Here Comes Santa Paws (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

24. Roman

Chapter 24

Roman

The pleasant warmth buzzing through my veins as Elias and I stood in line for beer tastings was from more than the space heaters dotting the colorful tents, the dense crowd enjoying the drinks, or the cider tasting coursing through me. Elias stood in front of me with his back pressed firmly against my chest. I told myself my tight grip on his hip was to keep from being jostled in line and had nothing to do with a primitive possessiveness.

Elias bobbed and swayed along to the live band performing popular covers, which didn’t help me ignore how much I enjoyed his body. I’d even found myself humming along to songs a time or two. Elias spared me the pain of his commenting on it, which I appreciated.

A group of people squeezed past us with tasting trays in the shape of candy canes, and we shuffled closer to the tables. A couple of them said hi to Elias as they passed. I knew he was well-known in town, but this was a strong reminder of how integrated he was in the community.

It was nice that we could stand in line in companionable silence and enjoy being there without filling every moment with conversation. Elias seemed to have a sense of when to talk and when to listen. Yet another thing to appreciate about the man.

It took a few more minutes before we got our tasting trays in hand. We then wove through the crowd, and I spotted a small group of people abandoning a pub table. Elias must have as well because he gripped the curve of the candy cane, raised the tasting tray overhead, and bobbed and weaved through people without spilling a drop of beer.

I set my tray on the table and studied the identification sheet they’d handed me. The names made me chuckle. Mad Elf, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, Peppermint Bark, and Fistmas were among the best.

“Fistmas, the most hole-y of days,” Elias said with a straight face.

I groaned at the pun. “Terrible.”

I tended to drink them in the order suggested, so I lifted the small taster glass filled with the lightest color. It hit my tastebuds in a smooth wave with a mild bitter flavor chasing the citrus notes. I took another sip and watched Elias, who, of course, had a completely different approach to drinking tasters.

Elias—bless him—sniffed each one before returning to the beginning and taking a dainty sip. Then, he rearranged the tasters and went through with more tastes before making further adjustments. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

He glanced at me and stilled. “What?”

“Your process fascinates me.”

Elias’s attention darted between his tasting tray and the glass in my hand. “Why? What’s yours?”

I gestured to the printed paper. “Left to right.”

Elias’s nose wrinkled adorably. “But what if I don’t like one of their recommendations, which influences the flavor of a subsequent one I actually like?”

“So you drink the ones you like best first?”

“Exactly!”

I shook my head and didn’t stop the small smile from shifting my lips. It grew when Elias tossed back the IPA and grimaced.

“Not your favorite?”

“I like the ciders better.”

The beer went down easy. I’d had no idea there were so many good microbreweries in the area. I’d lived in Christmas Falls for over two years and hadn’t explored the local beer scene at all. What else had I missed?

We chatted about random topics as we drank our beer. I felt comfortable around Elias, like I’d known him for far longer than the few weeks we’d actually been talking.

Two men with their own tasters approached. “Hey, Elias! Mind if we join you guys?”

“Hey! Of course not. Joel and Hayden, do you know Roman? Roman, these guys recently adopted a cat.”

“Good to meet you both,” I said.

After they set their tasting trays on the table, I shook their hands.

“How’s Coal doing?”

I couldn’t help my chuckle at Elias’s enthusiasm. He probably remembered the name of every pet he’d adopted out, though with his love for Christmas names, there had probably been several Coals over the years.

“We love him so much already. He’s the perfect purring space heater,” Joel said.

Hayden laughed. “He shits a lot too.”

“You’d happily clean up after him forever.”

Hayden’s expression softened. “I would.”

Joel glanced between us. “How do you guys know each other?”

Elias smiled briefly at me before redirecting his attention to his friends. “He’s my neighbor.”

Joel raised his eyebrows and darted a glance in my direction. “ The neighbor? The Grinch to your Griswold?”

Elias’s smile turned wry. “The one and only.”

I chuckled. I liked that he talked to his friends about me. Probably too much.

He placed his hand on my back beneath my shoulder blades. It was a casual touch high enough on my back that it could be read as friendly or intimate. I surprised myself by hoping for the latter.

The newcomers seemed to struggle with biting back their laughter.

Joel turned to me. “I’m surprised he hasn’t decorated your half of the duplex yet.”

I exaggerated a grimace. “I haven’t ruled it out.”

Elias pinched my side, and I grinned at him. I lost myself to the twinkle in his eyes for several long moments. When I looked away, Elias’s friends watched us with knowing smiles.

We fell into an easy conversation as we finished our tasters. Soon, Elias and Joel began talking shop about some spring event they were excited about. Hayden and I chatted about our jobs—he was a graphic designer at a nearby college.

A few minutes later, Elias and Joel went to get us more drinks. Before Hurricane Elias stormed into my life, I would’ve rather jammed a fork into my hand than make small talk with a stranger. Blame it on the buzz—from the alcohol or Elias—but conversation with Hayden came easily.

“I’ve always admired the skill of graphic designers. It’s got to be hard to try and sell or promote or inform in a visually appealing way.”

Hayden’s eyebrows lifted. “Graphic design isn’t exactly saving lives, but I appreciate the ego boost.”

I shrugged. “Art is just as important.”

“Are you artistic?”

I opened my mouth to say no, but I remembered how Elias marched over to my framed landscapes the first time he’d been at my house and stared open-mouthed at them. “I’m a hobby photographer.”

“What do you take pictures of?”

“Landscapes, but more recently, pets.”

Hayden laughed. “Elias?”

“How’d you guess?” I deadpanned.

We talked about photography, and I was laughing at a story about one of Hayden’s coworkers when Elias and Joel approached carrying two plastic pint cups each. Elias didn’t comment, but I could see the joy in his eyes.

Laughter and teasing filled the next hour as we nursed our drinks. Joel and Hayden were easy to talk to. Come to think of it, most people were when Elias was around. He navigated bringing me into the conversation and speaking when I wanted to listen with ease. It was like we’d developed an unspoken language.

I’d kept to myself as much as possible for over two years. Hell, most of my adult life. I’d never made it a priority to build a community whenever I lived somewhere. I’d made enough of a connection with colleagues to keep my work life running smoothly, but outside of that, I was happy being solitary. At least, I thought I’d been until Elias forced me to reconsider.

The real question was, if I moved to Arizona, would I try and make friends there, or was Christmas Falls—and Elias—special?

I heard Mom’s voice in my head, asking me what I’d learned from my time in Christmas Falls. My time with Elias. There’s always a lesson to be learned, Roman. Even in the hardest times, every experience teaches us something.

Elias caught my eye and smiled.

That could be it. Elias taught me I wasn’t a troll who dwelled under the bridge. I could join the land of the living and not be miserable. Elias proved that, Anisha proved that, even Jim.

A beer and cider fest wasn’t the place for such self-reflection, so I pushed the thoughts away. Drinks and fun kept flowing with Elias and his friends.

Joel excitedly tapped his palm on the table. “The Santa Crawl started! Let’s go!”

I turned to Elias. “Santa Crawl?”

With a calculating grin, he reached into his coat pocket and produced two Santa hats. Then he unzipped his coat to reveal a sweater designed to look like a Santa suit.

“People cosplaying Santa and drinking.” He placed one of the hats on my head and tugged it over my ears. “Drinks on me.”

The man could sell me snow at the North Pole. “Don’t think I have a choice,” I said, resigned.

Hayden clapped my back.

Elias stepped close and lowered his voice. “You always have a choice. I think you’re choosing to keep having fun.”

It was hard to argue with that.