Kellie swallowed, feeling as if something was lodged in her throat. “I, uh…”
“We’ll talk about him later,” Dolores said with a dismissive wave, rising and turning abruptly and heading for the door. She paused at the threshold. “We’ll see you tomorrow. I’ve called a meeting for Santa’s Posse volunteers.”
“Where and when?” Kellie managed to croak.
“Just outside the precinct. Six-thirty.”
***
“So, Kellie,” Jill said with a chuckle she couldn’t manage to suppress, “you let Dolores lasso you into Santa’s Posse?” She laughed then. “‘Lasso, that’s funny, and I didn’t even mean to be funny. Get it? Lasso? Posse?”
Kellie’s face was impassive, her voice droll when she spoke. “Oh, I got it, all right.”
Jill reached across the desk separating them and patted her boss on the arm. “It won’t be so bad.”
“Really? Because I’ve been thinking…”
“What?”
“I need a pardner. Get it? Pardner—meaning, partner—meaning you.”
“Oh, uh, well, I’m afraid my holidays are so busy that…”
She sat back in her chair and set her eyes on Jill like guided missiles, daring her to argue.
“All righty then, pardner,” she said resignedly. “I guess we’ve both been lassoed into Santa’s Posse.”
Later, the two women stood among a crowd of volunteers, listening to Dolores give a not-so-brief talk about Santa’s Posse and specifically, the mission of the group. After hearing her speak about the many families helped by the group during the holidays, Kellie couldn’t help but feel slightly better about participating more actively in the charity event. Even Jill conceded as much moments later as the two now stood together awaiting a packet of written instructions from Dolores.
When she finally passed them a large envelope, she smiled at Jill. “Glad to have you aboard,” she declared. “The more the merrier. You can assist our new procurement specialist. Frankly, she’s going to need all the help she can get.”
Jill nodded and turned to meet Kellie’s widened eyes.
What exactly did that remark mean? Kellie wondered. She’s going to need all the help she can get. It felt like an ominous warning.
Dolores suddenly clapped her hands together, and bellowed to the gathered group, “Any questions?”
When no one required clarification on their appointed tasks, she closed the meeting with a command, “Get busy,” and then hustled into the precinct.
Kellie turned to Jill. “Well,” she said crisply.
“What exactly does that mean?” Jill inquired with a chuckle. She’d definitely heard a miffed tone in that single word.
Kellie narrowed her eyes and spoke in measured tones, unaware Miles had come up behind her. “It means … I’m going to have a word with our commander,” she said. “And what did Dolores mean by, ‘I’m going to need all the help I can get?’ What did Miles get me into—us into,” she clarified.
Jill only shrugged in response, suppressing the grin on her face.
“Jill, am I going to have time for all this? Are you?” she demanded. She shot a stunned glanced at the huge envelope in her hand. “Why is our envelope so much bigger than the other envelopes? Did you notice that, Jill? It’s so big!” Her voice grew shrill. Why do we have the biggest envelope?”
“Kellie, take a deep breath,” Jill instructed, glancing up at Miles, who stood silently behind her boss. She noted he appeared uncertain, as if he should consider making a hasty escape. He actually turned to do just that, when Kellie apparently sensed someone behind her. She spun around, saw him, and aimed a pointer finger at him.
“You! Commander … Blake,” she said in measured tones. “What … have … you gotten me into? And Jill! Jill, too! Typical man! Big mouth!”
He opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him. He spread his arms wide, all the while shaking his head. Finally, he burst out laughing. “Did you really just call me a big mouth?” He turned to Jill. “Typically, people describe me as a man of few words.”
“If the shoe fits!” Kellie declared. “And I think it does—as in, it … it fits in your mouth…”
“What?” he said, bewildered, but smiling bemusedly.
“You know what I mean! You definitely put your foot in your mouth when you volunteered Jill and me for this job!”
