“Well, it seems like a great idea to me,” Jill said. “I know I’ll feel safer having someone walk me out to my car. Thank you, Miles.” She gave Kellie a pointed look.
“Thank you, Miles,” she parroted grudgingly.
He watched her for several seconds, his blue eyes piercing and intent. Finally, he spoke. “So what time are you getting off?”
“Oh, good grief,” she said. “I don’t need an escort. As if you’re not busy enough.”
He ignored the remark. “I was going to ask if you’re free for dinner tonight?”
“She’s free,” Jill said readily.
Kellie glanced at her friend and gave her a bemused glance. She shook her head and turned back to Miles. “I’m free.”
He nodded. “I’m going to do my best to get out of here by six.”
“Okay. So … you’ll pick me up at my condo—about what time…?”
“I’ll meet you here at six, so I can walk you to your car,” he said firmly, and turned to Jill. “What time are you going home tonight?”
“I have to leave at five. I have an engagement.”
He digested the information. “Okay, I won’t be back in time, but I’ll have one of my deputies meet you here. Please don’t leave until he gets here.”
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me twice,” she said agreeably, giving Kellie another pointed look. “Well, I’d better get back to my desk. I do believe I hear my phone ringing.”
Kellie piqued her ears, heard no phone, and shook her head ruefully. She knew Jill’s departure was her assistant’s way of giving her and Miles alone time. She actually wished Jill would stay. The tension in the room was palpable.
The door closed behind her and Kellie gave Miles an expectant, but forced smile. “Was there something else?”
He dropped into the chair Jill had just vacated. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Kellie, I…”
She watched him closely. He appeared wholly uncomfortable. “Yes?” she prompted.
He sighed and rose up taller in the chair. “Look, I…”
“Yes?” she urged, stifling a nervous chuckle. Was she about to receive another tongue lashing for her impetuous behavior the day before?
Suddenly, he stood up and began pacing. She watched him, a curious expression fixed on her face. “Miles!” she said finally. “What’s wrong?”
He stopped pacing, raked a hand through his hair, and met her gaze. “Look, uh, I know this isn’t the time or the place. I mean, I’d meant to talk to you about this at dinner tonight, but it turns out, I don’t think I can wait…”
“What is it?” she asked worriedly. “Is everything all right in the mall?”
He frowned and gave a dismissive wave. “I’m not … talking about the mall. I don’t want to talk about the mall right now.”
“Then what do you want to talk about?” she inquired.
“Us!” he said finally. “I want to talk about … us.”
Chapter Fourteen
“You want to talk about us? What about us, Miles?” Kellie said, her face set in a puzzled frown.
He took a deep breath. “Okay, yesterday, when dispatch alerted me to the fact that you were in foot pursuit of a…” He shook his head. “Still having trouble wrapping my mind around that…” He shook his head again. “Well, I felt my stomach drop, literally. I was, frankly, terrified. I couldn’t get to you fast enough.”
“I … appreciate that,” she said.
“Thankfully, you were okay, but Kellie, it could have been so much worse.”
She nodded, accepting the truth to his statement. “You’re right.”
“Anyway, I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I realized something yesterday evening.”
“Yes?”
“I realized that I, uh, have feelings for you. I mean, I’d already realized that I wanted to get to know you better, but hearing that you might be in jeopardy, I…”
She sat forward in the chair, digesting his words. She had gathered that he had feelings for her, and she couldn’t deny she was attracted to him, but having him declaring those feelings to her, while she was at work, seemed surreal. She wondered, was Jill outside the door, with her ear pressed to it? And what exactly was he trying to tell her?
She met his gaze. “I am sorry that my actions yesterday upset you.”
