"Mommy, look! It's Mrs. Claus! And look how pretty she is!"
Anna grinned as she made her way down the line toward the little girl who had pointed her out. She was still getting used to being called 'Mrs. Claus' but she couldn't deny that she liked the sound of it. "Why hello," she said as she knelt down next to her. "Aren't you a pretty one? What's your name?"
The little girl, a tiny brunette with large brown eyes who couldn't have been more than five, smiled shyly at her. "Madelyn," she said quietly, her cheeks growing rosy with the attention she was getting.
"Well, Madelyn," Anna said softly, reaching out to put a hand on the girls shoulder, "have you been a good girl this year?"
Madelyn nodded, looking so earnest that Anna had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "I've been so good!" she promised.
Anna looked up at Madelyn's mother. "Is that so?"
Her mother smiled, albeit with a touch of exhaustion. "She has been pretty good this year, or about as good as any four and a half year old can hope to be," she chuckled and gestured to where Santa was talking with a little boy about Madelyn's age. "We just came in to pick up one thing, but Maddy saw Santa and had to sit on his lap. I couldn't say no."
Anna grinned at Madelyn, her heart softening toward her the way it had toward all of the children that had been in line that day. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting when Hans had convinced her to play Mrs. Claus, but she knew that falling in love with each and every child that gave her a hug or waved at her hadn't been it. She had agreed to it because as of yesterday he hadn't been able to find anyone for the role and she had more than enough free time on her hands while writing her book. Now, after having spent a few hours in Mrs. Claus's shoes, she couldn't imagine not being here. It felt so right. It warmed her up from the inside and gave her a purpose she had been lacking for so long. It didn't hurt that she was going to be spending the next few weeks with Kristoff.
Speaking of the Mr. Claus to her Mrs., she couldn't help but sneak a peek at him.
Kristoff had mentioned to her, during their very brief time together before the children had started lining up, that he hadn't been sure about playing Santa Claus. When she looked at him now, she couldn't stop the adoring smile that settled on her lips. He may not have been sure that he was the right choice, but she had no doubts about it. He was a natural.
She gave Madelyn a hug and waved goodbye to the adorable little girl before making her way back up the line. She rationalized that she needed to spend equal amounts of time with the children at both ends of the line, but she knew that what she really wanted was to watch Kristoff work his magic up close. It was like watching the real St. Nicholas at work. Every child that stepped up the stairs and sat on his lap was the only child in the world in that moment. Kristoff looked genuinely interested in whatever they had to say, no matter what it was. What was even more magical was how the children related to him. Sure, he could feign interest in them, but the love shining in all of the children's eyes as they sat on his lap… that couldn't be faked. He may have only been a department store Santa, but to these children he was the real thing. You could see the pure belief in their eyes. It was heartwarming.
Inch by inch she made her way up the row, her eyes fastened on Kristoff and the children. She wondered why he didn't have any of his own, he was so good with them. She had been shocked when he had admitted to her earlier that he was still single. She had always assumed that when she moved away he would find someone else, probably at college, and settle down and raise a family. What girl could have resisted him? He was a big, warm, teddy bear of a man who was also good with children. How could she have been the only one to ever see that?
She remembered what it had been like to be his girlfriend. She had been so crazy about him, felt so lucky that he had returned her feelings. It had killed her to move across the country and away from him. She had been such a starry eyed girl, so sure that they would be together forever. Could she really be the only person who had ever loved him like that? Could she be the only person he had loved that way?
He must have sensed her staring at him, because when the little boy on his lap stood up and walked away with his parents, his eyes went directly to where she was standing. Anna felt the heat travel between them and she flushed, turning her gaze back to the children in line. You are dating Hans, she reminded herself, but it didn't seem to ease her desire to look into his eyes again.
Being around him was going to be a lot more difficult than she had thought.