Calling Mrs Claus Read online

  Calling Mrs Claus

  Charlie Conwell

  Calling Mrs Claus

  Charlie Conwell

  Copyright © 2019 by Charlie Conwell

  Self-Published

  Twitter: @Charlie2017123

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All names, places, songs, lyrics, and song titles found here are the property of their trademark owners and their use in this book has not been authorised nor sponsored by their lawful trademark owners.

  Disclaimer: The material in this book is for mature audiences only, contains sexual content and is intended for those over the age of 18 only.

  Chapter 1

  The sun is just rising and there is already heat in the air. Lina opens the front door of her workshop takes a sip of her coffee and breathes in deeply. “I love the smell of a fresh morning and a new delivery of wood to my workshop.”

  Lina walks around the workshop seeing what wood she has to work with and letting her ideas flow in her mind. She loves working with wood, watching a large chunk of wood be transformed into something she has envisaged. At forty-two years old, she has shoulder-length brown hair with flecks of grey through it. She roughly ties it back in a loose ponytail taking it out of her green eyes. Her tee-shirt has holes in it, but she doesn’t care, it’s comfortable and allows her to work easily. She is curvy in all the right places and has the capability of lifting and moving large parts of tree bark with ease, to where she needs them to be. Her jeans are covered in rips, oil, and paint, but Lina is seen very few times without a smile. She is at her happiest knee-deep in sawdust and her music blaring while she creates. Her hands are rough and calloused, but despite her appearance, she is a very attractive lady with the most piercing green eyes you have ever seen. Her hands hover above each piece of wood feeling the heartbeat that leads her inspiration to bring it new life. She smiles as each piece talks to her telling them their story, giving her every bit of information, she needs to create the most beautiful works of art. Only when she is completely happy with the image in her mind will she begin to work. She has her trusted chisels and hammer. She only uses power tools if she needs to cut the large pieces of wood smaller. Every other bit of her creations is done by hand. The care and precision in each movement she begins to weave a melody only she can hear until the masterpiece is completed. Only then, can she truly appreciate what she has achieved. Hour by hour, day by day, she continues to work and will only stop when she is fully satisfied before she moves to the next stage of her process. Sometimes she gets so lost in the moment she forgets the time of day, forgets to eat. The phone is unplugged so that she can immerse herself. Her best friend Sophie will turn up with food and force her to stop and take a break when she hasn’t heard from her in a day, much to Lina’s annoyance.

  After hours of work, Lina stands up and wipes the sweat from her brow. She steps back and admires her work so far. Her hair is covered in shavings and her clothes are tight to her body from sweat, but she feels content. Every detail no matter how small is carried out delicately and precisely. She loves seeing how a new life is brought to a fallen tree. She looks over her sketch pad and the outline she had drawn comparing that to what she sees before her. No matter where Lina goes, she is sure to have a small sketch pad, pencils, and her camera. Not wanting to miss a single moment of inspiration. She pours herself a cup of coffee and looks around at the converted garage smiling softly at how she now has her own studio for her works of art.

  “This is the life, me, my carvings, and the joy it brings to people.”

  She picks up her phone and turns it on and jumps in shock as it starts to ring. She looks at it with annoyance and intrigue and it surprises her even more as she notices her brother’s name on the caller display.

  “Hi Matthias, this better be good, I’m just on a break.”

  She hears her brother chuckling making her smile despite herself.

  “If saving your brother from the wrath of his wife is important, then this is a valid call.”

  “What have you done now? Or a better question is, what have you not done?”

  “Now, why do you assume that I am the one that has forgotten to do something?”

  Lina rolls her eyes, “May I remind you that you just said that you needed saving? Come on spit it out.”

  Matthias chuckles, “Oh yeah, I did say that. Okay, here it is, I’m in trouble. I forgot to ask you to make a centrepiece for this fancy dinner thing that she is hosting. Apparently, it is a huge thing and I completely forgot all about it. Can you help me out?”

  “When is it?”

  She can hear the hesitation in his voice. “Oh my God, if you say it’s tonight, it’s not happening.”

  “No, it’s not tonight, it’s Saturday night.”

  Lina is incredulous, “Saturday? Do you mean four days' time from now? How long have you known about this?”

  There is silence for a few seconds and in a voice barely audible she hears, “She may have told me six weeks ago and I may have told her you were working on it and that it will be the most amazing piece she will ever see.”

  “You idiot, you know a piece takes time to come together, at least a month and you want me to do one in four days!!”

  “I know, I know, I’ve been so busy at work, it completely left my mind. Please, Lina, I’m begging you.”

  Lina runs her fingers through her hair and looks around to see if there is something, she could do for him.

  “You owe me big time for this Matthias, but I think I will be able to do something. Just don’t make this a habit or I will let Mia tear you a new one.”

  “You’re the best Lina, I knew you would help me, and whatever you want I will do it as thanks. Just not lifting big chunks of wood, I’m not as strong as you.”

