Here Comes Santa Paws (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

29. Elias

Chapter 29

Elias

I had two steaming cups of coffee in my hand as I exited Jolly Java. Fortunately, a kind older woman in a fuzzy red sweater opened the door for me so I didn’t risk spilling the scalding cups.

“Thanks!” I smiled at her. My smiles never took effort until today.

Light, fluffy snowflakes leisurely fell from the sky as tourists eagerly popped in and out of the shops for their last-minute souvenirs and Christmas gifts. The air was crisp, but the bright afternoon sun chased away the worst of it.

The coffee should perk me up. I’d been dragging since Roman left for Tucson the day before. Partly because I’d been watching Carol like a hawk since we relocated her to my extra room and partly because I couldn’t shake the fact that Roman would be flying home with a job offer and making immediate plans to move. I tried to be okay with it—I was, I wanted him to be happy—but I’d grown fond of my grouchy teddy bear.

“Hey, Gramps. Here’s your coffee.” I sat next to him on the bench in Sugar Plum Park and handed him a cup.

“Extra whipped cream?”

“And sprinkles. Just how you like it.”

He tipped his cup against mine. “Atta boy.”

Gramps preferred gingerbread lattes to my peppermint ones, but we agreed that the more toppings, the better.

I glanced at my phone to check the time and tried to ignore the fact that I hadn’t heard from Roman about his interview. He’d replied to my good luck text this morning, but it’d been quiet since. Logically, I knew he probably wouldn’t text until later, but try telling my heart that.

“Looks like we’ve got twenty minutes until the festival’s closing program begins.” I couldn’t believe tomorrow was Christmas Eve. The festival always passed in a blur.

“I wish I’d seen more of the festival this year.” Gramps’s smile held a somber note as he watched a family pass, with a little girl giggling as she sat on her dad’s shoulders.

I rested my head on his shoulder. Gramps and I had been attending festival events since I was a kid, and this was the first year we hadn’t gone to more of them together. I’d always loved ice skating with him when we were younger. Maybe someday, I’d have my own grandkid to take ice skating before I needed my own hip replacement.

“I bet it’s hard having to slow down while your body heals.”

Gramps let out a resigned sigh. “It is. Especially as you get older.”

“There’s a difference between slowing down and idling. You’re idling, so you can step on the gas soon.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “You’re a good kid, Elias.”

“Thanks, Gramps.”

“Don’t tell Roman. He’ll kick my ass if I walk too much today.”

I smiled but remained silent.

“Speaking of slowing down, how’s that sweet dog Carol doing? At the photo shoot, she looked like she was about to burst. When’s she due?”

I smiled easier that time. “She’s in the early stages of labor. I checked her temperature this morning, and it had dropped, which usually happens twenty-four hours or so before labor begins. The vet said he’d swing by after office hours this afternoon to confirm everything’s looking good.”

Gramps’s eyes widened. “Why are you here? She needs us! Let’s go!” He moved to stand and nearly dumped his coffee.

I grabbed his shoulder. “Whoa there, cowboy. She’s fine. I checked on her while waiting for our coffees.”

“Did you add teleportation to your skills without telling me? Family’s supposed to share. I wouldn’t mind teleporting to somewhere warm.”

I pulled out my phone and launched the camera system app. “The nice thing about being the boss at the shelter is I can borrow extra equipment. She’s still under the care of the shelter, after all.”

Gramps laughed as he took my phone and watched her pace in my extra room. I’d had to remove some things I didn’t want shredded during her anxious nesting.

He frowned. “That’s your place. Why isn’t she at Roman’s?”

Well, shit. I hadn’t planned on telling Gramps what was going on. It wasn’t a state secret, and he’d find out soon enough anyway when he needed to find a new PT.

“He left for Arizona yesterday.” Somehow, I managed to keep the morose tone from my voice.

“Visiting family for Christmas?”

“A job interview.”

Gramps straightened. “You’ve got to be kidding! What the hell is he doing that for?”

His indignation was sweet, but I didn’t want him to be upset with Roman. “Chill, Gramps. It’s fine. People change jobs.”

“They don’t move halfway across the country willy-nilly. Why does he want to leave? You’re here, and I’ve got a long way to go in my physical therapy. I’m not trusting anyone else with my hip recovery.”

My stomach lurched. The coffee wasn’t settling well.

“Gramps, we’re not together. He has no reason to stay.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” He stared at me, clearly seeing more than I wanted him to. “Elias, you could go with him.”

I jerked back. “Why would I do that? My life is here. You’re here. I barely know him.” My brain scrambled for a dozen more reasons why the idea was absurd.

Gramps tsked. “You’ve known him for years.”

“I’ve known of him for two years, Captain Exaggeration. Of that, we’ve been on good terms and actually talking for about a month.”

Gramps leaned back on the bench and took a swig of his coffee. “You know, I fell in love with your grandmother within a week.” At my silence, he continued, “I’d be fine on my own, kiddo. You don’t need to keep altering your life for me.”

“Like you haven’t been doing that for me most of my life.” My voice was small.

