Holidays are Hell

"Actually, I think this year business turned out to be a good thing for us," he said quietly. "It forced me to be a friend to her first and through that I've found we get along great. We work well together as a team. We like many of the same things…" He shrugged. "I didn't even know that much about my wife when I married her. And while I was sure two years ago that I would never marry again, I think I'd be willing to risk it with Jill… if she was interested."

"Oh, I'm sure she'd be interested," Jill assured him with a grin. She felt like her heart was bursting. He liked her! And he thought she was funny, smart, and sexy.

"I guess we'll see when I ask her out."

"When will that be?" Jill asked with excitement. "I mean when is the year up?"

"Both the year and the divorce were final yesterday. I signed the final decree last night." Nick admitted and then gave a dry laugh. "And actually, I had it all planned to ask her out today."

Jill had to grab onto Santa's chair to keep from jumping up and down with glee and squealing.

Nick continued. "I was going to invite her to my sister's Christmas party after the parade. That way there'd be no nervous, first-date jitters, just a relaxed invitation to join me at my sister's. I even invited the others in the parade along too so she wouldn't feel pressured."

"Oh," Jill breathed, thinking he was the most thoughtful man in the world. If he'd asked her out on an actual date the first time, she would have been over the moon, until the first-date jitters set in. Then she would have spent whatever time there was between his asking and the actual date fretting over what to wear, what to say, desperate to have everything perfect.

God, what a clever man he was. His way was so much more relaxed. If he invited her with a bunch of people, she would have been relaxed thinking it was just a group thing and—

Damn! Jill's happiness turned to dismay as she realized that John and his craziness had completely screwed up everything. There wouldn't be any relaxed first date because she wasn't here. Her first date, probably, finally their first kiss too. Jill had been fantasizing about that first kiss for so long, she doubted the real thing could live up to it. She would have liked to find out though. Dammit! Why had John chosen today of all days to act like a crazy prick and zap her? If not for him she'd be herself up here and she so wanted to be herself right then.

"Say, why is that guy coming out of Jill's store?"

Jill let go of her thoughts and glanced around with confusion. Nick was peering to the left of the float and she followed his gaze, noting that they'd reached their street of stores. The parade was almost over. At the end of this road, they would pull into the parking lot and disband. Her gaze slid along the storefronts until she found her own and she stiffened as she spotted the man now turning away from the door of her store. John Heathcliffe. His gaze slid over the people on the street and then across the floats passing by until it landed on her where it froze, eyes widening with incredulous recognition.

No, he couldn't recognize her, Jill thought with dismay. She didn't look anything like herself.

"He seems to know you. Who—" Nick's words died as he turned curiously toward her and suddenly froze. "Jesus," he breathed, his wide eyes eating her alive. "Jill? Where did you come from?"

"What?" She peered at him with confusion and then realized he'd called her Jill. Glancing down, she jerked the cape closed with a squeak of alarm as she saw that she'd changed back to herself and now stood on the float with nothing but the cape covering her. She was herself and naked. How? She wondered frantically and then realized that she'd been standing there wishing she was herself. Her body had obviously listened.

And, of course, John had recognized her. That thought forced any concern for her nudity from her mind and she jerked her eyes back to the bane of her existence. Jill wasn't at all surprised to see that John Heathcliffe was now pushing his way through the crowds, fighting to get to the float.

"Jill? What's going on? Where did Noelle go?" Nick was obviously struggling with confusion, but she didn't have the time to explain.

"I have to go," she muttered, and tried to turn away, but he caught her arm.

"Wait a minute," he said. "How—?"

"I can't explain right now, Nick. Please let me go, he's coming. He'll get me," she cried, panic choking her throat as she saw John break out of the crowd and stumble onto the street next to the float behind their own. As slow as the parade was moving, it wouldn't take him long to reach their float and be on her.

"But the parade," Nick said.

"It's done, we're nearing the end of the street now," she pointed out, tugging at her arm. "Please."