Santa's Posse (3 page)

“Sounds fine,” she
said.  “If you’d like to print up a hundred copies, I’d be glad to send them
out for you.”

“You would?” he
asked, his eyes registering surprise.

“Sure.”

“Okay,” he said
with a quick grin.  “I can get those copies to you ASAP.”  He rose from the
chair.  “Wow, that was easy.”

She watched him
curiously.  “Did you expect me to say no?”

“Oh, no, not
that.  It’s just, well, the guy in the position before you was a micro manager—had
to know each and every detail before he’d give a stamp of approval to
anything.  He was, well, intense.” 

Kellie heard
something in the commander’s voice, and it was evident to her that he hadn’t
particularly liked her predecessor, but then, the word around the mall was, not
many people had.  She hoped the mall’s occupants would find her management
style more to their liking.

“Okay, then,” she
said crisply, “just leave those letters with Jill and we’ll get them sent out. 
You may want to follow up with additional letters as we get closer to the
holiday.  Wait, it’s only October.  Aren’t you starting kind of early?”

He shook his
head.  “Heck, no.  There are people involved with Santa’s Posse who work the
whole year long getting things ready.  Besides, Christmas is just around the
corner.”

“No,
Halloween
is just around the corner,” she told him with a smile.

He smiled back,
and she found herself staring into his striking blue eyes.  Jill had called him
gorgeous, and there was no denying the man was attractive.  Kellie had noticed
before that he was tall, blond, and handsome, but she hadn’t been certain if
she liked him much.  She hadn’t been able to discern if he was being
condescending to her before, or protective, or … what?   

“So, you’re the
new sheriff in town?” he said with a grin, drawing her out of her thoughts. 

She angled a
glance at him, and then laughed outright.  “In a manner of speaking, I guess. 
I suppose the mall is a sort of town, with all the stores and restaurants.  We
even have a hotel on the northern end of the property, and a gas station, so,
yes, in a way, we’re a town…”

He laughed.  “Just
remember, you might be the sheriff in your mall town, but I’m the commander of
the precinct, and the one with real police powers.  When you want someone
arrested, or evicted from the mall, call me, please.”

She nodded as he rose
to leave.  With a final glance at her, he left her office.  She saw him again
through her office window as he strode along a short hallway to the mall’s
main, interior corridor.  Although she could see out, the window blinds didn’t
permit people outside to see in.  She watched after him.  He sure looked good
in that uniform.

The errant thought
startled her.  He wasn’t her type, and she had never been particularly swayed
by a man in uniform.  Besides, she still wasn’t sure whether she even liked him. 
Although she had to concede now that it hadn’t been her smartest move to
confront the boys earlier, she had only done what any caring person would have
done.  She feared that had she hesitated, the group of boys could have
seriously harmed the lone teen. 

Did the commander think
she was weak because she was a woman?  Because if he did, he had another think
coming.

***

Soon after her
meeting with the commander, Kellie stood at a vacant store front, clipboard in
hand, and waiting for a prospective tenant to arrive.  She had expected the
woman to arrive at two, but it was already two-twenty. 

Perhaps the woman
had changed her mind about seeing the property, Kellie mused.  She had
mentioned something about meeting with her investors a final time.  Perhaps
things hadn’t gone as planned.  Whatever the reason, she should have called her
to let her know she was going to be late for the appointment.

With a sigh, she took
a seat on a nearby bench and scanned the mall.  She noted she was currently sitting
directly across from the mall precinct.  Absently, she looked inside, noting
several occupied cubicles within the space.  She saw a desk manned by a
receptionist, and spied two or three deputies milling around.  Suddenly, one of
the men snapped his radio off his belt and dashed out a door she suspected led
to the parking lot.

Vaguely she could
make out the shape of Commander Blake’s well-formed head through the glass
window in his office.  Like her own office, his window afforded a view of the
mall, but unlike her window, which did not allow others to see in, she could
easily see him.  He was currently in a meeting, and she could just make out the
bright red hair of the little boy sitting across from his desk.  Her heart went
out to the child. 

