The Santa Express

by Leeanna Morgan

“I think he trusts me.”

  “You think he does?”

  “Okay. He trusts me.”

  Bailey breathed a sigh of relief. “That was harder than I thought. In my professional opinion, I suggest you pick a time and tell John how you feel about him. It will help with your sleepless nights and he might even buy you more chocolate fudge.”

  Instead of feeling relieved after hearing her sister’s advice, Shelley felt deflated. She would much sooner talk about anything other than her feelings. And she had a suspicion that John was the same.

  John poked his head around the edge of Shelley’s office doorway. “The UPS guy dropped off four big boxes for you. Where would you like them?”

  When she saw the box in his hands, she leaped out of her chair. “I’ll move my plant and you can leave that one on the table. I’ll help you stack the others in the corner of the room. Are they what I think they are?”

  John peered at the label. “If you think they’re elf costumes, you’d be right.”

  Shelley clapped her hands. “I’ve been looking forward to this delivery all week. Do you want to see them before we collect the other boxes?”

  “I don’t think I have a choice.” He grinned at the smile on Shelley’s face. With a flourish, he pulled a utility knife out of his back pocket. “And as luck would have it, I’m fully prepared.”

  What he wasn’t prepared for was the green and red costume that Shelley pulled from the box.

  “Isn’t it adorable?” Shelley asked in awe. “It would have taken too much time to make costumes, so I contacted a friend in Bozeman. She helps organize their annual Christmas parade and had these costumes stored in her garage.”

  “How many are there?”

  “Twenty-five. It won’t be enough for all our volunteers, but the elves on the train and inside the barn will definitely be able to wear one. The rest can wear elf hats.”

  John breathed a sigh of relief. As a volunteer, he was profoundly grateful that his role as fence security elf wouldn’t require a green and red costume. “The costumes look great.”

  Shelley’s eyebrows rose. “I know you’re incredibly disappointed that you won’t be wearing one of them. I could always make you an elf costume?”

  “I wouldn’t want you to go to so much bother,” John said generously. “But thanks for the offer.”

  With a contented sigh, Shelley closed the flap on the box. “We’d better bring the other boxes into my office before Mabel sees them. She might want you to model one of the costumes for The Welcome Center’s Facebook page.”

  John hadn’t moved so fast in a long time. He hurried to the reception desk and took two boxes away from the startled volunteer. “I’ll be back for the last one in a few minutes.”

  Shelley was right behind him. “I’ll get it. I’d hate Mabel to see what’s inside the boxes.”

  “Boxes?” Mabel said from across the room. “What have you been buying?”

  John groaned and disappeared down the corridor, but Mabel wasn’t deterred. Even from Shelley’s office, he could hear her asking about the delivery.

  Shelley, God bless her little cotton socks, told a marginally white lie. If Christmas-themed toilet paper could be called marginal. At least the costumes and toilet paper had Christmas in common.

  In case Mabel decided to do some investigating of her own, John made sure the opened box was beneath the others. In her own way, Mabel was even more determined than Shelley. If she really wanted to know what was inside the boxes, Christmas-themed toilet paper wouldn’t stop her.

  Shelley smiled as she walked into the office. “That was a lucky save.”

  John poked his head around the door frame, scanning the corridor for any sign of Mabel. “Do you think we’ll be safe?”

  “Only for a few days. As soon as the volunteers collect their costumes, Mabel will have her camera ready, snapping photos for everyone’s Facebook pages.”

  As long as none of the photos included him, he was happy. “Have you found somewhere to hold Bailey’s wedding?”

  Shelley shook her head. “Sadly, no. After you told me the church was booked, I contacted all the event venues within a thirty-minute drive of Sapphire Bay. Valentine’s Day and the weekends either side of it are some of their busiest times of the year. I might have to swallow my pride and ask the Colemans if we can use their barn. But I don’t see Jebediah being too happy about one hundred guests stomping across his property.”

