Cal (A Little Christmas Season Three)

1. Cal

Chapter 1

Cal

I looked up from my notepad and tapped the edge of my pen to my lip. “So, where did we land on the Christmas boutique idea?”

Mary, the director of the assisted living facility I worked for, and my boss, smiled widely. “I love it. Let’s do it. We’ll invite family members, the local community, and university students. Their art program is amazing, and they love this kind of stuff.”

“Awesome.” I glanced through my notes one more time to make sure all my questions were answered. “Oh, didn’t you say something about a Santa fundraiser thing?”

“Oooh, yes! Thank you for reminding me!” She clasped her hands together on the table in front of her. “We partner with a local nonprofit—Santa Comes For Everyone—to raise money for the children of the community.”

I tried not to giggle, but come on! What kind of name was that?

She rolled her eyes and held in a grin of her own. “Yeah, whoever came up with that name was either high or disgruntled.”

I cleared my throat and shrugged. “Maybe both. But anyway, how can I help with that?”

She looked me right in the eyes and inhaled deeply. “I’m glad you asked. Usually, we provide the elves for their photo-with-Santa booth at the mall. We have someone who’s available to work the day shifts, but I need you to find someone who can work evenings. Usually six to eight, and then a few weekend shifts between now and Christmas. It’s kinda fun, and they just have to wear the elf suit and pass out candy canes.”

“I love candy canes.” I gave myself a whole two seconds to consider what I was signing up for before I nodded my head in her direction. “Yeah, I’ll do it. That does sound fun.”

Being new in the town of Hermanton meant I didn’t know a lot of people yet, so working in the mall sounded like a great way to meet some people in the community. Besides, seeing all those adorable kids getting their picture taken with Santa was just what I needed to get in the Christmas spirit.

I’d never spent a Christmas so far from home before, but it was important to prove to my family and to myself that I could do it. I hadn’t always been the most independent kid. As the youngest in my family, I was quick to let others do things for me.

I just liked being taken care of—so sue me!

But since my last boyfriend dumped me, I’d been feeling like it was time for a change. That was part of the reason why I took the job that had been remote from my home in Lansing until now. It was scary to leave my home, but living in my parents’ basement indefinitely seemed like a bad life plan.

Volunteering and meeting people while wearing an elf suit was exactly what I needed. Maybe. Hopefully.

If nothing else, I got to wear an elf suit. I loved dressing up. Halloween was usually my favorite holiday because of the costumes, but Christmas was a very close second, with all the candy and presents and toys. That was another thing I didn’t get nearly enough of in my life.

Back home, I was fairly involved in the kink community and got to go to Little play nights at least once a month. But in a town as small as Hermanton, I didn’t expect anything like that to happen. That meant I had to find opportunities for childish fun all by myself. Playing an elf was perfect.

“You will?” Mary was beaming with excitement. “That’s so great. You’re gonna be perfect.” She glanced down my body then back up. “And the suit should fit just right. Last year, our elf was just about your size. If we had to buy a new suit, that would get pretty pricey.”

Okay, I guess I was officially doing it. “When do I start?”

She bit her lip and gave me a guilty grin. “Is tomorrow too soon?”

Not too soon, but it was definitely sooner than I expected. “No, that’s fine. I don’t have anything better planned.”

“Excellent. There’s a new Santa this year, and I’ve heard it’s the hot new ranger who came to give a presentation on some of the indigenous wildlife a few months ago.” She waggled her eyebrows. “If it is him, expect him to get as much attention from the teenagers and parents as from the kids.”

I chuckled. “If he’s that hot, those kids are gonna have to get in line behind me, because this elf has some Christmas wishes that only a miracle from Santa could fulfill.”