Page 11 of A Curvy Wonderland (A Curvy Girl Christmas #3)

11

HOLLY

E ldan marched several feet ahead of us on the sidewalk, wearing the Santa suit, including a floppy red hat, and a beard he said itched like crazy.

It was my favorite outfit I'd seen him wear–and that was saying something because I’d seen him in a Henley the other day, and everyone knew those things were to women what cookies were for Santa.

We reached the first house on our delivery route, and he stepped forward, pressing the doorbell. We could hear it sing a tune of “Jingle Bells” throughout the house.

A mom came to the door, holding a baby on her hip, and two younger kids followed behind. They couldn't have been more than five years old.

The kids stared at the four of us, and the mom smiled.

She opened the door saying, “Can I help you, Santa?”

I was about to speak, figuring Eldan wouldn’t be up for it, but he said, “Ho ho ho, we're here from the giving tree, and we have presents for Max and Greta. And little Eli too.”

The two kids poked out from behind her legs, much less shy now that presents were in the mix. But it was the mom who captured my attention. Her smile was one part surprised, one part grateful, and another relieved. Like she needed this as much as the kids did. “Really?” she asked so softly I wouldn’t have caught it if I hadn’t been watching her.

Eldan set the big red bag down from over his shoulder and pulled out three gifts carefully labeled in cursive handwriting.

He handed them to the kids, and said, “Have a very Merry Christmas.”

The kids took their presents, staring at them in wonder, and the mom cleared her throat. “What do we say to Santa and his reindeer?”

The little boy said, “Thank you,” and his sister echoed him in a raspy voice. The baby even let out a little baby babble.

“Have a great day,” I said.

The mom smiled, her eyes shining. “We definitely will now. Thank you again so much.”

As we walked back to the Polaris to drive to another house, I leaned in close to Eldan and said, “Ho ho ho?” Those were the last words I'd ever expected to come from him.

He stifled a smile and said, “I had to be in character.”

“It was really nice,” I told him, meaning it.

He turned to me, giving me a smile. A real smile. And it made my heart squeeze in an unexpected way. It was like waiting for the sun after a thousand rainy days.

“Thank you,” he said. Then he turned away and got back in the Polaris, but the day was still so much brighter having seen his smile.

We spent all morning delivering presents, and around noon, we went back to Scrooge's Diner for lunch.

Scrooge gave us a wave, which was about as close as he ever got to greeting someone as regulars, and we all took our seats. We didn't even have to order, because soon he was bringing out our regular meals.

“Wow,” Eldan said.

I was surprised too. “I know.” Maybe Scrooge was starting to thaw this Christmas too.

A few bites into my meal, my phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and answered, seeing Delilah's name on the screen. “Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” she said. “My truck broke down, and it's going to be in the shop for the rest of the afternoon. Which means I'm free for a few hours. If you're not all busy, I can come and get the girls and do something with them.”

“I'm sure they'd love that. We're at Scrooge's right now eating lunch.”

“Be there in ten,” she replied.

I hung up the phone and Tatum said, “Who was that?”

“Your mom,” I said with a smile. “She's coming to get you girls for the afternoon.”

Tatum grinned, but Lucy looked sad.

“What's wrong?” I asked her.

She stuck out a trembling bottom lip. “I wanted to be Santa's reindeer for a little while. It was almost like we're doing Momma's job.”

I hadn't even thought of it that way. “You're right, you were delivering packages just like your mommy.”

Eldan said, “What if we saved these presents for tomorrow, and we can deliver some more when you're back at it?”

Lucy seemed to perk up at that, letting the subject go and diving into her chicken strip basket.

I gave Eldan an impressed look, “You're doing well with children,” I said softly.

“Guess I'm learning from the best.”

Was that a compliment to me? I was so surprised it took me a couple seconds to smile and say, “Maybe.”

Soon, Delilah entered the diner, wearing her postal uniform. A few people greeted her as she made her way to us, and then the girls got up from the table, giving her big hugs. She sat next to them while they finished eating their food. “How did it go this morning?” she asked us.

“Great,” I said. “Those girls gave Rudolph a run for his money.”

Tatum grinned, snuggling up to her mom's side. “Eldan was a good Santa.”

I swore I saw a tinge of color in his cheeks.

Delilah dipped her head toward him. “High praise from an eight-year-old.” Then she turned to her daughters. “What do you girls think about going to catch a movie at It's A Wonderful Film? They're showing The Grinch today.”

“Ohh, that's Eldan's favorite movie,” I teased.

“Haha,” he said dryly.

Lucy said, “Can I get popcorn?”

“Of course,” Delilah answered.

Tatum added, “We should get some Milk Duds for Dad for when he gets back. Those are his favorite,” she explained to Eldan.

Delilah blinked quickly. “That's a great idea.”

The three of them left the restaurant, and then Eldan paid. He and I were left alone, walking to the Polaris. It was strange to be this close to him without the girls around.

“I guess we're done early?” I asked.

He nodded. “Any plans now that you’re off for the afternoon?”

I shrugged. I hadn't really thought about it. I worked so many hours over the holidays babysitting that I never really got a ton of time to myself. And my friends were all busy this year, so maybe I would just go home? That sounded awfully boring.

Eldan dragged his Santa boot through the snow along the sidewalk’s edge. “I have some more presents to wrap... if you want to help.”

My heart skipped a beat for some funny reason. “I’d like that.” You’d think he’d asked me on a date or something for how quickly I accepted the offer.

We got into Polaris, and I looked over at him, wondering if I had read the situation wrong before. Eldan always acted like he preferred time to himself. Inviting me felt like a big deal. I hoped it wasn’t all in my head.