  “I might have found a venue for you.” John smiled. It wasn’t often that he surprised Shelley, and he was enjoying her stunned expression.

  “You have? Where is it?”

  “Have you heard of The Fairy Forest?”

  Shelley frowned. “Is it east or west of Sapphire Bay?”

  John thought for a moment. “Well, you could probably say it’s east of The Welcome Center. About a five-minute drive east, if you want to be precise.”

  “It’s in Sapphire Bay? Is it an indoor or outdoor venue? February can be bitterly cold, possibly snowing, and I don’t want anyone getting sick—”

  He held up his hands. If he didn’t interrupt Shelley, they’d never get to the point of the conversation. “It’s an indoor venue that comfortably holds two hundred people.”

  “Why haven’t I heard about it?”

  “It hasn’t been open for long. Daniella works part-time at Sweet Treats. She wanted to start her own business so she leased a building and created The Fairy Forest.”

  Shelley logged off her computer and grabbed her bag. “I’ll go there now. Have you checked to see if Daniella has any bookings for Valentine’s Day?”

  John smiled as Shelley threw on her jacket and pulled her red woolly cap out of her pocket. She was a woman on a mission and he was standing in her way. “No bookings and I’ve already penciled in the wedding. When I told Daniella it was Bailey and Steven who were getting married, she offered you a discounted rate. Steven helped her move in.”

  With her hat pulled low over her head, Shelley stood in front of him. “You, John McDonald, are a modern-day miracle worker. Thank you.” And before he realized what she was doing, Shelley placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him soundly on the mouth. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  By the time his befuddled brain worked out what Shelley had said, she was rushing down the corridor. “Wait for me!” he yelled. “I’m coming with you.” And before she drove off without him, he grabbed his jacket from his office and sprinted toward the parking lot.

  If that’s all it took for Shelley to kiss him, he’d better look for more miracles. Because he’d liked it. A lot.

  Chapter 7

  John was right. It took less than five minutes to drive to The Fairy Forest and two seconds to know it was the perfect venue for Bailey’s wedding.

  “This is amazing.” Shelley turned in a slow circle as she looked at the ceiling. Thousands of fairy lights were wrapped around the exposed wooden beams, creating a kaleidoscope of stars above the main event area. “What an incredible space.”

  Daniella smiled. “We’ve had a few weddings in The Fairy Forest, but most of them were quite small. We’ve never had one hundred guests.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Not really. We’ll just have to work through the logistics. You’ll need to rent some furniture but, if you’re happy to do that, it won’t be a problem.”

  As she wandered around the room, Shelley was impressed. Daniella had recreated every childhood fantasy of what a fairy forest should look like. From the lush green grass to the toadstools and large trees, everything was designed to be a magical wonderland. There were even tiny creatures with glistening wings hiding in the flowers.

  Shelley touched the wings of a butterfly. “Where did you find the trees and flowers?”

  “Someone I know works in the film industry. Their production company wanted to sell the set from a fantasy movie. They knew I’d leased this building and asked if I wanted any of the pieces. Two weeks later, I’d n
egotiated a great price and they delivered everything to Sapphire Bay.”

  Shelley looked around the forest. “It’s stunning.”

  John picked up a small, pale pink chair. “Did the furniture come with the movie set?”

  “The local woodworking club made the furniture. They did an incredible job.”

  They weren’t the only ones who’d done an incredible job. Shelley smiled at John. “Thank you for suggesting The Fairy Forest. I can’t think of a more perfect venue for Bailey and Steven’s wedding.”

  “You’re welcome. Have you asked about a dance floor?”

  Shelley was so overwhelmed by what she’d seen, that she hadn’t thought beyond the reception.

  “I suggest hiring a portable dance floor from Mabel and Allan,” said Daniella. “They don’t have any in stock at the general store, but they can get it in for you as long as you give them a few weeks’ notice.” She walked to the opposite side of the room. “The other bride and grooms placed their dance floors over here. That way, it allows the guests to enjoy talking to each other without being close to the sound system. If you’re having a live band, you could put the musicians anywhere.”

