The Bark Before Christmas by Laurien Berenson

circumstances, I should say that seems like quite enough.”
    â€œIt’s certainly a start,” I said. I couldn’t help wondering why—with Santas currently in such short supply—this particular one was ours for the asking. “Assuming he actually shows up. And is capable of doing the job.”
    â€œMs. Travis, I am well aware of your penchant for asking questions.”
    The headmaster’s flat statement shut me up. As I was sure it was intended to do.
    â€œI’m every bit as cynical as the next person,” he continued. “However, it would be hard to imagine that our Mr. Tindall wouldn’t be up to the task. Especially as I’m of the impression that the ability to impersonate a jolly mythical personage does not require anything in way of superior acting skills.”
    â€œNo, of course not,” I agreed hastily.
    Mr. Hanover was right. We’d been in need of a Santa Claus and now, fortunately, one had appeared. Who was I to question how that had come about?
    The headmaster’s expression softened. “I know the circumstances seem a bit unorthodox, Ms. Travis, but surely if I can bring myself to go with the flow, as the younger generation says, you can manage to do the same? It is the holiday season, after all. Perhaps you can join me in believing in a little Christmas magic?”
    Mr. Hanover never ceased to surprise me. Christmas magic indeed.
    Ho, ho, ho, I thought. Whatever worked.

Chapter 7
    S aturday morning I was up with the sun. Okay, it was mid-December so that wasn’t saying much. But still.
    In the last few days, I’d come to the realization that Davey and Kevin were almost as transfixed by the Howard Academy Christmas Bazaar as I was. Kev’s excitement I could understand. At his age, he thinks Christmas is the best day of the year, and anything that has to do with his favorite holiday is wonderful by association.
    Davey, however, is several years past believing in Santa Claus. And while he enjoys getting and giving presents, singing carols, and eating Christmas cookies, he’s a typical boy when it comes to shopping. So I hadn’t thought that a day devoted mostly to the acquisition of Christmas swag would rank high on his list of things to do.
    It turned out I was wrong.
    Having stayed late at school on Friday evening to oversee the final stages of booth setup and decorating in the auditorium, I had nonetheless planned to be back at Howard Academy by eight A.M. Saturday morning. That would give me a full two hours before the doors opened at ten to talk to the vendors as they unpacked their wares, introduce myself to the extra maintenance crew that Tony would have on hand, and to iron out any last-minute glitches. Sam would be bringing the boys over later in the day once the bazaar was in full swing.
    When I passed through the kitchen on my way out the door, Sam was still upstairs in the shower. Davey and Kevin, both early risers, were seated together at the kitchen table. Davey had made a stab at putting out breakfast. He had a bowl of Cheerios and a glass of orange juice. Kev, who was perched in his booster seat, was gnawing happily on an apple that was much too big for his hands.
    Through the windows at the back of the room, I could see the Poodles running around outside in the fenced backyard. Left to his own devices for too long, Tar is apt to start a hair-pulling game. I made a mental note to make sure that everyone was back in the house before I left for the day.
    Kev’s head whipped around as I came through the doorway. “Time to go!” he cried excitedly.
    The toddler scrambled down out of his chair, wiggling his body handily between booster seat and tabletop. My little escape artist. Still clutching his apple, Kev came flying across the room. Apparently the fact that he was still wearing his footie pajamas was not, in his mind, an impediment to imminent departure.
    I caught Kev and swung him up into my arms and