A Wish for Winter by Viola Shipman

Author:Viola Shipman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Graydon House Books
Published: 2022-09-07T18:45:28+00:00

chapter 22

Reese Witherspoon may have a glam squad, but I have a “gram” squad.

My grandma and grampa are seated in my bedroom watching the spectacle while Holly—dressed as the Queen of Hearts not only for a Facebook Live Valentine’s Day party she is hosting but also to read to kids at a special event at Sleigh By the Bay—helps get me ready for my first Single Kringle date. Noah is assisting Leah for her date with Luka.

“I just pray that Noah doesn’t decide to give Leah a sleeping pill and show up for her date in a wig,” Holly says.

My grampa starts laughing, which makes Holly start laughing so hard that her arm shakes, and the eyeliner she is holding travels up and across my forehead.

“I’m so sorry,” she says. “It feels good to laugh.”

Holly grabs a tissue and begins to wipe my face. “I feel like I started this whole mess from the moment I made you talk to the Santa at the Santa Run. I feel like...” Holly stops wiping and looks me in the eye “... I’ve pushed you way too far.”

“We’ve,” my grampa calls from the bedroom. “We’ve pushed you too far.”

“Maybe it’s for a reason,” I say. “Maybe you’re pushing me out of my comfort zone. Maybe I need to be pushed out of my comfort zone again, especially this year.”

I think of what Desiree said to me. I picture Luka and Leah.

I mean if Leah can muster the courage to go out on a date with a human statue of David then I can take a chance, too.

“So,” I continue. “Prep me again for my date tonight.”

“Jamie is a thirty-eight-year-old financial planner from Chicago. He’s a big runner, he has a dog, and he loves good food and wine,” Holly says. “He’s very handsome. You said he sounded like a Hallmark character, and he really does look like a Hallmark actor.”

“How tall is he?”

“Tall enough to drive here.”

She nods excitedly as if that’s a sufficient answer.

“As I’ve said, Susan,” she continues as if I’m a child, “based on the photo I took, he looks to be about the same size as the guy you met, so taller than you, which is a feat of nature.”

“Ha ha.”

She continues. “But I know photos can be deceiving, à la Cletus, and I didn’t request his medical charts. And if he’s shorter than you, or has green eyes, then you’ll know he’s not the real Santa, right?”

“Or if he shows up in a Smart car,” my grampa calls. The two begin to laugh so hard that Holly falls into a fit of giggles.

“Ha ha again,” I say. “Where was he born?”

“Okay, Susan. You need some things to talk about at dinner. You already know more about this guy than if some rando asked you out at a bar, right?” Holly says, squinting as she applies my makeup, her breath on my face. “And Leah is going to be at Chandler’s, too, so it’s like you have a friend and a bodyguard.

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