FAE-ted Read online

  FAE-ted

  A Holiday Novel Byte

  By

  Linda Palmer

  Uncial Press Aloha, Oregon

  2013

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events described herein are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-60174-172-1

  FAE-ted

  Copyright © 2013 by Linda Palmer

  Cover Design

  Copyright © 2013 by Linda Palmer

  Little Fairy © Kitigan | Dreamstime.com

  Background © Can Stock Photo Inc. / alistaircotton

  All rights reserved. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five (5) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Published by Uncial Press,

  an imprint of GCT, Inc.

  Visit us at http://www.uncialpress.com

  FAE-ted

  “Hello and welcome to our Faerie Garden.” I smiled as yet another adorable child in a tutu entered the door, all dressed up for today’s birthday party. The sixth to arrive, she held a gaily wrapped present with a big pink bow on it. “What’s your name?”

  “Lily Grace.”

  “Do you have a favorite color?”

  It took her a second to reply, and I could barely hear her. “Purple.”

  “Then you’ll be Faerie Lilac.” Pulling a lavender tiara out of the basket, I set it on her blonde hair. I helped her slip her tiny arms through the sparkly straps that would support the sheer tulle wings she’d get to take home with her. “You’re so beautiful!” I turned her to look in our full-length mirror.

  Lily Grace’s eyes lit up. She gave me a shy smile.

  “The other faeries are over there.”

  The cutie and her mom headed to the north end of the room that was reserved for girl parties. Decorated with silk greenery, vibrant flowers, and tons of twinkling lights, it was one of two celebration areas in my Mom’s new party supply shop, Festivities. We’d recently decorated and now rented out the rooms along with we-do-it-all party packages.

  The other celebration area, which we called Boy’s World, was more diverse and had four distinct corners: Hero Central, Sports Zone, Dino District, and Outer Space. Designing and setting them all up six months ago had been the most fun I’d ever had. And each day I spent at Festivities was super special, which was why I could be found there after school and most weekends. I so loved my job.

  For me, nothing beat dressing up for the occasion, whether in a sparkly white gown with my own gossamer wings or in a crime-fighter’s mask and cape. I even had an astronaut suit, which was hot and clunky to wear but still a lot of fun.

  Feeling a tug on my hem, I turned and glanced down at the next wannabe faerie, a little girl with riotous ginger curls and the biggest brown eyes I’d ever seen. “Welcome to the Faerie Garden. What’s your name?”

  “Anna Faith Davis. You can call me Anna.”

  I bit back a smile. “Do you have a favorite color?”

  “Pink.”

  “I love pink, too!” I dug into the basket and pulled out a pink tiara that clashed horribly with her hair, but there were no fashion police at Festivities. Noting that she held a package almost as big as she was, as well as a stuffed unicorn, I reached for them. “And who is this?”

  “Sparky.”

  I eyed the blue unicorn, which reminded me of one I’d had years ago named Blaze. I’d dragged that thing everywhere until I lost it at a shopping mall. To say I was devastated didn’t begin to go there. I was sure I cried for a week. “Can your dad hold Sparky and the present so I can put your wings on?” I automatically glanced at the male adult who’d brought her.

  But he wasn’t an adult at all. He was the teenage boy who’d starred in my wildest dreams since the ninth grade. My heart dropped straight into my stomach, and I was suddenly fifteen again, with big red hearts in my eyes.

  “I’m not her dad, but I’ll take them,” he said with that wicked sexy grin that still haunted my sleep every now and then.

  My knees wobbled. “Nate Marshall. Wow. It’s been a while.”

  His dark eyebrows shot up. “Do we know each other?”

  “Kinda, sorta, but not-ish. We were on a committee together when you were a senior and I was a junior. Spring dance, maybe?” I pretended I didn’t recall the details, though I well remembered every magical moment we’d spent in the gym. The fit of his pea coat, the scent of his cologne, the dimple that came from nowhere when he smirked—all cherished memories. Who cared that we’d barely spoken to each other and there’d always been a bunch of other students around us, one of them his gorgeous steady?

  He frowned at me for several seconds, obviously trying to recall my girl-next-door face. “Lulu, right?”

  “Close. Leeloo. Leeloo Brantley.” Thanks again, Mom, for giving me the most forgettable name in the history of girl babies.

  “I remember now.”

  As if. Shifting my attention from his beautiful green eyes with difficulty, I focused on Anna, who wore a white leotard and tights under her silver tulle tutu. I slipped her wings into place. “Is this your…uncle?”

  She shook her head. “My big brother. For always and always, happily ever after.”

  Nate playfully tugged one of her curls. “Stepbrother, actually, as of this morning. My dad and her mom just left for their honeymoon in Branson.”

  “That’s so cool. Congrats. Now you’d better come with me, Faerie Rose.” I glanced at Nate. “That’s f-a-e-r-i-e, by the way. We’re old school here.” Since Anna was the last guest, I ushered her into the party room via the mirror, enjoying her gasp when she saw herself and then again when she took in the gorgeous sights and sounds of the Faerie Garden at Christmastime.

