Page 5 of Santas' Elf
I nodded. “Benny. I’m your photographer.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said, stepping out and adjusting his belt. “Benny’s a good name for an elf. Sounds fun. Last year I had a hell of a time convincing kids to smile for Samuel on the days Rosa wasn’t there. They only got good at it when I started calling him Sammy.”
I winced. “I bet he hated that. If looks could kill…” I shook my head. “I accidentally called him Sam once and he was almost apoplectic.”
Pete burst into laughter. “I was not his favorite person, that’s for sure. But it’s not about him or me. It’s about making the kids happy.”
I grinned. “I’ll do my best. I think that’s why Bob put me on elf duty. I can usually get the kids to settle for photos.”
One of his white eyebrows went up. “Did Rosa quit?”
I shook my head. “She’s heavily pregnant. The long days on her feet would be far too much.”
“Oh!” he said. “I’ll have to send flowers or something for her.”
I grinned. “She’d probably love you forever if you sent over some of those spicy pickles from that cart in the food court instead. She can’t get enough of them, even though they give her heartburn after a few minutes.”
He laughed again, and part of me loved the sound. I hoped that was the way he’d laugh with the kids.
“Spicy pickles it is.” He looked around. “I guess everybody else is waiting until the last minute to arrive. They’ll be rushed to get into costume.”
“Should we head out?”
“I can’t.” He shook his head. “Not until everybody is ready. An elf at the check-in table is one thing. If I go out there before they’re dressed, we’ll be mobbed by impatient parents.”
“Don’t you mean kids?”
Another of his rich laughs. “No. Kids are fine. They’re excited. Some parents view the Santa visit as a chore though, and they want to get it over with.”
“Get it over with… in November?
He nodded. “The ones coming this early want the pics to send with Christmas cards. Pro-tip: don’t let them try to talk you into extra poses. Many will try, and it bogs everything down. WhatRosa used to do was get one photo of every child telling me what they wanted as a quote-unquote bonus option, and one posed. Go ahead and take the photos, even if they didn’t pre-purchase a photo package. They only sell after about a third of the time, but it’s well worth it. Better to have to delete files from the memory card, than have a parent disappointed that their plan to take their own photos resulted in bad or blurry pics.”
“Ok.”
There was a commotion in the hall, then the temps that Bob had hired strolled in as a group—none of them in costume.
Pete gave me a knowing look and winked when the group saw there was only one changing room and started arguing about who would go first. Then he leaned back and called over his shoulder. “Figure it out, we’ve gotta be out there in fifteen minutes. Can’t leave the kids hanging.”
I stifled a laugh as he turned back to me and grinned. I was going to enjoy working with him.
Chapter 5 - Pete
Iwas the good kind of exhausted that I only felt after a long day of doing what I loved.
It had been an amazing start to the season. Benny and I had quickly developed a rapport, which made the day seem to fly by. He was able to calm the kids I couldn’t, and we didn’t have a single complaint about little ones crying in photos.
Even the temps seemed to get into the groove. After only a couple of hours, we’d been running like a well-oiled machine. One person worked the line, answering questions and talking up the photo packages. Another took payments. A third guided the kids to me. The fourth reviewed photos and sold the upsells.
If the rest of the season ran even half that well, I’d be thrilled.
I walked through the front door, and the aroma of spaghetti greeted me. I grinned, walked into the kitchen, and wrapped my arms around Warren’s waist from behind as he stood at the stove.
He let out a happy noise, set the spoon aside, and turned in my arms. We shared a lingering kiss.
“Welcome home,” Warren murmured against my lips. “How was the first day?”
I smiled. “It was amazing.”