Page 54 of Run, Run Rudolph (Fairy Godmothers and Other Fiascos #2)

I leaned against the door, feeling unsettled by her word choice. “Sadly, my fairy godmother’s cut me off.”

My mom laughed again before growing more serious as she pulled into her mother’s driveway. “Well, I hope that you find love, and that everything works out well for you. That’s my Christmas wish for you.”

Christmas Eve brunch was the same as it was every year.

Oma had made pancakes, sausages, eggs, and a mother’s helper casserole, which went in the oven and had eggs and bread.

It was a recipe she promised she’d pass down to me when the time was right.

I assumed that meant when I had a family of my own.

Although, my mom was still waiting for her turn at the hostess reins, so maybe it was a promise as empty as my heart.

“Plug in the tree, dear,” Oma commanded. “I’ll check on the casserole.” She took in my lacklustre enthusiasm and added, “I made your special dessert.” She patted my cheek.

“Thanks, Oma.”

I did as she asked, and plugged in the tree in her living room, lighting up its giant multi-coloured bulbs that had been popular sometime in the seventies or eighties.

My phone buzzed with a text, and my heart leapt. Haden? Was he starting to remember last night?

No, it was Char. I was way behind on the GAL PAL chat, having not checked in since sometime in the night.

Honestly, I’d been too afraid to check the chat this morning, worried that Estelle had erased their memories, too, and that I’d be all alone with the truth about Christmas and how close it had come to disaster.

Estelle had said Christmas was a go, but was Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s relationship fixed, too? What if Christmas was still on the line, but for other reasons?

Char was texting me directly.

Char

Are the skies clear?

Me

Yeah. Blizzard’s over. Another on the way, though.

Char

Did our mutual friend help you out?

Too late, I realized she was talking about Estelle and my Christmas problem, and not the weather. I had a whole lot of explaining to do to get her caught up, so I dialled her number.

“Yo!” She sounded happy and sleepy.

“How’s Mexico?”

“Fabulous.” There was a lift in her voice, and I could tell she was in love. “Tell me about Haden and last night.”

“You remember last night?” I confirmed. “Everything? Rudolph and all that?”

“I wasn’t that drunk!” she protested. “It was two drinks over three hours, Tam-Tam.”

“Just checking!”

I climbed the old wooden steps to the house’s second floor, where the bedrooms were located. The steps creaked as I went, the dry winter air making them extra vocal.

“Haden and I kissed last night.”

“Right, and…? How are things this morning? Did he stay over?”

I heaved a sigh. “No…”

“Oh, no. What happened?”

“Things were going well. And then we…” I checked the hallway and whispered, “We got summoned.”

“Summoned? By who? To where?”

“The magical courts.”

“It’s real?”

“Very.”

“Dang. Then what?”

“I’m pretty sure I used up all of your last credits last night.”

“That’s fine.”

“Brunch in five!” hollered my mom. “Tamara? Where are you?”

“Up here!” I called before saying into the phone, “Mrs. Claus was going to?—”

“Mrs. Claus?”

I realized just how out of the loop my friend was with everything that had happened last night while she’d been sleeping.

I quickly gave her an overview of the entire night, starting with hitting Rudolph, which she knew about, to Hugo, Santa, and my feelings for Haden, which I’d felt were being returned. Then on to being in court, and waking up this morning with everybody else’s memories erased.

“No,” Char breathed. “Tam, this is awful. I’m so sorry.” The sorrow in her voice brought tears to my eyes.

I lowered my voice. “And things feel different.”

“Different how?”

“My mom said Kade wasn’t the man for me.”

Char gasped. “What? No way!”

“Yeah.” Man, I missed my bestie. It felt good talking to someone who knew my life, my history and all the nuances, so when one thing fell out of alignment, she immediately understood the deeper impact. “She actually suggested that Haden would be a good match for me.”

“What? No ! For real?”

“I swear I’ve pinched myself so many times that my arm is bruised.” I could feel the dinner bell clock countdown happening downstairs. I needed a solution to my Haden issue. “What do I do?”

“There’s no way we can recreate last night for Haden,” Char said in a tone that was thoughtful. “But maybe there’s a way we can jog his memory, or start over or something. Did you ask Estelle about wishing his memories back?”

“I’ve been banned.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. You mentioned that. That’s super unfair. You basically saved Christmas.”

“Clearly, Mrs. Claus doesn’t see it that way.”

“Time to eat!” my mother hollered up the stairs.

That was only two minutes, not five!

“Just a minute!”

“Who are you talking to?” she called.

“Char.”

