I grabbed my new pair of favorite boots and flipped them over. Sure enough, a P was stamped on the bottom near the heel, and when I checked the inside, I found a tag with the same stamp. “Uh, so, how much is one of these prototypes worth?”
“You could pay your rent for a year and live in a nice neighborhood. She makes only a few prototypes of each design. On boots and shoes, there’s only one prototype. For dresses, there’s one of every size. It’s really interesting. People want the prototypes.”
I’d been played by the entire Carter family. “What a bitch!”
“Why are you calling Mrs. Carter a bitch? She’s a genius.”
“Everything in my apartment is probably stamped with a P,” I wailed. I grabbed the phone and dove to the pile of shoes, checking them all. “All the shoes have a P stamped on them. All of them, even the metal death stilettos of doom.”
“Oh.”
The silence stretched on, and I whimpered.
“Uh, Chloe?”
“I can’t talk right now, I am trying to figure out how to afford the insurance policy to protect my new shoes. I don’t even know how to check the jeans for the prototype stamp.”
“It would be embroidered on an interior hem somewhere and also stamped on the tag with the washing instructions. How much clothing did she give you?”
“There are flats and stilettos and boots and more boots, and there are dresses, and I’m wearing this tiny little pencil skirt right now, and she just made it sound like she was having her husband grab random things out of her closet, which isn’t a big deal right? It’s just random things out of her closet. There’s this pair of jeans with a dragon on it, and the pockets are so big I could fit a wallet, my keys, and a phone. I love my new jeans. I want to wear them for all eternity.”
“Breathe, Chloe.”
“But my new favorite boots are worth more than I am!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll always be worth more than a dumbass pair of shoes.”
“They are not a dumbass pair of shoes. They are the best pair of boots I have ever seen in my life.”
Kristine snorted. “What’s the problem? You won them in a wager. They’re yours. Don’t worry about how much they cost. Calm down, babe. Everything’s going to be all right.”
“But she lost a lot of money giving them to me.”
“She didn’t lose any money giving you her prototypes. Yeah, sure, they’re rare. But she doesn’t sell them. She gives them away, donates them to charities for charity auctions, or otherwise dumps them. She’s gone to the thrift stores with prototypes before. It turns finding the prototypes into a scavenger hunt. Sometimes, she cuts a deal with a department store to stock a very limited number of her clothes. Other times, she’ll just say she donated to charity recently. I think her best publicity stunt was the one we read about in that magazine. Remember?”
“She made an entire wardrobe for every kid at an orphanage. I remember.”
“She’s a nice lady, Chloe. She saw a problem she could fix, so she fixed it.”
“She said her marketing department wouldn’t let her sell the dragon jeans. They’re so perfect, Kristine.”
“Babe.”
“What? It’s true.”
Kristine snorted at me again. “Let’s start over. What are you not doing at the end of the month?”
“I’m moving to South Carolina.”
“No, you aren’t.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No. I need a deep cleaner. I’ve already accepted your application to move in with me and deep clean my house. You can visit your mother, but I will drag you back here by your ears if necessary.”
I smiled. “You’re being pushy.”
“Damned straight I’m being pushy. I don’t want to have to visit my best friend in prison because she murdered her mother and stepfather. I’m sorry about your overtime pay, though. You were really hoping you could get them to pay out.”
“Julian’s father wrote my resignation letter and is handling the dispute.”
“Damn, babe. What kind of Scrabble game were you playing? I mean, you’re good, but you’re not beat both of them good. You really goosed both of Julian’s parents? I mean, Julian had mentioned you’d played a game of Scrabble with him and his parents, but I hadn’t known there were wagers! What they hell did you get out of Julian?”
“He surrendered before the match. He couldn’t handle the defeat.” I smirked. “I took pity on him.”
“How?”
“I told him I’d do two Sundays as a damned elf. He’ll drive me around if I need it. Then I went and beat them all. He came in last. Or maybe his dad did? Whatever, I beat him.”
“Sounds like you had a good time. I really wouldn’t worry about the clothes, though.”
“I know you’re thinking it, and the answer is no. I’m not selling any of them. They’re mine. I won them fair and square.”
“Could you at least try to be consistent? First, you were horrified about their value, now you’re just being weird.”
I patted my boots despite being aware she couldn’t see me doing it. “I am a dragon. This is my hoard. My hoard won’t fit in your apartment, and I refuse to put my hoard into storage.”
Silence. I smirked, wondering how she’d overcome that challenge.
“You can’t move to South Carolina.”
“Why not? Beyond the high possibility of me snapping and trying to kill my mother.”
“You wouldn’t actually kill your mother. There’d just be a lot of screaming and sobbing.”
Busted. “And despite your general opinions, I would not crucify Santa Claus and light him on fire.”
“It sounded more thrilling that way. Julian needs some thrills in his life. And hot damn, he’s a hot Santa.”
“Every mom in the mall wanted on his lap, Kristine.”
