A Christmas Change of Heart by Michelle Major

Author:Michelle Major
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-08-24T18:35:28+00:00

* * *

And so, an hour later, Bailey found himself at the community center, in one of the small activity rooms that had been repurposed as a dressing room for the event. Annie bustled around, helping him dress.

“Is this really necessary?” he asked, as she secured the padded belly.

“Of course, it’s necessary. Santa’s not a lean mean rancher—he’s a toy maker with a milk-and-cookies belly.”

He slid his arms into the big red coat and fastened the wide belt around his expanded middle.

“Now sit so that I can put on your beard and wig and fix your face,” Annie said.

He sat. Then scowled. “What do you mean—fix my face?”

“Relax and let me do my thing.”

“‘Do my thing’ are not words that inspire me to relax,” he told her.

But he clenched his jaw and didn’t say anything else as she unzipped a pouch and pulled out a tube that looked suspiciously like makeup. She brushed whatever it was onto his eyebrows, then took out a pot and another brush that she used on his cheeks.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” he grumbled.

“I know this isn’t your idea of fun, but it means a lot to Dan that you stepped up.”

“I didn’t step,” he reminded her. “I was pushed.”

Her lips curved as she recapped the pot and put it back in the bag. “Now the beard,” she said, and hooked the elastic over his ears.

“No one’s going to thank me for this when I screw it up,” he warned her.

“You’re not going to screw it up.”

“Beyond ho ho ho, I don’t have a clue what to say.”

“This might be a first for you, but it’s not for the kids,” she told him. “And if you really get stuck, I have no doubt that your wife will be able to help you out.”

Wife? “Who? What?”

“Mrs. Claus,” she clarified.

“You didn’t say anything about a Mrs. Claus.”

And he didn’t know if the revelation now made things better or worse. On the one hand, he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to face a group of kids on his own. On the other, he was skeptical enough about his ability to play a jolly elf, but a jolly elf with a wife?

“I didn’t think any kind of warning was necessary,” Annie said now. “It was supposed to be me—I was going to be the missus to Dan’s Santa, but when he got sick, well, I couldn’t leave him to suffer at home alone, so I asked a friend to fill in. But you don’t have to worry. Mrs. Claus will be here to hand out candy canes and keep the line moving—no romantic overtures are required.”

“Thanks, I feel so much better now,” he said dryly.

“Good,” she said, ignoring his sarcasm. “And speaking of spouses—I should get home to my husband, who isn’t feeling better but is feeling grateful.”

“Do you want me to drop off this costume later?”

“No, I’ll come back and get it,” she said.

When she’d gone, Bailey chanced a hesitant glance in the mirror.

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