Jill shrugged. “So? If you want those things—home, hearth, husband, kids—you still have plenty of time.”
“That’s how I see it, too,” she said, feeling slightly better. “Hey, did you need something?”
“I just took a call from Mr. Williams at the toy store downstairs. Since you’re the Santa’s Posse’s new procurement specialist...” She grinned cheekily, emphasizing the words as she passed Kellie a slip of paper.
She scanned it quickly, and then glanced up, lifting her brows.
“He has several items he wants to donate,” Jill said. “Apparently he has some Teddy Bears and assorted toys for us, and asks if we can take them now. He said something about needing the space on his shelves yesterday. He’d like to bring the items up ASAP.”
“Oh, okay. Hey, any idea where we’re supposed to store these donated items?”
She shrugged. “Beats me.” She perked up suddenly. “We have some space in our supply closet. We can ask him to put the toys there until we find a better place.”
“Sounds good. Would you mind calling him back? I have an appointment to meet up with a woman who happened to stop by the mall today and spotted the empty retail place next to the smoothie stand. I’m meeting her in a couple of minutes.”
“Sure, I’ll make the call.” Jill paused. “One thing, I have to dash away too, for twenty minutes or so. Is that … all right?”
“Sure. Everything okay?”
“A friend in need…” she answered, but didn’t divulge additional details.
“Okay then, see you in a bit.”
Kellie left her office, confident Jill would place the call to Mr. Williams about the toys. Moments later, she met up with her prospective renter, intent on selling the retail space. After a half hour with the woman, who it turned out was very interested in leasing the store, she dashed back to her office in anticipation of another important phone call.
She was staring down at her clipboard when she stepped across the threshold into the executive offices, making a note of a detail related to her recent conversation with the prospective renter, when she nearly tripped over something in her path. She somehow managed to right herself, and then glanced curiously at her feet. Her eyes widened in surprise and her mouth dropped open.
Jill’s work area was stacked with Teddy Bears and other toys. She pressed through to the supply closet, yanked open the door with difficulty, and was stunned to see it filled to the brim with dolls. She pushed the door closed and struggled to cross the room to her office door. There, she pulled it open and gasped. Mr. Williams had made use of her office, as well.
The entire area was covered with toys. Several stuffed animals of various sizes and shapes were perched on her desk, and an immense, purple Teddy Bear occupied her leather chair. The scene was surreal, reminding her of a holiday movie she’d seen as a child.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of Jill’s stunned voice. “What is going on here?” she cried.
Kellie turned and muddled her way back to the outer office, where Jill stood frozen at the threshold of the room. She met Kellie’s gaze, her eyes wide with wonder. “Is this Toyland?” she asked.
“It looks like it,” Kellie answered. “Did you have any idea Mr. Williams had so many toys for us?”
She shook her head. “No, he didn’t mention this,” she said, gesturing at the crowded room around her.
“Well, it’s an awfully generous donation,” she murmured, glancing around and wondering where they were going to store the items. “Jill, do you have Mr. William’s number handy? I do need to thank him,” she said doubtfully, glancing around her.
“Yes, I’ll get it for you.”
Suddenly, the phone rang in her office. “Oh, I have to take that. I’ll … be right back.”
She waded through the toys and into her office, grimacing when she realized her caller might give up on her if she didn’t get to the phone soon. When she finally reached it, she snatched it up, and then, unable to move the gargantuan Teddy Bear that was currently wedged into her chair, she plopped down onto its lap.
She had just ended the phone conversation when Miles pushed into the room. The sudden burst of the opening door launched a pile of dolls and stuffed toys across the room. One flew toward Kellie like a guided missile, missing her face by mere inches.
“Oh, sorry!” he exclaimed with a wince, and then grinned at the absurdity of the scene in front of him. He spread his hands in question.
“What?” Kellie said. “Never seen a replica of Santa’s Workshop before?”
“Who’s your friend?” he asked with a laugh, nodding toward the purple bear.
She suddenly remembered she was presently sitting on the lap of the stuffed animal. She could easily envision how ridiculous she looked. She hurriedly explained her current predicament and then said testily, “This is all your fault, you know.”
He burst out laughing. “This is my fault?”
“You told Dolores the drill sergeant that I’d make a perfect procurement specialist.”
“Well, I didn’t say that exactly,” he pointed out. “As I tried to tell you before, she took me by surprise as much as she did you.”
“Sure,” she said dubiously, and suddenly found herself slipping down the Teddy bear’s legs. She struggled to pull herself up, but it wasn’t easy. She clutched at the desk top, clawing at the hard surface in hopes of stopping her undignified descent to the floor.
“Careful there,” Miles cautioned, and then forced back a smile. “Need any help?”
“I think … I’ve got it,” she said in a surly tone, as she shifted in the seat and pulled herself up with a superhuman strength. Once again, she was balanced precariously on the bear’s lap. The stuffed beast suddenly dislodged from the chair. This time, it began to slide down the front of the chair, taking her with it. “Now, I could use a hand!” she cried.
