“Well, I want to see everything.” I successfully slid off of him this time. “But first I want to go eat breakfast.” He must have been in full agreement because at the mention of breakfast he was out of bed and dressing quickly as well.
About ten minutes later we wandered into the large dining room of the main house. The seats were packed wall to wall. There must have been nearly forty people. When we finally stumbled in, Justin's arm affectionately around my waist, the room that had been loud and lively with noise came to a complete halt. The silence was deafening.
Finally Joy broke the ice. “How are the two of you feeling today?”
“Much better, thank you. I still have a tickle in my throat, but the fever is gone.” I smiled awkwardly. The break in silence seemed to be all that was needed to send the crowd back to their discussions. Justin let go of my waist and snagged my wrist instead, leading me through the crowd to sit by Joy.
“Grace, you’ve already met my mother.” He motioned to two men seated beside her. One had grey hair and a long mustache with braids in it. The other had long white hair and a long white beard, also adorned with a few scattered braids. “This is my father Lucus, and this is my uncle Markus, he’s the current…”
“Santa Claus!” I smiled.
“Yeah,” finished Justin with an eye roll.
I beamed brightly at Lucus and Markus. One look at the two of them and there was no doubt they were brothers. Lucus took my hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze while Markus just gave me a wink.
“I’ve heard you’ve been a very good girl this year,” said Markus.
Both Justin and I choked. “Stopping a war, bringing me back some of the royal brew, protecting baby Dragons, saving villages, and all while not complaining about the fashion disaster we dressed you in.” We exchanged looks and relaxed a little. “Why, you’ve even gotten our favorite grumpy control freak to lighten up.”
“Grumpy control freak?” The question just tumbled out. “Who?”
“He means Justin, dear,” said Joy, adding pancakes to my plate while I was distracted.
“Justin is a grumpy control freak?” I looked at his family then back at Justin. I laughed before readdressing Santa. “I think you’re being a little too hard on him. He’s just doing his job but he’s not like that when he’s not working.” Everyone around me exchanged looks. “He’s not,” I insisted.
Justin beamed with pride - as if I had just won the third grade spelling bee. I had given an honest answer, but evidentially he and I were the only ones who thought it was true. He patted my leg affectionately then pointed to the plate in front of me. “Eat up, we have a busy day.” I didn’t need to be told twice and dug into the plate before me.
Soon I had my face pressed tightly against Justin’s back as I clung to him for dear life. The chill of icy cold air whipped by as our snowmobile cut through the snow-covered hills. We swung around a tight corner and I had to resist the urge to scream. When we slid to a stop I stumbled off, crashing to my knees. I was so glad to be on solid ground.
“Are you alright?” asked a tall Dark Elf. He held out a hand to help me up.
Taking his hand I was hauled to my feet. “Thank you.” Justin appeared just as I managed to get my feet back under me. He wrapped an arm around my waist giving me extra support. I brushed the stray hair from my face and smiled at the owner of the hand I now held. “Hi there, I’m Grace MacGregor, Holiday Spirit.”
“I’m Marthailain Darinuss. Are you any relation to Ian MacGregor?” He gave my hand a quick pump before letting it go.
“Actually, yes. He’s my cousin and the future Chieftain of my clan. Are you a friend of his?” Curiosity was getting the better of me. Perhaps this man knew more about the mysterious girlfriend.
“I am the current Elder overseeing Asia for the OAC. He’s involved with two young women under my guardianship there.” He paused, sensing my apprehension. “Maybe 'involved with' isn’t the right term. He’s dating one and friends with the other.” He nodded, confirming his word choice.
I laughed. “No worries. His new girlfriend is a bit of a mystery for the family. Can you tell me anything about her?” I asked nonchalantly.
“Ah, well, Alizeyah is a bit of a rarity. She’s a Halfling Dragon and Elven Tempest who was left as a Changeling in the Human realm. She can be a bit of a handful, but she’s a sweet young woman when she keeps her mouth shut.” He grinned, obviously recalling some moment that cemented his description. “She tempers Ian’s occasional gloominess and he keeps her grounded. I think they’re a good match.”
