Secret Santa Surprise: Book 29 in the Kindred Tales Series - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,1
he fit?”
“He just does,” Sonja said, giggling again. “He’s Santa.”
But Clear wasn’t done critiquing the problems of Christmas yet.
“Also, how could he get to every house in a single night in order to deliver presents?” he asked, frowning. “By my calculations, he would have to visit one hundred and eight billion individual domiciles in a single twenty-four hour period which gives him only 1/1250th of a second for each visit, in which he has to slide down the narrow chimney (while avoiding the fire), distribute presents, fill the footwear which has been laid out, and consume the bovine squeezings and Christmas pastries that have been left out for him.”
“Bo-bovine squeezings?” Melanie asked with a little gasp. She and Sonja were laughing so hard they could hardly speak. “You mean milk?”
“I suppose.” Clear shrugged. “And even if he only gave each child one present, he would still have to bring three hundred and twenty-one thousand tons worth of presents on his sleigh. Which, according to your legends, is pulled by only eight ‘tiny’ reindeer. So—”
“Stop! I can’t take it!” Sonja was doubled over, giggling through her nose like a crazy woman.
“Yeah, we can sure tell you work in accounting!” Sonja exclaimed.
Clear shrugged his broad shoulders.
“I’m just trying to make sense out of your Earth legends, that’s all.”
“You don’t have to make sense out of them,” Melanie told him gently. “You just accept them. That’s part of the Christmas magic.”
“And it’s also magical to give presents to our coworkers?” Clear said, frowning. “Not that I mind, but how can I tell what to get them?”
“You get them something you think they’d like,” Melanie said. “Or something they need—something practical.”
“But what if I don’t know what they need?” Clear gave her a pleading look. “This is my first year aboard the Mother Ship and we don’t celebrate this particular holiday on Twin Moons. I’m very confused.” He brightened. “Which is why I was thinking that if you two tell me who you got for the Secret Satan—”
“Secret Santa,” Sonja exclaimed and snorted laughter again.
“Right—the Secret Santa gift giving event, then I could begin to understand what kind of present I should get the coworker whose name I drew in the drawing.”
“That is kind of why they call it ‘Secret Santa,’” Melanie told him apologetically. “I tell you what—just try to get to know the person whose name you drew and you’ll figure out what to get him or her.”
Clear nodded, though he still looked troubled.
“Thank you. I’ll try.” He sighed. “Maybe my brother, Feels Strongly, will have some suggestions.”
“That would be your Dark Twin, right?” Melanie asked.
He nodded.
“Strong often has better insight into humans than I do—he’s a doctor at the Med Center so he sees lots of human patients.”
He started to go, but Melanie called him back impulsively.
“Clear, wait. I’m actually really glad you’re here,” she said. “I need your help.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow and turned back towards her. “What can I do for you?”
“I was hoping I could get your expert opinion on this vid spot about Twin Kindred that I’m working on,” she said.
“Well, I don’t know about being an ‘expert’ but I’ll be glad to help any way I can.” Clear smiled and pulled up a chair beside her, squeezing into her cubical with her.
Melanie couldn’t help feeling how close he was. Her cubical, which had always seemed so roomy to her, now felt a bit cramped—probably because the Light Twin was so big.
He must be six foot seven or eight if he’s an inch, Melanie thought to herself. And so muscular…
God, she wished he wasn’t so handsome! He smelled good too—a warm clean scent that seemed to be his natural smell. She reminded herself to be extra professional. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself—her much younger coworker would never go for someone like her. Someone who was closer to forty than thirty and who had nothing but a failed marriage to show for the last fifteen years of her life.
That’s not true! she scolded herself. You’ve got a lot going for you, Melanie. You’ve had a very successful career and sooner or later you’ll meet the right guy—a nice older man—and everything will just click. You might even meet him in time to still have kids, if you’re lucky.
The only problem was, most of the Kindred warriors her age all seemed to be married.