Christmas Magic

by Lucy McConnell

  He gently tipped her off his lap and onto her feet. She grinned as she fished in her purse for her phone. When it came up, her mom’s number was on the screen. “Hi,” she answered before it could go to voice mail. Did anyone set up their voice mail these days?

  “Honey! Gorgie is coming home for the holidays.”

  “Really?” Gorgie was her cousin. She’d grown up one town over and stayed close with sleepovers that would go down in family lore. When Gorgie’s boyfriend stood her up for prom, it was Harmony who let the air out of his tires—which turned out to be a good thing, because he’d been drinking and couldn’t drive home. When Alessandria ran Harmony’s bra up the flagpole at camp, it was Gorgie who “accidentally” knocked her into the lake on dance night. “I’d love to see her.”

  “She’s bringing home a new fella. I don’t know if this one will stick, but he’s some kind of investor, or buyer. I don’t know. He works with stocks.”

  Harmony laughed. “When she meets Mr. Right, it will be all over her Instagram feed.” Harmony’s cheeks burned and she turned slightly away from Breck so he wouldn’t see her blush. She’d just kissed his lips to kingdom come, and here she was joking about Mr. Right in front of him.

  “I know it.”

  Behind her, the dress fabric rustled, letting her know that Breck was working away while she chatted it up on her cell. “Listen, Mom, I gotta run. I’m working tonight.” Half lie? She was supposed to be working.

  “They have you fielding calls 24/7 now?”

  “No. It’s the other job I was telling you about.”

  “Oh, the magician’s assistant. That’s so interesting. I watched the last episode—you were wonderful.”

  “Thanks. I didn’t do much.” She tried to brush off the praise.

  Like most mothers, Susan Hall wasn’t to be dissuaded. “You’re going to tell us all about it over bread pudding.”

  Harmony’s mouth watered at the thought of the cinnamon-and-cream treat. “I’ve kind of been rethinking things …” Like my bank account and getting out of my lease and leaving Breck. Amazing. Hot. Sweet. Talented. Breck.

  “You can’t back out now. I’m setting a place for you for Christmas Eve dinner. A mother’s got to have hope.”

  She chuckled. “Love you.”

  “You too, honey.”

  She ended the call and tucked her phone away. Breck had to have heard at least part of the conversation. Did their kisses change things for her? Did she want it to? Kissing someone thoroughly should answer questions, not create them.

  “You ready to try the transformation again?” he asked—politely ignoring what he’d overheard.

  “That was my mom. She’s excited to have me home for Christmas.” She twisted her fingers. If he asked her to stay, would she?

  “I’ll bet. Moms are fantastic that way.”

  She nodded. When he didn’t say anything else, she practically jumped into the dress. For the rest of the night, they flirted and practiced. Each time they touched or laughed together, she wondered if this meant more to her than it did to him. Maybe he kissed a lot of girls in his line of work. Maybe, to him, a kiss was just a kiss.

  But it had been so much more for her. And she wanted it to mean more to him.

  She didn’t want to carry another relationship on her shoulders. She wanted a partner. If Breck couldn’t be that, then she’d have to let him go. The trouble was, she couldn’t know for certain without giving him a shot. And giving him a shot meant she had to risk a broken heart. She’d done that once and come out worse than she’d gone in. The possibility of it happening again left her trembling inside.

  Chapter Eleven

  December 20

  Breck

  Breck was anxious to get the street show over with. He’d done several card tricks and rings stuck together tricks where he magically released them and then put them back together, all while Harmony waited patiently in the snowman getup. She stood to the side, looking like a piece of the stage. There was a talent in holding still that was generally overlooked by everyone except for elementary school teachers and magicians.

  He’d gotten her in the dress and she’d done herself up, then covered up with the snowman suit. He hadn’t seen her as a princess and was dying to get a glimpse of her. He’d told her he’d picked the dress specifically for this trick, but really, he’d picked it for her and built the illusion around it. It’d been the right thing to do; she loved it. And if it meant kisses like the ones they’d shared that first night of practice, he’d buy her a hundred more gowns. She deserved to know how wonderful she was, inside and out.

  “I need an assistant for my next trick—a winter princess full of Christmas magic should do just fine.” He scanned the crowd and then frowned. “Is she not here?”

  People looked around, worry that his performance was about to fall apart beginning to show in their concerned eyes.

  “Well, then, I guess I’ll have to bring her to life myself.” He patted his pockets. “Does anyone have a snowman?”

  Kids pointed behind him. “There. Right there.”

  He turned around and scratched his head. “How long has that been there?” he asked.

  Giggles came from the short row in the front.

  He laced his fingers together and stretched his fingers. “Now, to turn a snowman into a winter princess, we need … think, man.” He rapped his knuckles against his head. “… sparkles, a puff of Christmas air, and mistletoe.”

  He’d placed a flash/smoke pot to the front of her that looked like an extra top hat and part of the setup. There were other props down there, so the one top hat didn’t seem out of place. Once he stepped on the foot pedal, the pot would puff out enough smoke to cover Harmony’s quick transformation. There was also a confetti cannon that would go off from the other direction. Thankfully, he had a buddy who’d helped him get the pyrotechnic permit—otherwise, the whole trick would be put on hold because of red tape. A police officer was at the back, with a fire extinguisher and a no-nonsense attitude.