  John leaned over Shelley’s shoulder. “Do you want me to write any of this down?”

  Shelley sighed. She must be more tired than she thought. “That would be great.” Taking out her trusty notebook, she handed it to John. “If you could draw a rough map of the interior layout, that would be great.”

  Daniella opened the folder she’d brought with her. “I photocopied the floor plan from the building file. There are also photos of what each room looks like from different angles in case you want to add extra decorations. If you want me to leave the fairy furniture in one area for any children who are coming to the wedding, just let me know.”

  “Adult-sized tables and chairs?”

  Shelley glanced at John. He was better at this than she was.

  “I have a few,” Daniella said. “But I recommend renting them from the general store. Eventually, I’ll have my own supply, but it’s not something I can afford at the moment. The artificial grass is really forgiving, so you won’t need to worry about damaging it. The manufacturer told me it’s almost indestructible.”

  “What about kitchen facilities?” Shelley asked. She looked at John and saw him smile as he wrote a new heading in the notebook.

  “I’ll take you through to the kitchen now. It’s not as good as the one at The Welcome Center, but it’s okay for what we use on a daily basis. Depending on what you want for the wedding, you might want to look at other options.”

  Shelley and John followed Daniella into the kitchen.

  It was large, but Daniella was right. With only one oven and refrigerator, it would be okay for a small event, but not for a large wedding.

  “What you need is a mobile kitchen unit like we used in the army,” John said. “With a little forward planning, you could easily cater for one hundred people.”

  If John had used mobile kitchens, that meant he’d probably been overseas. “You were deployed overseas?” Shelley asked.

  “I spent some time at Bagram Airfield.”

  “My brother was stationed there,” Daniella said. “That’s where he met John.”

  When Shelley looked at John, he muttered. “Small world,” and started opening and closing cupboards.

  Daniella didn’t seem to notice John’s sudden interest in her storage space. “If you’d like to add extra decorations and furniture, send me a list of what you’d like along with a floor plan of how everything will be arranged. I’ll also need the final guest numbers. If something doesn’t meet the fire and safety regulations, I’ll let you know.”

  “Are you happy for Willow to take photographs in The Fairy Forest?” Shelley asked.

  “That’s fine. If Bailey’s happy for me to use one or two, I could add them to my website.” Daniella checked her watch. “I need to prepare for today’s after-school parties, but if you need anything else, just call me. Bailey has been here before, but if she wants to have another look, I’m happy to show her around.”

  Shelley shook Daniella’s hand. “You’ve been amazing. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  John closed the notebook and held out his hand. “It was good seeing you again. How’s Daryll?”

  Daniella’s smile faded. “He has his good and bad days.”

  “Is he still living with your mom and dad?”

  “He is.”

  “Good. I’ll call him tonight.”

  Daniella’s relieved smile made Shelley frown. “He’d like that. He’s always a lot calmer after he’s spoken to you.”

  “It must be the memory of my sweet cherry pie.”

  “No,” Daniella said. “It was the way you looked after him.” Her eyes glistened with tears as she said goodbye and walked out of the kitchen.

  John handed Shelley the notebook. “We should probably check the number of bathrooms.”

  “Bathrooms?”

  “It’s important.”

  And before Shelley could respond, John left the room.

  John tapped his pen against the side of his coffee mug. “Is anyone listening?”

  Shelley, Mabel, Bailey, and Emma stared at him with amused grins.

  “We haven’t had a fundraising meeting for two weeks,” Emma said ruefully. “I’ve got so much news to tell everyone.”

  “We’re supposed to be talking about The Santa Express,” John said. “Not the Christmas play at the twins’ elementary school—although it sounds like a lot of fun.”

