Cate
I sighed. Only another hour until my shift was done. I glanced at my watch, not wanting my boss to see me. She was a hard ass who felt everyone should be overwhelmed by the honor of working here.
Calypso's was the hottest store in the retail world, and this close to Christmas, we were busy from open to close. My job was not hard—being a cashier was not overly taxing—but standing in one place and keeping a smile on my face no matter what crazy shopper was in front of me got challenging at times.
In that vein, I supposed I could be forgiven for checking my watch at the end of an eight-hour shift. Not to mention, this was a last chance job for me. I needed to find a job quick, and this place was hiring.
I'd finished up school this past summer, graduating with my doctorate in marine biology and landing a job in a study in Oregon over the summer. Yay me, right? Doctorate in five years. The joys of working over every school holiday. It had been my goal, and now it was done.
I’d graduated in November right before Thanksgiving and I'd found myself unemployed, out of school, and back in my parent's house. My friend Annalise had offered her place to crash in New York City since she always worked. I was tempted. However, hanging out with Annalise, as awesome as that would be only delayed me having to leave the academic world and find a real job.
Calypso's it was until I found another job. I was focusing on university studies and projects as well as zoos. I really wanted to work with on-site research, but those gigs were few and far between.
Right now, all I wanted was out of the mall. I smiled mechanically at the woman in front of me as she complained about the prices. There's an easy fix for that, I thought as she went on. Don't come in.
My smile stretched as I handed her the bag. How did people do this regularly? Too much public interaction for me. I preferred a hungry shark to a holiday shopper any day.
"Hey, you need to take your break," Cheri came over and whispered to me. Cheri was the assistant manager and a lot easier to work with than Barb, the hard ass GM.
"Thank you," I whispered over my shoulder. "I'm ready."
She smiled and made a shooing motion with one hand. "Fifteen minutes."
I nodded and made my escape. Even fifteen minutes would help me get to the end of my shift. Since I wasn't a closer, I could leave and be done for the night.
There were three job applications that I still needed to complete. I'd set the goal of having them done by the end of the week. I was sending out applications to anything that sounded like something I could do. It was the only way to get out of my parents’ house and away from Calypso.
Heading out the front door, I took a deep breath. It felt good to walk and stretch my legs. The crowds were lighter, too, as it was near to closing time. Our store was at the center of the mall, and I slowed as I went past the Christmas Village display.
Some of the girls I worked with had been laughing over the Santa earlier today. I wondered why and decided to linger and take a look. I hadn't had a chance to get details, so I might as well look for myself.
Circling around, I looked for the Santa figure. There were two women—one older, one younger—dressed as elves, but I couldn't see the Santa.
The line of kids waiting to see him was only about ten deep. Everyone was watching the door that had '10 Santa Lane' over the lintel. Suddenly, the door flew open. A man stood in the doorway, so tall that he had to duck to come out.
"Ho, Ho, Ho!" He said. Rather, he boomed. His voice was deep, and it reverberated through the center of the mall. "Merry Christmas! Now where are all those good children waiting to see me?" He laughed, grabbing his obviously fake round belly.
What was interesting was that while the kids all cheered and clapped, it was their moms who seemed even more excited. I saw them straighten their clothes, patting at their hair and lips.
Santa must not be an old guy, then. The old guys never got this kind of response. Unless it was Sam Elliott. That was an old guy who would get a response no matter what, I thought with a smile.
Watching the Santa, this was a young, very tall, very buff guy. I could see his muscular arms in the suit and resisted the urge to pat my own hair.
He was good with the kids, laughing and making them feel comfortable. One grabbed at his beard, pulling it down and exposing his face.
Holy. Shit.
* * *
Aleksandr
I smiled at the little girl staring up at me, her eyes wide and cautious. She wasn't sure she liked me, but so far, I hadn't done anything too bad.
Yet. She wasn't dropping her wariness. Smart kid.
I still couldn't believe I'd been talked into this crap. Dressing up as Santa? A root canal sounded more appealing. But this was my dad's gig, and he was as sick as a dog. He'd been the Santa for nearly thirty years and if he couldn't do it, he wanted his family to be the one to cover for him.
