Miracle on 34th Floor Read online

  They screamed some more. Parents took pictures. He smiled and waved, and he wondered why he wasn’t Santa every night.

  Joylin walked across the street to Gimbels after work. Ever since she’d seen that picture of the Santa who’d saved the day, she had become concerned about her crazed fascination with a man who didn’t even know she existed. She had to go prove to herself that Decker was not the Santa at Gimbels. And then she wanted to text that guy from the bar the other night and see about lunch tomorrow.

  Children were climbing the escalators, and the store was emptying to its uppermost floor. Everyone wanted to see Santa. And why not? On an average day, the Gimbels Santa was celebrated as the best in New York City. But today, he was also in the city paper. Today, he was the Santa who saved the day.

  She stood at the back of the line. The place was so packed with people, the line carried out into the clothing part of the floor and almost all the way to the escalators. The children everywhere were jumping up and down and more excited than they should be since they were about to stand in line for at least an hour.

  From the looks of things, Joylin herself was going to stand in line for over an hour. Perhaps she should rethink this plan. She had some shopping she could do, so maybe she’d get to it and then come back when the store was about to close.

  She was about to turn around when she heard some loud voices up ahead. “Well, I’m not staying. And good luck finding an elf this time of year.”

  A woman in a green costume with pointy ears stomped by. Two people approached the woman, one carrying a clipboard. “Please, at least finish the day. Look at this line.”

  The woman ignored the fact that they had an audience. “I won’t be treated that way. These kids have been raised by barn animals.”

  Several women gasped, and one covered her ears. The little boy in front of Joylin laughed.

  A daring idea entered her mind. They were out an elf, and she was totally free in the evenings. Did that mean she had to fill in? No, she did not have to do this. Just because she saw a need did not mean she had to fill that need.

  The long line of people called to her. This whole organization could probably use an extra set of eyes. The line could be split in two. There could be a station up ahead where the kids would get started on the fun—some kind of entertainment while they waited. People could walk up the line with cups of hot chocolate… Her mind started spinning.

  The quitting elf stomped away.

  Joylin stepped out of line and approached the stressed-out woman with the clipboard. “Excuse me?”

  She turned to Joylin, her face wary.

  “I’m Joylin. I couldn’t help but overhear.”

  “Yes, I’m sorry about her abrasive language. I’m Mary, the manager.” She rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Perhaps it’s best she quit.”

  “I was wondering, would you like some help?”

  Her eyes widened, and she nodded. “Yes. Can you give us a hand for a few hours?”

  “Absolutely.” A few hours she could do. They turned to walk together toward the back room. “I had some ideas that might help make this whole experience more pleasant as well…”

  While they walked and talked, Joylin craned her neck to get a good look at Santa. But his face was turned down as he talked to a child on his lap.

  The woman noticed her staring. “He’s not our typical Santa. Our Santa quit just like that elf, so this guy stepped in just like you.” She shook her head. “What a crazy year we’re having.” She leaned in closer to whisper, “We’re still looking for a new permanent Santa, and a permanent elf as well if you need a temp job.”

  Joylin laughed but didn’t answer. A part of her wanted to give it a shot, but the other part of her reminded her about Hallmark movies, evenings out with friends, and time to relax with Jojo.

  The line was getting unruly. Two boys ran up onto the stage and started talking to Santa while he still had another child on his lap.

  Mary moaned. “Oh no.”

  “Don’t worry. I got this. I’ll settle this situation and then be back to change quickly.”

  “Thank you. I don’t think I’m cut out for this job.”

  Joylin laughed. “Who is?”

  She approached the boys.

  “Uh oh.” They turned, ready to run.

  “Looks like there’s two children who won’t get to talk to Santa this year.”

  Their eyes widened. “Yes, we will, our moms are right there.”

  The moms were talking to each other and looked as though they had no idea what their sons were doing.

  “Should we go talk to them?” Joylin asked.

