Page 36 of Santa of the Creek

Curtis glowers at me. “What happened to you?”

“Taken down by a small hairy mutt when I was Santa.”

“At the old codgers place?” Curtis gives a nod. “I heard about that.”

“Don’t let Hebe hear you call it that,” Dean warns.

Curtis shrugs. “She’s called it worse.”

“Hebe’s my aunt,” I say, before he says anything else.

“You’re Echo? Randy’s new guy?”

“I am.”

“He says good things about you. That doesn’t happen often.”

“Echo is supposed to be resting his ankle, but he’s as stubborn as you,” Dean says.

“Nothing wrong with that.” Curtis actually grins at me. “Come over here, kid. I need someone else to talk to.”

“Not for long,” Dean says. “I’ve got plans for Echo.”

I stare at him over my shoulder, and he blushes, suddenly realizing what he said.

Curtis snorts. “You finally found yourself a fella, Dean? ‘Bout time.”

“If I see Honey Sweeting gossiping about us in the Chronicle, I won’t be happy,” Dean warns.

Who the heck is Honey Sweeting?

“Kid, you think it’s a secret? The whole town knows.”

I reach back to take Dean’s hand. “Then no one needs to talk about it. Do they?” I fix him with a stare.

Curtis blinks, then turns to Dean. “He’s a keeper. Don’t screw it up.”

Dean squeezes my hand. “I know that.”

Chapter Eight

December 7th

Dean

I’m asleep, dreaming something weird about cheese, when I feel a kiss pressed to my forehead. After a week, I know it’s Echo by my side. Isn’t that weird? We’ve been together a hot minute, yet I expect him to be there.

I hum at the feel of Echo’s warm lips, then freeze as I hear his next words.

“No, I can’t tell him that.” That’s definitely Echo and he’s annoyed about something.

He brushes my lips with his mouth so I’m assuming he’s not annoyed with me.

“Boss, he’s taken care of me and done your role as Santa. I can’t ask him to do another one. Why can’t you do it?”

I wait, because I know I’m not going to like Randy’s answer.

“You can’t blame me or the suit for getting out of it,” Echo says heatedly, then he sighs. “Yeah, yeah, I understand. I’ll ask him but I’m not promising anything. No, I’m not flashing my naked butt at him to make him agree. Ew, that’s gross.”