"Forget it."
Holly's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"When he hired you, did my father specifically ask you to come up with a way to cut costs?"
"No," Holly conceded. "But identifying waste and streamlining major operations is generally the most effective way to achieve complete-"
Nick raised his hand. "Wait, let me guess, complete efficiency? Is that what you were going to say?"
She nodded.
"You're wasting our time," Nick said. He stood and motioned for Holly to do the same. "Trust me, my father is not going to want to hear a single word about reducing the numbers of elves so let's not even go there. You might call the elves staff, but we call them family."
"So why am I here then?" Holly demanded.
"To be my assistant," Nick said.
"But you don't actually seem to do anything."
They stood facing each other, a tense silence growing between them. Holly knew her word choice hadn't been ideal but she meant the essence of what she'd said. As far as she could tell, Santa's son did precious little.
"Look," Holly said, "I'm just concerned that I won't be able to do my job."
"I share your concern," Nick said.
Holly watched as he turned and left the cafeteria without another word to her. She gathered up her notepad and hurried out after him.
"Just what did you mean by that?" she asked when she caught up with him. His long stride and sensible athletic shoes had her at a disadvantage but she was too proud to ask him to slow down.
"It's pretty clear, isn't it, Miss Jamison?"
Ah, so now she was Miss Jamison? Holly followed Nick around yet another twisting turn in the corridor. She flattened herself against the wall as an oversize cart of yet more presents trundled past them. "It’s not clear to me," she said once they were walking again.
"Okay, I'll explain." Nick abruptly turned a corner and stopped in front of a door marked 'Departures'. "In what little time we've spent together today it's become patently obvious to me that you are clueless about Christmas."
Indignation shot through Holly. "That's not fair. I'm a quick study and I know that I'll get up to speed as soon as we buckle down and get some real work done."
Nick waved his arm in the direction they'd just come from. "That was real work."
"How on earth do you figure that?"
Nick groaned. "What did you think we were going to be doing today? Delivering presents? Christmas isn't about quotas, lists, performance rankings and staffing considerations. It's about feelings, emotions, memories and faith. It's about believing in something that would be easy to discount because most people who hold Christmas dear to their heart never meet my father or visit the North Pole. But still they believe."
Holly stared at him, unable to come up with a response. Not because what he said made much sense to her, but the way he said it surprised her. He spoke with passion and purpose. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
"So what do you propose we do next?" she asked.
Nick smiled down at her, a twinkle in his blue eyes. "If you really want to see what I mean, then come with me."
"Lead on," Holly said, sounding far more agreeable than she actually felt. She could be professional no matter how challenging the situation became. "Can I at least ask where we're going?"
Nick grinned. "Just follow me."
Chapter Four
"Ready for one last spin?” Nick wrapped his arms around Holly’s waist and picked up the sled’s reins. “We’ve got time for another run before it’ll be too dark to see.”
Holly, seated in front of Nick with his arms wrapped around her, nodded but didn’t turn around. “Ready.” Her voice sounded strained to his ear, but that was likely due to the fact she’d screamed herself near hoarse each time they’d soared down the hill.
“You want to steer this time?” He couldn’t resist teasing her. It was clear from the way she’d covered her face with mitten covered hands all the way down the hill that she wasn’t about to take over.
“No, you do it.” Holly turned and threw him a saucy grin. “I think you need the practice.”
Nick laughed. “It’s on, Jamison.” He pushed off with his foot until the sled began to pick up speed. He leaned close enough to whisper, “Just for being smart with me we’re going to go twice as fast.”
Holly’s only response was to scream twice as loud as their sled rushed past a clump of fir trees. Nick had always loved the adrenalin rush that came with sledding, skiing, and ice hockey. But he’d never enjoyed himself as much as he was at that moment. Knowing that he was probably guilty of showing off, he intentionally waited until the last second to guide the sled away from a rocky outcrop. He laughed aloud as Holly grabbed onto his arms.
Half way down the hill, he decided to pull out all the stops and take the sled into slalom turns the rest of the way. Snow sprayed out from under the sled’s runners as they careened down the hill. Icy wind cut into his face and Nick could swear that his eyelashes had formed icicles. He’d never felt more alive.
Then, with the bottom of the hill still at least two hundred feet away, Nick caught sight of a dark shadow in their path. He blinked several times as a rabbit came into focus. It stood petrified in their path, apparently unaware that it would be wise to hop out of the way of the sled barreling toward it.
Nick pulled tightly on the reins, causing the sled to come to such an abrupt stop that both he and Holly were thrown out into the snow. His heart racing, Nick scraped the snow from his eyes and scrambled over to where Holly lay motionless, face down in the snow.
“Holly, can you hear me?” He frantically brushed a thick layer of snow off of her jacket and gently rolled her over so that she was on her back. “Are you okay?”
He watched her still form helplessly, panic rising in his chest when her eyelids remained closed. Why in the name of the Christmas had he been so intent on showing off? He reached for one of Holly’s hands and took it in his. “Please talk to me, Holly,” he pleaded. “I’m so sorry.”
To his immense relief, her eyelids fluttered open and she frowned up at him. “Is that what you call dashing through the snow? I’ve always wondered.”