  The boys both shook their heads.

  “You want to make sure Santa here knows you’re on the nice list, right?”

  They nodded.

  “Did you know it’s almost your turn?”

  They shrugged.

  “I’ll tell you what, if you can be extra good in line and help these other kids obey the rules, I’ll give you two candy canes when it’s your turn.” She turned to Santa to make sure he’d heard. Familiar blue eyes smiled at her, and he winked.

  Her heart stuttered to a stop. Had Decker just winked at her? She’d made actual eye contact with Mr. Kringle. Wait—was that Decker? She couldn’t make sense of how their VP of marketing was sitting in Gimbels’ Santa chair, but she’d know those eyes anywhere.

  She reached for the boys’ hands. “Deal?”

  They nodded. “Deal.” Then they ran back to the line.

  As she walked by Santa—Decker—to go get changed, he gave her a thumbs-up behind the back of the kid on his lap. It made her laugh. “Be right back.”

  4

  Decker second-guessed most of the early minutes of his time as Santa. The elf seemed to be extra grumpy and snapped at him, the kids, the parents, and even Mary. When one of the guests snapped back, their happy north pole elf lost it and stomped out, complaining about mistreatment.

  The kids were incredibly unruly, and the line was long. But then a beautiful woman walked up and saved the day. She smiled in a fun, perky way, talked two of the craziest boys into behaving, and then promised to be right back.

  Please, come back, he thought. He laughed at himself.

  The boys had started walking up and down the first part of the aisle, reminding the other children to keep their voices down. Whatever kept them busy.

  He was ready for the night to end, and it had barely begun. But then the woman returned, dressed as an elf. Praise the north pole.

  She leaned closer, a delicious smell of peppermint filling the air around them. “I’m filling in, so tell me if I do anything wrong.”

  “Hey, we’re both winging it. I’ll follow your lead.”

  “And I yours.” She smiled, and everything about the evening seemed brighter. “Go, team.” She held her fist out for him to bump.

  Half the kids in the front gasped. And one of them laughed. “Santa knows how to fist bump!”

  Decker laughed and called the next child up to him. One of the boys that the new elf had recruited held his own fist out for a bump.

  When their knuckles connected, his eyes widened. “Awesome.”

  Everything went smoother from that point on. This new elf was like magic, and Decker started to enjoy himself again. At one point, she called to the families in line, “Would anyone like to color a card for Santa?”

  About thirty kids raised their hands, and she started handing out paper and passing around a box of crayons. “We can deliver these cards to some lonely grandmas and grandpas up by the north pole for you. So add a pretty picture to make them happy.”

  “Outstanding.” Decker smiled.

  “Santa?” The child on his lap tugged on his beard.

  “Ho! Ho! Ho! Yes?”

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “Red! Of course!” he called out to the children near the front. And then he spoke in a lower voice to the cute four-year-old on his lap. “And blue. I really l
ike a deep, dark blue.”

  She grinned. “Me too. It’s like the ocean.”

  “Exactly.” He helped her down and called up the next child.

  They kept at it for another hour, and then it was almost time to close up shop. The store had announced three times that they would be closing soon. Decker could hear the hoarseness of his voice as he tried to give each child a little bit of magic. When the last few kids were finally walking away, the new elf came to stand by him. “You’re amazing at this job. You sure it’s not your side hustle?”

  He laughed and leaned back on his throne. “Nope. Absolutely not my side hustle. And it’s way harder than it looks.”

  She laughed at his exhaustion, her whole face lighting up. For a moment, he wanted her to know this wasn’t his real-life aspiration. But he wasn’t sure how to bring up the fact that he was actually a successful business executive and, by the way, would she want to go get coffee sometime?

  “Well, should we get you out of the costume?”

  “You too. I’d imagine you’re dying to lose the shoes.” Though she looked fantastic in her tights. The elf dress hugged her waist and flared in a short tennis skirt. But the shoes were overly large with a pompom ball on the tip. She walked with mincing steps, and he wondered if they hurt her feet.