Part of me breathed a sigh of relief. It sounded like she was at least approachable, which would make my upcoming case easier. “Well that makes me feel better. I’m sure my parents will breathe a little easier knowing he’s in good hands.”
“Indeed.” Marthailain turned his attention to Justin. “Good to see you again, sir. Is this your new Lady?”
Justin sucked in a breath, obviously uncomfortable with assigning a title. “She’s a close friend. Up here to get a tree?”
The Dark Elf nodded slowly. “As you know, Birda is passionate about Christmas and Yule. It’s in her contract that I will get her a tree to decorate each year. Since Seoul doesn’t allow the sale of live cut Christmas trees I have to bring it in with magic. I keep hoping each year she will let me buy her a fake one.”
Justin laughed. “Gnomes can be a little intense. I don’t see her agreeing to a fake tree anytime soon. Besides, you know we have the best cold stout up here. Make sure you stop by and buy a keg or two to take back with you. This year’s is particularly nice.” He and Marthailain shook hands and we parted ways.
“So are we up here to get a tree?” I asked as I leaned into him while we walked.
“We are, along with a wreath and some garlands. Mom wants the room decorated, so we’re going to decorate it.” His eyes twinkled.
“Can I drive back?” I smiled, hoping he would agree. Then I could take it a little slower over all the hills.
“We’ll see. I can’t say I would object to wrapping myself around you.” There was a youthful, carefree spirit to him today. We wandered through the forest of trees discussing the pros and cons of each tree.
“I see how it is,” he said abruptly.
“You see how what is?” I was stumped.
“You’re a size queen. You keep writing off the short ones, but sometimes when they are all dressed up they look the best.” His grin was purely wicked.
“I do like the tall ones, but it’s really about the branches for me. How much can they hold? Are they full or lacking?” I laughed.
“Are we talking about the same thing? I was making an innuendo and at first I thought you were too. Now, I think you may be actually talking about trees,” he teased.
I shrugged. “Maybe I am.”
“Maybe you are what?” His eyes narrowed on me. “You’re intentionally being a pain.” His laugh was deep and I felt the smallest twinge of something in my chest. “You know, I’m in good with Santa. You keep it up and I can make sure you’re on the Naughty list forever.”
I walked over to him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him. I pressed myself tightly against him. He embraced me and returned the kiss. When I finally broke it, I gave him a wink. “You may like me naughty.”
“I really like naughty.” He grinned widely. It was then I realized he had two dimples. He had a matching set. “What? Your face just took on a glow of pure joy.”
“You have two dimples!” I poked each of them with my gloved fingers. He reached up and took both my hands in his.
“I do, but it’s a secret. If you tell anyone, I’ll have to kill you.” His dimples never disappeared.
“I bet that gets you on the naughty list for a really long time.”
He kissed my nose and turned back to look at the tree. “So what do you think? This one?”
I walked around it one last time before agreeing. “This will work. Now where do we go for the
garland? All that has to be hand strung, right?”
“We are entrepreneurs here. People come from all the realms to buy top grade North Pole products each year. There is a shop that sells greenery not far from here.” He pulled out a saw from the bag he had over his shoulder. “Let’s get this guy cut down.”
Soon we had the tree wrapped in a tarp and tied behind the snowmobile. Justin climbed behind me and pulled me back into the curve of his thighs. I relaxed into him. We glided along the surface of the snow towards a small shop close to the main house. When we pulled up Justin helped me off and then checked the ropes on the tree and tarp. “Go ahead inside and get warm, I’ll be in shortly.”
The shop was cozy and reminded me of roadside stops in Vermont and New Hampshire. The walls were lined with green garlands and wreaths, some already adorned with bows and flowers. I began gathering armfuls of the greenery. I was turning to head to the register when a strong pair of arms swooped in and relieved me of my burden. “Are we decorating the room or the whole house?” Justin teased.
