“Hey, what’re you working on?” asked a friendly voice.

Noel looked up from her papers, at two of her regulars – Pandora and Jack.

“Hey, you two,” said Noel. “The bakery is doing this Christmas charity thing, delivering baked goods to needy families in rural areas. I have the routes worked out, but, to get the deliveries on time, I’m going to need to be in seven places at once. Plus, some of these deliveries are really rural – so we can either make deliveries to a few really rural kids, or a bunch of other families, leaving out some of the families that need this food the most. I don’t know if Avery and I can make all these deliveries on our own.”

“Who said you have to do it on your own?” asked Jack, looking over the mess of blank maps and markers on the table. To an outside observer, it would’ve looked like Noel was doing an adult’s coloring book, rather than scribbling routes on maps Avery had printed off in her office.

“Well…I guess nobody did,” admitted Noel.

“Can I see that?” asked Pandora, motioning to Noel’s notes. “I’m, uh…pretty good with routes, given my dad’s work.”

“Right, because your dad is Santana ‘Santa’ Claus,” commented Noel.

Pandora nearly spit out her peppermint mocha.

“Wh-what was that?” asked Pandora nervously. “Did you just imply that my dad…”

“Yes, because he is,” said Noel. “Avery told me everything – about your dad, and about how Jack’s dad keeps making trouble up North, with blizzards and ice and stuff interfering with your dad’s deliveries. I thought I had to deal with family drama, but what y’all got is something else.”

“We’re not family,” said Pandora.

“Oh, sorry – dating?” asked Noel.

“Friends,” blurted out Pandora. “Best friends.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” said Noel, looking between Pandora and Jack. “Well, sorry I ‘misunderstood,’ Miss Claus. Anyway. Here. Tell me what you think I need to do next.”

Noel passed Pandora the pile of papers. While Pandora looked over the papers, Jack made small-talk.

“How come you’re not, y’know, freaking out?” asked Jack. Meanwhile, Pandora looked over the papers. The routes Noel had traced out were a mess.

“About what?” asked Noel.

“About Christmas magic being real, ice elementals existing, stuff like Christmas elves and Christmas demons walking among mortals like you,” said Jack.

“Because I got other stuff to worry about!” hissed Noel, pointing at the papers Pandora was holding. “I can have some Christmas themed existential crisis once I figure that out.”

“This doesn’t look bad,” said Pandora. “I like the routes you’ve organized, but, may I?”

“Go ahead,” said Noel.

Pandora put the papers down and took a seat. She grabbed a new map and started to scribble. Within five minutes, she was done.

“Here,” said Pandora. “Arrange the routes so that you are hitting houses as you drive out, and as you drive back to town. You just need to find seven drivers to work the route – ideally, in pairs. I guess that means you need fourteen volunteers, plus, a delivery team for the rural houses.”

“At least there’s one thing I can take care of on my end – finding drivers. I have seven older brothers. I’ll call them, see if they can come up here and help. They can do the work of two men, so I don’t think they’ll need partners, but I might as well ask around for volunteers. Many hands make light work, after all,” said Noel. “But…what about the rural houses? I don’t see them on the routes?”

Pandora took a sheet of golden stickers and marked the rural houses.

“Getting to those houses by ground is going to take up too much time. From the air, you can hit all of the most rural houses on their own route,” explained Pandora. “You’ll go in a circle, starting from the airstrip outside of town, going over the rural houses and dropping off packages, and then flying over The Wreath to get back to the airstrip once you’re done.”

“A plane?” asked Noel. “Where am I supposed to get a plane?”

“Can Krampus’ boy fly?” asked Jack.

“It’d be good practice for him,” admitted Pandora. “I don’t know if a reindeer would be the most efficient means of getting the stuff to the rural areas though.”

“It’d be pretty magical,” commented Jack. “Plus, you wouldn’t have to rent a plane or a helicopter or anything.”

“Connor – Krampus’s ‘ward’ or whatever – won’t help me, though,” said Noel. “No way, no how.”

“He has to – to try and get off of The Naughty List,” said Pandora. “Tell me. Does Connor still have the word ‘Naughty’ written across his body?”

“Does Connor what?” asked a booming voice.

The trio turned. Connor was at the back door of the cafe. He was covered in a sheen of melting snow. On his chest, there was one word – ‘Naughty.’

“I guess that answers that question,” muttered Pandora. “Should we leave you two to it?”

“No, wait!” said Noel, but Pandora and Jack had already left with their drinks while Connor walked up to Noel.

“My ears were burning as I rowed across the lake,” said Connor, eyebrow quirked. “What mischief are you getting me into this time?”

“Me?” asked Noel.