  Lina laughs, “I will call on it when I need it and I would not let you near my babies, you dropped one before.”

  “Lina! I was only seventeen and that was massive.”

  “Yeah, yeah, okay, go away now and let me see what I can do to save your butt this time.”

  “Thanks, Lina, love you.”

  “Love you too, even though right now I really want to kick you.”

  He laughs again and hangs up leaving Lina looking at a piece that she had already started. She picks it up and looks over it carefully, “Looks like you will have a new home very soon.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Across town, Ann Peeters is walking around the department store taking notes on what needs to be updated and rotated.

  “Ann, can I see you in the office for a few minutes?”

  Ann sighs and lowers her head, this can only mean one thing…Christmas. She grimaces as the thought passes through her mind. “I hate Christmas.”

  She grumbles as she trudges off towards the office. To look at Ann you would think that she had it all, her long blonde hair always perfectly styled, her clothes impeccable showing off her natural curves in the best way. Her make up lightly done, but her most prominent features are her chocolate brown eyes that look almost black with the mascara she wears. She has the career that she always wanted, running a department store, buying in the merchandise and having it displayed meticulously. She got to choose and mould her own team. At forty-four years she is one of the most respected and well-known department store managers in the city. The only thing missing for her is a partner to s
hare her life with. Five years ago, on Christmas Eve, her partner of twelve years decided to end their relationship devastating her in the process. Since that day she swore off women and relationships and has a deep hatred of the holiday season.

  She puts on a bigger smile than she would like and knocks on the office door and waits to be invited inside.

  “Come in Ann, thank you for coming so promptly, please, take a seat. Would you like tea or coffee?”

  “No, thank you, Mr Willems.”

  He smiles brightly pouring himself a cup of coffee and a glass of sparkling water, setting it in front of her.

  “I just remembered you prefer water.”

  He sits back behind his desk and looks around the office. He’s a very handsome man in his fifties with salt and pepper hair, green eyes and a killer smile. His desk is adorned with pictures of his wife and three children.

  “As you know, every year we want to go bigger and better than the previous year. Your displays were the talk of the city the entire season. This year I am going to challenge you even further. I want you to transform the upper floor into Willems’ Winter Wonderland. I want you to do your fabulous window displays and use all local craftspeople in order to do it.”

  Ann’s mouth drops open, “You can’t be serious? There’s no way that could be achieved.”

  “Come now, you are the Queen of making things happen and I have every confidence in you. Remember, Ann, it is the Season of Christmas, the time for miracles.”

  Ann stands up and starts to pace turning to face him a few times, wanting to say something, but no words coming out. Mr Willems watches her closely, takes a sip of his coffee. He sets the cup on the desk and leans back in his chair.

  “I’m going to level with you Ann, we are going to feature in one of the finest magazines in the country and will be in direct competition with our bitter rivals ‘Duponts’. This would lift us to heights we could only dream of. I know you can do this, and I know you will make it spectacular. I have freed up your time by giving Olivia more responsibilities to take care of your duties so that you can fully immerse yourself in this project. I want you on this project, there is no one I would trust more with it. I will not take no for an answer.”

  Ann is stunned and slumps back into the chair and takes a drink of the water. She knows there is no point in trying to object when he is so determined.

  “I’ll give it to you Mr Willems, you sure know how to put a girl under pressure. What budget do I have for this insane project of yours?”

  Mr Willems laughs, “I have that certain charm, the budget I have for this is seventy-five thousand euro.”

  Ann takes another drink and sits back in her chair, “I have full control on what is done, or do I have to check every inch of the project with you?”

  “You have my complete trust, if you need me to go through something with you or if you want me to grease the wheels with potential partners you may need, just say the word.”

  “Okay, so when do I start this project?”

  Mr Willems, looks at his watch, “No time like the present, you will need some help getting the upper floor cleared and it will be on lockdown until the unveiling so only you and I will see how it is coming along.”

  Ann, is still gobsmacked but stands and straightens her skirt and jacket, “I look forward to surprising you with the finished design and thank you for trusting me with this project.”

  He scurries around to stand in front of her, “I’m excited and what a way to bring in the Christmas cheer to all of our customers and for the community. Good luck, Ann, I know you will smash it.”

  He leads her out of the office and as he closes the door, Ann puffs out her cheeks, “Now, I really hate Christmas, this is going to be the longest five months of my life.”

  Chapter 2

  Lina switches off her phone again and turns on the music to her favourite playlist. She listens to the lyrics and gets in the zone of total focus. She takes up her chisel and hammer and begins to form her masterpiece. When she is happy with the way the face is looking and how the piece is coming together, she stands up, stretches and grabs a bottle of water out of her mini-fridge. She takes a long swig out of the bottle and wipes away the droplets on her chin with the back of her hand.