  I especially loved her reaction to the filigreed gazebo with its twinkling lights, miniature chairs and a table that held all the makings of a tea party. Leaving Nate to handle the present and Sparky, I got busy with the task at hand—celebrating! He could find his own way to the parents’ bench lining the east wall. If he was staying, that is. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to since it might cramp my style.

  Some of the people who brought kids to parties sat quietly and played with their smart phones. Others merely dropped off and picked up, especially lately since it meant they could get in some secret shopping. Still others hovered, often underfoot in their eagerness to take photos or be involved in everything their children did. I didn’t fault anyone for that. In fact, I planned to be just like them when I had kids of my own.

  With a backward peek that revealed Nate had stayed, I self-consciously began the usual games, one after the other—pin the ears on the pixie, faerie chairs, and who’s got the magic wand? I soon got lost in the fun and led them in a freeform hop, skip, and jump to a piece from the Peter Pan soundtrack appropriately named “Fairy Dance” while Mom blew bubbles into the air.

  Our guests were hilarious, from the ones who could barely wiggle their butts to the wannabe Beyoncés that went all out. When they’d had enough of that, my mom served them a fancy cake and fruit punch. Then came the presents. Since the birthday girl’s mother stood up to supervise, I stole a moment to lean against the wall and catch my breath.

  “Hey.”

  I turned and
found Nate standing right beside me with Sparky tucked under his arm. “Hey.”

  “I just wanted to say that you’re very good at this. As in really. You should do it for a living.”

  I looked at him in disbelief. “I do.”

  “Oh yeah. Duh.” He laughed heartily at himself, so it took him a second to realize that Anna had left the presents and approached us.

  “I need to poop.”

  That got him. “Oh, um, sure. The bathroom is—” Red-faced, he looked all around.

  “Over there,” I said, pointing to the little girl’s room.

  Anna never took her eyes off Nate. “I need help with my leotard, sil-ly.” She dragged out the word. “And you have to wipe me.”

  Nate choked and sputtered a reply that didn’t make sense. So I jumped in. “May I do it this time?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  With brand new big bro sagging in relief, I led her to the bathroom, where she did what had to be done. After washing and drying our hands, we returned to the fun. But she hung back a little before joining the others.

  “Do you have one of these for Nate?” She pointed to her tiara. Her stepbrother’s eyes widened in horror.

  “Actually, those are only for girl faeries. Boys don’t get them.”

  “‘Cause we’re specialer?”

  “You’ve got it, sister.”

  “What color of faerie are you?” she next asked.

  “Indigo. That means blue.”

  With a solemn nod, she ran back to the party.

  Nate sighed. “Thanks for saving me. That’s twice now. I definitely owe you.”

  Didn’t I just wish? “I’ll remember you said that.”

  He gave me the oddest look and another of those grins. “Looking forward to it.”

  Flustered, I tried to think of something clever to say but never got the chance before a wail of dismay made every parent spring to attention. I quickly spotted the source, Anna, who’d spilled red punch on her pristine outfit.

  “Oh man.” Nate took an uncertain step in that direction.

  I saved his ass again. “We’ll take care of it.” And, used to spills, Mom and I did, quickly wiping up and wiping down. Anna’s leotard, though damp, was barely stained when we finished. I walked back to Nate. “Her clothes need to be washed ASAP.”

  “I’ll make sure they are.”

  “So who’s keeping her while the parents are in Branson?”

  I got another one of those looks. “Me, of course. It’s only for two nights.”

  My jaw dropped. “Dude, you’re not up for this.”

  “I resent that.”

  I instantly regretted my thoughtless blurt. “Sorry. It’s just that five-year-old—”

  “Four. She’s four.”

  Wow. Even worse. “Four-year-old girls can be very complicated.”

  “So can teenage girls,” he said with a laugh, blowing me off. “But I somehow managed to date a few. Anna and I will be fine.”

  Did that mean he wasn’t dating now? “Look, I babysit all the time, and I’m telling you from the bottom of the heart that if you have a problem with wiping her butt, you are not prepared for twenty-four-seven times two.”

  “And I’m telling you we’ll be fine.”

  I gave up with reluctance and only because I thrust one of my brand new business cards at him. Giving him my cell number would’ve been a wildest dream come true if he’d actually asked for it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t. “Promise you’ll call me if things get crazy.”

  “They won’t.” He sounded so sure, but still pocketed the card.

  I didn’t argue further, instead returning to the party, which had begun to break up. Handing each pint-sized guest a shiny bag filled with goodies, I waved all of them out the door. As Nate and Anna left, he turned and gave me one last grin and mouthed, I’ve got this.

  I couldn’t help but grin back, as glad he wasn’t pissed, as I was certain he didn’t have anything.

  “Cute,” Mom said, walking up. “As in very.”

  “Isn’t she a doll?”

  “I’m talking about the guy. Who is he?”

  I told her.

  “The same Nate you been crushing on since ninth grade?”

  “That’d be him. Totally hot; totally clueless.”

  “About your feelings?”

  “About them and babysitting his stepsister.” I gave her the short version.