Soon, the
commander rose and the boy did the same.  Kellie watched the door swing open
and the commander led him into the lobby with a gentle hand on his shoulder. 
When he pulled the boy into a quick embrace, she felt her heart tug.  It was
evident he cared about the child. 

He gestured for him
to take a seat in the lobby, and it wasn’t long before a woman, apparently the
boy’s mother, arrived.  By the harried clip of her walk, it was clear she was
eager to reach her son. 

When the boy spied
his mother, he slumped dejectedly in the chair.  She said a few words to him,
aimed a warning finger his way, and then hurried into the commander’s office. 

Kellie noticed the
child casting worried glances toward the office.  On one hand, she felt bad for
him, but on the other, he’d done the crime, so he would have to do the time. 

Finally, she
checked her watch and decided she wouldn’t waste another minute waiting on her
two o’clock appointment.  The woman was now more than thirty minutes late. 
Instead, she dashed into a nearby cookie store and purchased half a dozen
chocolate chip cookies.  She grabbed a handful of napkins and then headed
toward her office to share her bounty with Jill.  Although she’d only started
the job two days before, she was certain she and her new administrative
assistant were going to be great friends.

On a whim, she detoured
to the mall precinct.  She crossed the threshold of the wide entrance and walked
the short distance to the little boy.  She wasn’t sure what prompted her to offer
him a cookie.  She nudged his shoulder with her arm, simultaneously passing him
the treat.

He glanced up, startled,
spied the cookie, and gave her a curious glance. 

“Take it.  You
look hungry.  Did you eat lunch today?”

He shook his
head.  “No.”  He accepted the cookie and she passed him a napkin, along with a
second cookie.  He nodded his thanks, looking for all intents and purposes like
a sweet, freckled-faced eleven-year-old.

“Crime doesn’t
pay,” she said sternly, wagging a finger at him.  “Stay out of trouble, okay? 
Skipping school is a bad idea,” she added for good measure.

He nodded numbly
and watched her walk away.  She was halfway back to her office when she heard a
deep, masculine voice call her name.  She turned and watched the commander
stride toward her, a broad smile spanning his face. 

“Apparently crime
does
pay,” he said when he reached her.  She paused and gave him a quizzical glance,
but then remembered her remark to the little boy.  “Apparently it pays in
chocolate chip cookies,” he told her with a grin. 

She smiled
ruefully.  “He looked hungry.”

“He was.  I should
have fed him something.  I didn’t think about it,” he admitted.

“I suppose I could
have offered him something more nutritious than cookies.”

“He was happy
enough with the cookies,” he assured her.

“They’re good
cookies.”  She reached into the bag and passed him one, which he accepted with
a smile.

“Are you sure you
have enough? I’d hate to eat the last one.”

“That’s the beauty
of working at the mall,” she said, matching his grin.  “Chocolate chip cookies
are only a short walk from my office.  And speaking of my office, I’d better get
back.”

To her surprise, he
accompanied her there.  At the door, he paused and sought her eyes.  “I don’t
suppose … you’d like to join me for dinner?”

“You already
bought my lunch,” she reminded him.

“Then you can
buy,” he said with a grin.

She shrugged apologetically. 
“I’m sorry.  I can’t.”

“Plans?”

She nodded, but refrained
from mentioning her plans involved unpacking stacks of boxes and attempting to
assemble a new bed frame that came with a new bedroom suite.  The cherry
furniture had been an impromptu purchase from the mall furniture store
yesterday—which the store manager had delivered in quick order—and although she
adored the chest of drawers, mirror, and armoire, the bed frame with the
headboard was presently a bit of an assembly nightmare. 

“Another time
then,” he said good-naturedly.

“Sure.”

She stepped into
her office to find Jill standing desk side, watching her wide-eyed and mouth-agape. 
“Did Miles Blake just ask you to dinner?” she asked excitedly.  “Are my ears
working properly?  Did he just ask you out?”

Kellie was
slightly taken aback by her assistant’s behavior.  She nodded, and then lifted
one shoulder in a shrug.  “Yes.  So?”

“And you said
no
?”
she said shrilly.  “Tell me I didn’t hear you say no.”

“I said no.  I
have plans.”

