Behind me, Jack chuckled. "I could jump on the roof and shift. That would get it moving really fast."
"Absolutely not!"
"Don't you dare!" Shelley said.
"I'll give you fifty bucks to do it," one customer said, pointing her phone at Jack.
"I need to go back in the shop and get my phone," I said, sighing. "Maybe we can—"
"Tess? There's something I need to tell you."
I looked down at my little sister. "What is it, honey? Jack was just kidding. He wouldn't scare the reindeer. And—"
"I knowthat," she said impatiently. "It's the reindeer. I think … I think it's my fault it's here."
Jack crouched down and looked at her. "Why do you say that, sweetheart?"
Shelley looked miserable. "I didn't mean to do it," she wailed.
Oh, no. This was not good. When a baby witch with brand-new powers says, "I didn't mean to do it," things might be going south.
"Didn't mean to do what?"
"It's just that I was thinking about Santa Claus. Also, the reindeer. And Rudolph. And…" She looked away from us and bit her lip.
"And what, Shelley?" Jack asked in a gentle voice.
"I was just wishing that Rudolph really existed, and that he'd come visit us at the pawnshop, and maybe I could go for a ride on him," she blurted out, all in one breath.
Jack and I both looked at her.
And then up at the reindeer.
And then back at Shelley.
I had absolutely no idea how to handle this one.
Just then, the reindeer glanced down and caught sight of Shelley. He made a strange noise, a cross between a grunt and a cough, and then he jumped off the roof and flew.
Straight at us.
I ran forward, with some crazed idea of catching him before he fell and broke his legs, and then ran backwards, when my brain kicked in and told me he would crush me. Jack grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked me out of the way.
The reindeer, meanwhile, floated slowly down through the air and landed almost delicately on the ground, directly in front of Shelley. He bent his head and gently nudged her shoulder.
My sister's squeal of delighted laughter rang through the air, and she reached out to pet his nose.
"He might bite," I said, but the rush of excitement as everyone came up to pet the reindeer drowned me out.
"They're not aggressive unless there are females around to impress," Jack said in my ear. "She's fine."
Rudolph, I had to admit, didn't look at all threatening. Instead, he almost seemed to smile, and he was certainly enjoying all the attention. I looked into his beautiful brown eyes and saw what I thought was calm patience, not that I could read reindeer expressions.
I nudged Jack with my elbow. "What do you see when you look at him?"
"Lunch," he murmured next to my ear, and I had to bite my lip against the laugh.
"I mean, do you see a child's sweet holiday wish come to life or something dangerous?
