Page 3 of His Secret Santa
“Yes.”
“Let me see.” Carl held out his hand.
The boys gave him the cards.
“These days, it’s easy as fuck to make fake IDs,” he murmured, looking at the cards. He raised his eyes, glancing at the teens. “These are fake, aren’t they? No way you two are eighteen.”
“Sure, we are,” Jamie said. “We get that all the time. We just look young for our age.”
“Hm.” Carl shook his head and looked down the bar. “Hey, Cole.” He motioned to one of the men engaged in a small group conversation. “Come ‘ere a minute.”
The man who broke away from the others was tall, blond, and muscular. He came closer and leaned on the bar, glancing at the two boys. “What’s up?” he asked Carl.
The bartender showed him the ID cards. “You believe ‘em?”
Cole looked at the cards and then at the teens. “Nope.” He returned the IDs. “How old are you really?”
The jig was up.
Jamie started to insist they were, indeed, eighteen, when Holden cut in. “Sixteen. I’m sorry. We just…”
Cole chuckled. “No apologies necessary. We’ve all done it. Wouldn’t be a normal teenager if you didn’t. But we could get in trouble having minors in here.”
“I’m the culprit,” Jamie spoke up. “I just wanted to give my boy an awesome sixteenth birthday, you know? Take him someplace where he could just be… himself. He doesn’t have that at home, or school. But I get it, you can’t take the risk of having us in here.” He waved his ID at Holden and smiled. “It’ll still work at the liquor store. We’ll grab us some beers and go party somewhere else.”
The boys stood up.
“Hold on,” Cole said. “It’s your sixteenth birthday?”
Holden nodded.
“Well, that’s practically an adult. You deserve the awesome birthday your friend here meant for you to have.” He rubbed his mouth. “I’ll tell you what. You can each have one beer, on the house, and watch one show. Then you have to leave.”
“Yeah?” Jamie grinned. “All right. Thanks.”
Cole smiled and nodded.
“What’s going on over there?” Jamie pointed at the stage. He glanced at Holden and smiled slyly. “Is Santa gonna take Christmas wishes?”
Cole chuckled. “Yes, he is.”
Jamie wiggled his eyebrows at Holden. “Now’s your chance to ask for the thing you really want.”
“What?”
“I said, now’s your chance to get up there and sit on Santa’s lap and ask for your hunky quarterback for Christmas.”
“Right.” Holden rolled his eyes and smiled. Get up on stage and sit on that Santa’s lap? That could be a disaster—a messy disaster.
“I’m afraid you can’t do that,” Cole said. “I’m taking a risk just letting you watch the show. You can’t participate.”
Jamie sighed and patted Holden’s back. “Sorry, bud.”
“Whatever.” Holden laughed quietly. “I wasn’t going to get up there anyway.”
“What’s this about a hunky quarterback?” Carl leaned his elbows on the bar, his handsome face split in a gorgeous smile.
“Yeah,” Cole joined in. “Share the juicy details.”