Rowan chopped the wood, over and over, thinking about the same woman he’d thought about since he’d met her — Holly.
Rowan waited for the next piece of wood to balance itself on the chopping stump. He watched as the log bounced around the ground aimlessly. The log ended up hitting a bush.
“Dude,” shouted Rowan.
“One minute,” shouted Krampus. “Sorry, you were saying? I see. Okay. We’ll be right there.” Krampus hung up the phone, waved his hands, and sent the logs and chopped wood to their rightful places.
“So is training over for today or…?” asked Rowan.
“It’s just started,” said Krampus. “The boss wants to see you.”
Krampus waved his hand. Rowan’s ax returned itself to the tool shed, flying through the shed’s doors which magically opened as Krampus used his telekinetic demoncraft.
Krampus ripped his necklace off his neck and tossed it in the air.
“You know the drill, boy,” said Krampus, as the necklace formed a ring in midair, expanded, and started to glow bright green. The portal above showed a set of wooden rafters not unlike the ones in Krampus’ cabin and base of operations on Camp Kringle.
Rowan came into the circle. Krampus pulled his hand down. The ring came down around Krampus and Rowan. The two were transported through the portal to a place that smelled of cinnamon sugar and glowed with the warm, soft, flickering light only a roaring fireplace could produce.
“Welcome to The North Pole, kid,” said Krampus, reaching down to close the portal and grab his chain necklace. He tossed the chain around his head.
Rowan looked around. They were in a little lobby. There were many sets of doors. Krampus walked up to the biggest set and knocked. Rowan looked at the doors. They were large wooden doors, carved with Christmas motifs — including jingling Christmas bells, flying reindeer, sleighs, presents, and boughs of holly, sending a pang through Rowan’s heart as he remembered the woman that not only wanted nothing to do with him but wouldn’t even give him a chance to explain himself to her.
If you were in her shoes, would you give her a second chance? asked Cupid.
Everything I learned as a matchmaker, organizing singles’ events, speed dating nights, fancy parties — none of it has helped me find a mate, admitted Rowan. The Clan Elders were right. I should’ve spent less time meddling with other peoples’ lives and focused on finding my own mate. If I hadn’t been sent here in the first place…well, maybe things would’ve gone differently.
Or maybe, you never would’ve met her at all, said Cupid. Who knows? She could still change her mind.
To have any chance of that happening, I’d need…well, I’d need a Christmas miracle, admitted Rowan.
You’re a flying reindeer, at The North Pole, said Cupid. Why the heck do you think you’re here?
What do you mean? asked Rowan.
Before Cupid could answer, Rowan heard Krampus’ phone play a heavy metal song that Rowan swore was a metal cover of a Christmas carol.
“Really?” muttered Krampus. “Didn’t expect her to be one for dramatics. Alright.”
Krampus opened the big wooden doors. Rowan followed him into a large office, decorated with Christmas decor that looked equal parts merry and magical. Just as there was a fireplace in the lobby, there was a fireplace in the office. On the mantle, there were seven snow globes that looked a lot like the one Krampus had used to take Rowan’s bear and gift him the ability to turn into Cupid’s reindeer form.
At first, Rowan thought that the room was missing a wall. Directly across from the double doors, there was a giant pane glass window. Between the windows and the door, there was a large wooden desk. A leather chair was facing away from the desk. Two chairs were set out in front of the desk.
Krampus took a seat. Rowan followed suit.
“So,” said a mysterious voice that was familiar to Rowan, but that he couldn’t quite place. “Do you know why you’ve been summoned?”
“Because you’re playing CEO while your father’s away on business?” asked Krampus.
The chair turned quickly. Rowan saw that in the chair was a curvy young woman he’d seen at the bakery, rather than someone resembling Santa Claus.
“Are you Santana?” asked Rowan.
“No, smart one — I’m Pandora, Pandora Claus,” said Pandora, crossing her arms. “Krampus ruined my dramatic entrance.”
“I’ve met you before,” said Rowan.
