Welcome to Christmas, Texas: A Christmas Network Novel

by Katie Graykowski

  “Right.” She glanced at the door. “Did you hit your head or something? Maybe I should go get the town doctor. I know you have one because Janis mentioned him.”

  “No, it’s the truth. Santa Claus is my father.” It was going better than he’d expected. At least she wasn’t running for the front door.

  Lana opened her mouth and then shut it again.

  He’d known this would be hard, but it was long past time that he should have told her.

  Chapter 14

  “Um... ” Lana wasn’t sure how to handle this.

  Nick thought that Santa Claus was his father. She sat down hard on the sofa. Clearly something was wrong with Nick. He needed help. “Santa isn’t real. You know that, right?”

  “He is real. Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas. He was a bishop in what is now Turkey in the fourth century. His parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He used to leave gifts of food and money for the poor people in his village of Myra. One day, he learned about a family with three daughters. Their father couldn’t afford a dowry so they couldn’t find husbands. Their only choice would have been prostitution after their father died. St. Nicholas left the family a bag of gold for each daughter so they could get married. Because Bishop Nicholas was so giving, he was granted sainthood after his death.”

  “Okay. But what does this have to do with your family?” Maybe she could convince Nick to let her take him back to Austin with her. She was sure she could find a doctor that could help him. She didn’t remember him having a mental illness back in college. Maybe it was something recent. She would help him. She wanted to help him.

  “One of the daughters who received a bag of gold was my mother.” He was completely serious. “My father met her later that year. He fell in love with her and didn’t care about her dowry. He only agreed to take the gold so that he could continue giving just as St. Nicholas had. My father used some of the money to buy tools so that he could make every single child in our village a toy. After almost three decades of my father making toys and handing them out to children, St. Nicholas appeared to us on the road to the village. He bestowed the Spirit of Christmas onto my father. He became Sinterklaas.”

  Lana wasn’t sure who to call to get him help. She knew there was a town doctor, but she doubted he specialized in mental illness. She didn’t know how deep Nick’s delusion went, but maybe pointing out some contradictory facts would help. “Didn’t St. Nicholas live a long time ago?”

  “He died in 343AD.” Nick nodded. “I know this is a lot to take in. But there’s more.”

  She held a hand up. “Before we move on, your family has been around since the fourth century. Is that what you’re saying?”

  The timeline issue had to make him think. But reasoning with him might be an issue.

  “St. Nicholas appeared to us after he died. My father became Sinterklaas in 398AD.” He was as calm and collected as she’d ever seen him.

  “So, you’re how old?” She did the math and laughed. “You look really good for being sixteen hundred years old. Do they still card you when you buy beer at the Mini Mart?” She held up a hand. “Oh, you don’t have to schlep all of the way to the Mini Mart when you can snappy-fingers whatever you want.”

  She stood. “I think I’m ready to go back to the Inn. I would love for you to come back to Austin with me. If the water recedes, we could leave in the morning.” She hoped he’d come with her.

  “I can’t.” He rested his head against the sofa back. “I can’t leave the Christmas city limits, or well, the outer marker. If I do, the Spirit of Christmas will die.”

  “Uh huh. I see. Right. That makes sense.” She was wanted to help him, but it looked like he was deep into the delusion. Maybe there was a way to get a psychologist out here to see him. Did they make house calls? “Wait a minute, if you can’t leave then how were you able to go to college?”

  Maybe showing him that Christmas went on without him while he was at college would help to bring him back to reality.

  “I was given special permission to leave for exactly four years. That’s why I left without a word. Once my time was up, I didn’t have a choice. I was called home.” He was so calm and casual about the whole deal.

  Maybe if she tried a different approach. “So, the Spirit of Christmas provides you with whatever you need. Does it work for outsiders too?” She thought about her Grandma Doris’s angel food cake. She’d never been able to reproduce that cake. She needed the cake and the recipe.

  An angel food cake complete with her grandmother’s thin white icing appeared on the coffee table.

  Her knees buckled, and she slid back onto the sofa.

  The cake was sitting on her grandmother’s favorite pink glass cake plate. She picked up the cake plate and looked for the tiny chip on the bottom. Sure enough, the chip was there. And there was a recipe card with Doris’s Angel Food Cake written on the top line in her grandmother’s handwriting. She set the cake down. The cake looked just like her grandmother’s, and it even smelled like Grandma Doris’s cake. She turned to Nick. “That’s my grandmother’s angel food cake on her favorite cake plate. I was just thinking that I needed the recipe and to taste her cake again and here it is. Did I do that?”

  This couldn’t be happening. Maybe she was asleep and this was all a dream?

  He nodded. “The Spirit of Christmas. And you didn’t even have to snap your fingers. You learn something new every day.”

  The whole situation was hard to take. Had she entered his delusion? Was it possible to have the same delusion? This couldn’t be real. It wasn’t really happening. Santa wasn’t real.

  The doorbell rang, and she jumped.

  Nick went to answer it.

  She stared at the cake and then broke off a small piece and popped it in her mouth. It tasted like Grandma Doris’s cake. But it couldn’t be.