Miles took a step closer to the desk and reached across to take her hand. He pulled her upright and then held firm as she high-stepped it over the toys. When she reached him, he surprised her by pulling her close to him. She was startled by the gesture and pulled back to see his face. Unfortunately, her sudden movement put him off balance. He took an unsteady step back, tripped over a toy, and suddenly, the twosome toppled over and landed together in a tangled heap.
As if on cue, Jill entered the room with Mr. William’s phone number, surprised to see her boss splayed out on the floor atop the commander. Wordlessly and gingerly, she kicked stuffed toys out of her way and placed the phone number on Kellie’s desk. “Here’s that number you asked for,” she said softly, and then with a nod, turned and left the room.
Miles burst out laughing as Jill struggled to tug the door closed behind her.
“This isn’t funny!” Kellie declared.
He reared up on his elbow and glanced down into her indignant face. To her shock, he smoothed a hand across her brow, and then leaned in and gave her a brief kiss on the lips. “Better?” he asked when he pulled back.
“Better?” she repeated bemusedly, as she struggled to sit upright. Unfortunately, she couldn’t manage to gain purchase on the industrial flooring, but instead grasped a plush toy. It slid across the floor, as she simultaneously fell back. Her head struck the commercial grade carpet with a resounding thunk.
“Kellie!”
“My head,” she moaned in response.
“Ah, shoot,” he said with a wince. “That’s gotta hurt. Don’t move.”
“I don’t think I can.”
To her horror, he began probing the back of her head with his hand, and then sighed. “You have a doorknob-sized knot on your head.”
“What else is new?” she muttered.
He grimaced and watched her with concern. “Does anything else hurt?”
“Just my dignity,” she said with a groan. “Just my dignity.”
Chapter Ten
“The bears and other toys have been evicted from your office,” Miles announced cheerfully as he dropped
into the chair across from Kellie. She was sitting at a table in the food court with an ice pack pressed to the back of her head. Several mall employees and patrons alike watched her with interest.
“That’s good,” she said.
He raised a clarifying finger. “Also, Mr. Williams is deeply sorry for leaving your office in disarray. He mentioned something about having received a huge delivery of new toys and needing the space, so…”
“Yeah, that’s what Jill said before,” she murmured.
He spread his hands wide. “Anyway, he said he felt he had no choice but to leave the toys in your office. He said he hadn’t expected to arrive there and find the place empty, and was sorry he hadn’t been able to warn you that there were so many toys.”
She nodded. Her head was throbbing. She had a sneaking suspicion the incident with Mr. Williams purported challenging things to come courtesy of her involvement with Santa’s Posse.
“How do you feel?” Miles asked.
“I’ll live,” she told him. “Where’d you put the toys?”
“We have a large conference room at the precinct. We put them in there.”
“What if you should need the space?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s nearly quitting time for you, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Praise the Lord.”
“Any plans for the evening?” he inquired, watching her hopefully.
She shrugged. “Not that I can remember.”
His eyes widened in concern. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
She only shrugged in response. Frankly, she didn’t care how many fingers he was holding up.
“Kellie!” he said, straightening in the chair. “What day is it?”
She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m fine! Just tired.”
“I was going to ask you to dinner, but maybe you should go home and get some rest. You don’t look so good.”
“A concussion takes a lot out of a person,” she said drolly.
“That’s it! We’re heading to the hospital.”
She shook her head, mustering a chuckle. “I’m fine. Tired, but fine.”
“But your head…”
“I’ve had worse…” She furrowed her brows in thought, and then roused herself. “One time…”
“Don’t remind me,” he groaned.
“I’m not talking about that time,” she assured him, and then stood up. “I need to get back to work.”
“You’re not going home…?”
“Just a few loose ends to tie up at the workshop, and then I’ll head on home.”
He chuckled. “Would it be all right if…?”
“Yes?”
“May I stop by later and check on you? I can pick up a pizza.”
“That sounds great,” she said, meaning it. She had no interest in trying to figure out what to cook for dinner.
“Good,” he said with a grin. “See you later.”
The two headed to their respective offices, but she hadn’t yet made it back when Dolores approached, harried and obviously excited. “Kellie, good news!” she declared. “We have hams!”
She shook her head confusedly. “We have … hams?”
“That’s right,” the woman said delightedly. “Typically, Santa’s Posse delivers turkeys to our needy families, but this year…”
“Yes?”
“This year, we have hams too!”
“Okaaay, good,” she said, and then resumed walking toward her office.
Dolores fell into step beside her. “Of course, as our procurement specialist, you’ll have to pick them up and find a place to keep them until delivery day. We’ll need a refrigerator.” She spread her arms wide. “A big refrigerator.”
Kellie came to an abrupt halt and shook her head confusedly. “Um, who has the hams?”
“A market over on Fifth. I’m sure you know the place,” she said. “O’Callahan’s.”
“I think I know the place. But … can’t they store the hams for us until delivery day.” She shook her head. “How many hams did you say they have for us?”
