AllFreeNovel
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She’s got to be the new on-air talent.
One
Nathan
The crowd parts for the bobbing head that is heading toward me. When they arrive, it seems like Mikey from accounting is already taken with the new girl. He’s got her fully drawn into a conversation, and her back toward me as she steps onto the platform. Her chatty nature doesn’t stop Gavin from moving at a surprisingly quick pace.
“Santa, we’re looking over here. We need the empty glass moved. Last time I checked Ol’ Saint Nick wasn’t a lush,” Gavin snaps at me from behind the lens of his camera.
“It’s apple cider. But I’m here for whatever it takes to get me out of this costume. You can take the glass.” I tug on my beard and blink away the white hairs that stick to my eyelashes.
“We need to see winter wonderland. We need to seem don’t-you-want-to-book-this-fun-group?” Denise claps her hands. I start to consider whether Denise is part of the reason we can’t keep good people. “Nathan! Your mouth is turning down at the corners. It’s giving… Scrooge. Did I tell you to give Scrooge?”
“Hold on, I’ve got this.” Gavin approaches me with his long-lens camera too close to my face. He pulls my shoulders back and tilts my chin toward the camera. “If you move from this position, I promise that none of us are getting out of here anytime soon.”
“Is it giving, send me home now? Because that isn’t acting, it’s real,” I mutter.
Gavin ignores me and sets his sights on the new girl. “Mrs. Claus, you are looking wistfully in the opposite direction, understood? You’re thinking about puppies and snowflakes, and Christmas cookies. You’re thinking about Christmas morning.”
“Right. Presents, and mistletoe, and looking at Christmas lights.” Her soft voice chirps in front of me, and I can’t help but notice the way it turns up at the end. There’s something vaguely familiar about it.
Denise steps so close to me that I imagine we’ll have to Photoshop her out of the background of these pictures. She’s pulling at my Santa suit and moving tree branches just outside of my peripheral vision. Then I’m inhaling a white mixture of glitter and foam that she’s blowing in my direction. All the while, I’m supposed to look joyful. This is wild. I have a newfound appreciation for how much tougher it is to be the one performing in front of the camera than it is to direct from behind the scenes.
Gavin continues, his voice laced with thinly veiled sarcasm. “Good. Mrs. Claus, good. Take notes, Nathan, that’s how it’s done. We’re turning. We’re facing me. Christmas magic is real.”
Mrs. Claus’ features continue to be hidden by the giant mistletoe hung above us, the branches between us, and the onslaught of camera flashes. But her graceful movements and merry laughter at Gavin’s every request let me know that we couldn’t be more different. Even in Denise and Gavin’s chaos, she is poised and somehow adorable.
Three sharp claps have me focusing back on Gavin. “Mrs. Claus, we need you backing up toward the sleigh. You’re looking out at the reindeer.”
My eyes widen as she inches toward me. There’s a strange electricity between us, like two magnets drawn together. As she sits beside me, the sweet smell of cinnamon drifts toward me and sends a tingle whipping down my spine.
“Nathan, put your arm around her,” Gavin says.
I follow suit, and when I do, she leans into my side. I’m overwhelmed by the heat bubbling between us.
“Nathan, pull her closer. You’re the holiday’s most celebrated couple. You’ve spent the night delivering gifts and you’re finally home. She’s all you’ve ever wanted. You’re in love,” Denise shouts.
Something about the combination of Denise’s words and the sweet woman pressed into my side makes my heart rate tick up. Suddenly, I find it incredibly easy to smile. I hold the pose as Mrs. Claus leans into me, tilting her head and sending her hair cascading across me as the flashbulb fires in our direction. A few more clicks and the chaos comes to a screeching halt.
“Finally. We’ve got it. That’s it,” Gavin says, clicking back through the images in his camera. “I’ll be editing, but at least I’ve got a few I can work with.”
“What a relief. We’ve got promo pictures, people. Now we’ve just got to make sure there’s a show to promote. But that’s a problem for another day.” A slow-growing smile spreads across Denise’s face as she looks from me to Mrs. Claus and back again. “I feel good about this team. There’s something here, I can feel it. You two might be just what we need. Nathan, this could be the start of a long on-camera career. I’m feeling a co-host vibe.”
“Ha, not a chance.” I shake my head.
Although, somewhere deep in me, I admit that if it meant spending more time with Mrs. Claus, I might be able to be convinced. I take a deep breath, more nervous than I should be to introduce myself to the woman beside me.
“Nathan,” Denise says, “This is—”
Mrs. Claus turns, looking up at me for the first time, and my heart skips a beat. “Holly,” I finish Denise’s sentence for her.
Holly’s face has lost some of its childlike softness since the last time I saw her. Her skin is now pulled taut against high cheekbones. But her eyes, wide and sparkling, are exactly how I remember them, framed by a halo of dark eyelashes. Only now, she’s stunning.
“Nathan?” She blinks in surprise as I tilt my chin down and lower my white beard, exposing my squared, stubbled, jawline. Holly’s lips part ever so slightly and, “Wow, I can’t believe it.”
Holly stares up at me and the whole room goes silent. I’m overcome by a wave of nostalgia and comfort, but there’s something else, too. An inexplicable flicker of hope sparks in me, though I can’t say why. What I do know is that Holly takes my breath away. Everything around us fades into a distant hum until she is all I can see.
“So you’ve met. Wonderful.” Denise clasps her hands under her chin and it brings me back to reality.
