If best friends are good for anything, it’s for bringing wine when needed most. As if she could read my mind and lived through the painful phone call with my mother, Carly shows up with a bottle of Merlot from her Wine of the Month club. We finish it in no time, and I nurse a headache most of the day at work. I’ve only myself to blame. Luck finally lands on my side, though, and the headache disappears in time for my gig as an elf.

It’s been a while since the thought of dressing up excited me. Landon plans on returning with Abby, and I’ve been looking forward to it all day. He’s off limits, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look. For some reason I couldn’t stop picturing him today, and I even thought about that adorable kid of his. I guess it’s been awhile since I’ve had something to really look forward to.

He isn’t showing up until about six-thirty. I have a handful of situations to deal with while I await their arrival. One screaming kid, three criers, a parent who pulls their child off Santa’s lap mid-list due to a frantic phone call. I could use a break, but with only a four-hour shift I’m not offered one. I sneak a few sips of water and some pretzels from Santa’s house in between kids.

The line goes through waves of craziness, and Santa is relieved when downtime arrives so he can steal a few cookies in between kiddos. Right on time, as the line starts settling, I recognize the girl from yesterday and her dad.

“Sugar Plum!” She races to me like we’re old friends, her eyes widening while she smiles. “Can I see Santa now?”

“You sure can!” I’m glad she isn’t afraid to ask about Santa. It’s so much easier when the kids will have a conversation with me. I understand they can be shy, but sometimes that can be problematic when I’m trying to move the line along. “Are you feeling better?” She sure looks better. The color is back in her face, her eyes aren’t droopy, and she’s bouncy.

“I sure am!”

“You seem like it!”

“I think she ate a little too much yesterday. It’s not a virus or anything.” Landon places his hand on Abby’s shoulder and squeezes. He’s looking right into my eyes, and that’s when I note the flecks of brown laced with the gentle green. My gaze moves past his eyes to the scruff lining his face. He has the right amount of bristle on his face; the perfect amount to be sexy.

“Next time make sure your daddy doesn’t let you eat too much before such a big event!”

She puts her hand over her mouth unable to control the giggle escaping from her. “Landy’s not my daddy. He’s my uncle.”

He’s here with his niece. His needle moves forward in my Nice-Guy-O-Meter, and when he pats Abby on the head, it moves a few more notches. What a good guy! “Well, Uncle, it’s nice to meet you.” He’s not married. At least I don’t think so as my eyes sneak a peek at his ringless finger.

“Landon,” he reminds me, though he doesn’t need to. I’ll never forget his name. “Sugar Plum, right?”

“You can call me Juliette,” I whisper, making sure Abby doesn’t overhear so I don’t blow my cover. I bend down so I’m eye-to-eye with Abby. “Do you want to see Santa now? I can also give you a VIP tour of Santa’s house.”

“Wow!” Abby exclaims. “Can I, Uncle Landy?”

“Of course, you can.”

I reach my hand for Abby’s. Landon nods his head to let her know it’s okay she takes it, and I lead her up to Santa. “Santa, this is Abby. She’s a good friend of mine.”

The white-bearded man whom I normally call Frank offers a ho-ho-ho. “Hello there, Abby. Would you like to tell me what you want for Christmas this year?”

She lets Frank pick her up and put her on his lap. She wriggles around for a moment, and Santa waits for her to arrive in a comfortable position.

“Tell me, Abby, what will make you happy this Christmas?”

“My Little Pony stuff, an Elsa doll, and for my mommy not to be sick.”

“Does your mommy have a cold?” Santa asks, as I listen next to him. I turn my head to Landon, who’s face is now pale, like someone is drawing all the breath from out of his body.

“Abby, where did you hear that?” Landon asks.

“Daddy and Mommy yell about it. Mommy most.”

They argue over her having the sniffles? That can’t be. Landon searches for words, looking at me and then Santa and then back at me.

“She has canza,” Abby says as she makes direct eye contact with me. “Right here.” She points to her chest.

I haven’t heard of this. What is she talking about?

Landon mouths to me. “Lung cancer.”

My mouth drops open, the weight of an anvil smashing onto the ground. He’s lost so much color in his face. Not him, too. I reach for the bucket, but he comes to and races to Abby, scooping her off Santa’s lap.

“Abby, I’m sorry you heard any of that.” He rubs up and down the back of her jacket as he hugs her.

My heart crushes as I watch this, and I can see in Frank’s eyes, his does, too. The pain Landon must be feeling is incredible. His love for his niece is not lost in this moment.

