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Birgit pulled out her phone and looked at the electronic calendar the Chamber of Commerce had sent out to all of its members. There were quite a few events left, but the next one, scheduled for December first, was going to be easy. It was the porch decorating contest, and they had already had theirs completed. Like the cocoa crawl, tourists and townspeople would walk through the small town, this time at night, and judge which porch was the best decorated.
“That one’s not so bad,” Frieda admitted.
“I’ll just pick up a few more things, make it a tiny bit more festive, and we’ll be good to go,” Birgit promised, tucking her phone back into her pocket.
“I should go,” she added. “I need a shower and a change of clothes.”
“No, what you need is sleep,” Frieda retorted, following Birgit out of the kitchen. “Heidi and I can handle today. Grab a shower, sure, but then try to get some rest.”
“I’m fine,” Birgit sighed, going to her quarter’s door.
“You are,” Frieda agreed, “but you’ll be better after some sleep. Seriously, B. We’ve got this.”
As if on cue, Birgit’s body finally started to feel the exhaustion she’d been ignoring, and she felt sluggish and heavy. Maybe Frieda was right, and a quick nap would be better for her and for everyone she had to interact with in the future. Even if it was just an hour, it would feel really good to close her eyes.
“Alright,” she finally agreed, opening her door. “But I want a full report on the day when I’m awake.”
ChapterSix
“Merry Christmas!”
Upon hearing a little girl’s voice, Birgit put her book down and peered over the edge of the counter. There, standing only two feet tall and wearing pigtails, was a little girl outfitted in red stockings and a Christmas elf dress. The little one looked very familiar, but Birgit couldn’t quite place who she was.
“Well, Merry Christmas to you!” Birgit replied with a smile. She looked quickly around the lobby for any sign of a parent or guardian, but like it had been when she’d picked up her book earlier that evening, it was empty.
“Are you Santa’s helpful elf?” Birgit asked, coming around the counter so she could kneel in front of her.
The little girl gave her a wide, toothy smile, and nodded.
“We’re here to give out candy canes!” the little girl exclaimed. Then she leaned in close to Birgit’s ear. “Santa’s parking his sled, but don’t worry, he’ll be in soon with his sack of goodies.”
“What a relief.” Birgit laughed, meaning it. She had enough on her plate to handle this holiday season; she didn’t need an abandoned or lost child on top of it all.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Birgit asked her.
“Alma!” the girl replied cheerily. “Alma Holstead.”
Signals sparked in Birgit’s brain as she recognized the name, and she suddenly realized who Alma was−Frank and Anita’s granddaughter. It had been a couple of days now since Chris had told her the news about “the grand affair,” but in a lot of ways, she was still trying to process the discomfort of it all. She was still trying to figure out what to do with such a secret, and now, poor Frank was going to be right in front of her.
Anxiety filled Birgit as the hotel’s double glass doors opened, and Frank walked in wearing a full Santa suit carrying a big, red sack.
“Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!” Frank bellowed, patting his big, fake belly with a white-gloved hand. “Where is my little elf?” he asked, bending at the knee as he brought his hand as a visor to his eyes. “Where did she go?”
Alma giggled emphatically and ran toward her grandfather.
“Here I am, Grandpa, here I am!” she exclaimed, jumping up into his arms.
Another bout of anxiety washed over Birgit as she slowly stood and smiled at the two of them. Poor Frank. Did he know?
“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Frank chided through his big, white, fake beard. “It’s Santa, remember?”
Alma giggled again and wrapped her tiny arms around Frank’s neck in a tight hug.
“Sorry, Santa,” she said through her giggles.
With one arm, Frank scooped up Alma and the two of them walked over to Birgit.
“Merry Christmas, Miss Strauss,” Frank greeted her in a very Santa-like voice.
