Page 5 of Holiday Wishes and Tentacle Dreams

Dear Santa?—

Jake’s eyes blurred with sudden tears. His grandma and Santa Claus were the only two people who’d always been there for him his whole life.

I know Christmas isn’t for five weeks, but maybe you could deliver my present early this year.

He stopped and stared at what he’d written. What exactly was he going to ask for? What could possibly fix the situation he was in right now?

One step at a time.

I need a place to stay. I have to sublet my apartment, and I don’t have any money for a security deposit and broker’s fee anywhere else. My credit’s shot. So maybe you could come up with a solution? That would be the best gift in the whole world.

Jake was working hard not to feel embarrassed, but his neck warmed as he wrote. This was ridiculous. Santa was real, Jake believed that, but he was an idea. He couldn’t magic some gifts into your house. Yet here Jake was, sending off his Christmas wish in a letter, like a hopeful child asking for the newest gaming system his parents couldn’t afford.

And yet, what did he have to lose? Before questioning himself further, he jotted down another line.

I’d also like a boyfriend who would love me unconditionally. I know that’s a lot to ask, but?—

What was wrong with him? Not only was this ridiculous, but Jake was in no state to have a boyfriend. He might never be. He didn’t need another person to disappoint.

Scratching out the line, he scribbled until the words disappeared under a black bar. He was about to fold up the paper when an idea hit him.

And if you could get my grandmother some nice earrings, that would be great. She’s always complaining that she doesn’t have good jewelry for when she goes on dates.

He didn’t like to think of his grandma dating, but there wasn’t a person alive who could get in her way when she’d decided on something. And evidently, his seventy-year-old grandma had decided on getting a man.

Jake shuddered a little at the thought, then quickly shook it off. His grandmother was a grown woman. She’d raised two generations of kids, and she deserved to be happy.

He needed to wrap this up.

Thanks for always being there for me.

Love,

Jake

It was done. As he folded the letter into three, Miranda Priestly hopped up onto the counter and put both of her front paws on the piece of paper.

He shooed her off and stuffed the note back into his backpack. He’d take it to the post office tomorrow. Seeing the kitten’s intense glare, he bent over and pulled out the big bag of dry food from the cupboard. The cat’s metal bowl clanged as the pellets hit the bottom.

“Here you go, Miranda Priestly. It’s just you and me now.”

Chapter Two

DOREN

“One large peppermint latte for…Doren?”

Doren smiled wide as the barista said their name, no matter how unsure he sounded. This was the best day ever!

The barista’s eyebrows furrowed as Doren stepped forward to retrieve their drink. The man had the face and body of a typical human male in his twenties, with curly brown hair that came down to his shoulders. Doren understood, on some level, that this one was handsome as far as humans went, but he usually couldn’t tell them apart. Luckily, the barista had a nametag on.

“Thank you, Mr. Rex.”

Rex frowned for a moment before asking a question. “Is this the third peppermint latte you’ve had this morning?”

“It is!” Doren replied, winking and bouncing a little on their heels. A woman sitting at a nearby table stopped typing on her laptop to give them a withering look, but Doren didn’t care. “This is my favorite day of the year.”

Confusion flashed across Rex’s face. He moved back to the espresso machine, starting the next drink but continuing the conversation.