Grinch Kisses by DJ Jamison

Author:DJ Jamison [Jamison , DJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-13T16:00:00+00:00

Sugar Plum Park was just beginning to fill up as we arrived. One of my most capable volunteers was on hand, and Marlene assured me everything was on track to go smoothly for our kiddie “reindeer games” and “Polar Express” train ride.

We had special musical performances by choirs from Bradley University, a branch of Illinois State University, and a couple of regional churches starting up today too, so I left Logan happily chatting with Marlene to check in with the musical directors and show them how to operate the mic and speaker setup in place on our pop-up stage.

Happy voices and laughter cut through the air, and I paused to let it wash over me. I remembered that sound from when my kids were little. Those were the happy times, before the cracks in my marriage widened, but I tried not to dwell on what I’d lost.

I glanced across the park, catching sight of Logan bending down to fasten a bracelet around a little girl’s wrist, and smiled. How could I not in the face of his sunny, sweet nature?

He could have easily stuck to my side, or even just chatted with Marlene, but he’d jumped straight into helping out.

“Excuse me, sir, but someone said you’re in charge?”

I turned to find a middle-aged man who looked more than a little overwhelmed.

“Yes, how can I help you?” I asked.

“I was just wondering when the Santa photos are starting up again? My son is playing with the other kids, but I don’t want to miss them. Someone also mentioned an arts and crafts fair going on somewhere near here. I’m sorry. This was a last-minute trip and I didn’t properly prepare. I had no idea this festival would be so big!”

I chuckled. “It’s a lot to take in, but don’t worry. If you want a photo with Santa, you’re in the right place.”

I continued answering his questions, trying to hide my impatience to get back to Logan, my attention drifting toward him again and again.

Usually, I put the festival ahead of everything else, but even with an anxious dad on my hands and my phone chiming with an email about a problem at the arts and crafts festival, I couldn’t stop thinking about Logan. I wanted to get closer—to get him back into bed, yes, but also to talk like we had at the cocktail hour last night. Just the two of us getting to know each other better.

When I finally got free, Logan was crouched down to tie a little boy’s shoe before sending him back into the “reindeer games,” which were just a handful of kid-friendly games like hide-and-seek, a beanbag toss, and a scavenger hunt for items hidden around the park.

The boy looked a little like my son, Jonas, had at that age, with messy hair tumbling over his forehead. But of course, Jonas was a teenager now, and it had been many years since he’d displayed that kind of excitement for anything in Christmas Falls.

I lowered my hand

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