“Just the room, but I need a few more things.” I quickly piled two more wreaths, a couple boxes of lights, some electronic candles and a roll of red ribbon on top of the pile.
Stumbling to the register Justin handed the bounty to the cashier to sort out. “How are you paying for all this, Lady?” He smiled at me.
“Oh, you get to pay for it. It’s your room, I’m just the help. Besides, when you zapped me up here it was without my phone, purse, or wallet.”
He rolled his eyes. “Do I look like your sugar Dwarf?” he asked.
“No, but you look like a man attempting to woo me and make his mother happy as well.” I poked him in the shoulder.
“Ah, playing the mom card. That’s a low blow to any man. I guess I have no choice.” He pulled out his wallet and handed the cashier a credit card.
“You take plastic up here?”
“Of course, we accept Visa, Master Card and recently Amex. We also have a credit union.” He signed the slip of paper and thanked the girl attempting to wrestle the greenery into bags. “You’re going to have to drive home slowly since I’ll only be able to hold on with one arm. Someone decided to buy too much stuff.” His teasing made me blush as I noticed the people both working and shopping had taken notice of us.
When we got outside I poked at him a bit. “So why does everyone stare at us?”
“Probably because they are wondering how I managed to snag the prettiest girl up North.” I laughed as he shrugged. “It’s been several years since anyone has seen me decorate or with a girl that I wasn’t related to.”
“That sounded kind of kinky in a bad way,” I commented as I climbed on the snowmobile.
“Yeah it did, but you get what I mean. I just don’t date. It never ends well. Girls here are either here for a month or two and then leave or they’ve been here their entire lives and I already know them. It gets harder each time you make a connection with someone and she leaves. You stay in touch for a little bit, but by the following year she has a new guy.” He wrapped his arm tightly around my waist as we began the journey back to the house.
“So why get attached.” I nodded my head in understanding. “Have you ever considered leaving the Pole?”
“Sure, but this is in my blood. Would you give up being a Werewolf if it meant you could have a normal life with a Human? If it was the only way you could be with them?” he asked.
“It’s in my blood. I can’t give it up. If they were the right person for me, my wolf blood wouldn’t matter.” I understood what he was saying. The North Pole was as much part of his blood as my Were half. “Do you think it's selfish expecting a girl to give up her life to be here?”
I felt him shrug. “Maybe it is. Who knows, maybe I could give it all up to be with the right girl, but when people are only here for a month or two at most it’s hard to know if it’s a forever sort of connection.”
I chewed my lip the rest of the way back to the house. I wasn’t sure what to say. I understood why he didn’t want to get involved with me or anyone, but I couldn’t help but feel like this was involved and not just a fling. We pulled up alongside the house so we wouldn’t have to haul the tree any further than needed. “This should be good,” he said in my ear as I cut the engine.
He handed me the bag of greenery and nodded towards the door. “Can you take this in and I’ll wrestle the tree?” I saluted him and took the bag, pushing the door open. I dropped the bag on the table and went back to help him anyway. He didn’t need me. He picked up the tree like it was nothing and brought it in, practically tripping over me where I stood in the door way. “Oops, sorry. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, no harm no foul,” I said as I cleared out of the way.
Justin kicked the door shut and leaned the tree against the wall. He went to the closet to rummage around and when he pulled out four large boxes I was flabbergasted as to where they had come from. He also pulled out a tree stand and slid it across the floor. “This is what I have for decorations. There are more in the main house if we need them.”
“You have four boxes for one room?” I teased.
“Yeah, it’s sort of sparse I know, but I stopped decorating a number of years ago.” He straightened up and rolled his shoulders back.
“That wasn’t a commentary on how few you had but rather the opposite - I have three boxes for my entire apartment and one of those is my fake tree.” I knelt by the fireplace to add logs so we could start a new blaze.
