Calling Mrs Claus Read online

  “I am not giving you my key, Sophie.”

  Sophie shrugs her shoulders, “Okay, so let’s go to bed.”

  Lina baulks, “What do you mean, let’s go to bed?”

  “It means, I will be sleeping beside you.”

  “Like hell it does, you are not getting in my bed. Damn, you are a stubborn woman, here is the key.”

  Sophie laughs and takes the key, “I love winning, sweet dreams my friend. I will see you in a little while.”

  She stands at the door of Lina’s bedroom and smiles softly as she hears Lina moan at the feeling of the soft sheets against her skin. She lets herself out of the house and sets the timer on her phone for when she needs to come back.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  “How am I going to pull this off? I don’t even know where to start. I only know the local theatre group. Window displays are my thing, I can do them standing on my head. Why oh why does he have to choose this year to go big.”

  “Are you okay, Ann? You’ve been pacing for the last ten minutes mumbling to yourself.”

  Ann stops pacing and looks at the concerned look on Olivia’s face. “I’m okay, I just have a lot on my mind, and I am not so sure I have enough time to achieve it.”

  “Mr Willem told me what he wants you to do. I hope you don’t mind him giving me your department until you achieve greatness, we all know you will.”

  “I will admit that it was a bit of a surprise, but you are well equipped for the job, you have, of course, had a great mentor.”

  Olivia laughs and nods, “Of course, I will keep everything in order until you return to the helm again. Do you have something in mind for the upper floor yet?”

  “I haven’t got it completely lined out yet. I know I need an amazing Santa’s seat with an amazing backdrop. I need a hook though, a proper story. We are giving someone local a chance to shine in what could be their own gallery showing. They need to have a jaw-dropping story that will not only boost their profile but also put our store on the map. Do you know anyone like that?”

  Olivia takes some time to think, “Wait, I think I did hear about someone who likes to make toys for underprivileged kids. From what I heard she’s an awesome artist and uses all recyclable materials. The only thing is she has never shown her work in a gallery. The only way people know about her is through her toys and if someone has a piece that she gave them.”

  Ann’s mouth drops open, “Are you serious? She is a new age, Santa Claus. She would be perfect for us. What’s her name? Where can I find her?”

  Olivia shrugs, “That information I don’t know, but leave it with me and I will try and get you the details from some friends of mine.”

  “Thanks, Olivia, you may have just helped me in the first step of creating the best Winter Wonderland this town has ever seen.”

  “I hate to burst your bubble, but what if she doesn’t agree to work with you?”

  “How could she not, I’m charming and will keep the integrity of her work intact. She will get so much publicity, she could reach more kids to give toys to.”

  Olivia shakes her head, “I wish you luck, I hope she does agree, it would be amazing to see what she creates and how it will all come together. You better be on your best behaviour to ensure you get what you want from Mrs Claus.”

  Ann laughs, “I see what you did there, very clever.”

  Olivia smirks, “On another note, have you got plans this weekend and if you say you are doing overtime, I will hurt you.”

  “Wow, Olivia, where has the love gone? I will have you know that I am going to dinner with friends. I haven’t seen some of them in a while and this is a new member of the group that’s cooking so it will be nice to meet someone new. What about you?”

  Olivia blushes, “I’m glad to hear you will have some fun. I do have plans my boyfriend is taking me away for the weekend. All I know about it is that he is picking me up after work on Friday and that he will have the clothes I will need packed for me. All I have to do is turn up.”

  Ann grins, “Very nice, I’m impressed. You deserve to be spoilt and I hope you have an amazing time. Remind me on Friday and I will make sure that you are ready to leave on time.”

  “Wow, that would be awesome, thanks, Ann. I will hopefully have that name of your female Santa for you by then too.”

  “You get me a name and I’ll let you leave early on Friday!”

  Olivia’s jaw drops, “Seriously?”

  “Absolutely, I’ll cover the last few hours for you, but only if you get me that name.”