“Well, Kellie, to be fair to Miles,” Jill said wanly, “he didn’t really volunteer me. That was more you,” she pointed out.
“Well, he … he apparently volunteered me!”
He chuckled and raised a conciliatory hand. “Look, I’m so sorry. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. But the truth is, I didn’t volunteer anybody for anything. Dolores stopped by my office, asked me what I thought of you…”
“And what’d you say?” she prompted, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“I said you were an inordinately capable individual.” He raised a hand. “Scout’s honor. That’s all I said.”
She gave him a dubious look. “Okaaaay.” Cocking her head, she studied him through narrowed, suspicious eyes.
“She set me up!” he insisted. “Honestly, I didn’t know she had a job in mind for you.” He attempted a smile then, a big, apologetic, disarming smile.
She continued to watch him, eyes still narrowed suspiciously.
He gulped and then gave another earnest smile. “It’s true, Kellie. I didn’t volunteer you for anything.” He paused and shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, but perked up. “I’ll help you!” he said with a triumphant grin. “That’s the ticket. I’ll help you with that big, fat envelope.”
“But you already have a job with Santa’s Posse,” Jill pointed out.
“Yeah, you’ve probably got your own big, fat envelope,” Kellie said in a defeated voice.
He shook his head ruefully, and then pulled a thin, white, folded, letter-sized envelope from his back pocket. “My envelope is smaller than yours,” he said wanly.
Kellie eyed the tiny envelope in his hand with disdain. “You call that an envelope? Something is really wrong here,” she said, turning to Jill and shaking her head. “Something is definitely wrong…” She spun around. “Where did Dolores go? I really need to talk to…”
“Dolores has left the building,” another nearby volunteer informed.
Kellie emitted a haggard sigh when she spotted a small envelope in the volunteer’s hand. She considered asking to trade. Apparently the woman noticed the hopeful gleam in her eye, since she scurried off.
She took a step toward her, but Jill took hold of her arm. “Don’t bother. Would you trade?”
Kellie sighed resignedly. “No.”
“Are you free for dinner?” Miles spoke up. “Tonight? We can talk about the disparity in the sizes of these envelopes,” he offered.
Jill smiled and bid them goodbye. “See you tomorrow.”
Miles turned to Kellie again. “Come on. Let’s get dinner. We didn’t get to go out last night.” He grinned persuasively. “You look hungry.”
“Oh? Is that how I look?” She pinned him with a look.
Chapter Nine
Kellie pulled another sheet of paper from the envelope on the tabletop in front of her. “Miles, look at this!” She thrust it at him.
He carefully wiped his hands with a napkin, before holding the paper over his plate to study it. It was a list of items needing to be picked up from a nearby retail chain and then stored in readiness for Santa’s Posse deliveries.
As he read over the information, Kellie had a pique of conscience over her earlier behavior. She was typically calm and collected, but some inner voice had told her that her involvement in Santa’s Posse was destined to expand exponentially. She simply didn’t have the free time to do everything Dolores expected from her.
“Miles, I’m sorry I called you a big mouth,” she said suddenly, sighing. “I know if wasn’t your fault Dolores drafted me for this job, but I’m just feeling overwhelmed.”
>
“You and me both,” he said.
She groaned and pointed to the sheet of paper still in his hands. “How am I going to transport all that stuff? I have a small economy car—not a pickup!”
He only smiled reassuringly in return, and then rose up slightly to retrieve the envelope from her. He stuffed the single sheet back inside, and then stowed the packet beside him on the booth seat, out of her reach.
She watched him, mouth agape. “There’s so much to do!” she cried. “And how am I going to manage it with Black Friday just around the corner?”
He only smiled again, and then reached over to install her uneaten plate of food squarely in front of her. “Let’s forget all about Santa’s Posse for now and enjoy a nice dinner out.”