  Mom shook her head. “He’s not up for it.”

  “I know, right? Maybe we should go with apple juice instead of punch for the parties. less stains.”

  “Great idea,” Mom said, heading for the vacuum cleaner so she could clean up all the cake crumbs on the floor. And since we had another faerie gala in thirty minutes, I began wiping down the table and chairs.

  Saturdays with the faeries were like that.

  We got home two parties later and only after driving through a weather phenomenon I called thunder snow that had compromised the roads. That’s when the sky produced rain that turned to sleet, snow, or both because the temperature hovered around freezing point. We occasionally ended up with the special effects of an electrical storm and the inches of a blizzard. Good ol’ Arkansas. Winter mornings that began in the low twenties often ended with afternoons in the sixties, and tornadoes in December were nothing unusual. But the weatherman had promised that this year we’d have a week of winter mix, with nothing worse.

  After a light dinner, I spent an hour wrapping presents in the den by our gorgeous Christmas tree, which I’d decorated with the faerie ornaments I’d collected since birth. Yeah, I’d wanted to be Tinker Bell for as long as I could remember, and devoted parents had indulged their only daughter, the youngest of three children, something I intended to do for my own kids. My passion had even influenced the fae theme at Festivities, which I thought worked very well.

  I literally fell into bed around ten, fully expecting to be asleep in seconds. Instead, I thought of Nate with his messy dark hair, green eyes, and amazing smile. He was just my type physically speaking—tall, v-framed, a little on the slim side but still strong. My high school contact with him had been very limited, and any interest between us strictly one sided. How odd that we’d met again. I wondered if he was going to college and where. Having graduated high school early, I’d be starting as a freshman at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in January. Would I see him there? Even more important, would he still have Missy Thompson glued to his side?

  With my head full of impossible scenarios involving Nate and me on campus without her, I finally drifted off to sleep. “Carol of the Bells” startled me awake sometime later. I fumbled for my iPhone, barely registering the sleet pattering the window pane. “Hello.”

  “It’s Nate.”

  I sat straight up in bed, my heart skipping a couple of beats. “What’s wrong?”

  “Anna’s scared of the storm and wants to sleep with me.”

  “Then let her.”

  “I’m a guy, and she’s a girl.”

  “She’s four, Nate.”

  “But we’re not really related. People might think I’m a perv or something.”

  I exhaled slowly in hopes my hammering heart would slow down a little so I could think clearly. “Do you still live on Magnolia?” Maybe I could pick her up and bring her home with me.

  “How’d you know that?”

  “I, er…” Should I confess I’d once looked up his address and driven by his house just to see where he lived? Um, no. That would probably place me in a stalker category.

  Luckily he didn’t wait for me to answer. “We’re not at my house. We’re at my stepmom’s in North Little Rock. She didn’t want to move Anna’s stuff until they got back. Thought she’d do better in familiar surroundings.”

  “And that didn’t clue you in to the fact that you so don’t have this?”

  “Are you going to help us or not? You gave me your card—”

  “I’ll help. I just don’t know how. Are you wanting me to co
me get her?”

  “Not that.”

  “Then what?”

  “We’ll come get you.”

  Whoa! As thrilled as I was shocked by this amazing gift that had surely come straight from the elves, I glanced at the clock: eleven-thirty. “Now?”

  “Yeah. I know it’s late, bu—” He broke off. I thought I heard Anna say something to him. “I’m getting to it. Um, Leeloo?”

  “Still here.”

  “What would you charge to spend two nights with us? The folks’ll be back the twenty-fourth, so you’ll be home for Christmas Eve.”

  Two nights with Nate? There is a Santa Claus! I tried to play it cool. “Twenty-five bucks per night is the going rate.”

  “Done! Where do you live?”

  “Wait a minute.” I pulled aside my curtain and tried to look out the window, but I couldn’t see because the glass was wet. I did hear thunder rumbling in the distance. “Is it raining or sleeting?”

  “Raining here. Roads are clear.”

  “I need to check with my parents. They might have plans.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  With my phone pressed to my chest, I jumped off the bed and happy danced down the hall, where I crept into my parents’ bedroom and quietly shook Mom awake. “Nate needs help with Anna.” I quickly shared the details of our arrangement, assuring her I’d be home on Christmas Eve.

  “Go, you!” She gave me a sleepy high-five before turning over on her side to face Dad, who hadn’t even stirred. I realized that was what I loved most about my Mom—she trusted me. Dad, on the other hand, worried too much.

  “It’s all good,” I told Nate. “I’ll throw some stuff into a bag.”

  “We’ll be there in thirty.”

  “But I didn’t tell you where I live.”

  “Just looked it up.”

  As I’d looked up his address the moment I could legally drive. Though I probably came off as obsessed with him, in truth, Nate Marshall had only consumed maybe five to eight percent of my waking thoughts at any given moment since junior high school. That meant I’d led a normal life and even had boyfriends. Nate was simply the guy I’d expected to remember forever with a wistful, what-if sigh.

  “Leeloo?”

  “Oh, um, sorry. I’ll be ready when you get here.”