Page 22 of Jingl
“Alec,” Shae laughs the name.
“Wait!Thisis Alec?” He’d told me Alec was nice to look at, but not his type, and I’m trying to comprehend how Alec isn’t everyone’s type.
“In the flesh.” The man slides into the seat across from us. “And you are?” He’s looking at me like I’m fresh meat, but with a smile telling me he knows exactly who I am.
“Trace.” I hold out my hand.
“Perfect.” Alec looks at Shae and leans in toward me.
“Don’t start,” Shae says. “He’s still getting settled in. Don’t traumatize him yet with all your questions.”
“I don’t have too many.” Alec bats his mile long lashes.
The server brings us our shakes. “Order whatever you want, my treat,” I offer. Alec orders the same as us. Once the server leaves, I lean in. “Ask me whatever you want.”
“Don’t give him that kind of power.” Shae’s eyes go wide and he sucks on his straw.
“I trust you both.” The challenge is on the table. Whether Alec takes it up is to be seen.
Alec’s shake comes, and he drops a straw in the glass. “You don’t even know me.”
“No, not really. But I know Shae loves you like a brother and trusts you with his life. So I do too.”
Alec blinks back at me and his mouth falls open before he recovers. “You really do talk about me.”
I nod. “Shae looks forward to working in the mall every Christmas season, in part because he gets to see you. Other reasons are because he can dress up, and he gets to entertain. I don’t know that he really cares that he’s entertaining children for the most part.”
Shae continues to slurp on his shake, not really meeting either Alec or my eyes. He’s red as a cherry again, so damn cute.
Alec chuckles. “Not gonna lie. One of the best parts about the mall gig is Shae. You only got to experience it once, but damn, he puts on a good show. The first couple of years Jack was a bit of a hardass and didn’t want to entrust the Santa set or costumes or anything to a literal child. But Shae wiggled his way into Jack’s heart like he tends to do and damn if he didn’t create the most magical Christmas set around.”
Shae’s even redder now. “I couldn’t have done it without Jack’s blessing or everyone else that’s a part of it. You. Nick and Doug.”
Both of them cast their eyes down now.
“Nick was our Santa,” Shae starts.
My heart squeezes at the words. They must have been close.
Alec has a soft smile now. “But his husband Doug needed surgery this year and we have a new Santa, Noel.”
“Who is doing a great job. And Doug’s doing so good with recovery.” Shae bounces in his seat. “I dropped off a get well basket the other day. But the sad news is Nick’s decided he’s retired. So if Noel doesn’t want to do it anymore, we’ll have to go on the search for a new Santa.” His shoulders drop.
If there’s no Santa, there are no photos or show or anything. No magic for Shae to play in.
“You’ll always have a Santa, Shae. Even ifIhave to do it myself.”
Shae snorts and sucks in more shake.
“That’s true love,” Alec says.
Shae and I stiffen in our seats.
“Y’all are cute. I love watching all my little elf friends fall in love. I’m catching me a sexy woodland elf myself.”
I cock a brow and Shae snorts again.
“I still think you’re barking up the wrong tree with Juniper,” Shae says.
