“Yes, I know what you mean,” she told her. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.” She forced a smile, not wanting to be impolite, but wanting desperately to put some distance between herself and Miles’ well-meaning friend.
“Hey, is it true he’s playing Santa Claus for Santa’s Posse this year?” the woman asked, as Kellie was walking away from her.
She turned and forced a smile. “He is.”
“Well, consider us—his friends that is—his posse.” She shrugged. “And as his posse, we can’t help but have his back.”
Chapter Twenty
Between her work and her role with Santa’s Posse, Kellie was kept extremely busy. Christmas was only a week away, and the date for Santa’s Posse deliveries only a couple days off.
She hadn’t seen much of Miles, by choice, frequently ducking into stores when she spotted him at the mall, or attempting to avoid him at the condominium complex. She didn’t miss the puzzled frown on his face each time she gave a mock cheery wave and dashed off, but then, what else could she do?
After the rumors that swirled around regarding her supposed “rendezvous” with him behind a clothing rack, she could hardly bear the embarrassment of speaking to him anyway. Had he been confronted with that particular rumor? And if so, was he as mortified as she was? She considered herself fortunate she hadn’t been called on the carpet by the owners of the mall, particularly since she had been teased at every turn by nearly everyone she encountered at the mall.
During that uncomfortable time, she had endeavored to hold her head high, but it hadn’t been easy. The mere fact that people had been bold enough to tease her in the first place had indicated to her that her status as a respected authority figure had taken a decided hit.
She had spoken to Miles once in a phone conversation, briefly, after she’d gone to the precinct with her theory about Tony Marks and his involvement with the car prowls and thefts. He had been impressed that she had solved the case, and suggested they have dinner when he was over his flu. She had avoided him since that phone call.
Now, in her office, it was nearly quitting time and she was preparing to leave for the day. Her evening was clear, with no Santa’s Posse merchandise pickups on the agenda. She was relieved to have a real night off and was about to leave when Jill stepped into her office.
“Kellie,” Jill implored, for the umpteenth time, “please talk to me.”
“We talk all the time,” she said with forced cheer. “Hey, are you ready to head home?”
“Stop changing the subject,” she said in a fatigued tone. “You know what I’m talking about, or rather, who I’m talking about.”
Kellie gave a dismissive wave. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Oh, I think there is. I know you pretend not to notice, but when Miles sees you, he gets this sad, contemplative look on his face. Frankly, it’s breaking my heart. The truth is, I think you’re breaking his heart.”
“I am not. We hardly know each other.”
“Which he wanted desperately to remedy,” Jill pointed out. “Please, cut the man some slack. I don’t know what he did but…”
“He didn’t do anything,” she said with a sigh.
“Okay, we’re getting somewhere. Somebody did something. Talk! Please!”
“I don’t want to,” she moaned.
“Kellie, really, talk to me. Maybe I can help.”
She dropped back into her chair and shook her head. “Jill, I have a job to do.”
“Okay. You have a job to do. Go on.”
“I’m in a position of some authority. In order to do my job, I need people to respect me.”
“They do respect you,” she said, perplexed. “Who doesn’t respect you?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said glumly, “everyone who believed the rumors about Miles and me supposedly locking lips and doing who knows what else behind that clothing rack.”
“That’s what this is about?” Jill cried, incredulous.
“Well, that, and the fact that everybody and their mother is convinced I’m some sort of one-woman wrecking crew, bent on ultimately destroying poor, poor sweet Miles. Lord knows, everyone has told me as much.”
Jill shook her head, but then her eyes widened as understanding dawned. “Oh, Kellie, I’m so sorry. I did that to you too, didn’t I?”
She waved off the apology. “It’s all right. Your heart was in the right place.”
“But is there more to this story? I mean, do you have feelings for him? Because if you don’t, then it is probably best you keep your distance, but if you do…” Jill pinned her with a look.
“I do,” she groaned, and dropped her head onto her arms. “I like him, Jill. I more than like him…” She sighed. “I didn’t want to. I tried not to. It’s so hard! Lord help me, I’m pathetic.”
“You are not pathetic. Honey, you’re in love. And that being said, why are you letting people come between the two of you?” Her eyes widened again. “Oh, Kellie, you’re not only concerned about your own job and reputation, you’re worried about his too.”
“Well, of course,” she murmured miserably. “The man works so hard. He has so much on his plate as it is, but he never hesitated to drop everything to help me out—with work, home, Santa’s Posse—whatever. Heck, if you think about it, I’ve been a royal pain, and one he could probably do without, if he thinks about it.”
“Oh, Kellie.” Jill sat heavily in her chair, muttering under her breath. “Oh, I have to fix this.”
“What did you say?” she asked. “I didn’t hear you just then.”
“Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Kellie, talk to him. Give him a chance.”
“We’ll see,” she mused. “We’ll see.”
***
Dolores Angles stood at the head of one of the tables that ran the length of the mall corridor, directly in front of the precinct. Several parallel tables held the finished baskets to be delivered that evening to needy families.
