Miss Kane's Christmas by Caroline Mickelson

embraced his children as best he could with one arm. The children were talking well over a mile a minute, and one glance at Ben told her that he was having trouble making sense of what they were saying. But she knew it was only a temporary reprieve.
    “Okay, okay,” Ben interrupted them, “let’s go home and then you can tell me everything.”
    “Go home?” Patrick stepped back, alarm registering on his little features. “Why would we want to do that?”
    “So that you can sleep,” Ben answered his son’s question. “I don’t know what time the mall closes but it’s getting late.”
    Hillary giggled. “The mall? Daddy, we’re not at the mall!”
    “We’re not?” Ben glanced at Santa and then at her. “Okay, someone tell me what is going on here.” When they didn’t answer he pushed himself off the examining table and turned to her. “Carol? Where are we?”
    She swallowed hard. There was nothing for it but to tell him the truth. “The North Pole.”
    “Oh, for the love of God, Carol, cut it out. This isn’t funny anymore.”
    “It’s true, Daddy. We’re at the North Pole,” Hillary said. She turned to point at Carol’s father. “Just ask Santa. He’ll tell you.”
    “Welcome to our home, Mr. Hanson,” Santa said.
    Carol cringed at Ben’s incredulous expression. It was even worse to watch him gently guide the children toward the door as if he was escaping a lunatic asylum.
    “Ben, wait, I can explain.” Except, of course, that she couldn’t.
    “So you keep saying,” he replied. He shot her a concerned glance. “I’m worried about you, Carol. I want you to come home with us. We can see someone about this Christmas obsession you have. I’ll get you the help you need.”
    “Daddy, don’t talk to Miss Kane like that,” Hillary interjected. “She’s not crazy.”
    Hillary’s swift and heartfelt defense brought tears to Carol’s eyes but she willed them away. If Ben saw her cry he’d be forever convinced she’d lost her mind.
    “Well, I’m not going anywhere without my new puppy.” Patrick pulled his hand free of his father’s hold and ran to hug Carol.
    “And I’m not leaving without Patrick.” Hillary ran over and embraced Carol.
    “Oh, now enough of that,” Carol told them as sternly as she could manage. “We don’t demand anything from Santa.” Carol hugged them both to her, savoring the feel of their arms around her waist. Thinking of how much she was going to miss them made it hard to breathe. But she needed to get control of this situation. “Dad, it’s getting late. I can handle this. You need to get down to command central.”
    “Dad?” Ben sounded incredulous. And, just as Carol expected, more than a bit freaked out.
    Santa pulled out an old fashioned watch and checked the time before slipping it back in his pocket. He sighed. “I don’t like leaving you.”
    “You don’t have a choice, do you?” she gently reminded him. Time wasn’t on his side and they both knew it. “Go, I can do this.”
    She waited while Santa bid farewell to the children and left before she spoke to them. Ben was way past believing her, but she could enlist his children’s help. “Let’s give your father a tour. I wonder if he’s ever seen a reindeer before?”
    “Carol, you’re scaring me.” Ben reached out and held her hand in his. “I can help you.”
    “Okay, you win,” she said, changing tactics. “I’m ready to go home.”
    Ben’s relieved smile made her feel guilty for setting him up. But she couldn’t think of any other way to maneuver him into a sleigh other than pretending to leave with them.
    “You know how to get to the parking lot?” he asked.
    She nodded. “Just follow me, and umm, you’re bound to see some holiday craziness on the way out.”
    “I can handle last minute shoppers,” he assured her, his relief patently obvious. “Let’s go, kids.”
    A perplexed looking Hillary and Patrick allowed themselves to be led from the room. Carol felt