“The council?” I asked. “The council set you up here?”
“Yes, they most certainly have.”
“Please tell me, before I go crazy, what the hell is going on,” said Chase.
“Well, Chaser,” said Grandpa, taking a seat across from us, “that’s a bit of a long story.”
“Tell me. I’ve got all night,” said Chase.
“I don’t. They’re picking me up in…” He checked his watch. “Exactly half an hour. Lucky for you I already had my shower, and now all I need to do is get dressed.”
“Get dressed for what?!” Chase cried. The suspense was obviously killing him.
“I think I know, Chaser,” I said.
“Please don’t call me that.”
Chase’s grandfather leaned in. “I’m the only one who’s allowed to call him that, I’m afraid.”
“And why is that?”
“Because he used to chase all the girls away, of course,” said the old man with a chuckle.
“Please, Grandpa,” said Chase. “Odelia doesn’t need to hear all that.”
“Grandpa, or… Santa?” I asked, with a keen look at the old man.
He grinned.“What gave me away?”
“The beard, the mustache, the hair… the red robe. You look exactly like Santa.”
“Thanks. I aim to please. After twenty years as the Thornton Fifth Avenue Santa I know a thing or two about transforming myself into Santa Claus, of course.”
Chase’s jaw dropped. “You were the Thornton Santa?”
“Of course I was. A man needs a hobby, Chase, and after I retired I needed one more than ever. So I went to one of those temp agencies and they thought I’d make a great Santa. Thornton gave me a shot and I’ve been their Santa for two decades—until they canned me.”
“And you never told me!”
“Every man likes to have his little secrets. And it was only a minor indulgence. Just a few days around the holidays each year. Hardly the big moneymaker.”
“So why did they fire you?”
“New management,” I said knowingly.
A loud ding-dong echoed through the suite and Grandpa Kingsley got up.“Yes, new management. They took one look at my birthdate and decided I was too old. Lucky for me word must have spread about my work, for suddenly a guy from the Hampton Cove council showed up on my doorstep and offered me a job! I had to haggle with him about the price, but eventually we managedto come to a mutually beneficial agreement.”
He went to open the door and Chase said,“The well-dressed man. He works for the council.”
I nodded.“Probably the same guy wearing the Knicks cap. And my uncle’s drinking buddy.”
Grandpa Kingsley opened the door and the receptionist with the egg-shaped head peered in.
“Everything all right, sir?”
“Why, of course! I just got a visit from my grandson and his girlfriend, so everything is just peachy. Oh, thanks, buddy,” he added, and took the tray with three glasses of eggnog from the guy.
“Very well, sir,” said the now pale-faced receptionist. “I’m happy everything is to your satisfaction.” He directed an anxious look at Chase, obviously wondering where he’d put the gun, but then the new Hampton Cove Santa closed the door and handed us our drinks.
The eggnog was great. Rich and creamy.
“So is your name really Kris Kringle?” I asked.
The old man laughed, his belly shaking.“Close enough! My name is Kris Kingsley.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Grandpa?” asked Chase, wiping his lips. “I’ve been looking all over New York City for you. I even filed a missing person report, for Pete’s sake.”
“You did?” asked Kris with remarkable equanimity. “Well, I wanted to surprise you, of course. And I wanted to see the look on your face when you saw your old gramps mount that sleigh and make his way through the streets of your new hometown.” He took a sip of eggnog. “Mh. Really hits thespot, doesn’t it? Oh, and I was sworn to secrecy. Signed an actual nondisclosure agreement. They even told me specifically not to mention anything to you, as you were dating some hotshot nosy reporter and she was sure to spill the beans on the front page of the Hampton Cove Gazette.”
I blushed.“I’m afraid I am that hotshot reporter, sir.”
“Just call me Kris.”
“I wouldn’t have spilled your secret, Kris. Not if you’d asked me not to.”
“Well, apparently some guy called Dan Goory was dying to find out about me—so he could ruin Christmas for everybody. At least that’s what they told me when they first came to see me.” He laughed. “Made me feel extremely important, I can tell you! Like one of those football players that gets traded for millions of dollars! And at my advanced age, no less! Cheered me right up.”
“I just wish you’d told me,” said Chase with a shake of the head. “You had me worried sick.”
“Worried sick? But Chaser, you know your Grandpa Kris is like a cat. I always land on my feet!”
“I know,” he said with a slight smile. “So you’re the new Santa, huh? What do you know?”
“Yeah,” Kris chuckled. “Imagine that, Chaser.” When I gave him a questioning look, he said, “Oh, right. Well, Chase here was always driving the girls away. Mind you, he was only six at the time. Said he had no need for girls. So I started calling him Chaser. I was the one who picked him up from school, you see, so we developed quite a bond, didn’t we, Chaser?”
“I’ve stopped driving the girls away from me a long time ago, Gramps,” said Chase.
“I know! You started chasing them instead, so the moniker still applied.”
“Well, I’ve stopped doing that as well,” said Chase with a slight smile.
Kris directed a curious glance at me.“Yeah, I can see that. So when is the wedding?”
We both laughed uncomfortably, Chase and I.“We haven’t really discussed that,” I said. “I mean, we’re just getting to know each other.”
Kris patted his grandson on the cheek and tsk-tsked.“Still good old Chaser, huh?”
“No! We just met, Grandpa. There’s simply no—I mean, we haven’t—the thing is…”
“Nobody is chasing anyone away, Kris,” I said. “We’re simply taking it one step at a time.”
“As you should,” said Kris with a waggle of his remarkably white beard. He slapped his thighs. “And now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get ready for my big show! Santa’s in town!”
As he walked off to his bedroom, I noticed a box of Cohibas on a side table. When I opened it, I noticed several cigars were gone, and printed on the side of the box was a stamp that indicated the box was the property of Thornton Fifth Avenue. I shared a smile with Chase. Another mystery solved.
Chapter 15
The whole town was gathered in Town Square, around the huge Christmas tree. All around us the Christmas market was in full swing, with stalls having been set up all over the place, selling eggnog, gl?hwein, hot chocolate, and treats like gingerbread, bugle cones, Christmas tree brownies, candy canes, s’mores and a lot more. There was one stall where Wilbur Vickery sold Christmas trees, for people late to the party, but since they all looked a little worn-out, no one was buying what he had to sell.
“So where is this newfangled Santa?” asked Gran, who was shivering in her wool coat, her head drowning in a thick knit cap with Christmas motif. “If he’s not here soon I’m gone!”
“He’ll be here,” I said, hugging myself to get warm.
Snowflakes were gently fluttering down, covering Hampton Cove in a soft blanket of white. Chase was right by my side, a glass of gl?hwein in his hand—mulled wine with cinnamon—and so were my parents, Uncle Alec, and pretty much all of Hampton Cove. They all wanted to see the new Santa, so turnout for this traditional Christmas feast was great, which must have pleased the council and the Mayor, who were officiating the festivities. Even Dan was here, even though he’d told me he was going to sit this one out—a one-man boycott.