Page 87 of Jingle Spells

Across the room, Jasper met her gaze. In his eyes, she saw understanding, resignation, and something else. Determination. He was going to do this, she sensed. No matter what she said.

Around them, the planning continued, voices rising and falling with the cadence of impending battle. But Delilah and Jasper remained locked in their silent communion, alone together in a room full of people, while the others debated what to do with the spell that could destroy their relationship.

Chapter 25

The Season of Giving (Up)

Jasper had been missing from his own life for nearly a week. The perplexing bit was that he couldn’t bring himself to care very much.

Somewhere in the real world, Jasper’s apartment was gathering dust. His mail was piling up. His plants were dying. Did anyone even notice he was gone? Toby, perhaps . . . but if he did notice, did he mind? Most of his coworkers viewed Jasper as a rather uptight irritant. Jasper could picture his boss, Nancy, sighing with relief at the sudden absence of demands for better lighting in the archives. The others were probably delighted that the basement was empty; they could toss all their paperwork on his desk and flee back upstairs before he had a chance to correct their spelling.

Instead of showing up for work, Jasper was sitting in the dimly lit basement of the Stargazer Inn, watching as the eldest Earl brothers prepared for their mission to retrieve the portal spell. Ten and Nine—Nate’s great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, respectively—were strapping on what appeared to be vintage pirate gear: eye patches, leather vests, and an assortment of antique weapons that belonged in a museum rather than on an octogenarian’s hip.

“You sure this is necessary?” Jasper asked. “It’s a county clerk’s office, not a Spanish galleon.”

“Never hurts to be prepared.” Nine tested the edge of a dagger against his thumb. “You’ve never seen that scalawag Toby in a bad mood.”

Jasper couldn’t help but chuckle. Nine had never even met his colleague Toby. But Jasper had, in fact, seen Toby in many different moods, none of which demanded the presence of medieval weaponry. But he kept this observation to himself. Nine and Ten were nervous enough already.

After a flurry of final instructions—“ask Toby about the Patriots, they’re his favorite team and he’s easily distracted by sports talk”—Jasper watched them depart through the coal chute, climbing with surprising agility for men their age.

“Do you think they’ll find it?” Delilah asked, settling beside him on an overturned crate.

Jasper studied her face in the dim light, considering how to answer. Hope and dread battled in his chest. “I’m sure they’ll try their best,” he replied, which wasn’t really an answer.

“So,” she said after a moment, “I’ve been wondering something. It’s two days before Christmas. What are you missing out on right now? Any family gatherings? Office parties with bad eggnog?”

The question caught Jasper off guard. “Missing?” He laughed softly. “Believe me, I’m not missing a thing.”

“Come on,” she pressed. “There must be something. Some Hopkins family tradition? Matching pajamas, maybe?”

Jasper shook his head. “My parents always treated Christmas like a military operation. Precise schedule, specific gifts from a pre-approved list, dinner at exactly 3 p.m. The whole thing was about as spontaneous as tax season. My grandmother was the only one who made it bearable. She’d sneak me out for impromptu sledding or slip me a mug of hot chocolate when no one was looking. Called it our ‘Christmas jailbreak.’ But once she passed, the magic was gone.”

“Yeah.” Delilah nodded. “I hear that, trust me. So nobody’s expecting you to show up with a fruitcake this year?”

“My parents are on a cruise. We exchange gift cards via email.”

“I see, well that’s horrible. I suppose I’ve accidentally rescued you from a depressing solo microwave dinner and a night of PBS documentaries.”

“You’ve done me a huge favor.” Jasper smiled despite the situation. “A magical town under siege by power-hungry magicians is a significant upgrade from my usual holiday plans. Don’t worry, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Their eyes met, and Jasper felt that now-familiar spark between them. It was a bit terrifying, how quickly she’d become essential, how the thought of forgetting her felt like losing a limb. But before he could say anything more, the coal chute rattled, announcing the Earls’ return. Far, far too soon.

They tumbled in, looking disheveled and defeated.

“That Toby’s a crafty one,” Nine grumbled, removing his eye patch.

“We started off okay,” said Ten. “I asked about the Patriots, just like you suggested, Jasper. But then Toby asked what we thought about Brady’s chances against the Buffalo Bills next week. And this old codger—” he nodded toward Nine “—went completely sideways.”

“He’s the one brought up Buffalo Bill!” Nine cried indignantly. “I told him that no-good son-of-a-bitch swindler still owes me twenty dollars from a poker game in ’03!”

“2003?” Jasper asked, confused.

“1903.”

Nate groaned, sinking his head into his hands. “Double-great grandpa, the Buffalo Bills are a football team. From this century.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” Nine threw his hands up. “In my day, we named things after what they were, not Wild West showmen who cheat at cards!”