Page 6 of Under The Meh-stletoe

I wanted some of that. The vision was clear. I would find a way to bring money into the town and earn my place among the Laguninos.

Sparkly eyes, intriguing humor, and an attractive body would not make me sway.

November 24

Ale

Severaldayshadgoneby since the last committee meeting, and every one of those days had been filled to the brim with errands and tasks. That afternoon was the first day in a long time when I could sit and chill with Ren at home. My sister and I sat on the sofa and shared a blanket once more; she read a book while I watched a movie. It brought a cozy feeling to the familiar old living room, like we were teenagers again. In the warmth of our cocoon, I could pretend I hadn't almost lost my twin, and we had a bright future ahead.

I bit the inside of my mouth. At least we likely had a bright future ahead. She'd fully recover and go back to her job at the library, and I'd come up with something to do with my life now that I was back in my hometown.

Maybe I'd ask Eva if she had any leads. If she didn't, I'd ask Renata. When she felt better.

I'd watched the film lighting up the screen several times, and the next bit was one of my favorites.

I elbowed my sister. "Look! The pool scene is happening."

Renata put a finger on her page and lifted her eyes to the TV. We both admired the way the actor pulled himself out of the water, drops and rivulets falling down his skin, his bright green eyes staring right at us.

We sighed in unison.

"That man is way too perfect." Renata went back to her book.

I smirked. She was right, but it didn't mean we didn't enjoy the sight.

"Did you know he's married to a Latina filmmaker? To think that could have been one of us."

She chuckled. "Since when did you plan to become a movie director?"

"Since I heard you could catch a man like that."

"Ha, so youarelooking for romance."

I didn't respond. From the corner of my eye, I caught my phone lighting up with an incoming text. I checked it without giving it much thought. The next scene in the movie was with the antagonist, and I didn't care much for it.

Regret hit me almost instantly when I read the message.

"Fuck," I muttered.

"What?" Renata lifted her eyes at me, a finger marking her spot on the page again.

"There’s no Santa."

For a moment, she didn’t respond. She simply stared at me.

I turned my phone and showed her the text I’d received from Janet.

Janet: Don Nicolás, the guy that was our Santa for years, is gone. He moved to the City to live with his son. What do we do?!

"Don Nicolás moved?!" Renata asked. "When?! How?! I can’t believe we didn’t know!"

I may not have lived in Laguna Island for the last eight years, but I hadn’t forgotten how to translate that. In such a small town, losing a community member without notice was a rare occurrence.

"Big mystery, I’m sure." I started a text message on my phone. "But I'm going to assume this is a huge problem?"

Ale: apparently there's no Santa

I sent the text to Daniel and went back to my sister.