Page 105 of Run, Run Rudolph
Estelle paused. “We can’t read the future, Tamara.”
I glanced back at Haden, folding the piece of paper with the handwritten wish. “Will I remember tonight?” I looked up at my fairy godmother. “Will he?”
Estelle placed a hand over the one holding the wish, not meeting my gaze. “This is for the best. Char says you can use her credits. There will be no cost to you. No unforeseen consequences.”
“We’ll lose tonight though, won’t we?”
“It’s my job to protect you, and it’s very important we extract you from this timeline immediately.”
“But what about Christmas? What happens to it? What if the reindeer still get drunk and are out partying on the roads, and the walls remain weak, and someone else hits Rudolph? Only it’s worse because they’re speeding? What if they don’t stop and help him? What if Santa and Mrs. Claus stay angry at each other, and she doesn’t make the magical flying oats? What if Christmas is ruined either way?” I looked down at our hands, slowly removing mine from under hers and standing, my mind made up. “This is too important, Estelle. I have to try to fix Christmas.”
Chapter 30
~ Estelle ~
I was crying softly, worried for Tamara. She seemed to think she could save Christmas. Why were humans so ignorant and stubborn? Yes, Haden would forget tonight if she made that wish, but this was her life! She needed to stop worrying about everything, and everyone one else.
Gram-Gram patted my shoulder as my tears dropped onto her office’s pink carpet, making the rose pattern bloom and change with every drop. It was beautiful and almost made crying worth it in order to see it animate.
“Look up,” she commanded, dabbing my burned skin with a lotion that smelled like spring rain. It soothed my scorched face, which was thanks to Mrs. Claus unceremoniously banishing me from the barnyard after I granted Tamara’s safe passage wish, sending her and Haden to the hardware store.
“The first time always hurts the most,” Gram-Gram said. “A bit of your pride gets burned, too, doesn’t it?”
“You’ve been banished before?”
Gram-Gram chuckled. “The best fairy godmothers wind up on the wrong side of other magical beasts from time to time.” She smiled. “I like to think it’s in our DNA, but it’s probably because of the way we steadfastly adhere to our guiding rules whenever our client is involved in something.”
Keep the client safe, happy, making wishes, and improve their lives. Yeah, those rules had definitely landed me on the wrong side of Mrs. Claus tonight.
Gram-Gram was still fussing over me, and I leaned away. “I’m fine. Really.” I ran a hand through my hair, horrified to find the bits around my face had been singed, too, and were now a brittle disaster.
“Oh, sweetie,” Gram-Gram clucked. “It’ll grow back.”
“I didn’t even fix Tamara’s mess. She’s not safe.” My palm was littered with fragile black strands of what had once been my beautiful hair. I patted the rest of my head, ensuring Mrs. Claus hadn’t done more damage than to just the fringe around my face.
“You got Tamara and Haden away from Mrs. Claus’s rage,” the head fairy said. “That’s keeping your client safe, which improved her life. You granted her wish, which made her happy. You’re four for four on the guiding rules, and that granted wish will give Mrs. Claus time to cool down.”
“It’s not enough. Tamara needs to reverse time.”
“Reversing time means she has to give up love. She’s waited for years for this man to show her affection. It’s unfair to expect that wish from her.”
I sighed. What did I truly know about love? The one time I’d thought a guy was into me, it turned out he was Santa Claus, and married to a much-feared and powerful black witch. Now she was terrorizing my client as well as ruining my signature hair style and enviable complexion.
“You gave Tamara the wish to use, if it comes to the point where she needs it,” Gram-Gram said soothingly. “We’ve done all we can for the moment. We’ll stand by and watch the wishing machine so we can take immediate action if she calls upon us. Tamara’s fate is in her own hands. Not ours.”
“Letting humans have agency in their own lives is stupid!” I exploded, my emotions getting the best of me.
What was I going to do if Mrs. Claus got to Tamara? What if the witch used her anger with me against my client? I’d lose Tamara, and I’d fail at all the promises I’d made when accepting her file. I’d fail at keeping her safe and happy, and I certainly wouldn’t have improved her life.
“Did you know I wear green and red on Christmas Eve?” Gram-Gram said coyly, clearly trying to cheer me up.
“You don’t.”
She laughed at my tone. “You’re right. I don’t. I much prefer pink. But you can wear green and red. And I heard you have a new pair of green stilettos to wear.”
She was trying to distract me. I shifted, facing her more fully. “We have to do something, Gram-Gram. Something more.”
She put an arm around me. “Destiny and fate will do what they can, and so will we. Tamara has a good sense of self-preservation. She’s saved herself once tonight with your help, and you’ve given her the tools to do it again. Let her choose her own path. Even if it’s a dangerous one.”