“Yes, you – if you weren’t so sassy and curvy, maybe you wouldn’t attract every shifter in town to this bakery, shifters that I have to fight off,” said Connor.

“Excuse me? Are you forgetting I am the one who scared the giraffe away with the hot coffee?” asked Noel. “Besides…who said I’m attracting ‘every’ shifter in town? Last time I checked, you are a shifter, and you don’t seem attracted to me in the least.”

Connor’s cheeks turned as crimson as a Santa hat.

“Were you talking about me or not?” asked Connor.

“Yes,” said Noel. “Look. You don’t like me, and I like you less by the day. However. I need your help.”

“Another shifter to fight off? What is it this time, an elephant? A lion? Oh, don’t tell me – a zebra?” asked Connor.

“Fine – if you don’t want to get off of The Naughty List, I don’t suppose I should ask you for help anyway,” said Noel.

“Well, now, let’s not be hasty,” said Connor hastily, taking a seat across from Noel.

“No – it’s fine,” said Noel, packing up her papers and markers. “I’ll just have to tell these poor kids that they won’t get their Christmas pastries after all because a reindeer decided they didn’t deserve to have a nice Christmas.”

“Noel – what do you need? How can I help?” asked Connor.

“Well…if you really wanted to help me, I suppose I could ask you for help,” said Noel. “The thing is, I wouldn’t want to be a bother, especially during the holiday season, what, with your big, important Christmas job you have to prepare for. I just…I just thought maybe, this could help you get off of The Naughty List, but I guess I was wrong to ask you for help.”

“Noel, what do you need?” asked Connor. “I’ll do it.”

“Avery made a list of all the needy families in the area who want Christmas baked goods for, well, Christmas,” explained Noel. “I have routes here – made by Pandora, Santana Claus’ daughter, who is apparently a logistics genius.” Noel pulled out the paper. There were seven routes on the ground and seven locations marked with golden stars.

“Each of these routes can be done by a single driver. I have seven drivers, but, if we can find seven partners for the drivers, they can work faster,” said Noel. “One person can keep the car running while the other goes and makes deliveries, or they can both deliver stuff. Either way, if we have a partner system, that’s ideal.”

“Easy – I know seven people that can help,” said Connor.

“You do?” asked Noel, quirking a brow.

“Yeah. I’ll contact them. I guarantee right now that they’d come over to help, especially given it’s for a great cause,” said Connor. “Don’t worry about that. What about the houses with the gold stars?”

“Those are the most rural houses. We have to get to them by air,” said Noel.

“Then it’s a good thing I’m a pilot,” said Connor.

“You’re a pilot?” asked Noel. “Great. You have a chopper here? How about a plane?”

“Well, no,” admitted Connor.

“And do you have the money to rent one?” asked Noel.

“Not exactly,” admitted Connor sheepishly.

“Then you’re hitting those houses by air on your own,” said Noel.

“But how?” asked Connor.

“Are you kidding me?” asked Noel, pushing Connor’s shoulder. “You’re a frikkin’ flying reindeer! You can just fly the packages to the families. Gosh, Connor, I feel sorry for Santana if you’re gonna be like this during The Ride.”

“Forgive me for not remembering I can fly when I’ve only been a reindeer for a few weeks,” said Connor, arms crossed.

“Well, you better start remembering why you’re here – to get off of The Naughty List,” said Noel. “Maybe this’ll be enough to get you onto The Nice List, Connor. I don’t know. But I do know that I need to be able to rely on you. Deliveries happen on December twenty-third.”

“Is that Christmas Eve?” asked Connor.

“No, numb-nuts, or should I say, numb-candy-and-nuts? The twenty-third is Christmas Eve Eve, the night before the night before Christmas Day,” explained Noel. “I need people here early – let’s say, the twenty-first – so we can go over logistics, and people can get a good night’s sleep before the day of deliveries. Anything else I need to cover?”

“I think this is the part where I kiss you,” said Connor.

“You what?” asked Noel, cheeks turning bright red.

“Look,” said Connor.

Noel looked up. There was a sprig of mistletoe hanging down from the ceiling, right over the table. She recognized it from a camping trip she’d taken with her brothers. Those white berries were not edible. They were just trouble, and they had definitely not been up there before – not when Noel helped open the bakery in the morning, and not when she’d taken her seat to work on the maps. Heck, she hadn’t seen it when Pandora and Jack were at her table either!

There was a tag attached with a signature. Noel could just make out the letter ‘P.’ It had to be Pandora’s mischief! How Santana Claus’ own daughter could be so darn, Naughty was an eldritch knowledge beyond Noel’s mere mortal understanding.

