Santa's Posse (6 page)

Suddenly it
occurred to her, if he was involved with this woman, why had he asked her out? 
Was he truly one of the good guys or…?  She was unsure how to respond to Lynne’s
manner, so she simply smiled uncertainly. 

“He’s been hurt in
the past,” she continued.  “His friends, well, we’re protective.”

There was no
mistaking her meaning this time.  She was warning her off.  But what could she
do?  She had plans to see a movie with him.  Should she cancel?

Miles chose that
exact moment to show up.  He was dressed in jeans and a sweat shirt, and wearing
a smile on his handsome face.  “Hey, Lynne, Daniel,” he said, tousling the
boy’s hair.  “What are you two up to today?”

“Mom’s taking me
to the mall.”

“He needs new
shoes,” Lynne said, smiling ruefully at her son.  “He outgrows them faster than
I can buy them.”

 “It’s a boy thing,”
Miles observed. “Heck, I think you’ve grown a couple inches since yesterday,
Daniel.”

The little boy
beamed at the compliment, and Kellie couldn’t help noticing how different he
seemed today than he had yesterday.  He had been sullen and uncommunicative,
but today, he seemed cheerful enough.  He was behaving like the little boy he
was, and clearly lapped up any attention he received from Miles.  He was likely
missing his father, and her heart tugged at the thought.

She smiled his
way, and he dropped his head bashfully.  She reached out and squeezed his
shoulder.  “I don’t suppose you’re a handy man, are you?”

He hesitantly
raised his head and met her gaze.  “I do odd jobs for money.”

“If you’re free
sometime, I could really use some help unpacking boxes.”

He grinned. 
“Really?  How much do you pay?”

“Daniel!” his
mother scolded.

“No, no, he’s a
smart businessman,” Kellie said.  “How does five dollars an hour sound to you?”

He perked up even
more, his eyes flashing with dollar signs.  “Mom, I can earn enough money to
get that video game you won’t buy for me!”

His mother seemed
hesitant, and watched Kellie curiously.  Finally, she appeared to relent, since
she smiled.  “Well, I suppose you could.”

The boy bounded
off then, but turned and offered a cheery wave.  “I’ll see you guys later!”  His
mother bid them goodbye and followed him.

“He’s a good kid,”
Miles said, watching after them.  He turned to Kellie.  “It was nice of you to
offer him a job.”

“Well, you know
what they say.  It takes a village.”

Suddenly, their
conversation was interrupted by a man, calling out to Miles.  Kellie watched
curiously as a man about thirty walked toward them.  He was as dark as Miles
was fair, tall but slightly built, and walked with a distinctive swagger.

“Who’s that?” she
inquired.

“The village
idiot,” Miles muttered.        She shot a startled glance at him and he
noticed.  “Sorry.  Did I say that out loud?”

She chuckled
uncertainly.  “Uh, yes.”

“Look,” he said
under his breath, “watch out for this guy.  He’s…”

Before he could
finish his warning, the man reached them.  He grinned broadly from Miles to Kellie,
and then extended a hand to her.  “Well, hello there.  I’m Tony Marks, and you
must be our new resident.”

“I’m Kellie Sanders,”
she told him.

When he took her
hand and kissed it, rather than shake it, she wasn’t sure what to think,
particularly since he lingered over the kiss.  He glanced up and met her eyes,
and she wasn’t certain, but she thought he winked at her.  When he rose up, she
was nearly blinded by the gold chain dangling around his neck.      

“So what do you
think of our little community?” he asked.

“Well, so far it
seems very nice,” she said neutrally.

“Oh, it is,” he
told her.  “Have you had a chance to check out the gym?  Or the indoor pool? 
We have an excellent rec room, too.  If you’d like, I could show you around
sometime.”

Although Kellie
had no claim to Miles, nor he to her, this man didn’t know that.  His
flirtatiousness in full view of Miles surprised her.  He gave off a strange
vibe, and she couldn’t quite discern if it was a threatening one, or simply a
ridiculous brand of bravado.

 “That’s nice of
you to offer,” she said, “but I’ve already had a look around.  And you’re
right, this place has wonderful amenities.”

He arched his
brows, his eyes seeming to pass over her slim body.  “So do you,” he said
smoothly, eying her intently.

Suddenly, Miles
moved, putting himself between her and Tony.  She saw the grim expression on his
face that morphed into unconcealed hostility.  He appeared to be weighing his
options—attempting to decide what to do next.    