  Olivia is excited and shuffles from foot to foot, “You have yourself a deal, Ann.”

  She scurries off leaving Ann grinning with thoughts of how her Winter Wonderland will take shape now that she may have a lead on a local artist and sculptor.

  Chapter 3

  Olivia rushes up the stairs to find Ann, “Ann, Ann, I have it! Where are you?”

  Ann steps out from behind a mountain of fabric and boxes. “Where’s the fire, Olivia? I’m right here.”

  Her hair is caught in some material and she tries to get out from under it gracefully but fails making Olivia snigger. Ann throws Olivia a dirty look, “Don’t just stand there help me get out from under this mountain of chiffon. Olivia helps her escape the chiffon material and leads her over to the corner. She opens Ann’s hand and places a piece of paper into it and closes her hand. Ann looks at Olivia as if she has grown a second head, looking at her hand. “What is this?”

  “That my dear is the answer to your prayers, your own Christmas miracle. I found you the name and number of your Santa Claus or as in our case Mrs Claus.”

  Ann’s eyes widen and she hugs Olivia tight to her and starts to jump up and down in excitement. They stop abruptly when they remember where they are. Both ladies smooth their clothes and try to regain their composure. Ann can’t contain her eagerness, she opens the piece of paper hastily and reads the name, “Lina Wouters, Wouters …. why does that name ring a bell with me?”

  Olivia shrugs, “I don’t know her name at all, do you think you know her, or do you think you know her, know her?”

  Olivia wriggles her eyebrows making Ann tut, “I have not slept with her and I don’t know her. That surname just rings a bell with me and I can’t figure out why.”

  Olivia looks at her watch and then looks hopefully at Ann. Ann catches the look and smiles, “I keep my word, you can leave early, give me a chance to call Lina first and then you can go.”

  “You’re the best boss ever, I even have time to go and get my makeup done downstairs. I asked Carine earlier and she has a little free time soon.”

  Ann is barely listening as she takes out her phone, “That’s nice, wish me luck.”

  Olivia wishes her luck and scampers off to get her makeup done. Ann runs her fingers through her hair, takes a deep breath and punches in the number. She starts to pace as the call connects but is disappointed when she gets the voicemail.

  “You have reached Lina’s voicemail, if you are a friend of mine, you know better than to phone during the day. If you are someone I don’t know, leave a message and if I deem it to be important enough, I will make time to call you back.”

  “Wow, she’s a charming one.”

  She hears the beep and leaves a message and hangs up the phone. “If you don’t call me back, I think a visit to you in person should sway things in my favour.” She continues with her work and hurries downstairs to let Olivia leave early.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Lina finishes the varnish and leaves the centrepiece to dry. She looks it over closely making sure every detail is correct and looks how it should. “Mia, you better like this or I will keep it for myself. It has turned out better than I thought it could.”

  She wipes her brow with a towel nearby and reaches for the fridge door to get herself a bottle of water. She goes to the door and spots Sophie coming back with a plate covered for her. She smiles and shakes her head, “Sophie, I haven’t been working long and I slept remember?�
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  “That is true, but I have some soup and a Croque monsieur here. If you don’t want it, I will eat it myself.”

  She walks past Lina lifting the cover so that Lina gets a smell of the beautiful tomato soup she has. Lina rushes after her, “Thank you, Sophie, it smells wonderful and I am the luckiest person in the world to have a friend like you.”

  Sophie looks over her shoulder grinning, “Finally, I get the credit I deserve. Go on sit down and we can have lunch together.”

  Lina sits down and turns on her phone which buzzes to signal a new message. She lifts it up and shrugs.

  “You going to listen to that?”

  “I don’t recognise the number.”

  Sophie rolls her eyes, “Well, whoever it is, thinks it is important enough, they left a message.”

  Lina contemplates listening when Sophie huffs and takes the phone from her hand and plays the message. Lina looks at her horrified, “You can’t do that, that’s my phone!”