“Elias.”

The seriousness in his voice made me still.

“I know you got accepted to Stanford and turned it down.” He spoke softly, but the words hit with a thundering boom.

I’d wanted that secret to die with me. I’d felt like a rotten, ungrateful grandson for even applying, but my teacher had encouraged me to after I’d won a contest at school with the prize of a paid college application fee.

Stanford and California had been a dream, and even the acceptance hadn’t felt real. It had been such a long shot that I never truly considered accepting. I couldn’t leave Gramps. Chicago had everything I needed and had been close enough to go home regularly.

“How did you know?”

Gramps laughed and patted my knee. “You didn’t exactly hide it well. It was on top of the trash when I went to take it out because you didn’t do your chores.”

His teasing tone tried to cut through my guilt, but there was too much of it. I’d buried it long ago. I can’t believe he’s known all this time.

“Aren’t you mad at me? I nearly left.”

“Oh, kiddo. I would’ve cheered you on if you’d gone to college all the way in Australia. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. I don’t care where that happens—here, Australia, Arizona .”

“I’m happy here.” I really was. Sometimes, I wondered what my life would’ve looked like if I’d gone to Stanford or stayed in Chicago after graduation, but I never regretted settling in Christmas Falls. It was my place. How could I even consider leaving after the town had rallied to support me and the shelter during our time of need?

“Someone like you could be happy anywhere. You’re quick to make friends and have a natural knack for community-building. I’m not trying to make you leave, but I need you to know that if you want to, you have my full support.” His smile softened. “I could be a snowbird. My bionic hip doesn’t like the snow.”

I snorted. “Your bionic hip loves the snow, just like the rest of you.”

Relaxing, I took a drink of my cooling coffee.

“It could love the desert too.”

I shook my head. Matchmaking to the very end. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself, old man. I repeat, we’re not a couple.”

“Who uses labels these days? Try long-distance. See how it goes.”

I didn’t have a rebuttal for that. Instead, I watched people funnel into the park for the closing ceremony.

“Shall we?” Gramps gripped the bench’s arm with his free hand and rose to his feet.

“Let’s do it.”

We wandered over to the gazebo in Sugar Plum Park. Once we joined the crowd of a few dozen people, Nancy winked at me as she sidled next to Gramps. He lit up when he saw her and pulled her into a side hug.

Griff, the festival organizer, approached the microphone. “Thank you all for coming today and celebrating with us this season. Before we wrap this year’s Christmas Falls Festival, please take some time to visit the tent to vote for your favorite photo that captures the spirit of our event and this magical time of year.” He gestured toward a tent to his left.

Always generous, Griff made a point to encourage donating to the shelter to help with construction costs. I smiled at him when he caught my eye. No matter what happened with Roman, I knew I had the community of Christmas Falls around me.

Griff clenched his jaw. “And thank you to our mysterious Secret Santa who’s somehow managed to help people all over town. Apparently, they’ve kept quite busy.” Sarcasm dripped from his words.

I held back a laugh. As far as I knew, Secret Santa’s identity was still secret, and that had to be pissing Griff off. He knew everything that went down with the festival.

The program lasted another twenty minutes or so, with awards being distributed, sponsors being thanked, and the mayor inviting everyone back next year.

“Did Roman submit anything to the photo contest?” Gramps asked when it ended.

“He didn’t mention it, so I doubt it.”

“Why don’t you check while your grandfather and I go have a nice chat on that bench over there?” Nancy glanced at his hip.

I smiled my gratitude. He’d been wincing by the end of the ceremony.

I wandered over to the tent where framed photos hung from display racks. I couldn’t help but smile at the first photo of a kid grinning next to a snowperson the same height as him and wearing a matching green beanie. There were photos from the parade, tree lighting, Murphy carving a gnome, people laughing at the beer and cider festival, and others decorating their homes. The photos truly captured the spirit of Christmas Falls during the holiday season.

As I worked my way to the end of the display, I saw a blue 1 st Place ribbon hanging off one. I gasped when my brain processed what I was staring at. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. The photo was of me sporting a huge smile, laughing as I looked over my shoulder at the camera. I was crouched next to Carol while sliding reindeer antlers on her head as she stood beside a plastic reindeer in someone’s yard. Blurred Christmas lights dotted the top half of the background. It was such a simple moment of happiness with Roman and Carol as we walked through the neighborhood a couple of days ago.

I couldn’t take my eyes off my face, and it wasn’t from vanity. It was the love shining in my eyes as I stared at Roman, sharing that moment with him.

Of all the photos he could’ve submitted, that was the spirit of the Christmas Falls Festival to him? The picture was full of love, happiness, and joy. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who’d caught some major feelings. If Roman had too, how could I let him go? It wasn’t casual any longer.

Gramps’s words returned to me as I traced the edge of the photo with my finger. I’d never felt like this with anyone. I hadn’t been exactly looking for love, but now that I might’ve found it, could I let it go? What if it never happened again? It was hard to imagine living anywhere other than Christmas Falls, but maybe Gramps was right. I should at least consider it.