He went weak with relief. “Well, if that wasn’t dashing I don’t know what is.” He gazed down at her. “Does anything hurt?”
She half smiled. “Just my pride from all that screaming.”
He grinned in return. “We’ll just chalk that up to beginner’s enthusiasm.”
Holly pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around. “Is the bunny okay?”
Nick got up and reached down to help her to her feet. “Not to worry, he scampered off just in the nick of time. No doubt he’s snuggled up in a burrow somewhere fast asleep.” Reluctantly he let go of her hands. “Are you sure you’re okay to walk? I’d be happy to pull you home on the sled.”
“Oh, no, I’ve had enough of the sled for tonight.” She looked around, a slight frown marring her features. “I’m totally disoriented. How do we find our way back?”
Nick put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her to face the opposite direction. He pointed to something in the far distance. “Can you see those blinking red and green lights? They’re part of the sleigh take-off and landing area. They’re visible from anywhere in the North Pole so there’s really no way to get lost.”
“We’d better get a move on it before it gets any later,” Holly said. “I’ve lost track of time but we need to have some sort of plan to present to your father. I don’t want him to think my first day was a total waste.”
Nick stepped back. Her words were like a slap in the face. “What are you talking about? We’ve had a very productive day. We certainly accomplished more than I thought we would in such a short time.”
Her frown told him all he needed to know. The woman had no idea whatsoever how to have fun, which meant she had no concept of joy. He had to teach her or the next few days leading up to Christmas were going to be excruciatingly lon
g and boring.
“You know why we went sledding, don’t you?” he asked.
“Because you had done enough work for the day and you wanted to play?”
“Wrong,” he shot back. “I wanted you to do something fun so that you’d experience a taste of joy. So tell me, did you?”
He watched as Holly cocked her head to the side and took her sweet time thinking. Over thinking actually. The woman was such a master over-analyzer that she missed his point entirely.
“Let’s go.” He started trudging along, pulling the sled behind him and doing his very best to drown out the sound of Holly chattering on about the potential to shave of a nanosecond of work time if they incorporated the payroll department with human resources.
For the first time in his life Nick questioned his father’s judgment. Why on earth had Santa chosen Holly Jamison to be his assistant? The woman wouldn’t be able to recognize the joy of Christmas if it snuck up behind her and stuffed her stocking. He blew out a long frosty breath of air. Suddenly New Year seemed very far away.
* * *
Holly had no idea what to expect when she knocked on the Claus family front door. After returning from their sledding adventure she’d taken the time to change into a green wool dress and a pair of black leather boots. Perhaps she should have asked Nick for guidance as to how dressed up his family got for dinner but he’d had a far off pensive look on his face that discouraged conversation. So instead she’d changed into what she hoped was appropriate attire.
She knocked on the door and waited only a few seconds before it was answered by Mrs. Claus herself. She greeted Holly with a warm hug and ushered her in, all the while keeping up a steady stream of good natured questions about Holly’s first day at the North Pole.
“Did my Saint Nick give you the grand tour?”
Holly tried to keep her surprise at the way Mrs. Claus called her son ‘Saint Nick’ from showing. Santa’s wife had a kindly face and Holly had little doubt Mrs. Claus adored her son. “Yes, thank you, he most certainly did.” She didn’t add that they’d spent the last hour and a half outside speeding down hills at breakneck speed. The last thing she needed was word getting back to Santa that she’d been goofing off on her first day.
Mrs. Claus guided her into the family’s sitting room. Holly looked around the cozy space, somehow feeling that the Claus family quarters were just exactly as she’d imagined. Four overstuffed chairs were drawn in a semi-circle in front of the fireplace where several crackling logs gave off both a warm glow of light and toasty warmth.
“You’re very kind to invite me to dinner, Mrs. Claus,” Holly said as she looked around. Norman Rockwell couldn’t have painted a more charming scene.
“We’re delighted you agreed to join us, my dear.” Santa’s wife pointed to one of the chairs. “Let’s have a seat while we wait for the boys, shall we?”
“The boys?”
Mrs. Claus laughed. “My husband and son. I know they’re not technically boys but that’s what Carol and I call them.”
Ah, Carol. Holly had wondered about their other child. From what she’d garnered from overheard snippets of conversation, Carol Claus was as popular as her brother but far more focused on her work.
Holly accepted a glass of cider. “Tell me about your daughter. I hear she’d gone to spend Christmas with a family in the States?”
Mrs. Claus nodded. “That she has, I’m afraid it’s going to be a rough adjustment for her. You see, this particular family my husband chose is one that doesn’t quite embrace the holiday spirit.” She shook her head ruefully. “The head of the household isn’t exactly a Scrooge but he doesn’t seem to find any joy in the holidays.”
He sounded like Holly’s mother. Poor Carol. If she were used to living and breathing the Christmas spirit twenty four seven then she was in for a rough time. “And what about Nick? Are he and Carol much alike?”
Little did Holly realize that this question was one that would open the maternal floodgates. Before she could sing the chorus of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’, Holly found herself holding a photo album filled with photos of a young Saint Nick.