  Sophie puts her hand to her mouth, “Oops, sorry but too late.”

  Lina is about to say something when the message begins to play,

  “Hi, my name is Ann Peeters, I am a manager in Willems department store. I was hoping to talk with you in relation to creating a Winter Wonderland here in the store. I heard about your work and was hoping that you could create and build some toys and possibly a chair for Santa. Of course, your time is precious, and we would pay you handsomely for it. It would be a beautiful way to bring in the Christmas Season and give you a chance to have your work on show for people to enjoy. If you could give me a call back on 06456789, we can talk it through together. I hope to hear from you soon.”

  Lina stares at the phone and then looks up at Sophie, “How did she hear about me? I don’t show my work, I have never shown my work, I do it just for me and to make children smile.”

  “I have no idea, maybe she saw one of your toys and got your name from that person. This is a good thing though Lina, just think, you would have a free hand to create and do what you want. You would get known and possibly be picked up by a big art gallery owner.”

  “I don’t want that, I never had anything growing up, I made myself and my brother toys so that he would have something to play with. Seeing his face light up on Christmas morning knowing he got something filled my heart with joy. I don’t like mass production and commercial types. They are only in it for the money and that’s not what this is about.”

  Sophie watches as Lina takes a bite out of the sandwich and knows the discussion has come to an end. She understands the reasoning behind Lina’s art but wishes that Lina would open her mind to see that if she got better money, she could do more and bring joy to more people. She watches as Lina’s thumb hovers over her phone willing her not to delete the message and to keep the number. She tries to distract her, “So, have you finished the piece for Mia?”

  The light returns to Lina’s eyes, “It’s drying right now after we finish eating, I will let you see it and you can tell me if it will fit in with Queen Mia’s style and that it will wow those corporate friends of hers so that she gets into their little clique.”

  “If she doesn’t, it will be all your fault and then she will cause Matthias headaches for the next ten years.”

  Lina laughs, “I don’t know what he saw in her. She is so high maintenance.”

  Sophie puts on a mock voice to imitate Mia, “I don’t know what you mean, I have raised his status, he has the best wife, the best kids and he loves the good life I have given him.”

  Lina and Sophie laugh together and finish their lunch. As soon as it is cleared away Sophie dries her hands and looks at Lina excitedly, “Let me see what you have created, I promise I have my shocked and proud look practised.”

  Lina thumps her playfully on the shoulder, “You don’t need to practice, it will happen automatically. I love this piece, it’s so romantic and beautiful.”

  Sophie is surprised by the description and cocks her head to the side studying Lina. “What was the inspiration behind this piece, or should I be asking who?”

  Lina looks at her confused, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you have shown me your creations before and have never described them as romantic or beautiful. I’m just wondering has my best friend got a crush or a girlfriend that I don’t know about?”

  Lina shakes her head, “When do I have time for a girlfriend and no, I do not have a crush on anyone. I just got a feeling from the wood when I was carving it and, in my opinion, it is beautiful and romantic. Oh, and just so you know, I am a romantic soul.”

  “That I do know, I would love you to find someone Lina. To have someone to love you and care for you. Someone who can see who you are and what you can create and to share in that vision of yours. I wish that for you, my friend.”

  Lina can hear the sincerity in Sophie's words, “I know you do, maybe one day that will happen but for now I am happy as I am. Plus, who could put up with my schedule and not get bored with the lack of attention I give them.”

  “When you find the right one, she will be the inspiration in your pieces, and she will be right beside you watching and taking joy in seeing what your hands can create. She won’t be a pushover either, she will have her own views and opinions and she will challenge you in ways you never thought of.”

  Lina laughs, “Now her I would like to meet.”

  She walks over to the drying area, “Are you ready to see the magic?”

  “Show me already, damn you’re squeezing every second out of this.”