She was about to protest, but he looked so earnest and hopeful, she managed to take a deep breath and acquiesce. “Okay, you’re right. I’m starving.” She eyed the prime rib on her plate and found her mouth watering for the tender meat. “Wow, I am hungry.”
“Good,” he said, and the two finally began to enjoy their meals. After a moment, he asked, “So, are you finally unpacked?”
She nodded. “And it’s a good thing, too,” she grumbled. “With this Santa’s Posse business, there’s no telling when I would have…”
He cleared his throat and she closed her lips. “Sorry,” she murmured contritely.
He laughed. “I promise I’ll be at your disposal. We’ll get it done.”
“You’re as busy as me!” she cried. “Busier!”
He conceded the point with a nod. “It’s all for a good cause. Like I said, we’ll get it done. No worries.” He appeared thoughtful for a moment. “You’re right. Black Friday is just around the corner. Do you have any Thanksgiving plans?”
She sighed heavily. “I promised my folks I’d come home for the day.”
“Where do they live?”
“A couple hours north of here.” She sighed again. “Mom wants me to stay for the holiday weekend, but I just can’t miss the biggest shopping day of the year.”
“Do you have shopping to do?” he inquired.
She laughed. “No, well…” She shrugged. “I might hit a sale or two, but no, basically I need to be on-site should I be needed in an official capacity.” Suddenly, her cell phone trilled in her purse beside her. “I’m sorry. I meant to turn it off.”
She reached to silence the phone, but noticed the call was from her mother. “Wow, speak of the devil … er, speak of the mother … er, speak of my mom…”
He chuckled.
“I really should take this.” She rose with an apologetic shrug and dashed into the ladies room. “Hello, Mom.”
“Honey, how are you? I just called to talk to you about Thanksgiving…”
“Your ears must have been burning because I was just talking about Thanksgiving…”
“With whom?” her mom promptly inquired.
“Oh, um—a friend…”
“Really? You’ve already made a friend? That’s wonderful. What’s her name?”
Kellie smoothed a hand through her hair. Should she tell her mother she was on a dinner date with a man? The declaration would no doubt prompt an avalanche of questions.
“I’ll tell you all about my friend later,” she said in a rush. “I’d better get back. May I call you tonight?”
There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the phone line. “What’s his name?” her mother demanded gleefully.
She took in a deep, calming breath. “Mom, we’ll talk later.”
“Well, okay. But call me the minute you get home.”
Back at the table, she slid into the booth and turned her phone off, before stuffing it back into her purse. “Sorry.”
“Not a problem,” he told her, watching her with the same sparkle of humor in his eyes she’d gotten accustomed to seeing there.
“What?” she asked.
He only shook his head in response.
“What?” she persisted.
“I was just thinking how much I like you,” he said.
She grinned. “Well, I … like you too.” Suddenly, the couple heard three clipped beeps emanating from his shirt pocket.
“My pager,” he said with a sigh, retrieving it. He quickly checked the screen, and then shook his head in exasperation as his eyes remained fixed on the tiny device. He appeared to be grappling with his conscience. “I don’t want to make this call,” he admitted finally with an apologetic smile. “But … I have to.” He rose this time. “Be right back.”
He was back in a flash. “Kellie, I’m sorry, but I have to go.” He didn’t take a seat, but instead, gestured the waitress over.
“You haven’t finished your meal,” Kellie pointed out.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
She waved away his apology. She could see by the resignation in his eyes that he wasn’t happy to be cutting their dinner date short. He quickly paid their ticket, and asked for ‘to-go’ boxes.
“I’m really sorry,” he repeated, once they were back in his car.
She attempted to sound upbeat. “I understand your work has to come first.”
He gave her a look that she couldn’t read, and then reached a hand across the space separating them. He squeezed her hand. “Yeah, work,” he said cryptically, but then smiled sadly. “I hope you’ll give me another chance.”
“Sure,” she said.