“Fine, but only because I’m sure that if I don’t kiss someone when I’m under the mistletoe, I’ll get slapped on The Naughty List,” said Noel, standing up with a huff. “Let’s get this over with and fast.”

Noel’s act was betrayed by her blushing cheeks. Noel could pretend to reject Connor, to not want him, but, just as Connor had failed to prove to others that he was not interested in Noel, Noel had failed to convince Connor that she wasn’t interested in unwrapping his present underneath her tree. Heck, she had failed to convince herself that Connor wasn’t the one thing she wanted for Christmas.

“So you like it fast,” whispered Connor. “A woman after my own heart.”

“Unless your heart’s that lump in your pants, I can promise you, your heart is not what I’m after,” said Noel.

“Shh,” said Connor. “That’s mistletoe, Noel, not mistledick.”

“What? How does that metaphor even work?” asked Noel. “I don’t have a foot fetish.”

“Do you want this kiss or not?” growled Connor.

Noel reached across the table. She put her hands on Connor’s shoulders, but, Connor took Noel’s hands and held them in his own. Noel could feel the rough marks on his hands – not the pawprints of a bear, but the marks of a reindeers’ hoof, the same silhouette it would stamp across the fresh snow. Noel looked down at their entwined hands. She felt something brush against her cheek and moved her head instinctively.

“No, not done yet,” said Connor, unlinking one of his hands from hers and pressing it against her cheek. “Just…wait.”

Noel stood still as Connor pressed his lips against her cheek. Her heart, on the other hand, was running a mile a minute.

She’d thought she’d had control of the situation with Connor, manipulating him into helping her. Pretending that she didn’t want his help anymore after he sassed her? Appealing to his mission to get off of The Naughty List? Referring to his masculinity by describing him in super manly ways? Check, check, and check.

There was one thing Noel couldn’t control – her own body’s natural instincts. It knew that when a big hunk of a man like Connor came calling, legs started spreading. Noel felt light-headed as Connor kissed her as if her head was a freshly shaken snow globe. Her knees were weak, like a Christmas tree branch with one too many ornaments on its tiny twigs. She felt like she might fall. The only thing Noel wanted to fall into was Connor’s arms.

Connor pulled away.

“You know, you’re allowed to breathe,” said Connor. “It’s not like that’s your first kiss or something.”

Noel’s cheeks burned, giving Connor an answer Noel’s lips couldn’t seem to give him.

“Wait…” started Connor.

“Bye, Connor, see you later!” squeaked Noel, still holding her breath, as she pulled out of the embrace.

“Noel!” Connor shouted, but Noel had already run off to the kitchen.

“Connor! Lucy! Mephistopheles! On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, on Vixen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!” shouted Krampus from another table. “See? I can call out names too! Now, let’s go.” Krampus stood up and brushed some straw off of his body. How he had gotten straw on his body, in the middle of a bakery, was anyone’s guess. Connor didn’t think to ask about it. Avery just frowned at the mess Krampus was making, a mess Avery was going to have to clean-up!

“But–” started Connor.

“As much as I’d love to see another episode of your little soap opera, we must be going,” said Krampus, taking Connor by the shoulder and walking him outside. “Your training is nowhere near complete – and apparently, you have some phone calls to make. If it weren’t for a project for Avery, I wouldn’t let you make the calls. Here.”

Krampus pulled a phone out of his pocket and showed it to Connor.

“You don’t need to know the number – just say the name, and the phone does the rest,” said Krampus.

Connor reached for the phone, but Krampus repocketed it.

“One hundred push-ups, for each person you need to call, and don’t go calling up phone sex lines,” said Krampus. “I don’t need to have an awkward conversation with Santana about why that would be on my bill.”

“More of a camgirl man?” teased Connor.

“Just get in the boat,” ordered Krampus.

Noel’s heart was racing. She’d always felt a lot like Snow White – just waiting for her prince to kiss her, well, when her seven older brothers (who couldn’t exactly be described as lovable fantasy dwarves living in a quaint forest cabin) gave her some room. It had finally happened. She’d had her first kiss – and it had been from Connor, a man who she had been surprised to find she couldn’t easily catch. She’d pretended that she was an experienced player when in reality, all her ‘dates’ had just been ‘study dates’ with classmates at business school that had definitely not ended with a sexy kiss. That made her doubly surprised to have been kissed by Connor at all!

She looked out the back window and saw Connor rowing across the lake. She couldn’t believe what she’d gotten herself into. There was no way things could stay simple, especially if Connor was going to meet her brothers during the Christmas delivery blitz. The seven of them were sure to put Connor through the wringer - or was it ‘five golden ring(er)s,’ in the spirit of the holidays?