  Lina picks up the piece gently and sets it on the nearby table and switches the battery on. Sophie gasps, “Oh my God, it’s beautiful, Lina. How did you do this? It’s amazing and Mia will love it. You have really stepped up your game with this one. The way the lights flicker and the spinning dancers. Damn, Lina, you’re a genius.”

  Lina looks at Sophie and grins, “I just followed the image in my mind. You can set little tea lights here and here if you want to add a little more light to it.”

  “Can I have it?”

  Lina laughs, “I will make you one similar to this one, but better, this one is for her Majesty remember?”

  Sophie pouts, “She better appreciate it for the beautiful piece that it is and thank you properly this time.”

  “I don’t think she knows that word. Seeing your reaction is more than enough for me. I am happy you like it.”

  Sophie is in awe of how good the piece looks and looks over at her friend and for the first time sees not only the artist but a beautiful woman who has so much love inside her and wishes with all her heart that she will find a woman that will love her for her. She watches as Lina carefully touches the piece ensuring that it is completely dry and wraps it up delicately and places it into a wooden box that she carved out for it. It has a purple insert that is in the shape of the dancers. The lid of the box is carved to match the piece and she smiles as she sees her own signature engraved at the bottom. It is understated ensuring that the piece is the sole focus of attention.

  Lina turns to Sophie, “Another job completed, do you want to see the toys that are for your kids?”

  Sophie nods enthusiastically, “Yes please, I would love that.”

  Lina leads her over to another work area and lifts a train and track pieces and shows it to Sophie. “This is for Arthur, I still need to finish it up and make it his favourite colours, but it is coming together nicely. For Elena, I wanted to make her a little jigsaw with big pieces for her little hands. Each piece will fit into its matching space and I hope she will love the pictures I have painted for her.”

  Sophie smiles brightly, “They will both love them, and you know that Elena will probably put those pieces in her mouth.”

  Lina laughs, “I do and that is why I love her so much. She has no concept of money or cost. She loves what she sees, and the biggest compliment is that she bites it and leaves her own mark on my gift to her.”

  “When do you take it over to Mia? Will you
get invited to dinner?”

  Lina scoffs, “Don’t be ridiculous, she doesn’t let me near her dinners. She barely allows Matthias to join her and he is her husband. I have been ordered to arrive at noon and leave just as quickly and quietly.”

  “Ugh, she is a dreadful person. I hope her guests at least appreciate what you have done.”

  “We will never know if they do, she won’t tell me. She is all about what they will say and think about her.”

  “That’s true, come around to our house later. Spend some time with the kids and we can order take out. They would love to see you.”

  Lina nods, “That sounds nice, you have yourself a deal.”

  Sophie is shocked that she doesn’t have to plead with Lina and cocks her head to the side and then grins. “Awesome, we might even have a glass of Cava or two when the kids go to bed. Bart can take the lead with them tonight and you and I can have a girl’s night.”

  Lina puts her arm around Sophie’s shoulder, “This night is sounding better and better.”

  Chapter 4

  “The best and most favourite aunt has arrived, who wants some toys?”

  Lina hears the squeal and the patter of tiny feet running towards her. She spots Arthur running towards her and kneels to catch him in her arms. “Hey, little man. You are getting so big.”

  “Auntie Lina, where are my toys, mommy told me you were going to surprise me and Elena. Can I see them?”

  Lina grins, nodding, “I have them right here in my bag. Let’s go show Elena too.”

  He gives her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, before scampering back to the living room. Lina follows behind him grinning from ear to ear. She can feel his excitement and laughs when she spots him sitting on the floor bouncing waiting as patiently as he can be for his toy.

  “Look what you have done to my son, he is a coiled-up spring full of energy. I’m glad you are staying for a while, he’s yours until he falls asleep.”

  Lina laughs and shrugs, “I don’t mind. Okay, Arthur, let’s see what you think of this.”

  She hands him a box and he quickly opens it and screams in delight when he sees the train.