He nodded, accepting her apology. “Thank you. And as I was saying, I want to get to know you better.” He raked a hand through his hair, and sighed with frustration. “It seems like every time you and I try to make plans, one of us is called away for work reasons or Santa’s Posse business. I want you to know that I hope that after the holidays, we can manage to spend more time together getting to know one another.” He sighed. “I’m going to work on establishing some boundaries when it comes to my work…”
His words trailed off as a light tapping came from the door. He grimaced, turned, and popped it open a few inches. “Can it wait a few minutes, Jill?” he asked softly.
Dolores burst into the room. “I’m not Jill and no, it can’t wait.” She turned to Kellie. “Did you happen to read through the envelope I dropped off for you earlier?”
“Uh, well, uh…” she stammered.
She threw her hands in the air. “Miss Sanders! Do I have to remind you that you made a commitment to this charity event, and if you don’t get with the program, the program could be sorely affected?”
Kellie glanced from Miles to Dolores. “I’m sorry,” she murmured contritely. She was still fixated on Miles’ declaration that he wanted to spend more time with her. Yeah, good luck, she mused.
“What is it you need, Dolores?” Miles asked, and Kellie didn’t miss the weary tone to his voice.
“Well,” she said crisply, turning her attention to Kellie again, “you need to stop by Lawton’s Bakery tonight at seven. They’ve promised us three hundred fifty pies for Santa’s Posse…”
“She’s not picking them up tonight?” he said. “They’ll spoil…”
“Of course not,” Dolores cut in, giving him a disgusted look. “No, but they do want her to stop by to make the arrangements for the eventual pickup.”
“Can it wait?” he asked, before Kellie could get a word in.
Dolores shook her head adamantly. “No. We’re grateful for their generosity, and it’s only fair that we abide by their time constraints. They asked that we stop by tonight, so we stop by tonight.”
He ventured a hopeful smile. “We? Could you go talk to them, Dolores? Kellie is really busy.”
She shook her head. “By ‘we’, I don’t mean me. I have other Santa’s Posse business to attend to this evening.” She turned to Kellie and raised her brows. “Well?”
“I’ll go,” she said too brightly. What else could she do? She was the Santa’s Posse Procurement Specialist, after all.
Satisfied that she was going to drive out to the bakery, and after admonishing her again to read the contents of all the envelopes, Dolores hurried out of Kellie’s office.
Miles sunk into the chair, heaving a heavy sigh. “So much for dinner,” he murmured.
Kellie gave him a shy look. “You could always go with me to the bakery. We could grab a donut for dinner.”
“We could.” He laughed without humor, but perked up slightly. “It’s a date. First, however, I’ll see you here, six ‘o clock sharp.”
***
Kellie hurried into her condo to freshen up for the trip to the bakery. She had just slipped into comfortable slacks and a top when Miles rang her doorbell. He’d shed his work clothes and gotten ready in record time too.
She hurried to answer the door, purse and keys in hand. He stood patiently at the
door. “We’ll have to leave now if we’re going to make it to the bakery by seven,” she told him.
He nodded. “Lock up and we’ll get moving.”
“You really don’t mind coming with me?”
He smiled. “Not at all. I was thinking we could grab
something to eat after we’re done at the bakery—something more substantial than a donut.”
“Sounds good.”
Soon they arrived at the large, industrial bakery and were greeted by the owner, an older woman with sleek silver hair. “Thank you so much for coming by,” she said, leading them through a storefront and past a glass case filled with delectable treats. “I’m Margo. My office is this way.”
In her office, she sat down, gesturing for them to take seats. “I’m glad you were able to come this evening. I have so much going on over the holidays, that I really like to get my ducks … er … pies in a row,” she joked.
Miles chuckled. “We understand.”
“And thank you for donating the pies,” Kellie added.
The woman nodded. “We’re always glad to help out with local charities. Anyway,” she said, glancing down at a sheet of paper, “Dolores Angles tells me you’ll need at least three hundred pies.”
Miles nodded. “We’re actually expecting to serve over three hundred families this year, but three hundred pies are just great,” he assured her.
