friends.”
“I’d like to be more than--”
“Shhh,” Kristen whispered. “The play is starting.”
Noah tried to concentrate on the kids in the play. They looked to him - Santa - for approval, which he gave with a smile, a wave, or a nod of his head. But all he could really think about was the way Kristen had connected with the girl and then broken down into tears. She did have a heart. A beautiful heart. A heart he’d like to get to know better.
He didn’t want this to be their last day together. He wanted to find out what ice cream she liked, what ideas she wrestled with at work, what she really thought about Mr. Vanderbilt behind his back.
More than anything else, he wanted to know what it would be like to kiss her.
He and Kristen watched the play and then listened to the kids rattle off the items on their Christmas lists. Noah exchanged several warm looks with Kristen during the afternoon, but time drifted slower than he would have liked, and it was a relief when the clock finally struck five-thirty.
“Today was fun,” Kristen said with flushed cheeks and an exuberant smile.
He paused under an arbor of twinkling lights next to the parking lot and pulled her to a stop beside him. “That’s because now you believe in Christmas.”
“Does this mean I won’t get a lump of coal in my stocking?”
Noah grinned. “It does.”
“What do you think Santa will give me?”
“Considering the location, I think there’s only one thing I can give,” he said, removing the white Santa beard from his face.
Kristen looked up, saw the mistletoe hanging above their heads and her eyes widened. But she didn’t protest when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. In fact, she kissed him back. And her kiss was as soft and sweet as Noah had hoped it would be.
“Why don’t you come with me tonight?” he asked, pulling off her wig and freeing her beautiful long dark hair. “My family always has a big dinner on Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas carols around the neighborhood, games, treats... lots of cookies and fudge.”
Kristen shook her head. “I can’t.”
Noah kissed her lips again and then kissed her chin, her cheek, and the tip of her nose.
“How can Mrs. Claus turn Santa down on Christmas Eve?” he demanded.
Kristen laughed. “Mrs. Claus is always away from Santa on Christmas Eve. Santa has to go in his sleigh and deliver all the gifts to children around the world with his flying reindeer.”
“I could take you with me,” Noah said, dropping his voice. “Take a chance. Come with me. It would be an adventure.”
He watched an assortment of emotions play out over her face, but she shook her head once again and stepped out of his reach. “I have to spend Christmas with my own family.”
Noah wanted to tell her he understood, but he didn’t. He thought she’d changed, but maybe it was only temporary or she hadn’t changed enough. “Kristen, I--”
“Yes?”
He looked at her for several long moments, then he shrugged. “Call me if you change your mind.”
Kristen thought about changing her mind several times that night. Noah’s kiss was not the kiss of a Santa, not the kiss of a co-worker, or even a friend. Noah’s kiss was warm and soft and made her head spin off-balance and her heart clamor like a wound-up toy.
She thought about calling him Christmas morning, but when she reached for the phone, she realized she didn’t have his number. Besides, her family was expecting her promptly at noon.
Her mother greeted her at the door. “Your brother is here with his new girlfriend.”
“I take it from your tone that you don’t care for her?”
“I don’t know her well enough to form an opinion one way or the other.”
“Of course not,” Kristen
“I’d like to be more than--”
“Shhh,” Kristen whispered. “The play is starting.”
Noah tried to concentrate on the kids in the play. They looked to him - Santa - for approval, which he gave with a smile, a wave, or a nod of his head. But all he could really think about was the way Kristen had connected with the girl and then broken down into tears. She did have a heart. A beautiful heart. A heart he’d like to get to know better.
He didn’t want this to be their last day together. He wanted to find out what ice cream she liked, what ideas she wrestled with at work, what she really thought about Mr. Vanderbilt behind his back.
More than anything else, he wanted to know what it would be like to kiss her.
He and Kristen watched the play and then listened to the kids rattle off the items on their Christmas lists. Noah exchanged several warm looks with Kristen during the afternoon, but time drifted slower than he would have liked, and it was a relief when the clock finally struck five-thirty.
“Today was fun,” Kristen said with flushed cheeks and an exuberant smile.
He paused under an arbor of twinkling lights next to the parking lot and pulled her to a stop beside him. “That’s because now you believe in Christmas.”
“Does this mean I won’t get a lump of coal in my stocking?”
Noah grinned. “It does.”
“What do you think Santa will give me?”
“Considering the location, I think there’s only one thing I can give,” he said, removing the white Santa beard from his face.
Kristen looked up, saw the mistletoe hanging above their heads and her eyes widened. But she didn’t protest when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. In fact, she kissed him back. And her kiss was as soft and sweet as Noah had hoped it would be.
“Why don’t you come with me tonight?” he asked, pulling off her wig and freeing her beautiful long dark hair. “My family always has a big dinner on Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas carols around the neighborhood, games, treats... lots of cookies and fudge.”
Kristen shook her head. “I can’t.”
Noah kissed her lips again and then kissed her chin, her cheek, and the tip of her nose.
“How can Mrs. Claus turn Santa down on Christmas Eve?” he demanded.
Kristen laughed. “Mrs. Claus is always away from Santa on Christmas Eve. Santa has to go in his sleigh and deliver all the gifts to children around the world with his flying reindeer.”
“I could take you with me,” Noah said, dropping his voice. “Take a chance. Come with me. It would be an adventure.”
He watched an assortment of emotions play out over her face, but she shook her head once again and stepped out of his reach. “I have to spend Christmas with my own family.”
Noah wanted to tell her he understood, but he didn’t. He thought she’d changed, but maybe it was only temporary or she hadn’t changed enough. “Kristen, I--”
“Yes?”
He looked at her for several long moments, then he shrugged. “Call me if you change your mind.”
Kristen thought about changing her mind several times that night. Noah’s kiss was not the kiss of a Santa, not the kiss of a co-worker, or even a friend. Noah’s kiss was warm and soft and made her head spin off-balance and her heart clamor like a wound-up toy.
She thought about calling him Christmas morning, but when she reached for the phone, she realized she didn’t have his number. Besides, her family was expecting her promptly at noon.
Her mother greeted her at the door. “Your brother is here with his new girlfriend.”
“I take it from your tone that you don’t care for her?”
“I don’t know her well enough to form an opinion one way or the other.”
“Of course not,” Kristen
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