Page 14 of A Curvy Carol

Whit’s gaze locked on mine, and we stood like that for a second or maybe several. I couldn’t tell.

Whit’s eyes flickered down to my mouth, and before I knew it, I had done the same to him. His lips were full, light pink. Not smiling like usual.

I noticed how close we’d gotten, and right when I thought he was about to kiss me, the sound of loud screams and laughter nearby had us each taking a step back.

Whoa. Had that really almost happened?

Whit’s face told me he was probably thinking the same thing. He cleared his throat. “Want to meet up again tomorrow, cross off a couple more things from the list?”

I nodded, barely comprehending the words coming out of his mouth. “Yeah, okay.” I gave him a wave. “Bye, see you tomorrow.” Then I was off, rushing toward my house, still in disbelief at what had just almost happened.

Had I really let myself get carried away with him? Had he been attracted to me?

Showing him around town was just supposed to be a way of getting out of spending Christmas with my parents. That was it. Suddenly, it felt like it was becoming more than that, which was crazy. Right?

All I knew about relationships was that they usually ended. I’d seen it with my parents.

The happily ever afters and perfect Prince Charming? Those things only existed on TV, not in real life.

Definitely not my life. Definitely not with Whit.

8

WHIT

We met at a place a few minutes from Cider Center called Santa’s Elves, and it turned out to be one of the most magical places in Garland.

The building that housed Santa’s Elves was larger than the boutique that was Santa’s Bag, and it seemed older too, like it’d been around for a long time and could’ve used a fresh coat of paint or two.

But apparently, this place did a lot of good in the world. They made sure there were gifts for every child in Garland when their parents couldn’t afford it, packaged Christmas meals for families who’d fallen on hard times, and even visited the elderly who were missing their loved ones this season.

A lady named Mrs. Mulberry ran it. She could’ve passed for a real-life Mrs. Claus, both in looks and how saint-like she seemed.

Mrs. Mulberry gave me a tour of the place, from the food pantry to the storage closets full of clothes and other donations to the industrial kitchen. “Our incredible volunteers have kept this place going for almost eighty years,” she said as we made our way back to the front. “And I suspect another eighty if I have any say in it. We make a difference for a lot of families in and around Garland. Our mission is to bring a little love and Christmas magic to as many people and children as we can every year, whether it’s the Christmas season or not.”

Carolynn turned to me as we reached the reception desk. “My friends and I volunteer here about once a month. There’s always something to do.”

“I bet,” I replied, looking around. “What a cool place.”

A woman with a toddler in tow walked in, and Mrs. Mulberry told her to wait a moment before turning to us. “Carolynn, honey, why don’t you both take pantry duty this week?”

Carolynn nodded. “Sure thing, Mrs. Mulberry.”

She led me toward the pantry, and I followed, wondering what pantry duty was.

The plan was to spend a few hours here, doing what we could to help. We went inside, where large shelves full of canned goods and household items lined the walls.

“What’s pantry duty?” I asked.

Carolynn turned to me. “We’re going to go through and check the expiration dates of the canned food. Make sure nothing expires within two weeks. It’s easy. Come on.”

She showed me what to do. It was pretty simple. I was able to reach the items highest up on the shelves, while she went through the bottom shelves.

In no time, we had set aside a handful of items that were going to expire soon.

After that, Mrs. Mulberry had us pack up several care baskets for some of the elderly folks in town. She gave us a list of what to include, and once again, we got to work.

Carolynn had a way of making the baskets look really nice, so I began modeling mine after hers. And it turned out I had a knack for tying the bright red ribbon.