  She thought of the paperweight on her desk at work, and it appeared on the coffee table. She thought about beef fajitas from Pappasito’s and a sizzling platter of those appeared.

  She was dreaming, that was the only explanation.

  “Well hello there, Lana.” A deep male voice boomed from the living room door. “It’s good to see you again.”

  If she hadn’t already been sitting, her knees would have given out again, and she would have melted to the floor. She rubbed her eyes just to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. “It’s you. I know you.”

  “Dad, you know Lana?” Nick stared at his father. “How?”

  “I know all of the good little girls and boys.” The man with long white hair, a full white beard, and wearing board shorts and a button up shirt with miniature surfing Santas all over it.

  “You’re the ghost who held my hand in the hospital that Christmas Eve that my father died.” She remembered it so clearly. He’d been wearing shorts and a Hawaiian similar to the one he was wearing now.

  “I’m not a ghost, at least not yet.” He laughed and out came a few ho, ho, hos.

  “I don’t understand. You’re his father.” She looked him up and down. “You’re Santa Claus?”

  She was back to the believing that she was delusional.

  “Son, can you give us a minute alone?” The older man walked right up to her and held out his hand. “Let’s take a walk, shall we?”

  Lana couldn’t think of a reason not to take his hand, so she did. He led her out to the front porch.

  “I know it’s hard to believe, and it takes a lot of faith, but I am Santa Claus and this town is my headquarters.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Look around you.”

  She did. It was Christmas, Texas complete with tons of Christmas lights.

  “No, really look.” He pointed to the people setting up the hot chocolate booth.

  She looked closer. They weren’t full-sized people, they were elves. All of the downtown storefronts were painted red, green, and white. They all had two entrances, one for elves and the other for regular sized people. She didn’t t
rust her eyes. “This can’t be.”

  “And yet, it is.” He dropped his hand, and she could still see the elves clearly and the bright storefronts. It was like her eyes had been opened to a different world.

  “You’re Santa?” Her heart was telling her yes, but her head refused to believe. “The night my father died it was Christmas Eve. How did you manage to spend time with me and still deliver presents?”

  She couldn’t believe that she was even entertaining the idea that he was Santa.

  “Your Christmas wish was for me to save your father. I couldn’t do that so I did the only thing I could. I held your hand.” He smiled down into her eyes. “What kind of Father Christmas would I make if I’d left a frightened girl all alone in the hospital.” He shook his head. “Delivering presents is only part of my job. Mainly, I deliver hope and joy. As I remember it, you were a little low on both of those that night.”

  “After you disappeared, I looked for you so that I could tell you thank you. Your being there,” tears burned her eyes, “made me feel safe. I wanted to thank you for that.”

  “Oh, my child, I wanted to do so much more, but even I have limits.” He pulled her into a hug.

  It was the warmest, strongest hug she’d ever remembered having.

  Eventually, he dropped his arms and stepped back. “I have something for you. I found it outside of the hospital in the parking lot.” His hand dipped into the shirt pocket on his left breast and pulled out something silver. “The clasp broke, but I fixed it. I’ve kept it for you all of these years. I hoped I’d see you again.”

  He handed it to her.

  Her heart beat so fast she thought it might fall out of her chest.

  It was the silver charm bracelet that her father had bought for her on her first Christmas. Every Christmas, he’d added a new charm that represented something they’d done together that year as a family. She’d lost it the night he’d died.

  The tears came faster. “Thank you. I thought I’d never see it again.”

  She ran her fingers over every single charm. She knew them all by touch. There was the baby’s first Christmas charm, a charm in the shape of a dog that had looked nothing like Shiner, their Springer Spaniel. There was a wakeboarding charm from when her father decided to try wakeboarding and broke his leg. There was a cowboy charm for the year their mother had decided they needed to spend two very long weeks at a Dude Ranch outside of Bandera. There was a charm that had a miniature version of that year’s Christmas card on it. That year, the ugly sweaters had been particularly ugly. Every single charm was a memory restored to her. She held it to her chest.

  Santa had done the impossible, he’d given her something of her father back and given her back the Spirit of Christmas. She wanted to trim a Christmas tree and decorate a million Christmas cookies. She wanted to wear the ugliest Christmas sweater in the world and sing Christmas carols.

  “Dad, what did you do?” Nick pulled her into his arms and smooshed her face against his shoulder. “I thought you were just going to talk. Why’d you make her cry?”

  “I didn’t do it on purpose. I just gave her back the bracelet I found the night I sat with her in the hospital.” He sounded completely mystified. He leaned closet to her ear. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell Nell that I made you cry. She’s not too happy with me right now. I might have accidentally backed over her favorite rosebush this morning when I left for work. And since she saw me do it, I couldn’t fix it without her knowing.”

  Lana couldn’t help but laugh and stepped out of Nick’s embrace.

  “You’re secret’s safe with me.” She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed Santa on the cheek. “Thanks for everything.”

