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#Waitisthisadate?

Joy had spent Monday and Tuesday trying to line up a Mrs. Claus outfit for the hospital event on the 23rd, but there wasn’t one within fifty miles. She had planned to have Marci play Mrs. Claus, but without an outfit, they wouldn’t fool the kids. Steve at The Cozy Claus Emporium was going to look around and see if he could order one, but he didn’t stock them and wasn’t optimistic he could get one in time.

Side-eyeing the man next to her, she sighed. Maybe it would have to be Santa this year instead of Mrs. Claus. Would the kids care? No, since most don’t know it’s usually Mrs. Claus. Did she want to ask Kian Van Adler for one more favor? Not even a little, but there may be no other answer. The show must go on, and without a Mrs. Claus, a Mr. Claus would have to do.

There is a Mrs. Claus, but she refuses to entertain the idea.

Joy shut that voice down immediately. Not only was she refusing to entertain the idea, but she’d also hidden the coat at the back of her closet. Maybe one day, years from now, it would see the light, but not this year, especially not eleven days from now. That thought made her realize how quickly the Christmas season was disappearing, and she took a moment to be thankful for everyone helping them this year in Lorelei’s absence.

“Sorry for not getting together on Sunday,” Kian said as he drove. “That illness hit me hard.”

“Don’t apologize,” Joy said, turning to face him. “You had sixty kids on your lap Saturday night. It’s not surprising you picked something up.”

“It was for me!” he said, laughing as he turned toward Wintercrest Estate. “I started taking immune boosters to ward off illness for the rest of the month.”

As Wintercrest came into view, Joy sighed with contentment. Even though she knew Lorelei wasn’t there anymore, the house had given her so much love and protection when she needed it most. She couldn’t help but feel nostalgic whenever she was there. “I thought we were supposed to be going to lunch. Did you forget something at home?”

When Kian had texted her last night to ask if she could meet for a working lunch today to talk about the rest of the holiday season, she had reluctantly agreed. Marci would hold down the fort long enough for her to take a slightly longer lunch, and since it was Wednesday, not much was happening at the mall.

Kian parked in front of the door, and, without answering her, he climbed out and walked around to help her. He held her crutches so she could sling her purse across her body before she lifted her legs out of the luxurious SUV. Did she hate herself for loving his car so much? Yes. Would that stop her from riding in it again? No. She bit back laughter as they walked toward the door. She really had a lot of conflicting emotions when it came to Kian Van Adler. The door opened and one of Joy’s favorite faces peeked out.

“Freya!” Joy exclaimed, hugging her once they were inside and the door was shut against the cold. “Are we still on for cookie baking?”

“Yes! I have everything we need, so it shouldn’t take us long. I just couldn’t agree to serve store-bought cookies to the guests. All I need is a week to decorate and package them for Christmas Eve.”

“There’s something not quite right about store-bought cookies at Christmas,” Joy said with a wink. “Besides, you know how I love your lemon joy sugar cookies.”

“Oh, I know,” Freya agreed, patting her shoulder. “We’ll have to make an extra batch just for you.” Freya turned to Kian. “Everything is in the warming oven, but I’m due at the school in a bit, so I have to run.”

“I can take it from here, thanks, Freya,” Kian said, helping her put on her coat.

“Wait, the school?” Joy asked, glancing at Freya. “Why the school?”

It was impossible to miss how Freya’s chest puffed out before she answered. “I’ve started teaching a few cooking classes every week now that their Family and Consumer Education teacher retired and they haven’t been able to hire a new one. I wasn’t needed as much here, so I had the time.”

Joy grasped Freya’s hands and shook them with delight. “That’s fantastic, Freya! What a great way to share your knowledge with the younger generation. Learning life skills before leaving high school is so important, yet so many schools overlook them in their curriculum. I’m glad they thought outside the box when Mrs. Henrique retired. And for the record, you’re always needed here.”

Her friend smiled, then patted Joy’s face. “Maybe someday I’ll be needed here again, but for now, I’ll enjoy the change in my routine. Have a great lunch,” she called as she headed toward the back door, where her car was parked.

“Lunch?” Joy asked, glancing up at Kian. “We’re eating here?”

“I was going to take you to L’Ambroisie, but Freya got wind of my plans. She was hurt that I didn’t ask her to make us lunch.” Joy grimaced, and he pointed at her face. “That was my reaction, too.”

“Why didn’t you ask her?” Joy followed him into the kitchen and inhaled deeply. “Oh, she made winter chicken and blackberry pie.”

“She sure did,” he said, chuckling. “You’re good at naming scents.”

“It comes from working in a mall,” she said. “The food court can smell like a hundred different foods, but you need to ignore them while tracking a different scent. You get good at it after a few years.”

“At least Snowcap Ridge is open-air, so that must help filter out some of those food smells.”

“It does, but when it’s summer,” Joy pinched her nose and stuck out her tongue. “You’d better hope the wind isn’t blowing from the same direction as the farmers’ fields.”

Kian’s laughter was relaxed, and his smile was easy as they chatted, leaving Joy to wonder what his ulterior motive was today. He’d insisted she clear three hours from her schedule so they could talk about mall business, but she still didn’t know what that business was or why they needed three hours. It was a thirty-minute drive one way to Wintercrest, so now his request made a bit more sense.

“Do you want to eat in the kitchen or the dining room?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.