  Mabel wrote something on the piece of paper in front of her. “It would make a wonderful story for our community Facebook page. I’ll call the school tomorrow and ask if it’s all right if I take a few photos.”

  John sighed. Having the meeting at his house wasn’t such a good idea. Since everyone had arrived, they’d compared his decorating tastes with theirs, talked about Mabel’s daughters, and discussed Bailey’s wedding. No one had mentioned their last fundraising event of the year.

  He tried again. “In a few days, an enormous steam train is arriving in Sapphire Bay. How are the ticket sales for The Santa Express?”

  Emma checked her laptop. “All tickets are sold. We have a wait-list of thirty-four people and ten dogs.”

  Shelley’s eyebrows rose. “Dogs?”

  “I had some inquiries from people who wanted to bring their family pet with them. I didn’t think the steam train trust or the Colemans would appreciate furry family members joining us, so I put their names on a wait-list. It could be something to think about for next year.”

  John shuddered at the thought. He liked dogs as well as the next person, but worrying about potential dog fights and children being bitten was more than he wanted to deal with. “Food?”

  Mabel pulled out an enormous sheet of paper. “Everything is ordered. A team of volunteers is joining me on Thursday to prepare the cookies and muffins. Friday is for food that can be refrigerated overnight. And on Saturday, we’ll put everything in boxes and deliver it to the Colemans’ ranch.”

  “Did Patrick see you about donating the juice and soda?” Shelley asked.

  “He did. He’ll bring everything to the barn on Saturday. What a nice man. I always thought Kathleen and Patrick would make a lovely couple.”

  Shelley grinned. “Don’t let Megan hear you say that. She keeps telling her mom she needs to join some kind of social group, but I’m not sure dating Patrick would count.”

  “Leave it to me,” Mabel said cheerfully. “Just because someone’s in their seventies or eighties, it doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a little romance.”

  John dropped his chin to his chest. He needed to load the fundraising committees with men. Otherwise, he was doomed to a life of hearing about everyone else’s love life. He glanced at Shelley. If his life was a little more exciting, he probably wouldn’t mind.

  Shelley cleared her throat.

  He hoped she was thinking t
he same thing as he was.

  “The volunteers are ready for action,” she said. “I divided the elves into three teams: the train elves, the outside security elves, and the barn elves. The barn and train elves are coming to The Welcome Center tomorrow to collect their costumes. The security elves are wearing elf hats and name tags.”

  John relaxed. It looked as though everyone was finally thinking about The Santa Express. “The temporary fencing arrives on Friday. The rental company has assured me that it won’t take more than a day to build. But just in case, we have most of Saturday to finish anything that doesn’t get done on Friday.”

  Bailey leaned forward. “What about the decorations? From what Shelley said, it could take a long time to decorate the barn.”

  “And the tree,” Mabel added. “We can’t forget the centerpiece of the evening.”

  Shelley smiled sweetly at John. He had a feeling he was about to be volunteered for something. “I spoke to the Youth Employment Coordinator and the Construction Program Coordinator at The Welcome Center. They’re happy to send their students to the barn on Thursday morning to hang the decorations. The tree arrives on Friday. It would be wonderful to have John there to coordinate everything with me.”

  “I’m happy to help. Especially when you don’t want me to dress as Santa.”

  “Santa is already booked and can’t wait for the event. Thanks for helping with the decorations. I’ll show you the plan of where everything’s going, so we both know what’s happening.”

  “We’ve all cleared our schedules for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” Mabel said excitedly. “This will be the best event yet.”

  Emma looked at Shelley. “After our expenses are taken into consideration, how much money will we make for the tiny home village?”

  Shelley turned to the last page of the financial spreadsheet. “With our ticket sales less expenses, we’ll make about four thousand dollars. But I’m expecting to make more than that. During each of the Christmas fundraising events, people have been really generous and donated even more money. Based on the other events, we should have at least seven thousand dollars to put toward another tiny home.”