  He hung the mistletoe over the snowman and then waved his hands and said the magic words. The smoke rose and glitter filled the air. He heard rustling and began waving his arms. “Sorry, folks, I get a little carried away.”

  Harmony stepped out of the smoke screen, waving like a princess on parade. “Merry Christmas!” she called out.

  The crowd went wild. A few men whistled.

  Breck stared. She was … stunning. Her hair was pulled up with soft ringlets framing her face. She’d sprayed glitter in it, and it winked in the waning sunlight. Her cheeks were also dusted with glimmer, and her eyes were lined with green that made them pop. But it was her lips that captured his attention—Christmas red and completely kissable.

  He must have been staring for much too long, because Harmony turned to him and said, “Are you the magician who brought me here?” prompting his next line.

  “Yes.” He cleared his throat so he could get sound out. “Yes. I brought you here to assist me with my next magical delight.”

  She stood tall and strong, looking every bit as royal as a queen.

  And he was falling for her—hard and fast.

  And she was leaving.

  They finished up the act. Several girls rushed forward. “Can we get your autograph?” they begged Harmony.

  She fluttered her hand over her chest, obviously flattered. “Of course.” She signed their papers, asking them about school and Christmas lists and getting an earful in return.

  “Bye.” She waved after them until they turned the corner. “Sorry.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and accepted the jacket he offered.

  “For what?”

  “You’re the big star. I shouldn’t be hogging the attention.”

  He shook his head. “You deserve it. Besides, who wants my autograph when they can have a winter princess’s?”

  She swatted playfully at him in response.

  He winked, even though his heart was sinking to his shoes. S
he would leave for Christmas and not come back. She’d said she needed to find herself again, to immerse herself in home and family and heal.

  What did he have to offer to keep her here, anyway? A half-baked MyHeartChannel and a bag full of magic tricks.

  And his heart. Maybe. He liked her so much, but he wasn’t sure he loved her. He barely knew her, and yet he’d already memorized the way her lips dipped in the middle and her nose turned slightly up. He knew she preferred her hot chocolate without whipped cream but with a shot of hazelnut, and that she’d played the flute in junior high but gave it up because she wanted to take a literature class that was taught at the same time.

  She was going to find herself; maybe it was time he did the same. He glanced down at the props they’d used to set the stage and pondered what he’d done with his time this week. Nothing the world would deem productive. He scoured secondhand stores for cheap items he could use for their next show. He edited video. Maybe he could get a job doing that somewhere.

  “You look so sad; what’s the matter?” Harmony bumped him with her shoulder. She had added a pair of gloves to her jacket. Her legs had to be ice pops by now. He needed to get her inside where it was warm.

  “This has been a lot of fun. I didn’t think I’d ever do more than card tricks. You’ve made a huge difference in my show this year. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. But why the long face?” She put the last bit of tinsel in a rubber tote they used to carry everything to his car.

  “Because Christmas is almost here and the magic will end.” He released a huge sigh.

  “End? But your channel is just getting going. And your street performance permit is for two more months.”

  He shook his head. Part of him wanted to tell her that without her, the channel would not succeed. He’d done it before. Tried other angles. Nothing had broken over 250 views. But he couldn’t put that on her shoulders. It wasn’t her fault she was amazing, that the camera loved her and his viewers did too. She added wide-eyed innocence into the potion he created with his illusions and card tricks, and without it, there was no fizz, pop, or sparkle. Their next show would be their last show together.

  “It’s time to hang up my magic hat and grow up.” He managed a grin, as if the idea of leaving this behind—saying goodbye to her—wasn’t tearing him up inside. He grabbed the tote and hefted it up as he walked toward car.

  She held the card table. “Making people happy is a grown-up job. Tons of people do it for a living.”

  “Name one.”

  “Walt Disney.”

  “He’s dead.”

  “Okay—everyone who works for Disney.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe they need a videographer.”

  “You can do this! I know you can. I’ve seen it in the way you grab an audience. Look around. There are half a dozen other street performers in this city, and no one gets the crowds like you do. Heck, we can’t even put up the sign until right before we start or it’s too crowded to set up.”

  “You’re great, you know that?” He set the tote down by the back door and fished his keys out of his pocket. Becoming the top street performer in the city wasn’t his goal. He wanted a top 200 MyHeartChannel.

  “Don’t give up,” she half whispered. “You’re going to make it.”

  “I won’t do anything drastic today, okay?”

  She broke into a grin. “Okay.” She popped up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before sliding the card table into the back seat.

  Something small and prickly nettled Breck’s thoughts as he and Harmony stowed their supplies and he helped stuff her and her dress into the front seat to drive her home. The sound of the car door shutting rang like a gong, signaling the end of one thing and the emptiness that would remain after she left. He just couldn’t believe she was leaving the city—leaving him. They had one more performance before Christmas, and it was going to be great. He thought she enjoyed performing as much as he did. But he’d heard her mom through the phone the other night, telling her that she’d set a place for her at Christmas Eve dinner. One place. Not two.

