The Perfect Mrs. Claus, page 9
Matthew followed as Savannah led the way up the three flights of polished cherry wood stairs.
“Only a gigantic turkey and enough food to last a week. Almost there,” Savannah announced as they approached the third and final set of stairs.
Matthew paused on the landing and turned to Savannah, who looked as if she hadn’t even broken a sweat.
“These must be some special people,” he said, as he felt the perspiration break out on his forehead. He could hear the pounding of his heartbeat in the drums of his ears, and Matthew couldn’t determine if it was from the stair climbing with ultra-heavy bags or from being in such close proximity to Savannah.
“I think they are. They gave me a reason to cook Thanksgiving dinner, something I didn’t think I’d be doing this year.” She looked back at him and smiled. ”They gave me a reason to be happy and not be so lonely.”
No wonder people are so drawn to you, he thought, turning around and finishing the final flight. Including me.
“What number?” he asked as he stopped to catch his breath.
“326. Oh, right here.” Savannah knocked on the door and turned to Matthew with an excited smile. He shrugged his shoulders and went along with Savannah’s game.
“Mrs. Claus! What are you doing here?” A very pretty little girl with long, brown hair answered the door. Her wavy chestnut ponytail and big brown eyes instantly reminded Matthew of Athena when she was that age, and for a brief moment he felt flung back in time and was with his little girl once again. The sadness of missing his daughter at the holidays suddenly swelled within him.
Savannah stooped down to the little girl’s level.
“You wished for your mom to have a Happy Thanksgiving and Mrs. Claus wanted to make sure your wish came true.”
“Come on in, Mrs. Claus,” called a voice from inside. Savannah turned her head to Matthew and nodded toward the inside of the apartment.
“What smells so delicious, Mrs. Claus?” asked Sylvene, running excitedly into the dining room where a woman, who Matthew presumed to be Sylvene’s mother, was sitting. The girl and woman were mirror images of each other.
“I’m so glad you think it smells good because it’s all for you and your mom. Happy Thanksgiving!” Savannah said and started to pull the contents from the bags.
“Oh, I’m sorry, this is Matthew Buck. He’s one of Santa’s helpers at The Enchanted Land of Claus.”
Sylvene sidled close to Matthew and examined him from head to toe.
“I’ve never seen you there,” she said. ”Fern told me who all the elves were, and I know I’ve never seen you.”
Matthew had almost forgotten what it was like to speak to a child and to one who truly believed in the magic of Santa Claus. He bowed to Sylvene.
“You are correct. You haven’t seen me. I am there at night when the store is closed making sure that everything is in order for the next day.”
“Oh, you make sure there’s plenty of hot chocolate and cookies and decorating stuff?”
“Exactly.” He was out of practice talking to children, so he decided to keep his replies short and to the point, lest he slip up, but he had the feeling even if he had, Mrs. Claus would catch him.
“That’s right, Sylvene. Mr. Buck is very important and has a big job to do while we are all asleep.”
“Thank you, Mr. Buck. I really love it there.” She turned and ran toward her mom and gave her a huge hug.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Mom. I wished for you to have a Happy Thanksgiving, and Mrs. Claus made my wish come true.”
Sylvene ran toward Savannah, throwing her arms about her, engulfing her in a hug.
“You are very welcome, Sylvene. Now, let’s get you two settled so you can eat until you burst!”
“Can you and Mr. Buck stay and have dinner with us,” Sylvene asked as she helped Savannah take the food from the bags and set them on the dining room table.
“That’s so kind of you, Sylvene, but Mrs. Claus has to give the reindeer their Thanksgiving dinner, and I think Mr. Buck is probably having dinner with his family. This is for you and your mom. You two girls deserve a nice day together.”
“That’s going to be quite a feast,” Matthew said looking at all the food, and thinking the golden-brown turkey looked especially delicious, as did the mashed potatoes, stuffing and cornbread. He suddenly remembered his own dinner order which needed to be picked up, but he didn’t want to rush Savannah.
“You two have a wonderful day,” Savannah said, as if on cue.
