Santa's Secret

That’s when it hits me. My adolescent daughter transformed into a needy teenager while I was out shopping. Shouldn’t she be worried about other things, like what time Frosty’s on? “I’m not sure we have anything to discuss,” I tell her as I stand there with my hands on my hips. She mimics my stance but does it with so much more flare.

“Dad,” she says, drawing my name out in her whiny tone. “You were with her today. I heard all about it. Why can’t you just tell me? Everyone in town says you saved her life.”

“Your bath water is getting cold.” I point to the tub of bubbles.

Holly sighs. “Fine, but once I’m in, you come sit on the toilet and talk to me.”

This takes me by surprise, and as much as I’d rather not talk about today, I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to sit and talk with my daughter. I step out and wait by the door. It’s seconds later when she hollers for me. When I walk back in, she’s covered in bubbles and the only part of her visible is her head.

I sit on the toilet and sigh. I don’t want her growing up so fast, but it seems inevitable. “Did you kiss her?”

“Holly!”

“What? She’s very pretty.”

“You can’t go around kissing people. It’s called harassment.”

Holly rolls her eyes, making me second-guess my reason for being in here. I could try to change the subject but have a feeling she isn’t going to stand for that. “Yes, Delaney is very pretty, and yes, I was with her today.”

“Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“No, why would you ask that?”

She shrugs. “Because Rachel said that Becky said Delaney was your girlfriend. Rachel made fun of me when I said it wasn’t true and she said her mom told her and Rachel called me a baby for not knowing.”

My mind is frazzled by the gossip these seven-year-olds participate in. I know it’s not their fault, what they hear their parents talk about, but come on. Starting rumors where they aren’t needed doesn’t benefit anyone at all.

“Holly, you can’t believe everything someone has to say.” I almost add ‘in this town’, but refrain. “People like to make up stories so that they seem important or have information someone else doesn’t have. Delaney and I are acquaintances. Do you know what that means?”

She nods. “You say hi, but don’t invite them to dinner.”

“Right, close enough. Today, Delaney was in trouble, so I helped her because it’s my job to help people. That’s the truth. Just because we were in the same spot at the same time doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

“Do you want to date her?”

I shake my head. “Delaney lives in California. We live in Vermont. Now I’m going to leave you so you can have your bath. The timer's on, so wash up.”

“Wait.”

“What, Holly?”

“If you saved her today, that makes you her hero.”

I nod and smile before stepping out of the bathroom and pulling the door closed until there’s a small crack left. Within a few steps, I’m in my room and sitting on my bed doing everything I can to forget Holly’s question about dating Delaney.

The locker next to me slams shut, causing me to jump. I’m half asleep, and the coffee I guzzled down on my way into work hasn’t kicked in yet.

“Did you ever know that you’re my hero…?”

Dominic’s hand is outstretched as he continues to belt out the words to whatever song he’s singing. I push his hand away and continue getting dressed.

“My sister was going on and on and on about the man who saved her,” he says as he falls back into the row of lockers, placing his hand over his forehead in a very dramatic way.

“Whatever,” I mumble.

“Seriously, though. As soon as Delaney came home, it was Aiden this and Aiden that. I wanted to plug my ears with glue so I wouldn’t have to listen to her talk about you. It was like we were back in high school when she had those ridiculous puppy dog eyes for you. I used to sneak into her room to read her diary. She used to write Delaney Fisher all over the pages. Man, she took your break-up hard.”

I keep my head down so Dominic can’t see my expression. The reason we broke up was because he wouldn’t stop teasing us. Delaney and I could never be alone, and when we were, he would interrupt us.