Santa Loves Curvy Girls

19. Nick

19

NICK

I hated the way Belle and I left things at the skating rink.

I stood at the railing, devastated, watching as she took off her skates and went home.

After walking to the bench and taking off my own skates, I texted her.

Santa: I’m sorry. Please let me know when you make it home.

No response.

Slowly, I pulled my boots on and left the rink. It was supposed to be a magical night, the night I told her who I really was, but now I didn’t know if I’d be able to come back here without thinking of her and the sad look in her eyes.

The guy working closed up the skating rink behind me, giving me a silent wave as I walked out and the lights on the sign flickered off.

As I made my way home, my phone buzzed. My heart leapt as I fumbled through my pocket to check it.

Belle: Home.

That’s all her message said.

She had to be mad at me, and understandably so. Maybe she thought I was embarrassed by her or just wanted to fool around with a winter fling. But it wasn’t like that at all. I’d been so close to telling her the truth. So close, before realizing I couldn’t do it.

It wasn’t my secret to tell.

I got home, trudged to my room, and locked the door behind me.

“Nick, is that you?” Mom called from the kitchen.

I took off the thick red jacket. I had to swallow back the emotion in my throat before replying, “Yeah, Mom! Just need a quick shower!”

“Okay, dinner’ll be ready in a few!” she called back.

I sighed, taking off my heavy leather boots. This sucked. I worried that Belle wouldn’t want to speak to me again tomorrow or on Christmas Day.

It was like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I knew she wouldn’t tell anyone my secret, but I felt like I owed the committee to keep the promise I made when I put on the suit. Especially with how much they had paid me to do the job.

And besides, it would just take one slip, from me or her, for everyone to find out the truth. And that would basically ruin Christmas for a lot of kids in Garland. I wasn’t sure I could live with that.

If I’d discovered one thing doing this job, it’s that it was way more important than I originally thought.

This job wasn’t just listening to kids tell me what they wanted for Christmas. It was about creating a space where kids could share what was really on their minds, make a wish, and experience the magic of the season.

Santa gave them hope and brought smiles to their faces.

Several parents told me so, including the mom of one kid who was like me and had lost his dad young. Christmas was the one thing that had gotten him smiling and laughing again.

I couldn’t risk ruining something like that. I wouldn’t just ruin Christmas this year. I’d ruin it forever in Garland, and that’s what made this town special.

Exhaling, I realized that’s what it was. Protecting the Christmas magic for generations to come was what this was really about.

But how could I get Belle to see that it wasn’t about keeping secrets from her or cutting our relationship short? I had no idea, now that we were both in so deep. She had to think I was a complete jerk.

I grabbed my phone again and texted her the only thing I could.

Santa: I’ll think about it, okay?