“I’d like to thank you all,” she said to the group, which promptly quieted to hear her speak. “Thanks to all of you, we’ve reached our goal of filling over four hundred baskets this year. And thanks to you, many families in our community will have food on their tables and presents under their trees this holiday season.”
The group erupted in applause, which quieted abruptly when she raised a hand. “It’s nearing delivery time. Does everyone have their assignments? If not, please see me. If you have any questions, please follow me into the precinct now.” After another round of applause, she headed into the precinct, followed by several people.
Kelli turned to Jill beside her. “Well, the evening’s finally here.”
“What a relief,” Jill said, but then laughed. “And I’ll be right back here next year. How ‘bout you?”
She nodded, chuckling. “I’ll definitely help out, but Dolores may need to find herself a different procurement specialist. I’m worn out from procuring.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“I’m going to head home, I think. Tell George ‘hello’ for me.” She smiled. “It’s so sweet of him to drive tonight.”
“Well, when Dolores lost one of her volunteers, I knew he would be happy to help out, and bring along his truck.”
“It’s nice he has the camper on it. It’ll sure make things easier,” Kellie observed. “You two have fun and drive carefully. If you’re late getting into work tomorrow, don’t give it a thought.”
“Thank you. See you tomorrow,” Jill called, as Kellie began walking toward the executive offices. She intended to grab a few things and then head home.
She turned when she heard a bit of commotion behind her. Miles strode out of the precinct, dressed in full Santa regalia, including the mustache, beard, and rosy cheeks. The crowd erupted into applause again, many calling out greetings, while others teased him mercilessly. He responded by calling out a hearty ‘ho, ho, ho,’ and then threatening to put everyone on his ‘naughty’ list.
Ke
llie chuckled, and started off again, only to hear Dolores calling her name. By the tone of her voice, she knew something was wrong. She took a deep, shoring breath and walked toward Dolores, who stood in the precinct doorway, beside a life-sized, plastic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
“Kellie, we have a problem!”
She wondered how Dolores’ problem had become her problem, specifically. There was still a crowd full of people nearby. Why didn’t she call out to one of them? She really wanted to get home.
She felt Miles’ eyes on her as she reached Dolores. “What’s wrong?” she asked, draping an arm over Rudolph in an attempt to appear nonchalant.
“We’ve lost an elf!” Dolores cried. “Mandy called in sick!”
“Oh!” Kellie said, unsure what else to say. There wasn’t much she could do to remedy that problem, so she glanced around. She spotted a bevy of elves, dressed in assorted corduroy costumes in a rainbow of colors. “Well, thankfully, you have so many volunteers, I’m sure no one is going to miss one elf.”
She started off again, praying Dolores wouldn’t call her back.
“Kellie! Where are you going? We need you?”
She plastered a smile on her face, turned, avoided Miles’ eyes which she sensed were fixed on her face. “You need me?” she said wearily, failing to hide the frustrated tone in her voice.
Was it her imagination or did she hear Miles chuckle behind her? Yes, she was certain that was his laugh. She resisted the urge to turn around, to see what was so funny.
“You’re the only one who can help us!” Dolores cried.
“The only one, huh?” she said with a sigh.
Miles chuckled again. She was sure of it this time.
“What do you want me to do? Playing the part of an elf wasn’t part of my particular volunteer job description. I’ll show you.” She pointed lamely in the direction of her office. “I’ll just be a minute. I’m going to grab my envelopes. You’ll see…”
She heard Miles laughing again, only it wasn’t a chuckle, but a full-out, unsympathetic guffaw.
What was so funny? she wondered testily.
“You’re the only one who will fit!” Dolores cried, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
“Fit? Fit what?”
“The costume, of course,” she said, as if was as plain as the red nose on Rudolph’s face. “We need you to take Mandy’s place. Santa cannot go out tonight without his number one elf!”
***
Kellie found herself ushered into the precinct and into the women’s restroom. “I’ll be right back,” Dolores said, and dashed away. She returned a moment later and thrust a package at her. “Here’s the costume. Put it on.”
Kellie shook her head, wondering how this had happened. When Jill stepped into the room, she opened her mouth to ask her that very question, but promptly clamped it shut. Asking wouldn’t halt the reality of what was about to happen. She was about to become an elf—Santa’s elf, and, Miles ‘pardner’.
“Do you need any help getting into the costume?” Jill asked, struggling to keep the grin off her face.
“This isn’t funny,” Kellie said morosely. “I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. It was my understanding Dolores had ample volunteers to make the deliveries. I had no reason to think she would be short an elf. She should have had backup elves,” she complained. “I’m not elf material. I don’t even like elves. One time when I was little, I was on Santa’s lap, and there was this elf that my oldest brother…”
“Kellie,” Jill said in a calm, soothing tone, “we actually don’t have time to reminisce about your apparent contempt for elves, because, honey, you’re about to become one. It appears you’re stuck, so try to make the best of it. Think about all the little kids tonight who are going to be so delighted to meet Santa and his number one elf.”
Kellie glared at her. “I can’t ride along with Miles!”
“Why not?”
She shook her head. “I’ve been avoiding him for so long, what can I possibly say to him now?”