“Mrs. Claus, thank you so much,” called Jolene from the dining room table. She began to gingerly get up and Matthew quickly noticed the crutches she was grabbing from behind her. He dashed across the floor to stop her.
“Please, don’t get up. We will see ourselves out. Happy Thanksgiving.”
The look of gratitude in the woman’s eyes was all the thanks Matthew needed.
“Thank you, Mrs. Claus,” Sylvene softly said as she wrapped her arms around Savannah’s waist. ”Thank you for making my wish come true for my mom.”
Matthew watched as Savannah hugged the little girl, bending her head to the girl’s hair and giving her a sweet kiss.
“Don’t eat it all at once,” Savannah laughed. ”Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Happy Thanksgiving,” Matthew said as he joined Savannah at the door. Savannah turned and blew a kiss to the little family and closed the door behind her.
“That was quite the wish,” Matthew said as they reached the sidewalk outside of Jolene and Sylvene’s apartment. ”You cook all that yourself?” Matthew again remembered the dinner he had waiting to pick up.
“I did,” Savannah said as she pressed the pad on her car key. ”My Thanksgiving plans were waylaid this year, so it was nice to cook for someone else. She’s such a sweet girl and when she asked me if I could help her mom have a happy Thanksgiving, well, who could resist those big brown eyes?”
“She certainly is a sweetie,” Matthew said. The sky was growing grayer and even had a faint scent of snow. He zipped the collar on his fleece as unexpected words suddenly flew from his mouth.
“If you have no plans, why don’t you join me for dinner? I’m picking it up from the Yellow Pumpkin and there will be at least enough for five. What do you say?” There. He asked. He watched her face contort, as if she didn’t quite know how to answer.
“Oh, that’s very nice of you, but I couldn’t. I…”
“If you’re going to say I can’t impose, well, you’re not. There’s a common area in my building and we can have dinner there. There’s a big fireplace, and it’s even decorated. What do you say?” He couldn’t believe he not only asked her for dinner but was somewhat insistent upon Savannah accepting. It was as if a holiday spell was cast over him, having him doing things that he most definitely would not even have thought of doing with anyone else. Matthew watched her smile brighten her wind-kissed face and felt his heart skip a beat.
“Well, I was going to say I think I need to rest up for tomorrow, but did you say fireplace? That’s something that I really miss. I had one in my old house and there was a fire almost every night from Halloween to St. Patrick’s Day. And there’s nothing like the scent of woodsmoke.”
“I had you pegged for a fireplace type of girl, and I had a feeling that might get you to say yes,” Matthew laughed, digging his hands into his pockets to warm them and to secure the handkerchief that always gave him confidence when he needed it most, and this was one of those times.
“Well, I am getting hungry—for both food and a fireplace. I’d love to. Thank you very much.”
“Fantastic. I’ll pick up the food, My address is 508 Triton Terrace.” Matthew gesticulated with his arm on how to get there from Sylvene’s house.
“Got it,” Savannah said, getting into her car.
“Just let the concierge know you’re my guest, and he’ll let you into the common area. I’ll see you there in about twenty minutes?”
“Twenty minutes,” repeated Savannah as she slid into her car. Matthew watched as she turned her car around and headed toward 508 Triton Terrace.
“Thanksgiving dinner with Mrs. Claus,” he chuckled as he headed toward his own car. It wasn’t going to be such a lonely holiday after all.
CHAPTER 12
“By the way, that is quite the dress you’re wearing.”
Savannah suddenly became aware she was still wearing the Mrs. Claus dress. It didn’t occur to her to stop at home to change. Even though it had only been a little more than a week since The Enchanted Land of Claus opened, Savannah felt it belonged to her, like her ‘second skin’ which was how her mother referred to a favorite old sweater: navy blue with loose threads hanging from the cuffs. Savannah could hardly remember her mother being without it from fall to late spring, and now this is how Savannah felt about the dress. It had become a part of her, totally forgetting she had it on.
“I probably should go back and change,” she said, watching Matthew pull out the Yellow Pumpkin Thanksgiving dinner fixings. The food smelled heavenly as pangs of hunger thrust through Savannah’s stomach. That dry piece of toast at six am no longer staved off her hunger.
