Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“Miss me already?” I teased.
“If you’re free tomorrow afternoon, there’s a party at Pia’s Place.”
“Oh? Your mom’s charity?”
“Yeah. The main office is over in Glendale. They host a few parties a year for the kids and their Bigs. Tomorrow is Christmas in July. It’s a holiday-themed carnival. My grandmother suckered me into working it, but I just found out I should be finished by about two.”
I smiled. “That sounds great.”
Grant nodded. “I’ll text you the address.”
After I shut the door again, I thought about the evening. One part stuck out. I’d told him I could see myself easily falling for him. Which was sort of a lie. I already was.
Chapter 19
* * *
Ireland
I hadn’t expected a party this big. I’m not sure why, but I’d envisioned a few dozen people, a makeshift petting zoo, and a cotton candy machine. But there were hundreds of people milling around, a pretty big Ferris wheel, street-style vendor carts all over the place, and Christmas-themed performers.
I walked around for a while and checked things out, but Grant was nowhere in sight. A woman approached me holding literature. She smiled. “Are you a Big? I don’t think we’ve met yet.”
“Oh no. I’m not part of the program.”
She held out a pamphlet. “I’m Liz, the director here at Pia’s Place.”
“Hi. I’m Ireland. I’m actually meeting someone here.”
“Oh, okay. Well, it’s a great program. Can’t hurt to check out the information. I think you’d find it very rewarding.”
I took the pamphlet. “Thank you.”
“My number is on the back, if you have any questions. Have a great afternoon. Enjoy the carnival.”
She started to walk away, but I stopped her. “Liz, is there any chance you know Grant Lexington?”
“Of course.”
“Have you seen him around? I’m supposed to meet him here after two, but I can’t seem to find him.”
Liz smiled. “He got started late.” She looked over her shoulder a moment. “But it looks like he’ll be finishing up soon. The line is finally getting smaller.”
My brows furrowed. “Line?”
She pointed. “For Santa Claus.”
I looked over at the area I’d passed by twice and squinted, examining the people. Taking a long look at Santa Claus, my eyes widened. “Oh my God. Is that…”
Liz laughed. “Only his grandmother could get him into that getup. It’s the first time he’s playing Santa for us. His grandfather has played the part for the last twenty years. I guess they’re passing the baton.”
After Liz walked away, I stood watching from a distance. The man was certainly an enigma. He wore custom-tailored suits, made everyone sit up a little taller when he walked into a meeting, and had an abrupt, standoffish way about him. Yet here he was on a Sunday afternoon, wearing a Santa suit and lifting kid after kid onto his lap. The more I watched, the bigger my smile grew. Especially when they put a little girl on his lap—one about two or three—and she immediately started to cry. I actually chuckled to myself and watched how he handled it.
He tried in earnest to get her to calm down, even lowering his beard so she would see there was a man underneath, but the little girl wasn’t having it. The look on Grant’s face was pure stress until an elf finally helped him out. As I continued to watch, the line whittled down to only four kids, so I decided to join it.
Grant shook his head and laughed when he saw me waiting behind a five year old. Our eyes caught a few times as each kid ahead of me took their turn. I couldn’t seem to get the smile off my face. The entire scene was just so amusing. When the other kids were done, I walked up and plopped my ass down on Santa’s lap.
I wrapped one arm around his neck and patted his stuffed belly. “Big lunch?”
“I was supposed to be done with this shit before you got here.”
I gave a little tug to his beard. “I kind of like it. You can pull off white hair. I bet you’ll look hot when you get a little salt and pepper going.”
“Glad you think so, because some of these kids gave me a few grays today.”
I chuckled. “I saw the little girl in the pink dress. She wasn’t a fan.”
“I was doing fine at the beginning because I had a bag of candy next to me. When the damn thing ran out, I had nothing to bribe them with.”
“You must be hot in that suit.”
“I am. I should go get changed before any other little monsters get in my line.”
I smiled and wrapped my other arm around his neck. “Don’t I get to tell Santa what I want for Christmas?”
“He already knows. More Disney DVDs.”
I laughed and went to get up, but Santa held me in place. “So let’s hear it. What do you want for Christmas, little girl?”