Page 115 of Run, Run Rudolph
“Up here!” I called before saying into the phone, “Mrs. Claus was going to?—”
“Mrs. Claus?”
I realized just how out of the loop my friend was with everything that had happened last night while she’d been sleeping.
I quickly gave her an overview of the entire night, starting with hitting Rudolph, which she knew about, to Hugo, Santa, and my feelings for Haden, which I’d felt were being returned. Then on to being in court, and waking up this morning with everybody else’s memories erased.
“No,” Char breathed. “Tam, this is awful. I’m so sorry.” The sorrow in her voice brought tears to my eyes.
I lowered my voice. “And things feel different.”
“Different how?”
“My mom said Kade wasn’t the man for me.”
Char gasped. “What? No way!”
“Yeah.” Man, I missed my bestie. It felt good talking to someone who knew my life, my history and all the nuances, so when one thing fell out of alignment, she immediately understood the deeper impact. “She actually suggested that Haden would be a good match for me.”
“What? No! For real?”
“I swear I’ve pinched myself so many times that my arm is bruised.” I could feel the dinner bell clock countdown happening downstairs. I needed a solution to my Haden issue. “What do I do?”
“There’s no way we can recreate last night for Haden,” Char said in a tone that was thoughtful. “But maybe there’s a way we can jog his memory, or start over or something. Did you ask Estelle about wishing his memories back?”
“I’ve been banned.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. You mentioned that. That’s super unfair. You basically saved Christmas.”
“Clearly, Mrs. Claus doesn’t see it that way.”
“Time to eat!” my mother hollered up the stairs.
That was only two minutes, not five!
“Just a minute!”
“Who are you talking to?” she called.
“Char.”
“Tell her I hope she’s having a good Christmas, even though it won’t be a white one down there in Mexico. And be sure to tell her to be careful about the cartels. And?—”
“Okay! Thanks, Mom!” I lowered my voice to relay the Merry Christmas bit to Char, “She also says?—”
“I heard her. Tell her Merry Christmas, and that I’m too heavy for the cartels to kidnap.”
I snorted and called down to Mom. “She says ditto, and thanks!”
My mom muttered something about me being a horrible messenger, then added firmly, “Time to eat. Now, Tamara.”
“Sorry, I gotta go,” I told Char. “Text me if you figure out a loophole to get Haden’s memories back.”
“I’ll ask Josie. She might know a way.”
“Tamara Rose!” my mom hollered.
“I’m coming!”
