sense lived.
We rolled our bags over to Ethan, who moved to help us load them into his car. Johnny the mechanic, came over, handed Em an estimate for the repair, and told her that he’d call when the car was ready.
Em just nodded, took the paper from him, and shoved it into her pocket. We climbed in Ethan’s car, and he took off down the street.
The ride to the North Pole only took about ten minutes. My mouth dropped open as Ethan pulled up the winding driveway and stopped in front of a mansion. Every edge of the house was covered in lights. Fully decorated Christmas trees lined the wraparound deck. A Saint Bernard with a bow for a collar lay on the top stair, his deep brown eyes peering down at us as we all climbed out.
I was fairly certain every tree around us was wrapped up in lights, and it made me wonder how well the drapes in our room worked. Would they be able to block out all the light coming in?
As we climbed out of the car and shut the doors, the dog sat up and let out a deep woof.
“Ah, be quiet, Rudolph,” Ethan said as he waved his hand at the dog.
“Rudolph?” I asked as I met Ethan at the trunk.
He gave me a look that I couldn’t quite read, but before I could delve into it, he opened the trunk and began pulling out the suitcases.
“Do you…do you live here?” I asked as Em came up behind me.
“Ha. No. I’m home for the holidays. I, um, live in Chicago.”
Em nudged me with her elbow. “Big-city man coming home to his small town.”
I pinched my lips as I turned to glare at her. There was no way I wanted Ethan to be a witness to this exchange.
“You’re back!” Suddenly, a very plump woman appeared and wrapped her arms around Ethan. She had pure white hair and was wearing a bright red dress and a Christmas-print apron. When she pulled away, her gaze fell on us. “And who did you bring home with you?”
“Ma.” Ethan leaned toward her. “These are the guests staying in Santa’s suite.”
My eyebrows rose at the name of the room.
“Ooo, the friends from New York. We’ve been expecting you.”
“I’m Emilia and this is Beatrice,” Em said as she waved between us. I wasn’t sure, but I swear I saw Em wink at the woman.
I didn’t have time to process that thought because a moment later, the woman hurried over and grabbed my hand. Suddenly, I was being pulled across the driveway and up the front steps. “I am so excited that you are here,” she said, pushing open the door and waving me inside.
“You are?” I asked as she ushered me into the foyer. It was like walking into the holiday section at a Target store. Every sort of decoration was out on display, but not in a tacky way. It made the home feel warmer, more cozy.
Ethan’s mom nodded. “You can call me Carol. Like Christmas carol.” Her smile widened as if that were the funniest thing.
“Ah, okay.”
After helping me take off my coat and hanging it on the antique coat rack by the door, she waved me over to the desk that sat at the base of the large staircase that cut the room in half.
She was riffling through papers as Em and Ethan came into the house and shut the door behind them. Em looked thrilled to be standing in the room. Her eyes kept darting around as if she were scared she would miss something.
Ethan looked unimpressed as he patted Rudolph’s head and then started making his way toward the living room off to the left.
“Bags, Ethan,” Carol called out.
He paused and slowly turned. He didn’t look thrilled, but he didn’t fight it. Instead, he grabbed our bags and started up the stairs. When he got midway, he glanced down at us. “Coming?”
I shoved my purse higher up onto my shoulder and started up the stairs. Carol handed Em the room keys, and she sprinted up after us. When we got to the top of the third flight of stairs, Ethan stood in front of the only door on the floor.
“Santa’s suite,” he said as Em unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Em screamed with joy as she entered the room. There was a fireplace on the left side. Next to it was a fully decorated Christmas tree. There was a plush couch in front of it