“And yet you didn’t recognize that I’m not Santana frikkin’ Claus!” argued Pandora.
“To be fair — I’ve never met Santana, and who is to say Santa Claus can’t be a woman?” asked Rowan.
Pandora nodded and raised her eyebrows, curling her lips downward. “You know what? I never thought about it this way. You might be okay, kid.”
“If you keep your face like that, a cold winter wind might blow and freeze it so you can never change it again,” said Krampus.
“Bleh!” said Pandora, pulling down her eyes and sticking her tongue out. “Then maybe, I’ll have devilishly good looks like you, goat!”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t tease the person that could let your father know you’re playing around in his office,” said Krampus, raising a single eyebrow and smirking.
“Alright, alright. Well, I called you here because I need…a favor,” said Pandora.
“You need a favor from him?” asked Krampus. “Oh, this’ll be rich. What, you’ve managed to blackmail some Christmas elf into building you a sleigh, and you need a reindeer to help pull it so you can practice for The Ride?”
“No — but thanks for the great idea,” said Pandora, scribbling on a piece of paper. “Blackmail…sleigh…practice…”
Krampus waved his hand. The note flew into his hand. He saw that Pandora hadn’t written down any notes. She’d drawn a penis, with candy cane stripes.
“Wow, very impressive, but it could be veinier, for realism, unless you’re going for this highly modern superflat aesthetic,” said Krampus, crumpling the paper and tossing it. “Have you just been drawing dicks and waiting for my art critiques, or did you have a reason to call us into the office?”
“There’s this girl at The Wreath who’s trying to organize a Christmas party — a single’s event, to be specific,” said Pandora. “Only problem is, she has no idea what she’s doing…and neither do I. But, I told her I’d help her out.”
“And now you’re outsourcing the job to us,” said Krampus. “Aren’t you worried that too many cooks will spoil the eye of newt soup?”
“Look at this entire organization,” said Pandora. “We need every last Christmas elf to make sure Christmas is a success, year after year. We need shifters like this guy to help pull the sleigh for The Ride. My father needs you, Krampus, to whip them into shape before he whips them around the world! Daddy Claus isn’t perfect, but, one thing he does know is that it’s important to find the right people for the job, and sometimes, that means outsourcing. Rowan, you’re a matchmaker.”
“Technically, I’m a lumberjack,” said Rowan.
“Don’t be humble,” said Pandora. “I’ve seen your portfolio — Rowan Hooligan, Seattle’s top matchmaker. Your singles events are popular. I need you to help make a singles event at The Wreath into a success.”
“Who’s throwing a singles mixer at The Wreath?” asked Pandora.
“Avery,” said Pandora. “She’s Santana’s Christmas elf in that area. She runs this bakery that, oh, you know — you got to every day. Bear Claw Bakery. She’s the manager.”
“Great, just what I need — to spend more time around Avery,” grumbled Krampus.
“I’m not just doing this for her,” said Pandora. “I’m doing this for this girl that works there.”
“Holly?” blurted out Rowan.
“Took you long enough to figure it out,” said Pandora. “Rowan, I need you to help me organize the event — stuff like food, decor, activities. I need the both of you to help set up the event. Think you can handle it
?”
“Why do I feel like we don’t have a choice?” asked Krampus, looking over to Rowan and rolling his eyes.
Chapter Seven
December 22nd, 2012
“Alright, a little to the left,” said Pandora.
“Like this?” asked Jack.
“What do you think, Holly?” asked Pandora.
“I think the boy’s got it,” said Holly. “Perfect. Well…that’s one single garland hung up. Do you really think we’ll get this entire space Christmas-ified by tomorrow?”
“If magical things happen on Christmas Eve, it follows that doubly magical things would happen on Christmas Eve’s Eve,” said Pandora. “Therefore, on Christmas Eve’s Eve Eve, Christmas magic is probably three times as powerful as usual.”
“I won’t argue with the math,” said Holly. “I think we’re going to need a Christmas miracle to make this event into a success.”
