Welcome to Christmas, Texas: A Christmas Network Novel

by Katie Graykowski

He watched her lean over the counter and cut out more cookies. “I’ve never understood why you don’t just snap your fingers to make the Christmas cookies.”

  One snap of her fingers and the cookies would have appeared all cooked and on a tray.

  “Why do you insist on being Sheriff in a town with absolutely no crime?” She continued to cut out holly leaves.

  “I like it. It makes me feel useful.” He was also Vice President of Productivity at SC Industries. His parents had insisted that he get an MBA from Texas A&M, which he didn’t use, but, all in all, he’d liked Texas A&M and learning about the outside world firsthand.

  And then there was Lana.

  Wait a minute, had his parents sent him off to school so he could meet Lana?

  “Exactly. This makes me feel useful.” She glanced down at the cookie dough. “The Spirit of Christmas magic is a lot like technology, if you rely on it to do all of the work, you lose skills. Besides, if I snapped these into being, they would be uniform and perfect. I think the imperfection is what makes life interesting.”

  She had a point. He sat across from her and picked up the angel cookie cutter and cut out cookies.

  “You could have backed me up on her staying with me.” Clearly, he didn’t understand women of all ages.

  “This isn’t about you. She’s a lovely girl with a kind soul who’s still hurting from the loss of her father. She needs to find her way back to Christmas before she can find her way to you.” She picked up the reindeer cutter and cut them out of cookie dough.

  “So, putting her in a room with wall-to-ceiling boxes of broken Christmas decorations is your plan?” Maybe it was like fear immersion therapy where a germaphobe is forced to touch the inside of a dirty trash can.

  “Not all of the decorations are broken.” His mother smiled to herself. “I’m sure she’ll find what she needs.”

  “Okay.” He wasn’t sure what that meant. He wanted to make things right with Lana, but he wasn’t sure how. “Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?”

  “Of course, you’re a man. You’re designed to mess up. Women have been forgiving men since Adam called Eve fat and forced her onto a diet of only forbidden apples. Where Lana’s concerned this won’t be the last or even biggest mistake you’ll make involving her.” His mother reached across the table and patted his hand. “Besides, if she doesn’t or can’t forgive you, you don’t want to spend the rest of your life with someone like that.” She shook her head. “Lana has too big of a heart to not forgive you.”

  “I hope.” Lana was always kind, but he wanted more than just kindness from her.

  His mother sat back and picked up the reindeer cutter again to continue cutting out cookies.

  “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice that you didn’t answer my question on why you didn’t tell her the truth.” She eyed him over the top of her reading glasses.

  “I was hoping.” He laughed. “But you never miss a thing.”

  “I’m a mom, that’s part of my job.” After she ran out of room to cut more cookies out of that batch of dough, she grabbed the spatula thingy and slid it under the individual cookies. Carefully, she laid them on the baking sheet.

  “It’s hard to bring up in conversation. You had it easy, Dad didn’t have to tell you he was Santa because you were there when he became Santa Claus.” Both his parents had known what they were getting into. “How do I explain that because St. Nicholas bestowed the Christmas spirit onto my father, he became the very first Santa or at the time, Sinterklaas, back in the old country. And, that the world has it wrong, Santa not only exists, but he’s not the only one. Every country that has a Christmas legend also has their own version of Santa Claus. And guess what? My father is in charge of all of them because he heads up the Christmas Network.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Oh, and if we want to be together, you’re going to have to move here and stay forever.”

  “I haven’t been out in the world in a very long time. But I don’t think it’s changed that much. People are people no matter the timeline. True love is rare, and you have to hold onto it with both hands. If she’s the one, she’ll always be at your side.” His mother was so sure.

  He wished that he could be that sure.

  “But I’m asking her to give up her life?” It was a lot to ask of anyone.

