Enchanted by Patti Berg

laden with bags of toys and clothing for Julie, but nothing for herself, she began to feel desperate. Her feet ached so badly she didn’t think she could walk another step. And then she saw it—Holly’s. How appropriate, she thought. But it did seem strange that she’d walked by these storefronts hundreds of times before and hadn’t noticed this shop. Surely she would have remembered it—a store all decked out for Christmas— at the end of June?
    Holly’s sparkled with glittering snowflakes painted on the windows bordered with garlands of holly. A pine-cone wreath hung on the door, a polished brass bell hung in its center. A Christmas tree glistened with ornaments illuminated by thousands of colored lights. But Kathleen’s eyes zoomed to the white velvet strapless and form-fitting dress in the window. To her amazement, the mannequin looked strangely like her, and on her hands she wore long white gloves. She had seen herself in a dress like this in those recurring dreams when she danced with Mac.
    Once inside she smelled the pine, the peppermint, the cinnamon, and hot apple cider. Mesmerized by the sights and scents, Kathleen found herself surrounded by attendants— four tiny men, barely reaching her elbows.
    They took her bags, offered her cider, removed her shoes, and slipped soft, white satin heels onto her feet. They felt like comfortable bedroom slippers—she could even wiggle her toes. Measuring tapes slipped around her waist, her thighs, her bust. They measured her height and removed the rubber band pulling her hair into a ponytail. Behind a midnight blue screen, painted with hundreds of delicate white snowflakes, she removed her jeans and T-shirt and slipped into the gown. It felt heavenly against her skin. She stepped out of the dressing area to see four brightly lit smiles. She turned to the mirror. Could that beautiful woman staring back at her really be Kathleen Flannigan?
    Caught up in the excitement, the thrill of finding such a wonderful dress, she couldn’t even remember if money exchanged hands. But with packages tucked under her arm, she walked out the door at five o’clock. The lights went off, and Holly’s lost its magical glow. Had it really existed? If it hadn’t, how could she be standing here holding the green-and-red foil box—the one containing the white dress, the white gloves?
    It wasn’t worth speculating about what could and couldn’t be. She’d found what she had wanted—just in the nick of time.
    oOo
    Kathleen hadn’t slept. Instead, she’d lain awake thinking about the man she would meet on Monday. In spite of her sleepless night, she entered her office in a good mood, a smile on her face, and ready to face the world. Mondays always meant rushes; staff meeting at nine, piles of reading, articles to edit, layouts to approve, calls to return. Lunch with a writer at one, meetings with the advertising and art execs, and then a dreaded appointment with Mac at five. She didn’t have time to meet with him, but she couldn’t find an excuse not to. Why on earth did he want to see her?
    At precisely one minute until the hour, she entered Mac’s office. He looked ready. She wasn’t.
    He walked around the desk, looking wonderful, like a model in GQ, clad in a charcoal gray suit, crisp white shirt, dark red tie. His jacket was unbuttoned and his left hand was tucked into his pants pocket. She’d rarely noticed his shoes, but today he wore cowboy boots. They weren’t scuffed and marred like her friends’ at home, but dark gray leather, spit-polished and shined. Her eyes roamed from the top of his head to the tips of his boots, then meandered up again to his eyes. She was speechless.
    He stuck out his right hand to shake hers. “Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? A beer?”
    “No. Nothing, thank you.”
    He pulled the chair out, holding it while she sat. He took his place in the massive chair on the other side of the desk, folded his hands in front of him, and leaned