Substitute Santa

It was a difficult undertaking, but she felt a great sense of pride and accomplishment when she finished. Tia felt that because Angela had been so generous in granting Brandon's wish list, the least she could do was help Angela just as much.

In the days they worked together, Tia tried to ignore the growing attraction she was feeling for her boss. Angela was a consummate professional, but Tia couldn't help but wonder if they had a chance together.

Angela was strong, competent and very capable, but had a deliciously feminine side that Tia found attractive. Though Angela had a steely determination that was useful in dealing with the mostly male contractors and construction workers, she still wore ladylike skirts and suits that showed off her shapely frame. She also had a womanly confidence that Tia found irresistible.

Tia found herself studying Angela when she wasn't looking, and quickly realized that her small crush was growing stronger by the day. In their talks, Tia found that Angela was a lesbian as well, and wasn't currently dating anyone. Tia found that she would have loved to try for more; however, she just as soon brushed it off, not wanting to jeopardize her job by having a relationship with her boss.

Two weeks later, on Christmas Eve, Tia was sitting in the office's lunchroom. Wanting to save money, she brought her lunch everyday, which consisted of the prior night's leftovers. Angela walked in just as she was taking a bite of her sandwich, turkey on wheat bread.

"You're doing a great job, Tia," Angela said, as she got a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker.

Tia chewed and swallowed quickly. "Thanks!"

"Sorry about that," Angela said as she sat down at Tia's table. "Go ahead and finish eating."

"I'm fine," Tia said, then took a sip of water. "Anyway, I'm glad you're pleased with my work. I like working here, so I guess I want to do a great job."

"And I appreciate it. You've done a lot of good so far. And setting up that computer system is going to save me a lot of time since I'll finally be able to easily reference all of Dad's old construction projects. That'll help us with the new projects we have coming in next year."

Tia nodded. "I thought so. Next, I'm going to computerize all of the bid files. If my plan works, you'll be able to reference your dad's bids right along with your own. I'm even going to set it up so that when we're completing a bid, our standard company information will fill in automatically. That'll save us some typing."

"That's great," Angela said, smiling. "Thanks."

Then she cleared her throat. "Anyway, I was wondering...would you be interested in having a cup of coffee sometime? I mean, out of the office?"

Tia hesitated. She wanted to oblige, but she really needed her job.

She chose her next words very carefully. "I'd love to, Angela. I admire you and what you've done here. I just don't want to complicate things." She paused. "I really need this job and I'd worry if things went wrong between us."

Angela's face fell, but she recovered quickly. "Of course. Of course, I understand." Angela got up to leave. "Well, I'll see you after lunch."

In seeing Angela's disappointment, she was shocked to realize that it echoed her own.

In that moment, Tia made a decision.

She decided on love.

"Angela, wait." Tia left her seat, went to Angela's side and her words just tumbled out. "Tomorrow, Brandon and I were going to spend a quiet Christmas together. If you're not busy, maybe you and your son can come over? That is, if you don't have any other plans. Which I'm sure you do, but --"

Angela smiled. "Well, I may have to come over to your house tomorrow, anyway."

Tia frowned. "Why's that?"

"I got a call from the Salvation Army, yesterday," Angela said. "They told me that I had the option of delivering Brandon's gifts myself or they could do it for me. I hadn't given them an answer."

Tia smiled as she placed her hand on Angela's. "Go ahead and tell them yes."

~~~

"They're having a good time, aren't they?"

Tia peeked out of the kitchen to look at Brandon and Corey, Angela's seven year-old son. They were sitting on the carpet, next to Tia's modest tree, happily playing with Brandon's new wrestling action figures.

"They sure are," Tia said as she brought Angela a slice of pound cake with whipped cream on top. "And thank you. Thank you for everything."

"You're very welcome."

They sat next to each other, enjoying the sweet treat, each lost in her own thoughts. Tia glanced at her small tree and noticed the shining Angel at the top. Then, all of a sudden, a thought hit her and she started to giggle.

"What is it?" Angela asked.

"Angela! Your name's Angela!" Tia cried, nearly dropping her fork. "How come I didn't see it before?"

Angela frowned. "What is it?"

Tia giggled even harder, but tried to compose herself before continuing. "Back at the mall, right before we met, I asked Santa for a Christmas miracle. A Christmas Angel for me and for Brandon. And he sent me you. You're my Christmas Angel...Angela."

Angela began to giggle as well. "You know? I guess you're right."

Tia snuggled next to Angela, drawing warmth from the beautiful, smart woman. "Now, about what I said earlier?" Tia said quietly so that the boys couldn't hear. "About us? Well..."

Angela shook her head. "You've been through a lot this year. And I know that you need your job, and I would never jeopardize that. I'm attracted to you, incredibly attracted to you. But for now, let's just take it slow. And we'll see where it goes. Okay?"

At Angela's tender words, a feeling of calm and peace washed over Tia. In that moment, she knew that no matter what happened, she and Brandon would be all right.

"That's fine by me," Tia said, snuggling even closer. "That's fine by me."

Suddenly Brandon looked up from his toys. "You were right, Mommy," he said, his dark eyes twinkling.

"About what, honey?"

"Toys are fun, but family and friends are funner!"

The women laughed at Brandon's enthusiasm. In moments, the entire room had erupted with laughter. Soon, Brandon and Corey were holding their sides, bursting with giggles.

"You're right, Brandon," Tia said, her heart filled to the brim with joy. "You're absolutely right!"

~~~

Author's note: This holiday season, please consider making a donation to one of your local charitable organizations. Thanks!