  They made their way to the back room together.

  “This was surprisingly fun.” She laughed. “Maybe not for every night, but I’m glad I pitched in.”

  As soon as the door opened, they were met by Mary and three of the store clerks.

  “Um, hello.” The elf laughed, sounding nervous.

  Mary stepped forward, hands up.

  He and the elf took a half step back.

  “You can’t leave me.”

  He had a sinking feeling in his gut. “Did you find a replacement?”

  “No. No one except one man, who actually showed up drunk to the interview.”

  He sighed. “Look…”

  “I’ll do it.” The elf waved her hand around, her voice filling him with a sense of responsibility. “It will make Christmas more…fun!”

  He stared at her. “What?”

  She eyed him and then looked away. “You don’t have to feel pressured, but I can’t leave Gimbels in the lurch. They’ve been good to me. I came here as a child every year.”

  That was the reason he’d done it in the first place. “But I have a job…” He turned to her. “I’m sure you are also employed, busy?”

  “Yes, very. But I can free up some evenings.” She turned to Mary. “Could we just schedule it with days off? Like you only need Santa and the elf three days a week and one weekend night?”

  “And Sundays.”

  Santa held up his hands. “I can’t give you every Sunday through the holidays.”

  “Are you giving us any Sundays?” Mary’s eyes filled with hope.

  “Here, let me get out of the costume and think about things.” He pointed a finger at the elf traitor. “Would you mind waiting? I’d like to talk with you.”

  “Oh, um. Sure.” She looked nervous—as she should.

  He took off his beard carefully. The glue was extra sticky, and he had to use the glue solvent it came with. He suspected he’d get that funky residue on his mouth and chin, like mic tape marks from his musical theater days.

  He really didn’t have time to do this Santa thing all through the holidays. With no sub? No one to fill in? What about Christmas Eve? Christmas Day? He was already missing a meeting with his grumpy CEO tonight.

  But then he thought about the elf. Something about her smile warmed him. She cheered everyone in line, the parents, the children. He saw the grumpy faces of everyone melt into happy submission when she smiled. And she had agreed to help them out.

  What was her schedule like? How could she just drop everything and agree to work as an elf in a department store? Maybe she needed the money. He shook his head in frustration. As difficult as she was making it for him to turn down the Santa responsibility, he was super intrigued by her. What beautiful, obviously talented, and smart woman agreed to such a thing?

  By the time he exited his makeshift dressing room, he’d half decided to continue helping out. They were all waiting for him. The elf had just said something, and the others were laughing. Her hair bounced on her shoulders, the curls toying with his imagination. Something about those curls looked familiar. But he was almost certain he’d never seen the woman before. He felt sure he would have remembered her.

  They all seemed to notice his approach at the same time and turned to wait for him to speak. “I like the idea of cutting back on the hours. I can’t commit to every night you might need a Santa, but I’ll come when I can.”

  Mary smiled. “I’ll take it.”

  “And please, keep looking for another stand-in. This is a huge commitment for me, and I do have a rather full and busy professional life.” He looked at the elf, wondering if she had the same. But she didn’t offer any details.

  They set up a schedule of sorts. He agreed to return that weekend, the elf as well. And then, at last, the two of them turned to leave.

  He shook his head. “So, you know I refer to you in my mind as ‘the elf’?”

  “You refer to me in your mind?” She seemed overly pleased by that idea.

  “Yeah, along with phrases like ‘how can I possibly play Santa for the whole Christmas season?’ ‘How could the elf do this to me?’”

  She laughed. “Hey now, no one made you do it. I just thought it might be fun, and like I said, it’s a way for me to give back to Gimbels.”

  “I would very much like to know your name.”

  “Oh, you don’t know it? True, well, how could you? It’s not like we know each other outside of Gimbels. How weird of a coincidence would that be.” She tugged at her gloves.

