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Scarlett finds Eve in the stables, attaching lead reins to two of the reindeer. ‘Hey. Perfect timing. I was about to take these two out for a bit of fresh air. Fancy joining me?’
Scarlett takes one of the reins, guiding the massive reindeer out the door into the snow. While still seriously intimidating, the reindeer had warmed to her, not that she’ll be rushing to tell Nick that. He was still struggling to get them onside.
‘So, how are you settling in?’ Eve asks once they’re away from the workshop. ‘It’s been hectic the last few days. I haven’t had a chance to speak to you properly.’
‘I’m surprised how settled I actually am. I mean the whole situation is so unbelievable if I stop to think about it long enough, but it feels right. It makes no sense, but it’s so right.’
Eve smiles and strokes the reindeer on the side of its face. ‘I’m glad to hear that. Nick would be gutted if you didn’t like it here. Have you made any decisions about your future?’
What a question! She feels at home here, but is she ready to leave her life behind and come here for good? ‘I honestly don’t know. I care about him, but it’s a big decision.’
‘I understand that. He does too. To be honest, I’m just glad he decided to go and see you again. He’s been unbelievably foul to live with the last year. For Santa, he can be a miserable fucker at times.’
‘I tried to get him to consider a relationship the last time, but he was dead against it.’
‘He’s wary. Did he tell you about his wife and daughter?’
Scarlett nods.
‘He blames himself for what happened to them. He’s been beating himself up for thirty-eight years. Punishing himself by fighting non stop. You’re the first person who has actually made him stop and consider himself. He cares, Scarlett. He cares about you a lot. But I think he’s being too hard on both of you.’
‘How so?’
‘Okay so he’s Santa, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a normal life. He’s been ignoring Nick for too long, just focusing on the Santa part. I think he’s scared something will happen to you, if he’s not personally looking out for you every second. He needs to be a little less control freak about you, and just enjoy being with you. If he could just relax, and stop expecting a demon, or monster to jump out and attack the workshop, he might be less inclined to want to lock you away here, so nothing can get to you.’
‘I don’t suppose you have any ideas how I get him to relax?’
Eve smirks at her. ‘Me? No. I’ve been trying for thirty-six years. The thing is, he’s not in love with me.’
Scarlett stumbles, hanging on to the rein to keep herself from landing on her ass. ‘He what?’
‘Oh come on! It’s blatantly obvious. And you love him. It’s brilliant! Really. And that will give you the critical missing piece in the Nick puzzle.’
‘What piece?’
‘Everyone else in his life works for, or with him. He can, and does, ignore what we say to him about his personal life. Too often, if you ask me. But, you’re his equal. That means our dear Santa may have finally met his match, in you.’
‘So you think it’s possible to be with him here, to have a life without interfering with his contract?’
Eve pauses as she considers that one. ‘Yes. I do. I’ve worked with that group of men for decades, and I like them all. Okay, so I would very happily slap some sense into one or two of them, but for the most part, they’re a decent bunch. But they all have one massive flaw.’
‘What’s that?’
‘They put their contracts first. And though that’s not necessarily a bad thing, there’s more to each of them than that. Personally, I think they’d all be far happier, and work together better, if they learned to juggle the two sides better.’
‘And they’re all like that?’
Eve nods. ‘Some more than others. Damon for example, is dangerously close to being controlled by his contract. Flint too, but I think that’s because of who they are contracted to be.’
‘Like Talen with Krampus?’
‘Exactly. So to answer your question, yes. I believe you can have a semi-normal relationship with Nick. In fact, I think it would be an epic shame if you both didn’t figure out a way to make this work between you.’
Scarlett ponders that, as they lead the reindeer through the trees. ‘What about you?’
‘What about me what?’ Eve asks.
‘Like you said, you’ve been working with them for decades. You probably know them better than most. Is there no one you have a particular soft spot for?’
