They were headed for Main Street.
They were headed for Santa.
Will parked in a lot across the street from what appeared to be an entire block that had been turned into Santa’s Village. Lauren took one look at the long line filled with children—some of them crying, some of them hiding behind their mothers, one of them running around in circles pretending to shoot everyone else in the line （for some reason she thought about Red Ryder Carbine Action BB guns） and she shook her head.
“We are not doing this.”
“I promise you we are.” He flashed her that grin that was altogether too happy for this time of day and this particular circumstance, and then he got out of the car.
She groaned like a kid being dragged around shoe-shopping.
They took their spots at the back of the line, and a little girl looked up at them and said, “You’re too old to visit Santa.”
Will knelt, looked her square in the face and said, “You’re never too old to visit Santa.”
He was so earnest when he said it that the girl’s mother swooned. Lauren was both jealous and comforted by the fact that she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t resist Will’s charisma.
When they finally reached the front of the line, he gleefully stepped forward. The man in the Santa suit looked surprised. “Well, young man, you’re a little older than most of the children I’ve seen. What can I do for you?”
“Not for me.” Will ushered Lauren forward. “For my friend. She’s lost her Christmas spirit.”
“Is that right?” Santa ho-ho-ho’d, hands propped on his very real bowl full of jelly.
Lauren had to give the guy credit. His beard was real—not one of those cotton ones that hung over his ears—and he wore a pair of small circle glasses, which added to the overall Vintage Santa look.
St. Nick turned to the elves on either side of him, both with ears as pointy as their shoes. “Not the first case of Christmas spirit gone missing we’ve seen, is it?”
The elves chortled a response, nodding playfully at one another. Off to the side, Mrs. Claus handed out cookies to a little boy who’d just cried his way through the line. At the sight of her, the boy shrieked.
All in all, the place was a zoo, and thanks to Will, she was smack in the middle of it.
“Young lady, is this true?” Santa asked. “You’ve lost your Christmas spirit?”
Lauren forced herself not to roll her eyes. She glanced at Will, who wore a knowing expression that seemed to say go in the corner and think about what you’ve done.
“She’s a little shy, Santa.” Will gave her a patronizing nod.
“So, how can I help?” Santa’s low voice boomed.
“I don’t think you can,” she said. “No offense.”
“Nobody has more Christmas spirit than you, St. Nick,” Will interjected.
Lauren shot him a silent “would you shut up?” and looked back at Santa with a forced smile. “I think I’m fine.”
“Well, then, why don’t you tell me what you want for Christmas?” he asked.
Lauren’s eyes darted back to Will, who looked on like this was the most perfectly normal thing in the world—a grown woman, visiting Santa.
“Come on,” Santa said. “You can whisper it if you don’t want to say it out loud. I’m betting it’s a little more complex than most of the wishes I’ve heard today.”
Slowly, and only because she knew she wasn’t going to get out of it, she moved toward the man in the bright red suit. She leaned toward him, closed her eyes, and said quietly, “I want my pony birthday cake.”
The wish was as ridiculous as the situation. Yet still, a part of her—infinitesimally small—thought there might be a chance she’d open her eyes and it would be sitting there, in Santa’s hands.
He whispered quietly to her, “So, not so different from the other wishes after all.” She leaned back as he smiled broadly. “Anything else?”
I want to love Christmas again, like I did when I had a real family.
“No,” she said. “That’s all.”
“Very well,” Santa said, as if he was a genie granting wishes to everyone who rubbed his lamp.
“Should we get a picture?” one of the elves raced forward and clapped her hands together far too excitedly.
“No, that’s—”
“Definitely,” Will interrupted. He jumped in on the opposite side of Santa and instantly cheesed for the camera, pointing at him with his mouth open like he couldn’t believe he was getting a picture with the real Santa.