“Did somebody say they needed a Christmas miracle?” asked a booming voice. Somebody kicked open the doors to the community center. A man with a maroon leather jacket and a pair of gold aviator shades stood, arms crossed.
And then, the door shut on the man’s face.
“Krampus!” shouted Avery, rushing to the door and opening the door back up. “Krampus, are you alright?” Avery got down on her knees to check on Krampus, who had hit the ground.
“I’m fine,” said Krampus, profusely bleeding from the nose.
“I think you broke your nose,” said Avery. “We need to get you to a hospital!”
“Is it broken?” asked Krampus, raising an eyebrow. He snapped his fingers, and the bleeding stopped.
“I swear on my secret stash of eggnog, you’re the worst,” said Avery. “You gave me a scare, Krampus. Way to make an entrance.”
Holly came over to the door to check on Krampus. She walked, so she missed their exchange. She also missed who was standing behind the other door, the door that hadn’t been kicked open. Pandora followed behind Holly.
“Is he okay?” Holly asked Avery.
“He’s fine,” assured a familiar voice, a voice that made Holly feel as warm as a batch of wassail.
Holly looked up. In a red and green flannel shirt, work pants, and work boots, there was a familiar face — Rowan.
“What are you doing here?” asked Holly. “Scratch that — what are the two of you doing here?”
“I…may have asked them to help me help you,” said Pandora.
“You what?” squeaked Holly. “After I told you about how…interesting that would make things?”
“He’s an expert matchmaker who helped me come up with some fun Christmas singles activities,” said Pandora. “Plus, admit it — we could use the help decorating.”
“Fine,” said Holly, crossing her arms. “What exactly do you suggest we do?”
“Well, Jack and I are going to handle the ice sculptures,” said Pandora.
“Can we afford that?” asked Holly.
“Jack, uh…is really good with ice,” demurred Pandora. “He can make anything out of ice, you name it. Anyway. Krampus and Avery are handling decorations. I’m working on the ice sculptures with Jack. Why don’t you two handle setting up all the different tables and stations or whatever it is has to be set up?”
“Fine,” said Holly lamely. “Rowan, where do we start?”
“We need to find some tables and chairs,” said Rowan.
“Think fast,” said Avery. She tossed Rowan some keys.
“Great,” said Rowan. “Do you know where we can find them?”
“There’s a door marked, ‘Supplies,’“ said Avery. “They should be in there.”
“Got it,” said Rowan.
Rowan and Holly went to the supplies room. Inside, there were a bunch of plain looking folding tables and chairs.
“Well, this doesn’t look Christmassy or romantic,” said Holly, arms crossed.
“You just have to use your imagination,” said Rowan. “If you use your imagination, you can make Christmas out of anything. You just have to have Christmas spirit. So, what do think we can do with what we’ve got?”
“With ugly plastic tables?” asked Holly. “The only thing I can imagine is throwing them in the dumpster out back.”
“Instead of seeing them as an ugly plastic table, try seeing them as something else,” said Rowan. “It’s like finding shapes in the clouds.”
“I guess…if you squint, those round tables could look like snowballs – snowballs made out of dirty road snow, but, still snowballs,” said Holly. “Or…ornament balls. Or snow globes.”
“Great,” said Rowan. “Ornament balls sounds perfect. Some red and green tablecloths, with gold table settings for the red tablecloths and silver table settings for the tablecloths in green…that’d be perfect.”
“You are good at what you do,” said Holly.
“And you’re good at what you do,” said Rowan. “What does the bakery have on the menu for tomorrow night?”
“Everything,” said Holly. “But, I won’t be baking. I’ll be busy helping out here, of course.”
“Right, me too,” said Rowan.
“W-wait — you’re coming to the actual event?” asked Holly.
“Of course,” said Rowan. “I’m the head matchmaker.” Rowan found a large rectangular table and grabbed it.
“That’s…unexpected,” said Holly.
“Can you grab those two folding chairs?” asked Rowan.
“Oh, of course,” said Holly. She grabbed two white folding chairs and followed after Rowan.