  As much as he wanted a successful channel, as hard as he’d worked to make it happen, he’d give it up in a heartbeat for Harmony. There was no getting around it. Everything about her spoke to him, from the way she worked with the children to the flirty lowering of her lashes when she was thinking about kissing him. This woman was meant for him, and he’d spend the rest of his life doing his best to bring magic into her every day if only she’d give him a chance.

  She had plans to leave for Christmas, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t come back. He’d ask her to come back, to be his girlfriend, to give them a try. He just needed to find the right time, and with a real job, he’d have something he could offer her.

  Chapter Twelve

  December 21

  Harmony

  “I hate shopping this close to Christmas. The stores are a mess.”

  Harmony smiled across the rack of ugly Christmas sweaters. Jenny scowled as she picked up a shirt and folded it, setting it on top of the pile before getting another one.

  “You don’t work here, you know that, right?” Harmony teased. The energy in the department store was contagious. “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” crooned through the speakers. Jingle bells rang as shoppers went in and out of the nearby doors, the chilly night air clinging to their coats. Mistletoe hung over the clothing racks, and Santa sat atop his throne, a line of eager children ready to whisper wishes into his ear.

  “I should. They need me,” quipped Jenny.

  Harmony held up a sweater. The Grinch smiled evilly at all who dared have a holly jolly Christmas. She shook her head. Breck wouldn’t wear such a grumpy sweater. He had quite the collection of them going, and she wanted to add to it. Other gifts had come to mind, but the idea of giving him something he could wear … well, it made her feel closer to him. A sweater was personal—as long as the giver took time to find the perfect one.

  She reached for a candy-cane-striped option.

  “Harmony?”

  She glanced up to find the very person she shopped for smiling at her. Breck’s voice floated over her like the steam off a cup of minty hot chocolate. It sent lovely shivers across her skin and warmed her from the inside out. “Breck,” she said, mortified that her voice was all breathy and seductive. Sure, they kissed—a lot, and deeply—but that didn’t mean they were an item. They hadn’t talked about taking their relationship to the next level. Which was a good thing, because her stomach dropped out at the very thought. Breck could think she was wonderful on the short-term level, but if they tried to have a real relationship, he’d see she was messed up—not marriage material for sure.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He leaned against the sweater rack. “Christmas shopping.”

  “Hello—who’s this?” Jenny sidled up and stuck out her hand. “I’m Jenny.”

  Breck introduced himself, and they shook hands. Harmony watched to see if his gaze roamed over Jenny’s hourglass shape or glued to her makeup-model perfect eyes. As soon as their hands dropped and pleasantries were exchanged, he focused right back on her.

  “So, this is the magician?” asked Jenny.

  Harmony’s ears burned. Of course Jenny would have to make it sound like she’d talked about Breck. He tried to stifle the smile that popped up, but he only did a half job. Harmony rolled her eyes. “Yes, this is the famous MyHeartChannel star.”

  He scoffed. “Says the woman who gets asked for autographs after the show.”

  “What?” screeched Jenny. “You didn’t tell me about that.”

  “Because it was three little girls. It’s not like I have fans or anything.”

  “I beg to differ.” Breck took his phone out of the inside pocket of his coat and unlocked it. He scrolled a bit and then handed it to her. “You’re getting a lot of fan comments.”

  Harmony maintained eye contact with him just a little longer than necessary, letting
the attraction between them tickle her butterflies. She finally looked down and began to read.

  Your assistant stole the show.

  The Winter Princess is gorgeous—make one appear at my house. I’ll provide the snow.

  Jenny tugged the phone toward her. “The assistant makes the channel. We need a name—I want to start a fan page.” She stared at Harmony. “You are a superstar.”

  Harmony rolled her eyes. “And you should be on soap operas with that drama.”

  “Speaking of drama …” Breck reached for his phone. “There’s a 12-hour sale on shaving kits, and one of them has my dad’s name on it. I’ll see you tomorrow for practice?” He ran his hand down her arm and gave her fingers a squeeze.

  Harmony’s heart thudded. “I’ll be there.”

  He grinned and headed to the men’s grooming and odd gift section, where they had shower radios and fuzzy slippers in the shape of elk heads. Harmony sighed. The view of Breck walking away was just as pretty as him coming.

  “Okay—you lit up for that man.” Jenny waved her hand in front of Harmony’s face.

  Harmony blinked. “He makes me feel happy.” She lifted a shoulder and grabbed the candy cane sweater. It had the head of a reindeer on the front and the end of a reindeer on the back. It was perfect. She tucked it under her arm.

  “Then you should date him.” Jenny shook her arm.

  “There’s no point. I’m leaving in three days.” She moved over to a rack of flannel shirts. Her dad would be in heaven with new flannel since her mom refused to buy him any more, claiming she’d laundered enough flannel in her life to dress the whole North Pole.

  “So?”

  She shook her head. “I’m damaged goods.”

  “You are not!” Jenny was outraged. “Sam was the issue—not you.”