  “I’m Decker Kringle.”

  “Joylin Merrymead.”

  She took off her glove, and they shook hands. He enjoyed the feel of her hand in his. It was soft, welcoming. When she dropped her hand, he wanted to pick it back up. “So, Joylin, would you like to go get drinks?”

  “Oh! Um, sure.”

  “I mean, if you don’t have plans.”

  “No, I don’t. I’d like that.”

  “Excellent.” He placed a hand at the small of her back. “I have a car coming.” He directed her outside to the front where his car was waiting. “To Pinoli’s.” He turned to Joylin. “Does that sound okay? I have to meet some folks for a second, and then I’d love to sit at a quiet booth and really get to know what makes a woman like you tick.”

  “Sure. That sounds great.” She squirmed a little in her seat but then smiled. “Those kids tonight were something.”

  “You should hear what they say to me. It’s the craziest mix of all kinds of ridiculous things.”

  She laughed.

  “And some are really sad.” He paused, remembering a little girl in an oversized dress who’d climbed onto his lap. “Some of them beg for toys for other kids. This one girl told me if her little brother didn’t get anything for Christmas, he was gonna stop believing, and she said he was too young for that.”

  “That’s darling. What did you tell her? It must be hard to not have a way of really granting any of their wishes.”

  He was struck by a thought. “Maybe I do.”

  “What? How?”

  “Well, what if I could find out where she lives? How hard would it be to deliver a Matchbox car?”

  “But for all the kids? Every one of them?”

  “Well, no. I don’t think any kid needs a Ferrari.”

  “But for some… How could we do that?”

  “You’re in?”

  “If we can find a way to do this, I’m totally interested in helping.”

  He thought for a moment. “Maybe I could give you some kind of signal.”

  “And what? I ask the adult for their address?”

  “I don’t know. It just seems like a simple enough thing to get the girl’s b
rother a Matchbox car.”

  Her mouth puckered, and he watched the lovely indent on her upper lip constrict. “We could try it. Maybe this weekend, I could have a card or paper or something they fill out, or maybe we ask them to email us?”

  “Let’s think about it. I bet we could brainstorm a really great plan.” He suspected Joylin’s strength was creative solutions. He’d seen her spontaneity with the kids. He wondered what industry she worked in. He’d love to have her on his team.

  They entered the front door of the upscale business singles bar. That’s what he thought of it as, anyway. He saw Victoria’s group right away. She was queen. Someone was talking to her with an overly apologetic expression, and she raised her eyebrows.

  He shook his head. “That’s my group.”

  Joylin followed the direction of his nod and immediately turned away. “Great. Do you mind if I run to the ladies’ room?”

  “Not at all. In fact, why don’t you get us a table in that quiet corner over there, and I’ll be over in a second? No need for both of us to experience this torture. If it drags on, rescue me.” He winked.

  Her nervous laugh raised new questions he’d love to explore, and then she took off.

  He rolled his shoulders, remembering his jump rope session. He’d need to channel some of Joylin’s grace and charm. He turned on his smile and held out his hand. “Hi, everyone. So happy I could catch you guys tonight.”

  After twenty minutes of pointless chatter from Victoria and no rescue from Joylin, he craned his neck to find her sitting in a quiet booth, being chatted up by two guys. He snorted. Figures.

  “Pardon?” Victoria tried to see what had distracted him.

  “Oh, nothing. I see some acquaintances over on the other side of the room. I’ll go see if I can work up some more clientele while I’m here.” He knew the mention of future clients would ease his departure.

  “Absolutely. This is one of the best locations in New York for those sorts of meetings. We should all divide and conquer, so to speak.” Her eyes gleamed. Decker didn’t know exactly what bothered him so much about her, but he cringed again at her obvious mercenary tone. “In fact, I do believe we’ve covered all topics for the night.”