”Don’t be silly. People don’t dress up anymore these days, plus how many people can say they had Thanksgiving dinner with Mrs. Claus? Besides,” he said, peeking into the other bags, ”aha, plenty of napkins.” Matthew pulled out a wad of bright orange- and chestnut-colored napkins and laid them with a flourish in front of Savannah.
“No worries. And spills or stains can be blamed on me. Just enjoy.”
Matthew’s smile sent a tiny shock through Savannah, and she hoped he didn’t notice the heat she felt creeping into her cheeks. She watched him take out containers of gravy, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. He reached into another bag and pulled out a cellophane wrapped platter of carved turkey.
“Ah, and my personal favorite,” he laughed as he put two huge, golden-brown turkey legs on the table.
“Those look like something out of King Arthur’s court,” Savannah chuckled as she helped unwrap the food.
“No kidding,” he said, sitting down and helping himself to a huge spoonful of mashed potatoes. ”I feel like I need to wear my suit of armor when I eat them. And I’m not kidding—I actually have a suit of armor.”
“Oh, I love medieval history. My first dog was a chocolate lab I named Morgaine Le Fay, after King Arthur’s half-sister. How did you come across a suit of armor?” she asked, spooning apple-raisin stuffing on top of her sliced turkey.
“Funny you should ask,” Matthew laughed, unfurling a napkin and placing it on his lap. ”I won it. A knight, or lancer, was my high school mascot and it stood in the entryway of the school. Every graduation one was raffled off—I have no idea where the school got these things—and the year I graduated, I won. And no matter how many times I’ve moved over the years, Sir Lucan, or Luke, has moved with me. Kind of like my own personal knight in shining armor.”
“Sir Lucan?” questioned Savannah. She grabbed another napkin and tucked it into her collar, ensuring that not a drop of gravy would drip on the precious dress.
“One of Arthur’s less famous knights, known for his loyalty, especially devoted to Arthur during his skirmishes with Lancelot. Faithful to the end.”
Savannah lifted her glass in a toast.
“To Sir Lucan, the most faithful wearer of armor a king could ask for.”
“To Sir Lucan,” smiled Matthew, clinking his glass of amber cider with Savannah’s.
Matthew reached for a handful of napkins.
“Laura, the manager, knows I’m a slob, so she really stepped up for the holiday,” he laughed, handing Savannah more napkins.
“Well, thank you, Sir Matthew,” Savannah replied, rising from her chair and bowing in a curtsey before him.
“One can never be too careful,” Savannah said, seating herself, taking several more napkins and heaping them on her lap.
“I might look ridiculous, but this dress is going to see a big day tomorrow and no one wants to see Mrs. Claus with gravy stains on her dress. Besides, Fern will kill me,” she laughed, helping herself to the potatoes and gravy.
“So,” Savannah said in between delicious mouthfuls of turkey, ”you need to be back in the store later tonight?”
“I do,” he said, taking a sip of cider.”I’ll be back at about three am, with a small crew just to make sure everything is in working order. Believe it or not, we still haven’t seen the crowds yet, as there are some people who absolutely refuse to Christmas shop until the day after Thanksgiving. Those are our hard traditionalists that we want coming back, hence the old traditions part of old traditions, new twists. So, you’ll need your rest tonight, Mrs. Claus.”
“Well, I intend to get it. Just me and my book then lights out.” Without warning, a bolt of debilitating melancholy struck. Savannah bent her head and put her hands to her eyes. She inhaled deeply, trying to focus on her dinner, but she was overcome with a sudden sadness—something she thought she had conquered, but evidently that was not the case.
“I’m sorry, Savannah. Did I say something to upset you?” asked Matthew. She could hear the concern in his voice, and as quickly as it struck her, the sadness suddenly evaporated.
“No, it’s not you. It’s me.” She took a deep breath and feeling that Matthew was someone she could talk to, she began her confession.