  The older man’s cheeks turned red. “My child, it was my pleasure.” He winked at her. “Now, my son’s in love with you and has been since the first time he saw you. His Christmas wish every year since he left you was for a second chance with you. I hope you’ll at least be open to it.”

  “Dad.” Nick’s face turned bright red.

  His father chuckled. “Even after hundreds and hundreds of years, it’s good to know that I can still embarrass him. Oh well, I have lots of things to do. It’s a busy time of year.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

  The fact that his disappearance didn’t surprise her said a lot about how much her horizons had been broadened in the last few minutes.

  Nick stared at his shoes. “Um, I’m not really sure what to say now.”

  Lana tipped his chin up, and saw embarrassment and love. She leaned up on her tippy toes, and kissed him squarely on the mouth. “I love you too.”

  His eyes turned huge. “I love you.” He cupped her face with his palms and kissed her back.

  “I’m not sure how all of this works.” Lana gestured toward the town. “But I’m willing to stick around and find out.”

  “That’s more than I’d ever hoped for.” He kissed her again.

  “First, I’ve got to know the answer to the most burning Christmas question, how does he deliver all of those presents in just one night?” Lana, along with the world in general, had always wanted to know.

  “The short answer is that he doesn’t. He’s only in charge of North America. Every country has its own version of Santa Claus. Those versions take care of their own region. They are called The Christmas Network, and my father is in charge. They all come here for a meeting in March.” Nick opened the front door and led her back into the house.

  She slid her charm bracelet onto her wrist and closed the clasp. She smiled to herself. She was so happy to have it back.

  Nick closed the door behind her and leaned against it like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

  “What’s wrong?” She grinned up at him. “Your dad’s Santa and I no longer believe that you’re crazy. Throw in our second chance, and you should be pretty happy right now.”

  “There are some things we need to discuss.” She could practically feel his body tensing.

  “Okay.” She grabbed his hand and gently pulled him over to the sofa.

  “Everything I told you about the town is true. I can’t leave.” He mashed his lips together like there was more to say, but he didn’t want to discuss it.

  “Okay. We can make that work.” She wasn’t sure how, but people all over the world made complicated relationships work.

  He opened his mouth to say something else, but she pressed a kiss to his lips. “We can iron out the specifics later, tonight, I just want to enjoy the Christmas tree lighting and decorate some Christmas cookies.”

  It was enough for her that they’d find each other again, and that she’d found her way back to Christmas. The rest they could work out later.

  Chapter 15

  “I need to tell you everything. There are some things we need to discuss. I feel like I’ve waited too long.” It had to be Lana’s decision to stay. He wished he had a nervous habit like fingernail biting or pacing or anything to soothe him for what was going to be the hardest conversation of his life.

  “You’re so serious all of a sudden.” Four lines dented her brow. “What’s wrong? I love you, you love me. I now know why you left without saying goodbye. It wasn’t your choice. I understand.”

  He took both of her hands in his. He didn’t know where to start.

  “Is this about you’re not being able to leave? I don’t have a problem with that. We can make the long-distance thing work.”

  “That’s just it. We can’t have a long-distance relationship.” He brought both of her hands to his mouth and kissed the backs of each. “I love you.”

  She pulled her hands away. “We love each other. Why can’t we be together?”

  “I’m not explaining this well.” All he could think of what would happen if she left. She had to decide to stay. “I’m not good with words. I never have been.”

  “So far, you haven’t explained anything.” A slow smile curled on her lips. “Are you trying to propose to me?” She leaned close to hi
s ear and whispered. “It doesn’t matter how bad you are with words, I’m going to say yes. My life is with you.” Understanding dawned, and she sat back. “I can’t leave here either, can I?”

  “No.” He watched her carefully. “Once we’re married, you can’t travel beyond the outer markers. You’ll be here forever.”

  “What about before we’re married?” She didn’t look angry or even overwhelmed. She just looked like she was taking it all in.

  “If you leave before we’re married, you won’t be able to enter the town again. We are hidden from the outside world—”

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “You don’t have to give me an answer now. I know you’ll want to think about it.” He wanted to believe that she still would choose to stay, but she’d be giving up everything for him.

  “Nope, I’m good.” She leaned over and kissed him. “I’m staying.”

  “But, your life. You have to give it all up. You won’t be able to see your friends or family again.” Now he sounded like he was trying to talk her out of it.

  “I told you. My life is with you.” She took both of his hands and kissed the backs. “I believe in the Spirit of Christmas. I believe in you. My life isn’t over, it’s just starting. I know I’ll see my mother and best friend Jules again. I have faith.”

  He didn’t know that if he were in her position, he’d have the faith she did.

  “There’s more. You have to know everything.” The next one was going to be even harder than telling her she couldn’t leave. He’d better just get it out. “We can’t have children.”

  Her face fell. “Oh. Um... ” She swallowed a couple of times. “I can accept that.”

  “You still have a choice, you don’t have to stay—”

  “Why are you trying to get rid of me?” She put her hand on his cheek. “I only wanted to have children with you. If I can’t have them with you, I don’t want them.”