Back at the condominium complex a few short miles away, he pulled into his parking space. He hurriedly got out of the car and rounded the front to open her door for her. He extended a hand, which she accepted. “Thank you,” she said.
He smiled in response, and then began walking her across the lot to her door. “Miles, you didn’t have to walk me up. I know you’re in a hurry.”
He shook his head briskly. “They can wait an extra minute or two.” With that declaration, he sought her gaze, smiled, and then before she actually registered what was about to happen, he kissed her—a sweet, merging of lips that caused her to go weak in her knees.
When they parted, she gazed into his crisp blue eyes. With concentrated effort, she managed to keep from lifting a hand to her lips. They still tingled from the delicious kiss.
He smiled. “I’ll call you soon,” he said, turned, and hurried back across the lot.
She stepped into her condo, closed the door behind her, and moved to the living room window. She watched across the parking lot, until only a couple moments later, he jogged out of his condo. He was dressed in uniform, and to her surprise, glanced up and met her gaze. His eyes locked on hers. She felt a curious physical jolt from the sustained eye contact.
Finally, he nodded, waved, and climbed into his unmarked car. The sound of the car’s siren still echoed in her ears moments after he had gone.
***
“Okay, fill me in,” Kellie’s mother Marcia said delightedly. “I want all the details. How did you meet him? What does he do? What does he look like?”
“Mom,” she said, “we’ve only just met. You’re getting way ahead of yourself. No need to book the church just yet,” she added drolly.
Her mother was silent for several long seconds. “I’m not that bad, am I?”
“You can be,” Kellie answered honestly.
“I want grandkids.”
“You have grandkids.”
“None from you.”
She couldn’t argue the point. “How’s Dad?”
“Changing the subject?”
“Do you blame me?”
Marcia sighed. “You’re right. I know I push.” Her mother was silent for a moment. “Honey, you know I’m proud of you, right?”
“Well … sure,” she said, surprised to hear the words from her mother’s lips. She knew she would have preferred that she’d followed in her brothers’ footsteps and been married by age twenty-five. But heck, twenty-nine wasn’t old. She had plenty of time should she wish to eventually settle down.
“Honey, in less than a year, you’re going to
be thirty, and then…” The pause that followed was heavy with meaning. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a clue what it meant. She had no doubt her mother would soon fill her in.
“Yes, Mom,” she prompted tiredly, wondering what had possessed her to give her mother that verbal encouragement, and wishing she’d taken something for the headache she knew was forthcoming.
“When you hit thirty, you’ll be closer to … forty than twenty!”
Headache!
Kellie sighed loudly. Count to ten. “So?”
“Just saying…”
“Okay, well, I’m going to bed. I’m suddenly feeling…”
“What?” her mom asked fearfully.
“Old.”
“Oh, honey,” she scoffed, “you’re not old. Not yet. But…”
“Mom, I’ll call you about Thanksgiving…”
“You haven’t told me about your young man…”
“He’s not my young man. And we’ll talk later.”
“Come on, honey, just give me one juicy tidbit. He has to be special if you’re giving him the time of day. Anybody who can get your mind off of your work has to be special.”
Kellie was silent for a second or two, and then replied, “He’s closer to forty than twenty.”
***
The following Monday, Kellie sat at her desk, her facial expression pensive. Jill entered her office, and she hardly noticed.
“My, you’re preoccupied,” Jill remarked.
She sighed. “I was just thinking about a conversation I had with my mom.”
“Oh? Is everything all right?”
“She thinks I’m old.”
“You’re not even thirty! If you’re old, I must be dead.”
Kellie chuckled, but quickly sobered.
“What’s the trouble?” Jill asked with concern. “You know you’re not old. There has to be more to this story.”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
“Go on,” she prompted.
She sighed again. “Mom’s never agreed with my career aspirations. She’s all about home, hearth, grandkids. You know how it is. Sometimes she gets to me—makes me feel as if I’ve failed some test.”
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