  “Matthias, you owe me, this is not how I like to work. So, rushed and not having a clear picture in my mind.”

  She looks over the centrepiece and runs her fingers over the two figurines in a dancing pose.

  “This is not how I normally work little one, but you are looking so good. The movement is flowing, you both look in love and enjoying the moment. Tell me what else you would like me to add to make you spectacular.”

  She looks around the room and smiles, shaking her head. “If you answer, I know I have gone crazy.”

  She closes her eyes and tries to get a clearer picture of the sculpture in her mind. She sees them dancing and the way the spotlights above them. She moves her body feeling the tempo and her smile widens, “Of course, that’s what I need.”

  She opens her eyes and takes another piece of wood and begins to work. The minutes turn to hours and she doesn’t stop until she has the first phase completed. Once she has finished, she stands up and grins, “You are looking beautiful and I think Mia is going to be very happy with you.”

  The piece is two figures dancing together romantically surrounded by a heart shape with little holes where she wants the lights to go. She takes the sandpaper and starts to smooth it all out. At this stage of the process, she gets so much joy. Seeing how the wood is being moulded with her touch. The music stops abruptly making Lina jump and curse. She spins around and comes face to face with Sophie.

  “You have not seen the light of day for twenty-four hours, I left you alone because I know you, but now you need to stop. I have some food in the kitchen and then you are going to go to sleep for at least four hours.”

  Lina stands with her arms folded, “Sophie! You know not to just come in like that, I could have ruined the piece.”

  Sophie cocks her head to the side, “Do you think this is the first time that I have interrupted your work. I have been standing here for the last fifteen minutes waiting for the right time. So come on, you are stalling, and I am going to watch you eat and then put you to bed.”

  “Jesus Sophie, I’m not a child, I can feed myself and put myself to bed.”

  “That is true, but I know you, the last time I left you alone to feed yourself and go to bed, you went straight back to work for another twenty-four hours. I found you talking and answering yourself when you took the head off one of your sculptures because of lack of sleep.”

  Lina grumbles and finally acquiesces, “Fine, I will have something to eat.”

  She puts her arm around Sophie, who crinkles her nose. “You may want to take time to have a shower, damn, you’re ripe!”

  Lina sniffs and tries to hide her own horror at her smell but fails miserably. “I think you might be right, wow, that’s bad.”

  Sophie laughs and pushes her through the door, “Go shower and by the time you’re done it will be heated up and I will pour us a cold beer. Then you can talk me through what you are creating.”

  Lina looks over her shoulder, “I might just tell you the story of why I have to work so hard on this one.” Sophie is intrigued, “Oh, I like the sound of this what did Matthias do now?”

  Lina guffaws, “You know him too well, give me a few minutes this is a doozy.”

  Lina returns drying her hair and smells deep, “Now that smells good, what's on the menu this evening?” Sophie turns around and smiles brightly, “Tonight, you are having pasta with a little chicken and roasted vegetables. I thought you might be hungry and need more than just a sandwich and soup.”

  She plates up and sets the bowl in front of Lina, she sits down and takes a sip of her beer. “Come on tell me what craziness Matthias has caused.”

  She delights in the sounds of enjoyment from Lina who is barely taking time to chew the foo
d. Lina swallows and takes a drink of her own beer. She fills Sophie in on the lavish dinner party Mia is throwing and how she has until Saturday to finish the piece. Sophie sits back in her chair, folds her arms and is not surprised by any of it. “He never fails, how many times has he done this now?”

  “Too many, one day he will ask, and I will be too busy and have to say no to him. He was lucky I had this piece started or Mia would have his balls in a vice by now.”

  Sophie laughs and nods in agreement, “That boy will never learn, and I do believe his balls have not been his own since he met her.”

  Lina laughs choking on her pasta, “Thank you for this, by the way, I didn’t realise I was so hungry.”

  “No problem, it’s a good job I live so close by. You really need to be more aware of time. You will get sick working like this.”

  “I know, it’s just…”

  “It’s just the wood that speaks to you and tells you what you need to do and how to do it. I have heard it before, still doesn’t mean you can’t take more breaks.”

  Lina smiles softly, “Thank you, you are the best friend a girl could have.”

  “Hell yes, I am. Oh, have you got the kids’ toys ready yet?”

  Lina grins, “As a matter of fact I just finished the toys for your kids and for my niece and nephew.”

  Sophie is impressed, “Nice, now I can tell Arthur and he can stop badgering me every minute of the day. Elena will have her first toy from her favourite aunt.”

  Lina smiles wide, “She is a sweetheart and I love making toys you know that.”

  “I do and I am very lucky that I know you and can put in orders when I need to. Now though, you need to get your butt to bed and you are going to give me the key to the warehouse.”

  “What? Why?”

  Sophie laughs incredulous, “Because, if I leave you here, you will just get up and go back to work. If I have the key, you will have to sleep for four hours and you will be well-rested.”