She tilted her head in thought. “I’ll plan for four hundred,” she told him, “just in case you do exceed your expectations this year. I know the need for food and toys for needy families increases each year. It’s commendable work you do.”
“Fortunately, thanks to you and others, we’ve always managed to meet the need,” he told her.
She smiled and inquired as to when the pies were needed. He told her the date of the deliveries. “Is there a particular time on delivery day you’d like us to deliver the pies to you?” she asked.
“You’re bringing them to us?” Kellie said, surprised.
“We do have a delivery truck and would be happy to do it.”
“That’s great,” Kellie enthused, turning to Miles.
“We haven’t discussed what kinds of pies you’d like,” Margo said.
“We’ll take whatever you’ll give us,” Miles said honestly.
She rose from her desk. “This is what we’ll do,” she said, leading the couple out of her office. They followed her to the glass case in the front of the on-site store. “Lisa,” she said to an employee, gesturing to a large assortment of pies, “will you box up a pumpkin, apple, and cherry pie for these folks? No charge.”
The girl nodded in response and Margo turned back to them. “Please do taste them and let me know what you’d like. If you could let me know as soon as possible which pies you prefer, that would be great. Making pumpkin pies isn’t a problem this time of year, as is the case with apple, but cherry… If that’s your preference, we’ll need some notice.”
Miles smiled his thanks. “As I said, we’re delighted with whatever you’ll give us. Why don’t we go with apple and pumpkin, so as to simplify things?”
She grinned. “You haven’t tried my cherry pie, but that sounds like a plan.”
After thanking her again, the couple left the large bakery, Kellie carrying the pies. Inside Miles’ truck, she steadied the deserts in her lap, noting that they were still warm.
“Those smell great,” he said.
She grinned. “Desert first, dinner later?” she inquired, arching her brows.
He chuckled. “Would you like to grab burgers at a drive-through restaurant and eat at your place? We should probably leave the pies for after.”
“Sound goods,” she said. “I’m exhausted.”
Back at her house, they ate their burgers and fries, and then Kellie hurried to cut into each of the pies, putting a small slice of each on two plates. Miles watched her, smiling. “We’re sampling all of them tonight?” he asked.
“Hey, this is a taste test. Margo wanted us to try them all.”
“I’m not arguing,” he declared, accepting his plate from her.
Side-by-side on the couch, they tasted the pies. Kellie made a play of biting into each slice, tipping her head to the side to discern the merits of each flavor, and then declared apple her favorite.
“I don’t know,” he said, “the cherry is excellent, but then, so is the pumpkin.”
She eyed the pie boxes on the table. “Maybe we need another small slice of each.” She took his plate, and crossed the room to cut into the pies again.
“Where does she put it?” he said with a low whistle.
She paused. “Nervous energy,” she said seriously.
“What are you nervous about?” he inquired, his voice concerned.
“I’m nervous I may not have signed leases on all the empty retail spaces at the mall by the first of the year, I’m nervous I may have missed something relating to Santa’s Posse, since to be honest, I haven’t read through all my big envelopes, and…”
“Don’t worry,” he cut in, giving her an encouraging smile. “Grab the envelopes and we’ll look through them together.”
“Do we have to?” she said with a moan.
“You have met Dolores, right?” he said, giving her an ominous look. “You don’t want to make her angry, do you?”
She shuddered dramatically. “I’d rather leave town.”
Miles rose then, crossed the room, and to her surprise, pulled her into his arms. “I don’t want you to leave town.”
She leaned into him, resting her face against his chest. “This is nice.”
“It is,” he said. “Very nice. And about what we were talking about earlier, in your office…”
Suddenly, three clipped beeps sounded from the pager in his front pocket, causing her to jump. He let out a groan as he grudgingly pulled it from the pocket. Kellie watched him expectantly as he checked the tiny screen. “I have to make a call,” he growled, glancing around. “I left my cell phone at home…”
“Oh, the phone is right over there,” she told him, pointing to the kitchen counter where she’d left it earlier.