“And here he is learning to hitch up our reindeer, and, oh look, here he is all covered in soot from his first trip down a chimney.” Mrs. Claus put her hand over her heart. “My, how the years just fly by. It’s hard to believe in only a few short years our Nick will be the next Santa Claus.”
Holly gently closed the album and turned in her seat to look at her hostess. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but how does your daughter Carol feel about that?”
“About what, dear?”
“About Nicholas automatically becoming the next Santa Claus,” Holly said. There was a good chance she was overstepping but she forged ahead. “What if she wanted to take over from her father?”
Mrs. Claus plopped down in a chair and laughed rather more heartily than Holly thought was called for by such a reasonable question. “My dear Holly, you’re such a funny girl.” She wiped tears of mirth from the corners of both eyes. “How I wish Santa could have heard that. All I can say is that once you know Nick as well as we do you’ll know he will make the most perfect Santa Claus imaginable. Our Carol would be the first person to tell you that.”
Holly nodded politely. To her way of thinking Nicholas Claus would make a wonderful cruise director. The head honcho of Christmas? She couldn’t see it.
Both women turned at the sound of the front door opening. Holly stood as Mrs. Claus went to greet her husband. She craned her neck as unobtrusively as possible to catch a glimpse of Nick but she couldn’t see him.
“Where’s Nicholas?” Mrs. Claus asked, saving Holly the trouble of asking the very same thing. “I thought he was coming in with you?”
Santa shook his head. “No, he sent his best wishes to you both but he won’t be joining us for dinner. Seems our boy has other plans this evening.”
Holly struggled to keep a polite smile on her face. It wouldn’t do to let Nick’s parents see that she would give her last candy cane for the chance to give their son a piece of her mind. He had nerve in spades for abandoning her after he’d assured her that they’d answer his father’s questions about their plans together. If she needed one last bit of proof that Nick was as unreliable and unprofessional as he was charming, then this was it. How on earth was she supposed to partner with someone who avoided work like it was a rash?
Dinner itself was delicious. The culinary elves outdid themselves with a tantalizing Indian curry, pakora, and nan bread. It wasn’t what she expected Santa to eat but she supposed he couldn’t exist on milk and cookies alone. Mr. and Mrs. Claus proved themselves to be an absolute delight. They were witty, charming and so very kind to her. They regaled her with tales of Christmas exploits past and told funny stories about Santa’s near misses when he’d almost been caught delivering gifts. Only as she was about to leave did they touch on the topic of Holly’s job.
“We’ll just wait until my boy can sit with us and we’ll sort it all out then,” Santa said as he held out Holly’s cream wool coat.
She wound her blue and green plaid scarf around her neck. After she profusely and sincerely thanked her hosts for a lovely evening she asked what she hoped was a casual question about their son. “If I wanted to have a brief word with Nick tonight, just very quickly about something we spoke about today, where might I find him?”
She watched Nick’s parents exchange a quick glance before they shrugged in unison. So they knew but wouldn’t say. Why? “No more thoughts of work tonight, my dear Miss Jamison,” Santa said. “I suggest you head straight back to your quarters and put your feet up, watch a Christmas movie or perhaps read for a while. We’ll get straight to work in the morning but for tonight you just relax.”
Relax? Hardly. Nicholas had some explaining to do and tonight, as far as Holly was concerned, was his night in the hot seat.
Chapter Five
Holly’s search for Nicholas proved fruitless. Finally ready to give up
, she sank onto a plush green velvet sofa in an alcove off a busy corridor. Her feet ached. With a quick glance around to make sure no one was paying any attention to her, she slipped off her heels and wiggled her toes. Ah, sweet freedom.
Where in the North Pole was Nicholas Claus? She’d asked every elf she could get to stop working long enough to listen to her question but no one knew. Or no one was talking. It wouldn’t surprise her at all if they were covering for him. But where would he go when there was so much work to be done? Someone had to know.
Holly slipped her shoes back on, wincing only slightly as she wedged her toes into her now tight pumps. She would worry about her feet tomorrow. She closed her eyes and tried to remember where the main entrance area was. Maybe someone there could help her track down Nick.
A cheery looking elderly elf sat behind the front reception desk. He greeted Holly effusively despite the late hour.“Hello, Miss Jamison, you’re working awfully late considering it’s your first day. Our Saint Nick must be running you ragged, eh?”
“I’ve actually lost Nicholas,” Holly was careful to add a smile to her response. Her frustration with less-than-saintly Nick was hers alone. Besides, down to the last elf, everyone had been friendly and welcoming to her and she didn’t want to alienate anyone. “Would you happen to know where he is?”
“Saint Nick?”
Holly nodded, grateful to be spared speaking those two words together. She just knew his nickname wouldn’t roll off her tongue easily. “Does he clock in and out?”
The elf laughed. “Nah, he practically runs this place. He’d never have a chance to clock out.”
Holly’s eyebrows rose. Were they talking about the same Nicholas? Either the elf was delusional or Santa’s son had everyone fooled as to just how hard he worked. “So you think you might be able to help me find him then?”
Mrs. Saint Nick : A Christmas Central Romantic Comedy Novella Page 3
