Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas: Goners, #1

By Sue London

Gabe Berrington has his hands full as the single father of four young boys and operations officer for a growing toy company. The last thing he needs is another person in his life to make it more complicated. Then again, maybe the magic of Christmas elves is that they make everything easier instead of harder.

Rachel Wurth works at Santa's Workshop every year because she loves seeing kids enjoying the magic she missed growing up. Since Gabe doesn't recognize her, she doesn't want to tell him who she really is. But it's going to be hard to say goodbye to these four boys and the man she might be falling in love with.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sue London
• Release date: Sep 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393201847

Book preview

To all my holiday season mall co-workers.

Chapter 1

Gabe Berrington couldn 't believe that he was standing in line at a mall in suburban Chicago in mid-November waiting to get photos with Santa. Well, he wasn't getting a photo with Santa, his four young sons were. All four of them took after his own dark brown hair and hazel eyes, but beyond that they managed to be entirely different from each other. Brian, the eldest at eight, had decided that getting Santa photos done early was Very Important . Gabe hadn't quite followed the story, but it sounded like one of Brian's classmates had a mother who took him out to get a photo with Santa the very night that the Jolly Old Elf arrived. Although he couldn't swing opening night, all five of them were here for the second night. And, in Gabe's opinion, it was a nightmare. Cranky, impatient children were everywhere. Garish indoor lighting. North Pole elves that had tipped over from cheerful to annoying. Muzaked Christmas music playing over the loudspeakers. It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet, for Pete's sake. Riley, his six-year old, grabbed onto the sleeve of his jacket and hopped up and down.

Daddy, he singsonged, stretching out the last syllable. I want to see Santa.

Gabe let go of Aiden's hand for a moment to pat Riley on the head. "We can see him from here, buddy. But we have to be polite and wait our turn to sit in his lap."

I don't want to wait, Riley said with a pout.

Brian looked down at Riley with older brother superiority and used one of the big words he loved to learn. You're impatient.

Gabe recognized the mulish look that crossed Riley's face. While Brian was happy keeping conflict verbal, Riley was much more likely to resort to the physical. The last thing they needed was a fight in line to see Santa at the mall. Boys, he said in the warning tone he used to settle them. He reminded himself of Dave talking to the Chipmunks. When Gabe reached back for Aiden's hand all he felt was air. He turned in a circle but didn't see the four-year-old in the close press of the crowd. His adrenaline spiked as every scenario a parent fears flashed through his mind. He felt himself holding three-year-old Tyler tighter where the boy rested on his hip and the toddler predictably began to squirm. Aiden? AIDEN? he called out tightly.

Brian tapped his leg. He's right there, dad.

Gabe twisted around to look where his oldest son was pointing. Aiden, distant and autistic Aiden, was pulling on the fur-trimmed skirt of one of Santa's Elves. She leaned down to listen to him, but Gabe knew that Aiden didn't speak. He also knew that his son didn't like to touch people, and yet the boy reached up to put his arms around the elf's neck and consented to be picked up as she rose. She apparently asked where his parents were, because Aiden flung out an arm to point in Gabe's direction. The elf looked over with a friendly smile and Gabe felt his heart stop in his chest. She had wisps of blond hair showing beneath her jaunty red and green elf hat, wide eyes that sparkled with merriment, and the most beautiful, kissable mouth he had ever seen. Santa's HR department was definitely on the job this year.

RACHEL SNUGGLED THE sweet, but quiet, little boy in her arms. This was why she came out to work the North Pole every year. There were always a few shy children that needed a bit of extra attention. She wouldn't lie and say that she loved every youngster that crossed her path, but many of them were adorable and wonderful. And the kids were, on average, better behaved than their parents. When she asked after his parents, this one had looked at her with trusting but puzzled eyes. Mother had also received a confused look. But father finally inspired the little boy to point back into the crowd in line. Once she saw the man looking at her, she realized that she could have picked him out as this boy's father, with their similar coloring. He was holding another toddler of a slightly younger age, and two other boys hung on his long wool winter coat. Rachel felt a flare of attraction for the man who was classically tall, dark, and handsome. But his clothing, his haircut, nearly screamed Uptown. And if there was one thing she didn't want, it was someone who spent all their time working deals and dining at country clubs. All those logical thoughts didn't tamp down the flare of attraction, but it made her feel a little better as she made her way through the crowd to return his son.

THE GORGEOUS LITTLE elf toted Aiden through the crowd, and the way people moved out of her way made Gabe wonder if she might actually possess some magic.

Is this one yours, too? she asked. She had a friendly, sweet smile as she looked at the boys.

Yep. He reached out his free arm to take his son, but the toddler shook his head and burrowed into the elf's arms. Gabe frowned. Aiden? What are you doing?

The elf shrugged apologetically while his son rested a cheek on the shoulder furthest away from him and gave a gusty sigh. He's probably just tired, she offered, patting the boy's back.

Gabe realized he was still frowning. Although he was typically known for having oodles of patience, the crazed mall atmosphere, combined with his son's atypical behavior was definitely putting him in a less than stellar mood. I'm sorry, he said to the elf. He's usually not like this.

I don't mind holding him.

Don't you have a job to get back to?

My job is to make sure that this part of the line stays under control. I can do that and hold onto him, too.

Gabe nodded, shifted Tyler to a more comfortable spot on his hip, and realized that silence had descended. Had he and the pretty elf run out of things to talk about so soon?

Riley tugged on her skirt and asked, Do you know Santa Claus?

She crouched down a bit. Not that she needed to much, she barely came up to Gabe's chest. Absolutely! she gushed, with the false enthusiasm adults reserved for telling stories to children. All year long I work with him at the North Pole. But our favorite time of year is when we get to come out and see all the little children that we worked all year to make toys for.

Do you know what Santa's gonna bring me? Riley asked, wide-eyed with the picture the elf was painting with her words.

Hmm, she said, looking up at Gabe with a laugh. "Santa keeps that list very close. Not every elf has permission to look at it."

She had Riley's full and unwavering attention. It's a secret?

Super secret.

Gabe could see from Brian's sneer that he was about to burst his brother's bubble about how this wasn't a real elf. Much less some Top Secret Clearance elf who got to know things like what was on their Christmas lists. Brian would, undoubtedly, be even more unbearable when he figured out that Santa Claus was a myth. Before his eldest son could ruin the mood, Gabe said, Boys, maybe if you whisper the thing you really, really want to her she'll put it at the top of Santa's list.

Riley excitedly went up on his tiptoes to whisper in her ear as she crouched near him. Even Brian seemed excited for the opportunity, another small miracle. Then she put her ear close to Aiden as though he were whispering something to her. And last, she stood up to put her ear to Tyler's little mouth, where he was shyly pressing it against Gabe's shoulder. Standing so close, he could smell her hair. Somehow, she smelled like eggnog and spice cookies. Who in the hell could make their hair smell like eggnog and spice cookies?

Finally, she said to them all, I'll put in a good word with Santa.

They had managed to move a good way in the line now and