  “What about the new life you’ll start together? Change can be good. What if she’s not happy in her life now? Instead of thinking only of what you want or what you think she’ll want, try to get to know her again. I think you’ll find that she’s ready for a change.” His mother continued to slide cookies onto the baking sheet. “What makes you think she won’t be happy here? You make it sound like living here forever is a bad thing. There are up-sides to Christmas, Texas. Everyone’s happy, the only thing we worry about is making toys, we live forever, and we stop aging the day we said yes to the life. If all of the reality TV I watch is anywhere close to actual reality, the stop aging benefit is a big plus.”

  He thought about it, and he knew she was right, but there were other concerns. “What if she wants to have children?”

  His mother’s shoulders slumped. “You know the rules. We can’t have children. The workers yes, but not us. We were lucky enough to have had you and your brother when St. Nicholas came to us.” All of a sudden, she looked tired, and her cheeks were just a little less rosy. “I would have liked to have had some grandchildren. But we gave that up for a greater cause.”

  Centuries ago, they’d voted. He hadn’t regretted that decision—until he’d met Lana. “I know.”

  She put her arm around him and pulled him into a half hug. “Our situation is unique, and I understand your pain, but your mind overruled your heart the day you left her. Now, it’s time to lead with your heart. Instead of deciding for her, let her decide. It’s her decision to make. I know you thought you were doing what’s best for her, but that’s not up to you. It’s time for you to trust her and let her decide her own happiness.”

  “I shouldn’t have left her.” Back then he’d justified his leaving by telling himself that he hadn’t wanted to put her in an impossible position. Deep down, he’d known that she wouldn’t have chosen him. He was still afraid she wouldn’t choose him.

  “I’m not the one who needs to hear that.” His mother scooped the last cookie onto the cookie sheet and then snapped her fingers. The cookie sheet disappeared.

  “Didn’t you just say that using magic takes something away from the person?” He grinned.

  “I said it does if you do it all of the time. I’m tired, and that fridge is a long walk. Snapping my fingers every once and in a while is fine.” She winked and snapped her fingers again. All of the dirty dishes disappeared. “That one didn’t count. What good is having magic if you can’t use it to do the things you don’t like doing?”

  “So, um … ” He cleared his throat. He wanted to know the truth, but then again, he didn’t want to know, “Did you and dad bring Lana here on purpose?”

  “It has been your Christmas wish since you left her.” His mother looked him directly in the eye.

  “How did you know?” He’d never told his parents.

  His mother shot him an are-you-serious-look. “I’m Santa Claus’s wife. Who do you think goes over the Christmas Wish List?”

  He’d forgotten about that. “Right.”

  “I know that it’s an invasion of your privacy, but I am the Christmas wish lady.” She grinned from ear-to-ear. “If it’s any consolation, Chris’s Christmas wishes are really interesting.”

  “Like what?” His brother was really interesting.

  “Not telling. Christmas wishes are private.” She winked.

  “Yeah, private unless you’re me.” He grumbled. “How many people know about Lana?”

  “Pretty much everyone.” She looked at him over the top of her reading glasses. “And not because I told them. You were inconsolable when you came back. It wasn’t hard to guess what you’re Christmas wish would be
.”

  Was he really that transparent?

  “Yes, you’re almost invisible you’re so transparent.” His mother smiled.

  How embarrassing. He thought about it. Did he really care about what everyone thought? Not really. He was in love, and he was lucky enough to have found it.

  “Is Dad almost finished with the preparations for Christmas Eve?” He wanted Lana to meet his father. Maybe after she did, he’d tell her the truth. Or she’d come to the conclusion on her own. Yes, that would be perfect. She should discover who his family was all by herself.

  His mother shook her head. “Is he ever ready this far in advance? The man thrives on procrastination. Then again, making or collecting toys, and then wrapping them for all of North America is time-consuming. Still, I’m pulling him away from the factory tomorrow so that he can meet Lana. If he had the gift of time manipulation, we’d still be working on the first Christmas.” She shook her head. “Sometimes that man drives me crazy.”

  He laughed. His parents had been married forever and still loved each other.

