gave me a quick peck on the cheek then paused, looking at me funny.
“What?” I asked.
“Were you baking cookies, sis?”
“No, why?”
He shrugged and headed back down the hall, saying casually over his shoulder, “Because you smell like chocolate and peanut butter.”