It was, after all, a business for him and my mom. They had contracts with nearly all the malls in the state, along with anywhere that had a Santa during the holidays. My dad loved it. Most of the guys were like him—older, retired, not really needing the fake beard. But this was the mall in our town, and he was The Santa here.
As the only son who lived close, Santa fell to me. The fact that I had my own business—none of that mattered. I could get coverage.
Mom was right when she said that. It was just being bossed around like I was twelve that got me. Not that I minded helping the old man. Not one bit.
The little girl pulled at my beard, pulling it right off my face. I heard a gasp next to me that I didn't think came from either of the elves. Sneaking a glance, I saw that I was right. It was her mom.
Shit. I didn't need the mom getting in the way here. I averted my gaze quickly, not wanting her to see me looking. This had been happening regularly, and it made my helper elves—today my mom and my sister—nearly cry with laughter. I could see my sister holding in a smile behind the mom.
“They’re not used to a Santa whose lap they want to sit on,” my mom had cackled before we’d started this shift.
“All night long,” my sister added.
“You’re not helping,” I said to Natalia in an undertone.
“I don’t care,” she replied. “The moms’ reaction to you is the best.”
“That’s only because you don’t have to manage it,” I grumbled.
“Poor baby. Maybe your love life will improve for Christmas,” Natalia patted me on the head like I was a little kid.
“Enough,” I’d gotten up to put on the suit then, not wanting to talk about my love life. My dad needed to get better soon. I couldn’t handle this day after day. Not only that, but I wanted to be back in my shop. Cars were easy. Moms and kids—not so much.
So here I was, with a little girl staring up at me and her mom looking at me like I was a Christmas ham.
“Why does your beard come off?” She asked.
“Because I don’t like to wear one all year long,” I whispered. “How about we keep it a secret?” I raised my eyebrows and smiled at the same time.
She gave me a hard look, then nodded. “OK, but I have things I want, Santa.”
I laughed. “I like that. You drive a hard bargain. What is on your Christmas list?”
Mom leaned into the mom of the little girl and moved her forward. We always tried to make sure the parents were close enough to hear what it was their kids wanted. It helped keep the Santa belief alive longer if he got something right on Christmas morning. For all my cynicism I loved seeing the kids excited about Santa. The longer you could keep them believing, the better. It was magical.
Which is why my dad only had to ask for me to volunteer in his place. Not that I’d admit that to a soul. I hated the fact of me doing it, but I believed in why he was passionate about it. As the little girl went on with her list, I glanced at the line. It wasn’t long, and the rope at the entrance had been put across the pathway, blocking off any more kids. That was a good thing. Closing time was almost here.
I glanced around and saw a woman standing outside the Christmas Village, her hand to her mouth. Something about her looked familiar. She let her hand drop and I nearly lost the kid in my lap.
Cate Morgan.
I remembered the last time I’d seen her. It was right after high school graduation. She’d gotten a scholarship to a school out in California, to study marine biology. Not only did she have a scholarship, she’d been awarded some sort of summer study project. Cate was excited about it, but all I could see was her leaving even sooner. We’d just started dating the month before graduation, and I’d wanted her to stay. It had taken us four years to finally date. I didn’t want it to come to an end before it really even began.
“You don’t have to do this, babe,” I brushed her arm with my fingers, letting them trail down to her hand.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes, I do. This is a competitive field. I need to do anything I can to get an advantage.”
We hadn’t slept together yet, and I was going insane. I thought and hoped it would be soon. I’d been wanting Cate for the last four years. Now it looked like it wasn’t going to happen. Like the jerk I was then, I wanted her to be as miserable about it as me.
Cate reached up and stroked my cheek. “You’re killing me, Aleksandr.”
I gathered her to me, leaning down to kiss her. “Then I’m doing my job.”
Her arms went around my neck. “Your efforts to die for, but I’m not changing my mind.”
I remembered my mind going blank at her words, and I abruptly let her go. “Then you need to leave.”
