Page 19 of The Snuggle is Real
We made it through the checkout, and I was almost home free when Charlie saw the giant nutcracker that stood in front of the collectibles store across Prancer Street. “Ooh, look at that! Can we take a picture of it?”
Charlie had been getting restless at the house, and it was a couple of hours until the parade tonight, so I agreed.
Santa’s Village—the town’s over-the-top name for its downtown district—was buzzing with activity. Garland wrapped around all the street signs, topped with illuminated bows, and the shop windows were frosted with fake snow and trimmed with holiday lights.
Charlie’s face lit up as we crossed the street and she posed in front of the nutcracker figure. From there, it was inevitable thatshe’d catch sight of Santa’s Workshop, a store full of handmade toys.
“Can we go in?” she asked. “I need to make my list for Santa!”
Oh, heaven help me.
What would be on that list, and would I have any hope of delivering it to her?
Charlie was more excited than she’d been since arriving. She still believed in the big guy at the North Pole. I didn’t want to be the sorry bastard who gave her coal in her stocking.
The bell over the door tinkled as we went inside, and Nicholas Willoughby greeted us. “Hello, there! How can we help you?”
“We’re just looking,” I said gruffly.
“Sure, sure. There’s plenty to see.” He waved a hand toward the shelves of handmade toys. There was a section of newer, modern things, as well, but Charlie was focused on Nicholas.
“Wow, you look just like Santa,” Charlie said, eyes wide.
He gave a hearty ho-ho-ho. “Well, I also make lots of toys like Santa. Would you like to see?”
She nodded and he took her hand, leading her through the store, talking about some of his favorite toys.
I checked the price tag on one of the music boxes and nearly fell over.
Damn. Getting the best didn’t come cheap.
But hell, even if I couldn’t get Charlie any of this stuff, she was having a ball. Nicholas was doting on her, and she was eating up every second of it.
I wasn’t going to let my own worries get in the way of that.
They stopped in a section with exquisite hand-crafted dollhouses. Charlie peeked into each room, listening intently as Nicholas pointed out the little details.
As everything in Christmas Falls, the dollhouse had holiday flair, with latticework along its roofline that put me in mind ofa gingerbread cottage. A tiny wreath hung on its front door, a Christmas tree lit up one corner of its living room, tiny gifts under it, and children slept in their tiny beds with pictures of sugar plums dancing over their heads.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured. “Must have taken a lot of hours to get such fine-tooled work.”
He smiled proudly. “My grandson helps me craft now. He’s got a real talent for it.”
I nodded. “He must.”
Charlie half turned, gazing up at me. “It’s so cool, Ford. This is definitely going on the list!”
Nicholas shot me a wink. “Just remember to give Santa plenty of options. His elves are working hard, but there’s lots of children in the world. We can’t haveeverythingwe want, isn’t that right?”
Charlie nodded along seriously. “Okay, I’ll make my list extra long!”
I wasn’t sure if Nicholas had just done me a favor or not. I nodded my thanks anyway, and he gave Charlie a small handmade top as a free gift and handed me a business card with the note,Let me know if you want a smaller version. We can work out details.
I pocketed the card, wishing it were that simple. Maybe it could be if I could pick up a couple of odd jobs. Of course, I’d have to see if Dottie could watch Charlie while I worked.
If I wasn’t gone for too long of a stretch, she could probably handle it, but I didn’t want to assume anything.
Either way, there was nothing to be done about it the day after Thanksgiving. Charlie needed a little time to settle in and feel secure before I left her with someone else. We’d have to scrape by until then, and I’d cross my fingers I could bring in enough income to cover more than the absolute basics.