“It’s going to be all right. I promise. Besides, you have a job to do tonight. You’re essentially his navigator. You’ll be so busy with deliveries, you won’t have time to get into any personal discussions.”
“You really think so?”
“I do. Now, get into that costume.”
Kellie dressed quickly, noting this costume was different from the others she’d seen, but it wasn’t until she saw the horrified look on her assistant’s face that she realized something was dreadfully wrong. She turned toward the mirror and gasped. She shook her head in disbelief, turning toward Jill, mouth agape.
“Oh, goodness,” Jill said, struggling not to laugh. It really wasn’t funny, but…
What had Mandy been thinking when she’d altered the costume? This one didn’t even remotely resemble the other elves’ costumes, with its plunging neckline and shortie shorts. It occurred to Jill that Mandy had probably been hoping to catch the commander’s eye this evening.
“I can’t go out in this!” Kellie cried. “I’ll be arrested for solicitation!”
Jill burst out laughing then. “It’s not that bad,” she said, shaking her head, but then began nodding, “okay, yes, yes, it is bad. It’s horrible. I’m going to have a talk with Mandy’s mother, I assure you. But in the meantime, I’ll … go find Dolores.” She reached for the door, but turned back. “Uh, don’t come out—under any circumstances.”
“Uh, do you really think you needed to tell me that? I mean, look at me. Just call me ‘Trollop the elf.’”
Jill laughed with chagrin. “I’ll be right back.”
When the door opened moments later, Kellie screamed in horror. Jill hadn’t retrieved Dolores, but had brought Miles instead. “Jill!”
To block Miles’ view of her, Kellie threw one arm across her chest and the other over her lower extremities, and then folded at her middle, essentially balancing on one leg. “Jill!” she cried, and again with emphasis, “Jill!”
Her friend gave an apologetic shrug. “I’m sorry, but Dolores had to run out to the parking lot, so I brought…”
Kellie glanced at Miles with alarm, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Contorting her body as she was, trying to keep him from seeing anymore than he already had, caused her to nearly topple over. He reached out a hand to steady her, but she lost her balance and had to windmill with her free arm to stay upright. Unfortunately, he got an eyeful in the process.
“Oh!” he said with shock. “Oh, wow. Um…”
Kellie did a stern circular motion with her finger. “Turn around!”
“Oh, okay,” he said, swallowing hard, but he didn’t turn around. Instead, he continued to stare at her, mouth agape.
“Turn around!”
“Oh, okay, sure.” This time he turned around, but immediately turned back. “Um, it’s not so bad.”
“Then you wear it!” she shrieked.
He turned his back to her, and she knew she heard him laugh.
“Is Mandy a friend of yours?” she demanded hotly.
He turned to face her again. “Oh, no, definitely not. I … I don’t think I, uh, even know who Mandy is. Uh, who is she?”
“I don’t know! Turn around!”
He turned around. “Has Dolores seen this costume?” he inquired congenially.
“What … do … you … think?” she said, watching him as if he were a space alien.
“Oh, well, probably not,” he said, turning toward her again.
“Would you please turn around?”
“Okay, look, how can I help you if I don’t turn to face you?” He obliged, however, and turned away.
“Help me? Do I look like I need your help? I need a coat! Or better yet, a blanket!”
He turned to face her yet again and spread his arms, glancing down at his well-padded form. “I’d give you this red tunic thing, but I’m belted in,” he said apologetically, his eyes passing over her again.
&n
bsp; When he realized he’d done it, he shook his head ruefully. “I’m sorry, Kellie. I don’t mean to stare. Really. It’s just…”
“What?”
“I think I understand why Santa spends so much time in his workshop.”
“Shut up,” she said, and then … burst out laughing.
Miles laughed until he started coughing, and then shored himself with a deep breath. “Look, I’m going to step out of the women’s restroom,” he said, suddenly remembering where he was at present. “I want you to change back into your clothes, and I’ll guard the door for you.” He flashed a grin. “I mean, unless you don’t want to change…”
“Shut up,” she laughed.
“Okay, well, it’s your call,” he said good-naturedly.
She punched him in his gut for good measure, but he only laughed. “You can’t hurt me,” he teased. “I’m well padded, and insulated. You, number one elf,” he said, chuckling gleefully, “may very well freeze to death in that get-up.” He frowned. “What was ‘Mandy’ thinking anyway?” he said, cocking his head and studying her again.
“Avert your eyes,” she commanded. “And I’m sure if you think long enough and hard enough, you may figure out why Mandy intended to don this outfit tonight,” she told him. “Stop staring at me!”
“Sorry,” he said contritely, and backed out of the room.
She hurriedly changed back into her work wear, but could not bring herself to leave the restroom. Miles was standing out there, after having just seen her in all her elfin glory. Since the costume consisted of a body suit under teeny shorts, it hadn’t left much to the imagination. Frankly, if there had been a window in the restroom, she would have climbed out of it.
Finally, she heard him calling her name. “Kellie, is everything all right in there?”
“Fine.”
“Are you … coming out?”
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