In all my years as an elf, I’ve never fallen into a situation such as this one. Should I say something? What? Santa can’t give this precious little girl what she’s asking for. It’s not possible. I wonder how sick her mom is, why her parents are arguing about it, and I find myself wanting to help. Landon and Abby are basically strangers, but I feel this need to be there for them.

What would distract me if I were her age? I turn back to Santa, who points to the house set up behind him. “Abby,” I say as I clear my throat to grab her and Landon’s attention. “Do you want a tour of Santa’s Village?”

“Yes!” She jumps up and down, oblivious to what happened moments before. While Landon is still shaken by what Abby has said, he mouths a thank you to me. I nod back at him, and he knows I’ve got this. Abby takes my hand, and Landon follows behind as Mrs. Claus leads us into the small village.

The inside is nothing spectacular, at least to me, but to young children, I’m sure it’s amazing. Once we enter through the door, we’re inside a small tent decked out for the holidays. Bright lights hang from the metal bars holding the frame, and multiple Christmas trees can be found throughout. The children help decorate the trees by coloring ornaments. Once they finish their ornaments, Mrs. Claus gives them a small treat package. We even have a makeshift stable for the reindeer.

“Where’s Rudolph and all the others?” Abby notices right away the stable is empty. With such a small space, we can’t fit fake reindeer in there, so we’ve come up with an excuse.

“They’re playing. You know how the song says that Rudolph didn’t get to join in on the games? Well, now he does so the reindeer go off and play while Santa visits with all the kids.”

“That’s cool.”

I sigh in relief she’s accepted this. Some children argue with me, and one time I even gave up and told him we didn’t have reindeer. It didn’t help that her big brother was trying to prove that Santa isn’t real. The parents didn’t intervene at all, only watched me fail as I tried to contain the situation.

Even though Abby didn’t make an ornament, I give her a treat bag. She’s such a trooper, and with the wish she wants from Santa, she’s pulled at my heart too much to let her walk away empty handed.

We exit the village on the opposite side of where Santa sits. “Thanks for showing her around,” Landon says as we both glance at Abby, deep in concentration as she checks out her goodie bag. “She really needs this right now.”

“It seems so.” The unanswered question of her mother hovers between us. I want to ask questions. I’m a human being, for crying out loud. When someone says something like Abby did, you can’t help but wonder the story behind it. That’s not for me to ask, though, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to tell.

“That concludes the tour.” I wrap my hands together and let them fall to my abdomen. I don’t want him to leave, but there is nothing else for them to see. I’ve done my job. “Thanks for stopping by.”

Those green eyes of his twinkle as the silence bounces between us like a game of Pong. I think he wants to say something, and I want to hear what he has to say. He’s a field of energy pulling me toward him. I take a deep breath, catching myself before I fall because I could really fall for this man.

“So do you work here every night?” His voice breaks through the force-field of silence between us, and I have him for a few more moments at least.

“Mostly. I have off tomorrow though. Santa keeps me pretty busy during the holiday season, but his elves need a break sometimes.”

He cocks his head to the left as his lips curl into a smile. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Despite what they say, Santa doesn’t work us twenty-four-seven.” I couldn’t do this job more than I already do. The elf costume, the holiday music, it’s enough to drive me mad. But, I do it for charity. The money I’m donating makes every despising moment worth it.

And Landon is certainly helping.

“Would you like to join me for the holiday tree lighting tomorrow?”

His question throws me off guard. Did he ask me out on a date? I hoped he would, but I didn’t think it would actually happen. But the holiday tree lighting? No! I avoid the area the entire day when that’s happening. The streets are filled with people, laughing and enjoying their time as they ramp up for the holidays. Going, though, meant I’d see Landon again, and that’s all I want.

“Sure. That sounds great.” The only great thing about it is that I will be there with him. “I’m done with work at five.”

“I thought you had off tomorrow.”

“I do. From this job. This isn’t my real job.” Did he think I dressed up like this every day of the year or something?

“Of course. How silly of me.” He shakes his head, a little embarrassed he thought that. “I can meet you downtown at about six-thirty. There’s a bench on the west side of Main Street where the road forks. It’s my favorite spot to sit.”

“That sounds great. I’ll find it.”

Abby tugs at Landon’s jacket, ready to go. I can’t believe how long she stood patiently and waited for us to finish our conversation. I really like her.

Landon smiles and taps me on the elbow. “Awesome. I’ll be waiting.”

And as he walks away, I can only think maybe my waiting is finally over.