Here Comes Santa Paws (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

20. Roman

Chapter 20

Roman

“You’re in a good mood today.”

I peeled my eyes away from the admin work on my computer to level an unamused stare at Anisha. “What about me frowning at my monitor tells you I’m in a good mood?”

She set my mug on my desk, full of coffee again. I’d been so focused on paperwork that I hadn’t noticed her snag it for a refill.

“You look about thirty percent less constipated. For you, that’s downright giddy.”

I picked up my mug. “Am not.”

She pointed to the addition on my desk. “ And you decorated.”

I snorted. “A single nutcracker doesn’t mean I’ve decorated. There’s nothing Christmas about it. He’s wearing scrubs.”

“I forgot. Nutcrackers are year-round décor.”

She sat on the edge of my desk and grinned conspiratorially. “Is it that adorable elf from the pet photos with Santa? Your neighbor?”

My cheeks burned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Anisha straightened triumphantly. “I knew it! I saw the way you looked at him.”

The back of my neck burned under her scrutiny. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“He seems really sweet.” Her voice went almost singsong.

“Good for him. Thanks for the coffee.” I focused on my monitor, but Anisha had grown wise to my shit a long time ago and wasn’t put off so easily.

“You did an amazing job with the photos. I’m going to get ours framed and give them as gifts to the grandparents.”

I looked at her with surprise. “Really?”

“Really.” Her smile was gentle. “You’re a great photographer. Have you given more thought to entering the contest?”

I shrugged one shoulder.

“Roman speak for maybe.”

I made an unimpressed sound as I bit back a laugh. She knew me too well. That thought sobered me. I hadn’t connected with coworkers at my past jobs. I’d always been congenial enough to not be a complete asshole, but I’d kept to myself. Anisha had refused to remain at a distance.

Just like Elias. Once he glimpsed my soft underbelly, he pounced. One side of my mouth hitched slightly at the memory of last night. I kept expecting things to get weird, but they hadn’t. He’d texted me a ridiculous GIF of a dog in a Santa hat today, encouraging me to buy one for Carol. Could it be that easy? Enjoying his company in and out of bed without it becoming a big thing?

My thoughts were getting away from me. With all the jobs I’d recently applied to, something would come through, and I likely wouldn’t be in town for long.

The coffee must’ve hit me funny today because my stomach rolled.

Anisha had continued laying out the reasons I should enter the photo contest while my mind had wandered off to la-la land. Her put-upon sigh drew my attention back.

“Just think about it, okay? You should share your talent so others can appreciate it too.”

Finally acknowledging my silence, she went back to her desk. When I was alone, I grabbed my phone to search for details about the photography contest. There had to be some sort of immediate red flag that would make it easy for me to rule out participating.

I found the information easily on the Christmas Falls Festival website. There were categories for children and adults. Basically, any photo was eligible if it connected to the holidays in Christmas Falls. I momentarily considered the possibility of taking a picture of my hand positioned to flip the bird in front of a festival event. But I wasn’t sure anyone but me would find that funny. Elias would probably laugh though.

I hadn’t enjoyed Christmas in the same way since we’d moved away from Dahlia Springs over twenty years ago. I’d been so excited to go to the tree lighting with Warren and his siblings, but we moved before the festival started.

I realized I wasn’t feeling as antagonistic toward the Christmas Falls Festival as I had the past two years. My avoidance of it partially stemmed from moving here in early fall. It had been so stunning at first. Leaves changing colors, crisp fall air, fresh apple-cider donuts at Jolly Java. The perfect setting for long photography hikes on the weekends. Then mid-November hit, and it was like an army of elf overlords overtook the town. Gingerbread donuts replaced the apple-cider ones and everything pumpkin spice turned to peppermint. I didn’t like peppermint. Hordes of tourists infiltrated the quaint town—all to celebrate a holiday I’d always felt “meh” about at best.

Christmas had never been the touching holiday I’d seen on TV with the large and loud family dinners, gifts spilling out from under a Christmas tree, and decorations on every surface. Ours had always centered on practical gifts that wouldn’t bloat our moving load and disposable decorations like popcorn and cranberry garland draped over the box TV.

Fortunately, I’d enjoyed my job enough to stick around. But that familiar gut feeling had returned. The one that always told me when it was time to move on.

While I had jobs on my mind, I navigated to my email to see if I’d heard back on any of my applications.

An email from the clinic in Tucson caught my eye. I scanned the subject line. Virtual interview request .

Oh shit. An interview for the director of physical therapy position.

I read the invitation to schedule a Zoom interview for the following week and replied to accept the offer and give them my availability. I waited for that gut feeling to flare, but it was quiet. Maybe it was waiting until I had the interview and knew it would be a good fit.

The day passed with appointments and more paperwork before I drove to Jim’s and parked. Soon, he would be coming to the office for our sessions. I enjoyed home visits because the patients were usually more comfortable and I liked learning about them through their homes. Most PT jobs I’d had didn’t involve home visits, but that had become my favorite part of this position.

As someone who’d never had a lot of material possessions, I was always fascinated by people who stayed put long enough to amass a lot of stuff. What they chose to surround themselves with often told me a lot about them.