He heaved a sigh, crossed the room, and punched in a number. He stood silently, listening. “Blake,” he said finally, and then, “yeah.” With that, he clicked off the phone and turned to Kellie, giving her an apologetic smile. “I have to go.”
She simply nodded. Of course he had to go.
“We’ll talk later,” he told her.
“Okay.” She walked him to the door, where he paused and searched her face. “The fates seem to be against us,” he said with a humorless laugh.
“Things will slow down after the holidays,” she assured him.
“I sure hope so.” He stared intently into her eyes for several long seconds. She watched his irises darken, as he smiled and leaned in to claim her lips. He pressed with a gentle insistence, his lips firm, searching. She responded to his kiss, practically melting under his tender assault.
After the lingering kiss, he held her for a moment, but finally pulled back with a resigned sigh and pulled open the door. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“Count on it,” she said, and closed the door behind him.
Chapter Fifteen
“Are you going to fill me in or what?” Jill said, standing over Kellie’s desk and tapping her pencil impatiently on the desktop.
“What?” she said, glancing up. “Uh, Jill, can you pull the lease on the Cutlery Store, please?”
She dashed out of the office, found the lease in the file cabinet, and dropped it onto her desk. “Talk!” she insisted.
Kellie glanced up again and shook her head. “About what?”
Jill sat down in the chair across from her desk, and leaned forward, an expectant expression on her face. “Tell me what Miles had to say yesterday. It was clear he had something important to discuss.”
She furrowed her brow. “When?”
“Kellie!” she admonished. “You know very well when. Yesterday, when he was in your office, just before Dolores burst into the room and ruined everything. That woman’s timing leaves a lot to be desired,” she groused.
Checking her watch, Kellie frowned. “We’ll have to talk later. My ten o’ clock is probably waiting for me.”
“Righ
t,” she said dubiously, shooting her a look of daggers. “If you don’t tell me, somebody else will,” she said in a sing-song voice.
Kellie, who had risen from her desk, paused to cast her a questioning glance. “If somebody else tells you what Miles and I discussed, then that would indicate he told someone else what he and I discussed, which would mean our Commander has a big mouth, which would mean I would have to take a closer look at him as a…”
“Potential boyfriend,” Jill said hastily, gleefully.
She didn’t bother responding but instead sent a breezy wave Jill’s way before she dashed out of the office. She found her ten o’clock waiting, and after a brief meeting, left with pep in her step, since she’d managed to rent out another long-empty mall location. Things were looking brighter in that arena.
To celebrate finding a new retail tenant, she detoured to the cookie store and bought a selection. She was cheerfully munching a chocolate chip cookie when she realized that the upper tier of the mall had suddenly gone darker. Glancing up, she gasped. A blanket of snow had fallen on the gargantuan skylights above her.
She hurried down a corridor leading to a mall entrance. She glanced out over the snowy scene. The parking lot was a veritable winter wonderland.
She returned to her office. “Jill, it’s snowing!”
“I know!” she said, but frowned. “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!”
Kellie winced. “So much for going home for the holiday.”
She realized that while she was sad on some level, she was also somewhat relieved. She hadn’t looked forward to the long drive home, nor had she looked forward to the interrogation her mother likely had planned for her regarding her relationship status.
If the snow happened to stick, she knew her Thanksgiving would be spent at home, in her own place. There was something both appealing and comforting about that prospect.
“Kellie, what are you going to do?” Jill cried suddenly. “You can’t drive in this weather, and the weatherman predicts the snow is going to stick, at least until early Friday morning.”
“I won’t drive in this weather.” She sighed. “Oh, I hope it melts off before we open the doors early on Friday. If it doesn’t…” Her words trailed off. A snowy Black Friday could mean miserable sales for the mall stores. “As for Thanksgiving, I’ll just have to stay home.”
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