“I’ve been widowed for two years now, and holidays have been hard since my husband passed. And this year, my son started a job in Switzerland, and it’s the first time we’ve spent a holiday apart. Cooking for Sylvene and Jolene was such a welcomed distraction. I guess this room, so festive and with a fireplace, well, it reminds me of happier times, I thought I would be able to make it through the day without crying, but, well, I got close.” She forced a smile but when feelings of loneliness suddenly took their siege, Savannah was rendered powerless in stopping them.
“Well, that makes two of us,” Matthew said, pulling his chair closer to the table and resting his elbows on the side of his plate.
“I’m divorced, and according to my wife, or ex-wife, she and I should never have married in the first place, but we did, and I can’t say I regret it because I have a beautiful daughter. She’s with her mother in London. My ex manages one of those huge hotel chains there. Summer, my ex-wife is a good mother, and she and Athena are very close. It hurt like hell when Athena told me she wanted to try and live in London instead of staying in the States, but turns out she loves it. She’s a horse lover, and she is becoming quite the equestrienne. I visited before I started at Howardson’s, and it’s as if she belongs there. You know, the quintessential English country house with the greenest fields imaginable for riding all day. I miss her like crazy, but I’m glad for her, too. I know she’s happy, but, well, call me selfish, I’d give anything to be spending the holidays with her.”
Savannah’s sadness lifted, realizing she wasn’t the only one alone on Thanksgiving.
“When my son moved earlier this year, and I knew he wouldn’t make it home for the holidays, I booked a Christmas vacation in the wilds of the White Mountains at The Blue Spruce Inn. It sounds like a fairy tale Christmas, and I could use that right about now. The family who runs the inn raises golden retrievers who hike with the guests. I especially can’t wait for that. I miss my own dog so much.”
Savannah noticed a slight smile form on Matthew’s face.
“Have you heard of The Blue Spruce Inn?”
“It sounds very familiar. My family lives a few hours north in the middle of nowhere.” Savannah watched as his face brightened with the mention of his family.
“I’m glad you have family relatively close by. I think that helps. Especially during the holidays.”
Savannah poured herself another glass of cider.
“Me and my Christmas fantasies. Please stop me if you’ve heard enough.”
“I love Christmas fantasies—obviously, as I created one—and dogs too.” Matthew said, ”but with my lifestyle right now, especially trying to get to London as often as possible, well, there’s barely time to breathe. But my mother has dogs up there in the mountains, and they’re mine again whenever I visit. Best of both worlds, you could say.”
Savannah turned toward the bonging of the huge clock above the fireplace. It was already five o’clock and darkness was quickly descending, as the soft glow of candlelight descended upon the room, and another couple arrived and sat in front of the fire.
“Well, Matthew, I think I should get myself home. It’s going to be a busy day tomorrow.”
Matthew rose from his seat, brushed his hands on his pants and put his hands inside of his trouser pockets, immediately comforted by the handkerchief.
“Let me help you clear…”
“Absolutely not. You were my guest, and great company for this single dad. Plus, you cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner for people you hardly know and did me the great favor of sparing me a holiday spent only with Sir Luke. That’s very selfless of you, Savannah. I should be thanking you.”
Savannah was touched by his words and a bit embarrassed, and she felt her cheeks turn warm at his words, leaving her almost tongue-tied herself.
“Well, good night and thanks again.” Savannah walked toward the front door.
“Savannah, wait!” Matthew shouted as she opened the door. A cold breeze ripped into the entryway, sending shivers through Savannah’s body. Or was the quavering more of a result of hearing him call her name?
“My mother would box my ears if she found out I didn’t escort a lady to her car. And Mrs. Claus at that!” He took the door from Savannah and let her step outside. The air was frosty and the sky arcing from the light lavender of sunset to the inky blue of dusk. Bold hues of dark pink and purple fringes could be seen on the horizon, but for all intents and purposes, the pleasant Thanksgiving afternoon had morphed into Thanksgiving evening, and was ending all too quickly.
Savannah pressed the car keypad, sounding the loud beep and the click of her car opening. Matthew opened the driver door for her, and she got inside the frigid car.