“Tell her I hope she’s having a good Christmas, even though it won’t be a white one down there in Mexico. And be sure to tell her to be careful about the cartels. And?—”

“Okay! Thanks, Mom!” I lowered my voice to relay the Merry Christmas bit to Char, “She also says?—”

“I heard her. Tell her Merry Christmas, and that I’m too heavy for the cartels to kidnap.”

I snorted and called down to Mom. “She says ditto, and thanks!”

My mom muttered something about me being a horrible messenger, then added firmly, “Time to eat. Now, Tamara.”

“Sorry, I gotta go,” I told Char. “Text me if you figure out a loophole to get Haden’s memories back.”

“I’ll ask Josie. She might know a way.”

“Tamara Rose!” my mom hollered.

“I’m coming!”

“Go eat your brunch before your mom turns into an ogre.”

We giggled and ended the call, my heart filled with gratitude that at least Char still remembered last night, and was willing to try to help me find a way to make Haden remember, too.

I hustled downstairs to find Mom and Dad bickering over where everyone was going to sit, even though it was just the four of us.

In the end, we all sat in the living room, as always, because Oma made up a plate and went straight to her favourite armchair.

Some things were irrefutable, immovable traditions that could never be changed. Thankfully.

We were just finishing the meal when the doorbell rang. I snapped to my feet, a feeling in my gut telling me that someone was here to see me.

“I’ll get it!”

I flung open the front door, sending Oma’s pine bough wreath flying from its hook. It rolled off the front step, and into the fresh snowdrifts lining the sidewalk.

“Merry Christmas Eve,” Haden said, stooping to collect the wreath for me. Moving a gift bag in his left hand, he hung the wreath on its brass hook behind me as clouds of warm air escaped the house.

“Haden,” I said, my voice embarrassingly breathless. “Merry—hi. What are you doing here?”

Was he here to kiss me? Sweep me into his arms, and tell me he remembered everything?

He looked tired, and like he’d been up all night with me.

He hadn’t shaved yet, and his black toque was pulled down over his forehead, making his guarded eyes look even more closed than usual.

In such a short time, I’d become accustomed to being able to see deep into his soul, the way I had last night.

Seeing those familiar shuttered eyes made me miss him all the more.

I felt my heart drop its hope like a heavy burden, landing in my gut. Would I ever be able to see into his soul again? Would I be allowed past the barriers and gates that kept most people at bay?

He was one step lower than I was. Oma’s front step was only really big enough for one unless you wanted to stand toe-to-toe with your visitor. Which I kind of did—but in a friendly way.

Haden shifted uneasily, his eyes searching mine. He looked a little lost, and I wondered what Mrs. Claus had done to him when she’d sent him back to our world. I hoped she hadn’t scrambled that impressive brain of his.

“So Rudolph comes tonight, huh? I mean, Santa,” he said, his tone slightly gruff and uncertain. He scratched his brow and winced, as though cringing at himself.

It felt like there was a whisper of a memory begging to be recalled. Why else would he mention Rudolph and Santa? Sensing that it was a place to start, I scrambled to figure out where I could place my crowbar in order to open him up.

“Close the door!” my dad bellowed. “Heat ain’t free!”

I was starting to shiver in the cold anyway, so I stepped back into the house, waving Haden inside. “Come in,” I said, rubbing my arms.

His smile was shy. “I like your Christmas sweater. Same as your Oma’s?”

I nodded and gestured to the gift bag he was holding. “What have you got there?”

“Oh, yeah. I saw this.” He looked at the bag doubtfully, but didn’t offer it to me.

“Yeah?”

“I was helping Justin at the store this morning. Last-minute shoppers. And…” He stopped talking, fiddling with the bag’s handles. His cheeks had turned an endearing pink, and he looked like he wanted to run.

“That’s nice of you to help him. I thought maybe you’d be busy with emergencies.”

“Yeah, no. It’s been strangely quiet today.

” He pulled his phone from his back pocket, waving it at me as if I’d get the reference he was making—that the single ladies of Eagle Ridge were too busy with family commitments to make up any animal emergencies for the town’s most-eligible bachelor.

He frowned at his phone and put it back in his pocket.

“The HAGs are busy, eh?”

“Guess so.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in the most adorable, sheepish way.

Wait! He remembered what I called his fan group? Or was he just playing along, like he was following my form of crazy?

My breath caught in anticipation as he leaned back on his heels, his chest expanding as though bolstering himself. “So, yeah.” He handed me the bag. “For you. I think my brother has something for you, too, but he’s out having coffee with Jannifer.”

“He is? Wow. That’s great.” What other little extras had Estelle slipped into last night’s wish?