Jim loved fishing. He had framed fly fishing lures and a rack for poles on his wall. There was a stack of tackle boxes against another wall and about a million tchotchkes with a fishing theme. I spotted new things each time I visited.

After knocking on the door, Jim opened it a minute later.

“Good afternoon, Jim.”

“Howdy, Roman. Come on in.” He took two careful steps to the side to make room for me.

“Smells good in here. What did you have for lunch?”

“Nancy made me a tater-tot casserole. Her casseroles are the best in the county.”

My eyebrow arched. “You’re sure lucky she’s been taking such good care of you. Sounds like you’ve been dining like a king.”

He rubbed his stomach as he walked back to his recliner. I watched his movements and noticed he seemed to be walking well.

“Don’t I know it.” Deep creases formed on his forehead.

“What’s that look for?”

“Look? Oh.” Jim let out a sigh. “She mentioned something about signing up with a matchmaking service. Can you believe that?”

I sat on the couch. “Christmas Falls has a matchmaking service?”

“Apparently, it’s been around for a bit, but it’s being expanded. It’s a good option for those who don’t want to mess with those fancy apps.”

My stomach soured. Would Elias sign up for it? I wouldn’t blame him. He was a wonderful man who deserved someone as good as him who would stay . Not an antisocial grouch who got itchy to move every year or two.

“What do you think of that?”

His eyes snapped to me. There was a fire in them. “She can do what she darn well pleases.”

I stared at him but said nothing.

His shoulders dropped. “I didn’t realize she was in the market for some old coot.”

This was way out of my job description, but I’d grown fond of the man. “Are you in the market for someone?”

Jim didn’t meet my eyes. He stared at a figurine of a gray-haired guy in overalls proudly holding a giant fish sitting next to the lamp on his side table.

After several long moments, he spoke. “My wife passed away when Elias was living with us. Between the debilitating grief and taking care of a hormonal teenager, I had far bigger worries than my love life. But time continued to pass, and I didn’t worry much about it. I’m not lonely. I have Elias and lots of friends.”

I understood what he wasn’t saying because I experienced it too. There was a difference between having relationships that curbed the descent into loneliness and feeling fulfilled. I hadn’t considered it in those terms before, but it was the same for me. I got enough interactions at work and with my patients, occasional conversations with the handful of friends I’d collected over the years, and catching up with my parents to tell myself I wasn’t lonely. But now that I’d spent time with Elias, shared meals with him, and talked about our days, I was beginning to understand the appeal of companionship.

“I get it, but it’s never too late.”

Jim’s knowing stare found mine. I inclined my head to acknowledge I understood what he was saying, then pulled my clipboard from my bag.

“Before you commence with the torture, I need your help with something.” At my silence, he continued. “If I’m going to compete with some Lothario from the matchmaking service, I need to court her.”

“Not a bad idea. What do you have in mind?” I regretted the question as soon as it came out of my mouth. The gleam in his eye told me I’d stepped right into his trap.

“There’s the Holiday House Light Tour. Nancy loves lights, and I want to take her.”

“Show her your grandson’s half of the duplex,” I mumbled. “I’m sure she’ll love that, but you need to be careful with your hip.”

Jim’s smile grew. “Which is exactly why you and Elias should accompany us.”

“Like chaperones? Just because you’re old enough to have been born in the Victorian times doesn’t mean we still live by those societal rules.”

Jim flipped me off and laughed. “If she thinks she’s helping me set up you and Elias, she’ll surely say yes. But you and I will know the truth.”

“What’s the truth?”

“That you’re my wingman, and if there’s any issue with my hip, you’ll be there to help. Maybe we could make our next appointment a field trip.”

I saw right through Jim’s weak matchmaking attempt, but I could see the hope in his eyes. I wasn’t that much of an asshole to deny a man a chance at love. Looking at some Christmas lights wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. If I agreed, maybe Elias would reward me for my generosity.

“Fine, but quit stalling. It’s time to do your exercises.”

Jim held up his hand for a high five. Sighing, I slapped his palm with mine.

When I got to my car, I called my mom since we hadn’t talked on the phone in a couple of weeks. She answered on the second ring.

“Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you and Dad?”

“Great. We might be moving to Tennessee in the new year.” She spent a few minutes telling me about Dad’s potential next job.

“That sounds great.” We’d lived in Nashville for about six months when I was in high school. I’d liked it.

“How are things in Illinois?”

“Pretty good. Keeping busy with work.”

Mom asked a few questions about my photography and hiking. “How’s job hunting going? Where will you head off to next?”

I hadn’t told her I’d started applying, but she knew me well enough to know I’d be getting itchy feet by now.

“I’ve put out a few applications. Actually one reached out today and invited me to an interview.”

“Oh! Where is it?” Her voice was eager. My parents supported each of my moves.

“Tucson.”

“I love Arizona. The desert is such a beautiful landscape. You’ll get so many great photos there. Lots of great hikes too.”

As Mom talked about how much she’d enjoyed their stint in Phoenix when I was a baby, I realized that she didn’t ask me whether I wanted to move there. She just assumed because that’s what Schaffers did. We kept moving and exploring new places. We never stayed.