Embattled Christmas by J.M. Madden

Author:J.M. Madden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Military, Christmas, Xmas
Publisher: J.M. Madden
Published: 2014-12-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

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Chad didn’t like the outfit. It seemed like such a flimsy disguise. Mercy would see right through the fake beard and cushy belly. Wouldn’t she?

He grabbed up the sack of toys in the red velvet bag and slung it over his shoulder. He adjusted the white gloves on his hands, trying to straighten out the fingers of his gnarled left hand. If he held it on his lap they probably wouldn’t notice the curl. Maybe he could hold some candy canes with it or something. He’d have to play it by ear.

There was a cheer as he entered the room and he let out a bellowing ho ho ho. A couple of the kids let out cries of joy, but poor little Jameson, dark hair standing straight out from his head, started to cry.

Chad did his best to circle the room, giving out candy canes as he did. When he made it across the room he took the designated Santa chair, over-decorated with red fabric and tinsel. It was a magnificent chair, right beside a huge Christmas tree stacked with gifts. After he got the lists from the little kids and sat for the photo ops he was supposed to run back to the office, get changed, then come back out and disburse all the gifts beneath the tree. Chad didn’t know how he’d ended up doing all the work but he enjoyed it too much to complain.

Drew and Mercy were standing together waiting for him to call them up. Trying not to play favorites, he called Drew up first. The little boy was a little self-conscious at first, but once Chad commented on the action figure he held the little boy’s list poured out of his mouth. Chad really tried to remember everything the boy told him.

“Hold on, hold on. I’m Santa,” he said, enjoying the booming voice he’d found, “but I can’t do all of that. I have too many kids around the world to deliver for. If you had to pick three things for me to bring what would they be?”

Drew screwed up his little face in thought, his dark eyes so much like Ember’s. After a minute he gave Chad a list he could remember. Ember snuck up and snapped a picture of the two of them together, then she took Drew’s hand and led him away.

Chad looked at Mercy, love filling his heart, and crooked a finger to her. There was zero recognition in her face. She stepped forward and climbed onto his lap, her eyes shadowed with worry. “What’s wrong, little one?” he asked in his fake Santa voice.

She blinked and pinched at her sparkly blue party dress. “I have a really important thing on my list but it may be too big.”

Chad tilted his head and adjusted the wire glasses over his eyes. “Well, I won’t know if it’s too big unless you tell me.”

Mercy chewed on her lip, then glanced around until her gaze connected with Duncan. With a nod and a wave of his hand his boss encouraged his little girl, and Chad wondered what had gone on there.

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