  “Thanks for pulling him away from the factory. I know he’s super busy. I’m going to help out tomorrow after I make my rounds.” He’d never thought he’d see the day that Lana would meet his father. “I think she’s going to love Dad.”

  “Of course, she will. Who doesn’t love Santa Claus? It’s like not loving puppies or chocolate or warm Christmas cookies.” His mother smiled. “They’re going to get along just fine.”

  This was stupid and he hated to ask, but he wanted everyone in his family to put their best foot forward. “Could you ask Dad to wear pants?”

  His mother arched an eyebrow. “You know how he feels about pants. He only wears them one night a year to deliver presents.”

  “But it’s forty degrees outside. No one wears board shorts in the winter especially with a Hawaiian shirt with little Santa Clauses surfing all over it. Isn’t he cold?” If it weren’t for his mother, Nick’s father would have never thought of the red suit.

  “Do you remember what the North Pole was like? Even in summer, forty was a heatwave.” His mother waved it off. “Let him wear what he wants. Pants or no pants, Lana’s going to like him.”

  The kitchen door swung open, and his brother stepped into the kitchen. He grinned at Nick. “So, what are you going to do to get Lana back?”

  “On that note, I’m going to bed.” His mother stood and stretched. “Since it’s nearly three in the morning and all of us need a good night’s sleep, I’m halting time for the town for six hours. Lana needs a good night’s sleep.” She snapped her fingers and yawned. “Sweet dreams.” She snapped her fingers again and disappeared.

  Chris folded his arms and watched his brother. “So, Lana’s nice.”

  “Yes.” Chris had the devilish glint to his eyes that always ended in trouble … usually for Nick and not his brother.

  “What’s your plan?” He sat across from Nick.

  Nick shook his head. “Still working on one.”

  “That’s code for you-don’t-have-one.” Chris propped his elbows on the stainless-steel table in front of him. “Need some help?”

  Chris always meant to be helpful, but it never worked out. In fact, he seemed to be the opposite of help.

  “No, I need to do this on my own.” His brother was right, he didn’t have a clue.

  “Mom and Dad finally granted your Christmas wish?” Chris laced his fingers out in front of him. “I’m still waiting on mine.”

  If Chris knew, it was a guarantee that everyone in town knew. He could gossip with the best of them.

  The embarrassment was starting to wear off. “According to Mom, everyone knows. She claims she didn’t tell them.”

  “Come on, really?” Chris arched an eyebrow just as their mother had. “No one has ever been so mopey at least not outside of a 1980’s John Hughes movie.”

  “I was NOT mopey.” He might have been a little down or okay, a lot, but he’d hidden it well. He wasn’t always as upbeat as Chris, but no one was ever as upbeat as Chris. It was the one thing about Chris that Nick both envied and hated.

  “You’re still mopey.” He looked down his nose at his brother as his voice became whiny. “Remember when you used to be fun? I do. Now, you’re all ‘I wonder what Lana’s doing’ and ‘if only I’d told her the truth’. It’s irritating. Suck it up already and go get the girl. I’m tired of hearing you whine. It’s sad and not very attractive.”

  “Don’t make me have to kick your butt, because I totally will, and I’ll enjoy it.” Having a little brother was fun some of the time.

  “Santa Claus’s eldest son threatening bodily harm? I’m telling Mom.” Chris pushed back from the counter.

  “No matter how old you are, you still insist on running to Mom.” Nick rolled his eyes. “Cry-baby-tattle-tail.”

  “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Chris grinned. “Lana’s awesome. Don’t break her heart again. If you think you had it bad, try putting yourself in her place. It must have been devastating to find the man you loved had just disappeared.” Chris turned serious. “Have you ever thought of that? I know you were heartbroken, but at least you understood what was going on. She tormented herself with wondering what she’d done wrong.”

  That was a knife straight to the heart, but he knew his brother wasn’t being overly dramatic, he was completely serious.