“Well, duh. That’s the sort of Merry Christmas a woman wants. And don’t tell me you weren’t undressing him with your eyes. I bet you were.”
Damned straight I had. “You owe me for the rest of your life, by the way?”
She giggled. “What have I done now?”
“You were so not busy on Sunday.” I adored the sound of guilty silence, especially when the silent, guilty party was named Kristine. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“He’s really cute.”
Yes, he was. “I’ll give you that. He’s really cute.”
“He’s only a little crazy.”
I frowned. “You’ve been to his house, haven’t you?”
“He conned me, claiming he wanted to show me something and ask a few questions. Well, he did want to ask a few questions, but he just wanted someone to play games with him. I apologized for running away halfway down his driveway, and he talked me into playing a game with him. I wasn’t expecting the lair of an evil mastermind, Chloe!”
“I thought his shelves were pretty. He had them organized by color. And that Scrabble board!”
“That Scrabble board is badass, yeah. He showed it to me, but we didn’t play it.”
“Why not? You like Scrabble.”
“Babe, he pet his Scrabble board. I let him beat me at some console games on his big television. It was fun.”
“Let?”
“Fine. He slaughtered me and laughed the entire time.”
“That explains why he was surprised when I didn’t run away,” I admitted. “I was wondering about that.”
“Wonder no further. It’s the lair of an evil mastermind. He probably has a dungeon in his basement.”
“It’s weirder he lives down the street from his parents, Kristine. The games are nothing compared to that.”
“What the fuck do you mean he lives down the street from his parents? I could have met his mother?”
“You haven’t met her?”
“No, I haven’t. Julian just talks about her a lot. Honestly, I’d conned Julian into helping at the mall because someone else bailed, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
”
“Poor Julian. You really conned him into going to the mall before Christmas?”
“I did. I’m a truly terrible person.”
“He parked at the mall, Kristine. On Black Friday.”
“Well, that was stupid of him.”
I laughed. “I made him recruit his parents for rides to and from the mall for the rest of his Santa adventures.”
“That was smart of you.”
“I hit Mr. Whiteman with my shoe after he broke my phone.”
“Self-defense so he wouldn’t hit you again?”
I loved how practical Kristine could be. “Yeah. The police witnessed it. They didn’t even take my shoes as evidence, but they did take my phone as evidence. The bastard bruised my hand.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I got my resignation turned in, and here’s hoping they pay out. If they do, I don’t have to move out of New York, although I will be moving.”
“To where?”
“Not your couch.”
“Chloe!”
“What?”
“You can’t leave New York.”
“I just said I wouldn’t have to move out of New York. I just want an apartment that’ll fit my new clothes.”
She sighed. “I suppose that’s fair. Your place is really tiny.”
“And costs a fortune.”
“It really does. But can you find somewhere affordable?”
I considered Julian, his offer, and everything that his offer entailed. “That depends.”
“On what?”
Grinning, I decided I’d embrace my impulsive side and hope for the best. “If you’re willing to help me with a kidnapping.”
“A what?”
“A kidnapping.”
“What the hell? What is wrong with you? Who would you possibly want to kidnap? Why? Have you lost your damned mind, woman?”
“Julian Carter.”
“Scratch everything I just said. When, where, and what did you have in mind?”
“How does Christmas Eve sound? I could take him to my mother’s place and wish myself a very Merry Christmas.”
“What happened to being Claustrophobic?”
I thought about it, but I decided only the truth would do. “Santa’s hot, and I want to see him naked.”
“Well, then. Why not? It’s not like anyone, like his parents, would notice his disappearance. Merry Christmas to you! I’ll let my parents know I have to bail your ass out this year. They won’t mind me skipping. I always start a fight at the dinner table anyway.”
“Excellent. Santa’s band of merry elves are going to be very naughty this year. But it won’t delay the arrival of presents, right?”
“Of course not. He’s just the temporary. The real one takes over as soon as Julian goes off shift. Merry Christmas to you! So, how do we kidnap him?”
“Do you love me enough to park your car at the mall on Christmas Eve?”
“Sometimes, I truly hate you, Chloe. Yes, I love you enough to park my car at the mall on Christmas Eve.”
“Excellent. Leave the rest to me.”
I had no idea how I’d plan a kidnapping and make sure everything went my way, but I had a few weeks to figure it out. In the worst case scenario, I’d recruit a few extra accomplices, and I had two perfect people in mind to help me pull it off.
Three days after handing in my resignation, I received a bank deposit with my overtime pay and the full settlement amount Julian’s father had proposed. The total amount flummoxed me. As long as I got a decent job, one with the possibility of advancement, I’d be able to pick and choose a good place to live—assuming I didn’t follow through with my plan to acquire Julian on a permanent basis.
I already wanted to head to his house and explore his game options. Surely he had at least one game I’d enjoy beyond Scrabble.
