Delivered to My Elves (Mail-Order Matings #18)

Chapter Thirteen

Aerin

How long did I think it would take before the Santa thing came up? Misty would have heard all those stories about elves making toys, and there were those who did. Unfortunately, they were a different branch of elfdom, separated from us so long ago, some people didn’t believe we were even the same species.

I was not one of those.

But when I gave my short answer, Misty deflated, and I felt bad. “Sorry, it’s a sore spot. All the kids love Santa and when I was little, I didn’t know why we weren’t part of the toy team. I nagged my parents to take me to the North Pole so I could take on what I felt was my destiny.”

Misty stopped on the path and tilted her head to the side. “Your destiny?”

Callon laughed. “That’s my buddy. He even packed up on two occasions, prepared to hike to Santa’s fortress and ask for a job.”

“Really? A fortress?”

“Yeah. If you lived at the North Pole, you’d want a stronghold, too. Do you know how many aircraft fly over it on a daily basis? And as I hung out here in our little village with its Christmas tree farm and wide-open acreage, all I could think of was that the elves at the North Pole really had it good. Working with Santa?” I sighed. “But it was not to be.”

“It seems pretty nice here.” Misty stood on the path in front of our house while my friend opened the gate for her. “Just the two of you live here?”

“And you,” I reminded her. “If you choose to, that is.”

“I haven’t even seen the kitchen yet,” she said. “That’s important to a woman.”

“You like cooking, then?”

She giggled. “I hope that’s not a deal-breaker.”

“Not in the least. We have been cooking for ourselves since we left our parents’ home. We weren’t looking for household staff on the app.”

She squeezed her eyes closed. “No, you wanted a breeder.”

“That term,” Callon said, “does not begin to describe what we discussed. It would seem to imply someone who gives birth and moves along.”

“True.” She shook her head. “So, are you going to show me this house, or are we going to stand out here and put on a show for all those people peeking through their curtains?”

Callon laughed. “Nobody is going to do that. We’re not that interesting to them.”

“No?” She waved an arm at the houses nearby and every curtain moved. “I rest my case.”

“Let’s get inside.” I led the way up the steps to the front porch and opened the door. “They’ve all had their show.”

Misty followed, pausing in the doorway. “I was going to ask if you forgot to lock the door, but…where is the lock?”

“We don’t have locks here,” Callon said. “No need.”

“I’ve never heard of anywhere you didn’t need to lock up.” Misty moved into the living room and turned in a circle. “But this place is great.”

“What did you think it would be like?” I asked, puzzled.

I was picturing, I don’t know, some kind of bachelor pad, but this is charming. Did you have a decorator? A sister or mom who helped?”

“I’m crushed.” Callon shook his head. “You think we didn’t know how to decorate a cottage? We grew up surrounded by a certain style, and we liked it, but we wanted it to be a little different.”

“A bit more modern,” I added. “When you’ve gotten a look inside a few other homes, you can tell us if we achieved our goals.”

We took her from room to room, and in each, she said such nice things that I was cheered. We’d offered her a position as breeder, but she was already deep in my heart, and in Callon’s too. Would she ever feel the same?

It was going to be a rocky road if not because I would take her any way I could get her, but my hopes were high. Probably with no reason.