Page 9 of Polar Prank
Then I see where she’s leading us…
The Grinch’s lair and I get to sit in a giant red velvet chair.
“Great,” I say unceremoniously.
Iclyn giggles as she sits on the other end of the table and the hostess hands us the menus.
It’s simple.
Burgers— three kinds.
Fries— two kinds.
One dessert choice.
They have a bigger drink menu than anything.
She gets the Santa Special, a regular burger with extra pickles —imagine that— regular fries, and a local craft brew that’s named Rudy’s Red Ale. I get the Swiss Mushroom Burger with the spicy fries, and an Old Fashioned that’s aptly named the Ole Santa. We stare at each other across the table.
She bites the side of her lip. “They encourage people to amble around and take pictures with all the different backdrops and settings while their food’s being made.”
“Do you want to?”
She stands. “Of course, but if you don’t,” she says as she starts to sit down and I hate that my past attitude dampens even a moment of her experience.
I could be the grinch that she thinks I am, or I could step out of that costume and try a new suit.
“No, let’s do this. Plus, I look good in green.”
“Yes, you do,” she says softly, but I hear it.
We make the rounds. There’s a life-sized Santa sled and they dress Iclyn up as Mrs. Claus and me as… an elf. The next stop we get to pose amongst a candy cane forest. And the last one we visit as our order is being delivered to our area is snowflake heaven. It’s a room that’s got over three thousand snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, creating a maze. She starts out at a fast pace and I quickly lose her. My heart starts to beat fast. I’mnot sure why, but I don’t like her being out of my sight. It’s like I want to have her with me and around me and beside me.
“Iclyn?”
But there’s no answer.
“Icyln, are you okay?”
No answer.
My heart is now jumping in my chest like a frog on hot concrete.
I feel a poke on my shoulder and I jump.
She giggles. “I’m right here, Brinker.”
I wrap my arms around her. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’ve just done it a couple times, so I rushed through it so I could surprise you. Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I give her a hug and she leans into the gesture.
“Were you really scared?” she asks quietly.
“Yeah.”
“I guess you do have a heart after all.”