“You have a fake tree? I knew you were too good to be true. I can’t see you anymore.” He knelt beside me and helped arrange the logs, then lit them.
“I like live trees, but living alone in a tiny apartment on the other side of the country doesn’t lend itself to live trees much. I have a small potted tree I decorate every year. Does that count?” I took his hand when he offered it to help me stand back up.
He rubbed his chin. “I guess I can make an exception. Since I’m a bachelor I understand what it’s like to have time constraints.”
“You’re so considerate,” I teased.
It took us the better part of the afternoon, but soon the room looked like something out of a magazine. Its rustic charm was enhanced with garlands around the door, hearth, headboard, and window. I used ribbon to hang three wreaths along the window and one on the door. The mantle of the fireplace displayed a collection of a dozen nutcrackers, each handmade. His family photos were mixed between them. The room and tree sparkled with twinkling white lights and glass ornaments. All that was missing was a star atop the tree. “Do you have a tree topper?” I asked, looking around the room.
“Actually, no. I can go get one though,” he offered.
“I have a better idea, if you’re up for a little magical travel. I would like to go home to grab my electronics, my purse, and maybe some undergarments, and we can grab my Holiday decorations. I have a beautiful glass star that would look awesome,” I smiled.
“You know, it’s against the rules for you to leave the North Pole until your contract is over.” He considered me. “Make me a list and tell me where to find things and I’ll go get them for you.”
I hadn’t thought of the possibility of him going without me. “What should I do while you’re gone?” I thought maybe I could get him to bend the rules.
“Oh, I have an idea.” He handed me a pen and a pad of paper. “You make that list and I’ll be right back.” I quickly scribbled a list on the paper and did my best to remember where things were. When he reappeared a few moments later it was with a sprig of mistletoe in hand.
Dangling the mistletoe overhead he leaned down to kiss me. I wanted to be serious but I couldn’t stop smiling. “Testing it to make sure it’s not defective before you hang it up?”
“Actually I just wanted to do that, but that’s a great cover story.” Justin reached up and hung it on an exposed beam overhead. “Is your list ready?” I nodded, handing it to him. He read over it quickly. “Ok, I’ll be back shor
tly. Oh, and I’m really sorry for what’s about to happen.”
Before I could ask what that was, he was gone in a swirl of sparkling snow and there was a knock on the door. “Coming,” I called. When I opened the door Joy was there with an apron in hand. “Cookie baking?” She nodded with a smile.
Chapter Nine
I was sitting with my feet on the ottoman, stretched out in front of the fireplace, when the air swirled again with glittering fake snow. I popped another cookie in my mouth as I watched the overloaded Justin appear. He had my large rolling luggage, two boxes of decorations, my computer bag, purse and ice skates. “Your apartment is cute. A little cluttered - I’ve never seen so many shoes in a closet before.”
I laughed. “You were gone a long time. I made three types of cookies.” I held out the plate as an offering. He considered options before popping a sugar cookie in his mouth.
“I took my time while choosing extra clothes for you. I thought you may need some other warm stuff.” He sat everything down and opened the suitcase. Half of it was lingerie.
“How are corsets and garter belts going to keep me warmer?” I laughed.
“Easy! If you wear them, I will keep you warm. Problem solved.” Both his dimples were back with full force.
I moved the clothes to the closet. “Is there a reason you packed a cocktail dress for me?” I asked as I pulled my black glittery dress from the suitcase.
“There is a big party Christmas Eve; we give Santa a sendoff and then enjoy the fruits of our labors.” He paused. “If you want to stay. Your contract will be over so you could go home to your parents.” The dimples faded.
He added familiar pictures to the mantle above the fire - photos of my family and friends. It was a thoughtful touch that made the place feel more like home for me. Together we unpacked and hung the decorations. When the time came for the star I began to move the ottoman but he swept me into his arms and lifted me the extra foot or so I needed.
Holiday Spirit for Hire Page 8
