Are you afraid of Santa Claus?

Isabella

" Thank you.

In a few minutes we were both on the road, I didn't want to waste any time trying to get to know him better, so as soon as we left the airport area, I brought up the subject.

" So, Gustaf... Have you known the Monaghan's for a long time?

" 'I met them as soon as they moved in,' he gave me a quick glance.

" 'Well, I could say I've heard a lot about you, but I'd be lying. My friends never mentioned your name, and I think that was an unforgivable mistake." I gave him my best smile.

" 'I've heard a lot about you.

" Really? I find that hard to believe.

" 'Isabella Dempsey, Izzy to you, twenty"eight years old, chef in a fancy French restaurant and makes the best quail in the world,' he began, 'ahh, and is the best aunt in the universe after buying little Danny a drum set for his last birthday.

Wow, they talk about me that much? How come they never told me about him?

" All right, that's me, but it doesn't change the fact that I don't know anything about you.

" Ask your question, Isabella Dempsey.

Which question should I start with?

" Where did you get that accent? " I decided to satisfy the first curiosity.

" Sweden. Next question " He gave a small smile.

My gaze wandered over his hand in search of a clear sign of commitment.

" "You don't have a wedding ring," I let out without thinking.

" "That wasn't a question," he laughed.

" 'Are you single or just haven't gotten to the point of putting a ring on your finger? 

Gustaf laughed, turning his attention back to the road.

" 'You're very direct.

" I only have three weeks of vacation, I don't want to waste my time with a bore " I leaned my arm on the closed window before trying a sensual pose, being sure to fail.

" 'I'd hate it if you wasted your time.

" So you...

I frowned, straightening up when I saw a sign warning us that we were leaving Fairbanks.

My heart started racing as I realized I was in a car with a complete stranger in a strange town. I didn't even call Gwen to confirm the story he told!

" What are you doing? " I raised my voice a little, surprising the man.

He alternated his gaze between me and the road, looking alarmed by my sudden reaction.

" What? What have I done? 

" We just left Fairbanks! Where are we going? " I was about to hit him with my purse, which would probably be a bad idea since he was driving.

Gustaf's look became even more confused.

" 'I'm taking you to the Monaghan inn!

" Which is in Fairbanks! " I raised my voice.

" 'No, The Little Snowman is in the neighboring town, not in Fairbanks. 'I'm not kidnapping you,' he corrected me, seeming to relax a little as he understood the reason for my outburst.

Another town? But why didn't they ever tell me they didn't live in Fairbanks?

" I'm sure they always told me they lived in Fairbanks!  

" The North Pole is only 15 miles away, I'm sure they just mentioned Fairbanks because it was better known.

 Gustaf tried to reassure me, but in my mind a single piece of information danced.

" Wait, did you say "North Pole"?

" Yes, that's where we're going," he confirmed.

" North Pole, like The North Pole?

" Yes " he frowned.

" "You're telling me that my friend has moved into Santa's house. This North Pole? " I stared at him in disbelief.

" 'No, Elliot Jones is the only person who lives in Santa's house. And why are you repeating "North Pole" all the time? 

" Who is Elliot Jones? " my voice went up a few octaves.

" 'Santa Claus,' Gustaf gave me an amused look.

'Great, I probably had an accident and am in a coma in some hospital. Why is there no other explanation for what's happening!

" "All you have to do is tell me that Danny is Santa's elf," I muttered.

" 'Of course he is, all the kids in town are,' he assured me.

I widened my eyes, staring at him with a haunted expression!

" 'You're kidding me! 

" Of course I am! " he laughed at my reaction.

I couldn't help but laugh myself for falling for that absurd story.

" 'What a scare, for a moment I believed my friends had moved to the land of Christmas,' I punched him lightly in the arm.

" "I was serious about the North Pole, I was joking about Danny being an elf," he explained.

That disbelieving expression returned to my face, the sun had risen, bathing us in a golden light, I looked outside in time to see the city entrance sign.

"Welcome to the North Pole. The city where the Christmas spirit lives all year round".

" So it's true...

" What's your problem with Christmas? " Gustaf asked.

" 'I don't have a problem with Christmas, it's just not a date that Gwen, Zachary or I celebrate,' I decided to explain.

He watched me for a moment, before turning his attention back to the road.

That place was unbelievable, the lampposts were shaped like candy canes, the architecture was almost childish with the amount of decorations and the street names...

]Snowflake Street, Santa Claus Avenue... 

Oh my God, where have I come to?

" You have a giant Santa Claus in the town square " I groaned, hiding my face with my hands.

" Is that the problem? Are you afraid of Santa Claus? " Gustaf teased me.

" 'I'm not afraid of Santa Claus.

" It's not what it seems, and that explains your reaction.

I rolled my eyes, already annoyed at being trapped in that madness.

" 'I'm not afraid of Santa Claus,' I pointed out.

" 'So, if I stop by Santa's house now, will you take a picture with him?

" Gustaf, if I wanted to sit on the lap of a pot"bellied, bearded old man, I could just visit any motorcycle club in Miami, I didn't have to come to Alaska! 

My little outburst got a laugh from the guy, who seemed to be having fun with the whole situation.

" There's no need to be embarrassed, it's normal to be afraid. I've known many people who were afraid of Santa Claus.

I limited myself to casting a tired glance in his direction.