  When they’d accepted St. Nicholas’s gift, they’d all been given special gifts. His father had been given the gift of looking into a person’s soul and seeing their true self. This helped him pick out the perfect gift. His mother had been given the gift of time manipulation which helped on so many levels. At first, he’d thought she’d also been given the gift of unconditional love for everyone, but he’d come to learn that was always in her. Chris had been given the gift of compassion. He could look into a person’s heart and feel what they felt. Nick had been given the gift of knowledge. Usually he could figure anything out, except when it came to Lana. All the knowledge he’d gained in the hundreds of years of being Santa’s son, didn’t seem to help him at all with love. Maybe he needed to watch more romantic comedies or read romance books? He really didn’t have that kind of time because Lana was out of here in a few days. He couldn’t ask his mother for help because she was big on trusting fate.

  “Lana loves you, bro. It’s time you trusted her and stopped trying to think for her. She’s perfect for you. She has unconditional kindness in her. That’s rare.” Chris’s eyes glazed over as he smiled to himself. “She likes her job and is good at it, but it’s not the one she would have chosen. She wanted to open a bakery. Her mother talked her out of it. She loves her mother and still misses her father. Believe it or not, she’s having a lot of fun cooking for the Inn.”

  Chris looked up at his brother. “And she still loves you. Don’t break her heart again. She never fully got over you. She’s such a good person.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wanted a life with Lana. This was his second chance. He was NOT going to screw it up.

  Chapter 9

  The next morning, Lana grabbed the snow globe with both hands and cradled it to her chest. She was anxious to share the news of her dream. Very carefully, she walked down the stairs. She hadn’t been this excited in a very long time.

  She glanced down at it. Inside, there was a miniature version of the last gingerbread house she’d built with her father. She’d forgotten all about it, and this snow globe reminded her. It was wonderful to have that memory back.

  She backed through the swinging door and gently set the snow globe down. She had to show Nell and maybe Nick too. Every single memory of her father was precious, and it was real gift to reclaim an old one.

  The kitchen was quiet, but the lights were on.

  “Anybody here?” She called out.

  There was no response. She picked up a clean apron from the peg by the door and tied it around her waist.

  It
was strange she’d only had a few hours of sleep, but she felt fantastic and completely rested.

  This morning she was planning on making biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, and a ham and egg breakfast casserole. She went to the fridge and loaded up on ingredients.

  She needed to get the casserole going first because it would take the longest to cook.

  She whipped up three dozen eggs, added a quart of cream, salt, and pepper. She poured the mixture into a large baking pan and then chopped up several large slabs of ham. Next, she grated a mountain of cheddar cheese. She sprinkled the ham and cheese over the egg mixture. She put it in the oven.

  Now for the biscuits.

  She pulled the ingredients together and began measuring out the flour.

  “You got an early start,” Nell said from behind her.

  Lana jumped and then put her hand over her heart. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you while you were measuring the flour.” The other woman glanced at the convection ovens. “Egg casserole?”

  “Yes. Just a basic one with ham and cheese. Nothing exciting, I left out the green chilies and spinach.” Lana poured the dry ingredients into the bowl of a commercial food processor. She gave it a pulse. “I’m making biscuits and gravy now. I was thinking about making bacon too. What do you think?”

  “I think it sounds delicious. What do you need for me to do?” Nell one-arm hugged Lana.

  “You could make the gravy or get the bacon started.” She was thankful for the help.

  She knew most people wouldn’t welcome the challenge of cooking several large meals in a row, but this was what she’d always wanted to do.

  “I’ll do both.” The older woman dropped her arm. “How did you sleep?”

  “Soundly. Best night’s sleep I can remember. I feel great.” She glanced at the snow globe. “The strangest thing happened. I found that snow globe in my room,” she nodded towards it, “and it was empty in the middle. You know, like it didn’t have a town scene or anything. It has this weird message on the bottom about remembering Christmases past or something like that. After I fell asleep, I dreamt of the last gingerbread house I made with my father—I’d forgotten all about it. And now, there’s a tiny replica of that gingerbread house inside the snow globe.” She cubed two pounds of butter. “Do you think I’m crazy?”