“Break ‘em!” she
cried, but then took a deep breath, as if she remembered she was presently at
her workplace and behaving in an unprofessional manner toward her new boss.  “Kellie,”
she said in measured tones, “I know you and I have only worked together the
past two days, and while I may very well be overstepping my bounds, I have to
say this to you. 
Go to dinner with him!
”

Kellie chuckled
uneasily.  “Jill, why are you so bound and determined that I go out with him?”

“Miles doesn’t
date,” she informed.  “You see, his wife was killed in a car accident five
years ago.  I understand he was terribly grief stricken and if the rumors are
true, he hasn’t seen anyone romantically since.  Poor man,” she added.  “Poor
gorgeous, gorgeous man.”

Kellie gave her a
rueful glance.  “How can you possibly know he doesn’t date?”

“I hear things,” she
answered with a crisp nod of her head.  “Mall talk.”

She laughed
skeptically.  “Well, as I understand it, the precinct has only been on-site for
the past six months, so how can anyone possibly know if he dates or not.  He
could be a real ladies man, for all you know.  Besides, I don’t care one way or
the other,” she said with a neither-here-nor-there shrug.

“Well, you
should!” Jill cried.  “You could be the one to lead that poor man out of the
fog of his grief.  You could be the one to change his life.”  She pinned her
with a look.  “Kellie, you could be the
one
.” 

“The
one
,”
she repeated.  “Oh, good grief.  Who says I want to be the
one
? 
Anyone’s one?  I happen to like being single.” 

“You’re all about
your career,” she said knowingly.  “Well, okay then.  But just so you know,
there isn’t a single woman in this mall, sixteen to sixty, who wouldn’t die to
go out with him.”

“I’d like to think
he would bypass the sixteen-year-old,” Kellie observed.  “If not, wouldn’t that
be against the law?”

“Oh, you know what
I mean,” Jill muttered impatiently.  “I’m just telling you that he’s a catch. 
I’ve never heard a negative word about the man.  He’s chivalrous when chivalry
is dead.” 

She pondered that
briefly.  Chivalrous?  Had she mistaken chivalry for sarcasm or condescension? 
She shrugged off the question.  “Well, it’s back to work for me,” she said
brightly.

Jill sighed
heavily as she returned to her office.  But her assistant wasn’t above a final,
parting shot.  “You could be the one!”

Kellie ran a hand
across her brow, leaving a trail of black gunk on her forehead.  She caught
sight of the glue-like grease on her hand as she attempted to put one metal frame
bed piece at a ninety degree angle to another, in hopes the two might magically
fit.

 “Arrgggh,” she
groaned.  “Nothing fits.”  She swiped her hand on her jeans, leaving a trail of
gunk on them too.

Rising up from her
bedroom floor, she glanced around the room.  It was spacious, with a huge
walk-in closet, attached master bathroom, and bay window.  While the perimeter
of the room was a study in chic, the interior currently housed a heap of bed
frame components, as well as the assembly instructions.  They were splayed out
in sequential order, but unfortunately, nothing seemed to make sense to her.

“How hard can it
be?” she muttered in frustration.  “It’s a square, for heaven’s sakes.”

She surveyed her meager
collection of tools and decided she’d better retrieve her tool box from the
trunk of her car.  She spun on her heel and hurried out of the bedroom, down a
long hall, past her great room and kitchen, and out the front door.  Since she
was engrossed in studying the grease on her hands, she didn’t see the man step
out of the condo nearest hers—until she collided with him.

She felt as if
she’d run smack into a rock wall, her forehead taking the brunt of the impact. 
Had it not been for two strong arms reaching out to steady her, she might have
taken a backwards tumble into the still open doorway of her condo.

“Careful there!” warned
a cheerful, deeply masculine voice.

Shaken by the
encounter, Kellie glanced up and found herself face to face with … Miles
Blake.  A broad grin crossed his handsome face.  “Hi,” he said, still holding
onto her arms. 

Kellie suddenly
registered who had a hold of her.  “Oh, hi.”

When he didn’t
immediately release her, she realized he was watching her intently, as if
assessing whether their collision had injured her in some way.  “Are you all
right?” he asked.