" 'Actually, they were babies, I've never seen an adult afraid of Santa Claus, but there's no need to be ashamed,' he continued.

" 'How far away is it? " I muttered, deciding to ignore him.

Gustaf pointed to a large house that was shaped like a hut. The place was far from being a big hotel, but it had space for at least five rooms. It wasn't big, but for an inn at the North Pole, it should be enough!

North Pole. That's crazy!

" They are starting to decorate today " Gustaf pointed to a lone reindeer in front of the hotel " when I arrived they were taking all the boxes out of the attic.

" I thought it was Christmas all year round here " I frowned when he parked in front of the inn.

" 'Not really, we keep the Christmas spirit throughout the year, but we do something special for December. Especially the Monaghans.

That was hard to believe. How many Christmases did we just ignore while living in Montana?

" I'll help you down " he turned off the car, then jumped out.

I opened the door quickly, climbing down before he could reach me.

" No need, I'll...

As I stepped on the frozen ground I felt my boot slip. I would like to be romantic and say that Gustaf was quick enough to catch me and stop my fall, but that's not what happened. Even the amount of clothes I was wearing didn't cushion the impact, for a second I felt my world spinning as I hit my head on the ground while falling backwards.

The sun was shining brightly on my face, although it wasn't hot, and I could hear Gustaf hurrying towards me.

" 'Isabella, are you all right? " He bent down beside me.

" 'What do you think? I was betting I'd fall at the airport exit and not here" I groaned trying to sit up.

" 'Come on, I'll carry you.

Gustaf tried to slip his arms under me, but I quickly pulled away, getting rid of him.

" You don't have to!

" You may have hurt yourself, let me help you " he insisted.

I struggled to my feet. Then, without any warning, he leaned over, picking me up with ease, and started walking towards the house.

" What are you doing? " I complained.

" 'You might have hurt yourself,' he repeated.

" 'I can walk! 

But I knew my protests were in vain, especially since we were already at the door of the cottage.

" 'Why are you so stubborn? 'You don't have to be afraid, I'm not a Santa Claus! " Gustaf joked, still carrying me.

" 'For the last time, you can forget about this whole thing about...'.

Before I could finish the sentence, the front door opened, revealing Gwen.

" 'Santa,' I finished with a sliver of a voice.

" 'Izzy, Gustaf? What happened? " Gwen alternated her gaze between us, looking confused.

Inside the reception hall of the hotel was a couple I didn't know, Danny and another little boy his age were playing among so many boxes scattered around.

" I knew it! I knew that after Alva's last call demanding great"grandchildren you would marry the first one you met." The boy, who had extremely green eyes, teased Gustaf.

"Who is Alva? I turned my face to observe his reaction.

" 'Why don't you make room on the sofa instead of talking nonsense, Dixgard? " Gustaf muttered, looking embarrassed by the insinuation.

" 'What's happened? " Gwen insisted.

" 'She fell when she got out of the car, and...'

" 'I'm fine, I said you carrying me inside would be overkill,' I stood up as soon as Gustaf had me on the sofa.

Gwen came and made me sit down, taking the seat next to me.

" Aunt Izzyeeeeeee " Danny ran towards me, climbing me nimbly before hugging me.

" Hey, my little pepper. How are you? " I hugged him expecting an answer. 

Then, without the slightest warning, he jumped to the ground and started running around, screaming at the top of his lungs. I stared at the scene dumbfounded, mainly by the fact that everyone was ignoring the boy, going on with their business.

" Izzy, can I talk to you for a minute? " Gwen indicated a door behind the reception desk with her head.

We stood up, leaving the mess behind. Gwen entered the room, closing the door behind her as I looked around a simple office.

" Is he all right?

" 'Don't worry, Danny's discovered his lung capacity and he's been exploring it a lot. It's quite annoying, but we've found that if you ignore it, he gets tired quickly." She smiled, but something in her expression worried me.

This was far from the reception I'd expected, especially considering we hadn't seen each other for two years. Without warning, Gwen launched herself at me, wrapping me in a tight hug.

" 'I'm so glad you're here, it's so good to see you,' she took a deep breath.

This was far from normal.

" 'Has something happened? Where's Zach? " I pulled away to look into her face.

My friend sighed, confirming my suspicions. Something was happening and it wasn't good.

" Seiko called just now.

I stared at her for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. That was terrible, how did she find them?

" Why does she have your phone?

" Kate gave it to her!

Indignation began to grow in me at that information. Of all people, Kate was the last one who should have done this!

" She of all people knows what they did to him, how could she? " I raised my voice a little, receiving a tired look from my friend.

" Elijah is in the hospital.

Was that supposed to move me? Because I didn't give a damn about that monster's state of health!

" Big deal, how many times did he send Zach to the hospital? 

" Seiko said the doctors have already disillusioned him, he wants to see Zach one last time " she grimaced.

Great, now that he's dying he had a crisis of conscience.

" 'Zach's packing now,' Gwen sighed.

" 'You're not going to let him do it alone, right? 

" 'Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Can you take care of Danny and the hotel for a few days? 'I know you've come to rest, but I'm not taking Danny to Minneapolis, and Santa's cabin season starts in a few days,' she pleaded.

Well, this was far from the vacation I had hoped for, but I couldn't deny her this favor, especially with everything that was going on. 

" 'You can go without worrying, Gwen. I'll take care of everything.

And I would do my best to help my friends in that situation.