Her eyes were clouded as she looked at me, hurt and confusion plain on her face.
“What? Why?”
“If you’re just going to leave, I’m not going to waste time with you.”
Her breath drew in, and the shock on her face was replaced by anger. “Oh, so if there’s nothing in it for you right now, and you don’t get what you want, the hell with me? With us?”
I partially turned from her. “There’s no us. Go. Enjoy.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared off into the distance.
“You’re an asshole, Aleksandr Dragomirov!”
I turned all the way around then, my back to her. I heard her footsteps as she walked away. That had been the last time I’d seen her. Natalia heard about her every so often when she’d come home on school breaks, but after mentioning Cate to me once, she’d never done it again.
Biting someone’s head off when they speak has that effect, I guess.
It couldn’t be Cate. Here? Now?
On the other side of me, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Natalia waving.
Well, shit. If it wasn’t Cate, it was someone who looked a hell of a lot like her. Great. No one wants to be reminded of what an asshole they were. Not that I regretted being honest about my unhappiness with her leaving, but five years later, I knew that there were better ways to handle it.
And I’d never met anyone like Cate since. That didn’t help, either. I met women at bars, and through the guys who worked for me at the shop, but they were nothing like Cate. She was idealistic, and strong, and committed. There had been a reason that I’d wanted to date her the entire time I was in high school. I’d just never gotten to spend the time with her I wanted to. Living in a small town, you get to know people, and everything I did know about her was amazing.
Then I’d turned her away from me. But she’d walked away, I rationalized.
“What?” I said, realizing that someone was talking to me.
“It’s time for our next customer,” Natalia hissed. “Wake up and pay attention, tupitsa.”
I knew she was annoyed when she started calling me names in Russian. Tupitsa meant dummy, although in our family, it was translated as a cabbage head arsehole. I grinned. How could you do anything else when someone called you a cabbage head arsehole?
“Ho, ho, ho,” I said to the little boy who was approaching me cautiously. “How about we talk about what you’d like to get for Christmas?”
The last of the kids finally made it through. As me, Mom, and Natalia waved them out, I noted that there were kids hanging around the outside of our setup, and I waved until I made it into our Number Ten Santa Lane.
“Whew,” Mom said. “The crowds are getting more demanding. Aleks, you can’t daydream like that. I know it’s been a long day, but these kids expect to see Santa and have his utmost attention.”
“Ease up, Mom. Cate Morgan walked by,” Natalia said.
“Cate Morgan? So?”
Shit. It had been Cate. I glared at Natalia, willing her to shut up.
No such luck. “They both stared at each other like someone shot them in the ass,” Natalia continued. “I figure he gets a pass.”
Mom looked from Natalia to me and back at Natalia. “I feel like I’m missing something here. Why does your old girlfriend from high school make you feel like you’ve been shot?”
I was trying to figure out what to say when Natalia jumped in again. “Never mind, Mom. Aleks is fine. And he’ll be fine tomorrow. Only four more days, and you’re off the hook, big brother!” She patted my shoulder a little too heartily.
“Well, all right then. Let’s not let things fall down with so little time left.” Mom left to change out of the elf costume.
“Dude, pull yourself together,” Natalia said as soon as Mom disappeared into the small changing room.
“It was a shock. I haven’t seen her since—”
“Since you were a dumb, selfish ass who hurt her feelings because she wanted to get an education?”
“Is this really any of your business?”
“She was my friend, and after you dumped her, we weren’t as close anymore. She felt bad, and she said she didn’t want to cause any problems. So, she kept her distance. I’ve never said anything to you, but since you’re supposedly a grown up, I’m telling you now. I don’t care what your deal is anymore. I’m going to catch up with her, and if you can’t handle it, then you make yourself scarce.”
I didn’t reply because she’d surprised me with her vehemence. Natalia stalked off to the changing room, and I could hear her and Mom talking, although not what they’d said. In a way, her leaving like that was good.
I didn’t know what to say to any of it. Not even a little.
Cate Morgan was home. And if the glimpse of her I’d gotten was any indication, she was looking better than ever.
Well, hell.