My phone rang, informing me Julian’s father wanted to speak with me. I answered, “Hello, Mr. Carter.”
“I just got a message from your firm that they have paid your overtime and settlement, and the money should be in your account.”
“I received it. They really paid the entire amount, and I didn’t have to do anything? I thought I’d have to sign papers.”
“Some of the papers you signed let me handle things on your behalf. While I can’t sign off on everything, you did authorize me to handle most of the details. For your overtime, this is settled and done. There’s only the issue of Mr. Whiteman’s behavior. Will you press charges? You hadn’t given the police an answer.”
“Alice has a stronger case against the firm, doesn’t she?”
“She does. That case will go to court, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re called to witness because you’ve been assaulted, too.”
“Then he’ll pay for his actions. I don’t know how much good I’ll do Alice, but I’m happy to answer any questions. How do you think the case will shake out?”
“I think the firm is going to take a big hit to its client base. Alice’s case alone would lose them clients. As they settled on the labor dispute, those records are private. If you pursue the assault, that would be public record. Alice’s case will be more critical. Despite the witnesses, Julian’s not confident you’d have a strong case. It might not be worth pursuing, especially when the damages will likely max out at the value of your phone and a little extra.”
“Which isn’t worth a whole lot.”
“Exactly. However, it will make an excellent support for Alice’s case. I would leave it hanging for the moment. You’ll be called to witness, especially as you’d taken a photograph of her desk and saw the aftermath.”
“The picture was in the cloud, too. It wasn’t lost with the phone.”
“Good. Can you email me and Julian with a copy of the picture?”
“Of course.”
“Good. How do you plan on handling your job search? You called Alan?”
“I did. He’s looking into it. I begged for a week unless it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I begged, Mr. Carter. I’m a proud New Yorker. I’m never supposed to beg. But there I was, begging.”
He laughed. “You’ve had a rough few days. Are you going to move still?”
“I need to, if I want my new wardrobe to fit. Also, Kristine told me a single pair of these shoes could pay for my rent for a year. I told her they were mine.”
Julian’s father laughed so hard he choked and wheezed. “You could probably make decent money selling the clothes, and Juliette wouldn’t even mind.”
“Wait. Julian’s mother’s name is Juliette?”
“It is, yes.”
“And you named your son Julian?”
“Juliette wished she’d been born a boy named Julian instead of a girl named Juliette. I gave up. I figured after nine months of pregnancy, if she really wanted to name our son Julian, I was okay with it.”
As I had him on the phone anyway, I needed to start planning Julian’s kidnapping. “Do you have plans for Christmas?”
“It involves the wife and son, but beyond that, there’s nothing set in stone. Why?”
“I’m thinking I’m going to give myself a very nice Christmas present this year.”
“What sort of Christmas present?”
“Julian.”
“Ah. You’re going ahead with the kidnapping and marriage plan, then?”
“Well, the kidnapping plan, yes. The marriage part of things is a little more complicated.”
Julian’s father chuckled. “This is true. Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about the marriage part of things. Juliette lives and breathes things like this, so she’d love to take the planning of any weddings off your hands. You might even be able to just show up on your wedding day if you’d like.”
“That, Mr. Carter, is one hell of a selling point.”
“On one hand, I feel like I should warn my son he might be biting off way more than he can chew, but on the other hand, I think I just want to sit back and enjoy the show. How can we help w
ith your kidnapping plan?”
“I’m going to have Kristine help me kidnap him, and we’re going to take him to South Carolina to meet my mother. I figured I’d return him a few days after that. I have not notified anyone of my future planned living arrangements.”
“What are your future planned living arrangements?”
“It depends on what’s in his basement. Kristine is concerned there is a dungeon.”
“His library is in the basement. Actually, his entire basement is a library, and he even took precautions against flooding. For cases beneath pipes, he has installed special plates to redirect water away from his books, resulting in these weird channels in the ceiling. Should something leak, the water will drip in permitted places.”
“I will issue an edict for his formalized surrender around the same time I show up with a few bags. I haven’t figured out how I’ll handle the move.”
“We can make space at our house for your boxes while you situate your move. We can sneak over boxes. How much stuff do you have to move?”
“Not that much, but I don’t know what I’ll do about my furniture.”
“I’ll take care of it. That’ll free you up to plan your kidnapping. Do try to keep Julian on his toes. He’s already anxious, wondering if he’ll succeed in getting you to move in with him.”
“I’ll email you with my mother’s address. You can join the fun. I’m sure my mother will absolutely love the invasion.”
“She’s going to hate it, won’t she?”
“I honestly have no idea, but my stepfather will love it. He’s been trying to have a family Christmas for years.”
“Hey, Chloe?”
“What?”
“I’m asking this on pain of death, but would you like a dress to wear for Christmas?”
“Will it have a P stamped on it and embroidered on an interior hem somewhere?”
“I’d apologize for my wife, but she has stars in her eyes and really wants to design a new dress.”
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