“The first thing we want to put out is the information desk,” said Rowan. “This is base of operations for the two of us. It’s where we’ll sign people into the event, check IDs because there’s going to be alcohol, and of course, answer any questions people have.”
“The two of us?” squeaked Holly.
“Of course — you’re the assistant to the head matchmaker,” said Rowan. “I can’t be everywhere at once. Plus, little tip — people find women to be extra approachable, so, for the people that happen to find me too gruff looking to approach, you’ll be there.”
“If that’s true, why didn’t I see you with any other women at any of your other singles’ events?” asked Holly.
Rowan put the table down and pulled out the legs. He smiled to himself. “So you checked out my site. Well, apparently, you don’t have eagle shifter eyes. Other women are helping me at those events — lots of them.”
“Oh,” said Holly, blushing bright red. Of course, Rowan was surrounded by tons of women.
“Most of them are there volunteering — because I helped their grandkids get matched up,” said Rowan. “There’s nothing grandmas love more than helping match people up.”
“At least I’ve got the grandma costume down,” said Holly, motioning over her body. She was wearing a pair of comfortable pants in forest green. On top, she had a bright red Christmas sweater. The red sweater wasn’t knit. It was made of a jersey material, like a shirt, and on the sweater, there was a felt applique of a Christmas tree.
“That’s too cute to be a grandma costume,” said Rowan.
“Is it?” asked Holly. She pressed a button on her wrist. The Christmas tree on her sweater started to blinking in rainbow colors.
“Okay, that’s downright corny,” said Rowan. “I don’t think any of the grandmas I know would be caught in that — not for all the great-grandkids in the world.”
Holly couldn’t help but giggle. Being around Rowan made her happy — it was that simple, and it was that dangerous. Things had been weird ever since their time in the basement. The last thing she wanted was for those feelings to reemerge, but to tell the truth, they’d never gone anywhere to begin with, nestled deep in Holly’s heart like the boxes of campy Christmas ornaments buried in Avery’s basement at the bakery.
Holly and Rowan set up all the tables and chairs in the space while Krampus and Avery worked on hauling decorations out of the basement at the bakery, bringing th
em to the community center, and setting the boxes out for Holly and Rowan to pick through. Pandora and Jack left early after saying goodbye to everyone but promised that the ice sculptures would be done in time for the event.
Carrying all the tables and chairs was hard work. Holly was a curvy lady, so all the exercise, combined with her thick warm sweater, made her very, very warm. Holly wiped her brow clean.
“You want to go and get some air?” asked Rowan, noticing Holly was sweating.
“Yeah — that’d be nice,” said Holly.
Holly and Rowan walked outside. The community center looked plain from the outside. There was a big Christmas tree in the front of the community center, decorated with plain warm gold lights that softly blinked liked candles. Snow swirled around the tree and frosted its branches.
“That better?” asked Rowan.
“Much,” said Holly. “It’s so nice out tonight. I really love this weather.”
“You do?” asked Rowan.
“Of course,” said Holly. “There’s just something downright magical about this season. You can feel it, can’t you?”
“Yeah, I can,” said Rowan, thinking about his mission, about why he was at The Wreath to begin with. “Do you have fond memories of playing in the snow?”
“Of course,” said Holly. “It’s too bad that I live in a city. All the snow in Boston gets gross from cars.”
“I thought New England was supposed to be like Montana, with trees and forests and shit,” said Rowan.
“It is — but not in the cities,” said Holly. “You think Boston’s nestled in the woods or something?”
“To tell you the truth…that’s what I imagined,” admitted Rowan.
“You’ll have to visit it sometime,” said Holly. “It’s a nice city.”
“Is that an invitation?” asked Rowan, raising an eyebrow.
“No,” said Holly quickly. “I just…never mind. I think I’m getting chilly. I’m going to head back in.”
“Holly!” said Rowan, but Holly had already walked off quickly. Apparently, she wanted to be left alone. He leaned back against the walls of the community center and closed his eyes.
Cupid Claws: The Twelve Mates Of Christmas, Book 6 Page 7
