Ezra was leaning forward, patiently attempting to coax the timid little girl to approach. Ivy leaned forward to listen.

“Hi there,” he said. “What’s your name?”

The child whispered something inaudible. Ezra held his hand to his ear. “I didn’t quite hear that. Did you say your name is Snowflake?”

The little girl giggled and shook her head.

“Is it Rainbow?”

She shook her head again and took a step forward.

“I know. It’s Moonbeam. Right? You definitely look like a Moonbeam to me.”

“No!” the little girl said, her hands on her hips. “My name is Violet, you silly Santa.”

Ezra chuckled. “Well, Violet, I have to head for the North Pole pretty soon. Your brother already told me about the LEGO set he wants, so would you like to tell me what’s on your Christmas list?”

“Violet!” Her mother’s voice was sharp. “Daddy’s waiting in the car. And Santa is a very busy man.”

The little girl took two steps. She leaned in and tugged at Ezra’s fake beard. “I want a pony and a puppy and a real live unicorn!” she yelled.

Violet’s mother shook her head vigorously, giving Santa the cutoff signal.

“This probably isn’t the year for a pony or a puppy,” he said apologetically. “And real unicorns are almost impossible to catch, but I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll love under the tree on Christmas morning.”

“Thanks, Santa,” the mother said. She clambered onto the platform and took each child by the hand, dragging them away as the little girl tearfully protested that she really, really wanted a unicorn.

When the family was out of view Ezra stood up and climbed down from the platform. He looked around to make sure there were no children in view, then removed the fake beard and tucked it in the pocket of his jacket.

Ivy stood up to meet him, and his eyes widened as he took in her costume. “Wow,” he said, grasping her hands. “You look amazing. Where did this come from?”

“I found it in the attic yesterday, when I went looking for a tree stand.”

“It looks like it was made for you.” He leaned in and kissed her lightly. “Did I already tell you how beautiful you look in it?”

Ivy felt herself blushing. Her companion tactfully cleared his throat.

She whirled around and touched him on the shoulder. “How rude of me. I want you to meet my friend Lawrence.”

Ezra stuck out his hand. “Hi, Lawrence. Nice to meet you.”

The old man shook his hand. “We were watching you with those children up there. You made an outstanding Santa Claus. I’m sure Bob Rose would be proud of your performance.”

“I’m back!” A middle-aged woman walked rapidly toward them from behind the raised platform. She wore a stylish calf-length coat, high-heeled boots, and a fur hat that obscured her hair.

“There you are,” Ezra said. “I wondered where you’d gotten off to.”

“I was just talking to the city maintenance people about breaking down your platform and moving the throne back into storage,” the woman answered. “And I wanted to make sure those kids who worked as elves all got paid. Now we’re all set.”