Dolores grinned. “They’re donating one hundred fifty. Can you believe it? We already have over two hundred turkeys, so we’ll be able to provide holiday meals to at least three hundred fifty families.”
She emitted a long breath. “Wow!” she said finally.
“Unfortunately, the store is unable to store the hams for us, since they just don’t have the shelf space. You’ll need to pick them up day after tomorrow. Before five, of course. That’s when the manager goes home for the day.”
Kellie shook her head, attempting to process what Dolores was telling her. Perhaps the blow to the back of her head had dulled her senses. Had she just said she needed to pick up one hundred fifty hams and find a place to store them by the day after next?
“Dolores, I’m not sure if…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the woman thrust a piece of paper at her. “Now, you’ll find all the information you need on this piece of paper. Don’t forget to add it to the packet of information I’ve already given you.” She paused and gave her a speculative glance. “You have gone over all the information…?”
With all the hours she was spending at work, she hadn’t actually finished going through the information as yet. “Well…”
“Look,” Dolores said with authority. “Santa’s Posse is serious business. You volunteered to be our procurement specialist. The commander assured me you’re the right woman for the job. If you can’t handle it…”
Volunteered? Kellie was about to argue that point, when another thought struck her. Oh, praise the Lord, she thought. An out. Dolores had just given her an out.
“Well, the truth is,” Kellie said, “I really don’t have a lot of free time right now, having just started a new job. And I’ve just moved. Well, you know how that is.” She gave a sad smile, as if it pained her to forfeit her volunteer position. “The truth is, I’m probably not the right person for the job.”
“Nonsense,” Dolores scoffed. “You’ll do fine. You just need to get with the program.” With that declaration, she hurried off toward the precinct.
Kellie stood still as a statue, watching after her. Get with the program? One hundred fifty hams! What was she going to do with all those hams until delivery day? And how was she supposed to pick them up. She didn’t own a truck. She would have to rent a truck. Where in this town did one rent trucks? And where the heck did one find trucks with refrigeration units for people who suddenly found themselves with truckloads of meat?
She was still pondering the questions when Miles arrived at her condo. He was dressed in civilian clothing, and looked great in his jeans and t-shirt. She accepted the pizza from him, smiling her distracted thanks, and deposited it on the kitchen island.
She turned quickly to pull two sodas from the refrigerator, and then placed them on her newly purchased dinette table beside two plates she’d already placed there. After retrieving the pizza, she urged him to sit. She followed suit, dropping onto the chair across from him with a fatigued thud.
He opened the pizza box and watched her with concern as he passed her a slice of Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza. He quickly registered the tautness that sharpened her features, apparently at the sight of the pizza. He frowned. “You don’t like Canadian bacon?” he inquired. “I’d be happy to call in an order for something different.”
She glanced at him with alarm. “Oh, no, I like it … fine.”
He chuckled uncertainly. “That’s hardly a ringing endorsement. Really, I can get you something else.”
“No, no,” she said, shaking her head, and then registering that her odd behavior was apparently upsetting him. “No, the pizza is fine,” she assured him. “It just … reminded me of … ham.”
He gave her a quizzical glance. “You don’t like ham?”
She shook her head, and then nodded, realizing she was confusing the poor man. “No, I mean,
yes, I like ham just fine. It’s just, well, Dolores…”
“Uh, oh,” he said, dropping his pizza onto the plate and giving her his undivided attention. “This can’t be good.”
“Well, I mean, it depends on how you look at it. It is … good—for Santa’s Posse, but not especially good for … me.”
“Fill me in,” he urged, his gaze fixed on her face.
She explained her predicament. He promptly fell back against the back of the chair. “Huh,” he said.
Kellie found herself watching his face when it became evident he was deep in thought—no doubt attempting to help her solve her problem. She stared in fascination at his crisp blue eyes, and could easily envision the wheels turning behind them. When he reached up to stroke his strong, clean-shaven jaw, her eyes lit on his lips. They were well-formed, masculine. Suddenly, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to kiss those lips—not a brief, brush of his lips against hers like he’d done in the past, but a real kiss.
She nearly launched out of her chair when he cleared his throat. Her cheeks flamed red when she realized he’d noticed her staring at him as if she were … hungry and he was a … ham.
He had the good graces to refrain from commenting on her odd behavior, but instead offered a possible solution to her problem. “Okay, the first order of business is finding a way to transport the hams. I would guess we’ll need a truck with a refrigeration system, in order to adhere to strict codes relating to the transport of food. And then we’ll need to find a place or places to store the hams…”
He continued after a long pause, “I’m fairly confident that several of the restaurants in the food court will allow us to store hams on the premises. If we store, say ten or fifteen at each location, then we shouldn’t overwhelm any one location and take up valuable storage space they might need.” He met her gaze and winced. “I have no clue where we can get a hold of a truck…” He slid his jaw to the side briefly, in what she decided was a worried gesture, but then he perked up. “You know what, let’s not think about this tonight. I’ll talk to some people tomorrow and see what we can figure out.”
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