“We should really
be going,” Kellie hastily interjected.

Miles gave her a
quick glance.  “You’re right.  We’re going to be late.  I checked the newspaper
and the movie starts soon.”

She realized that
by mentioning their movie plans, Miles had alerted the man to the fact that
they were going on a date.  Had that been his intent?  Was he being territorial? 
Because, if so, it was premature.  But then, Tony definitely gave off a creepy
vibe. 

“We should go,” she
agreed, and then nodded at him by way of a nervous goodbye.

Miles didn’t say
anything further to the man, who appeared in no hurry to leave.  Regardless,
the couple left him standing outside her front door.

Inside, Miles
promptly glanced through the peephole.  “He’s gone,” he told her, and then
watched her grimly.  “Look, if that guy bothers you, let me know.  Okay?”

“I’m sure he’s
harmless,” she commented, unsure what else to say. 

He shook his
head.  “No, he’s not.  I can’t do anything about him living here, but I can
warn the residents to steer clear.  And I can keep an eye on him.”

She took in the
seriousness of his expression and nodded.  “I’ll be careful.  Thank you.”

He nodded crisply,
and then visibly relaxed.  “Are you ready to go?”

“Just give me five
minutes.”

Standing in line
to buy their movie tickets, Kellie was glad she’d remembered to bring a jacket
this time.  There was a brisk chill in the air and she hugged herself to stave
off the cold.  As he had done earlier, Miles draped an arm around her—warming
her up instantaneously.

At the ticket
booth, the woman behind the glass eyed her curiously, and then pinned Miles
with a look.  “Commander Blake,” she said, her voice oozing with blatant interest,
“it’s such a treat to see you here.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at this
theater.”  She flashed a quick grin.  “Well, except to arrest somebody.”

“I haven’t been to
a movie for awhile,” he admitted, as he reached into his pocket to pull out his
wallet.

Kellie was quicker
to retrieve a couple bills from her pocket book and hurriedly paid for their
tickets.  He gave her an alarmed glance, which morphed into a resigned smile. 
“Guess I’m going to have to be quicker on the draw next time.”   

“My turn,” she declared
with a smile.

He shook his head
bemusedly.  “You bought pizza,” he reminded her with a chagrined smile.  “So,
technically, it’s my turn.”

The woman behind
the glass watched the exchange, shooting Kellie a look of daggers, which she
couldn’t help but notice.  Miles seemed oblivious, however, as he tugged her
away from the booth, declaring that he was paying next time.

At the entrance
into the building, he hurriedly stepped ahead of her and opened the door,
bowing theatrically as he held it open for her.  “After you,” he declared.

She laughed and
stepped inside, and then chuckled when Miles found himself holding the door
open for a sea of movie goers.  “Finally,” he said with a grimace, when he
stepped inside and the door closed behind him. 

“Maybe that’s why
chivalry is dead,” she mused.  “It’s time consuming.”

“Maybe,” he
acknowledged with a chuckle, taking her hand and leading her toward the
specific theater where their movie of choice was about to play.  Suddenly, he
stopped.  “Popcorn?”

She shook her
head.  “Still full from breakfast, but don’t let me stop you.”

“Later,” he said
crisply, and they hurried to get to the movie.  Inside, he asked her where she
preferred to sit, and seemed surprised when she headed for the very back row.  After
settling into their seats, he arched his brows.

She read the
inquiry in his eyes.  “I’ve always liked sitting in the far back,” she said
with a shrug.  “Don’t know why, really.”

He eyed her
speculatively, and then grinned.  “Well, I suppose there are perks to sitting
back here.  I mean, if I remember right from my high school days.”

She read the
meaning in his words, since his blue eyes twinkled with humor.      

“That’s not…”  Her
cheeks flamed.  “We’re old,” she said succinctly.  “Too old anyway to be
necking in the back row of a movie theater.” 

“We’re not that
old,” he declared, feigning offense, and then startling her when he leaned in
and kissed her gently on the lips.

Taken aback, she
raised a finger to her lips.  Smiling uncertainly, she glanced around, to see
who might have witnessed the kiss.  “We need to behave ourselves,” she
whispered.  “You never know who might see us.”

He shrugged.  “It
was just a little kiss.  Besides, who’s going to see us?  And too, whose
business is it if we exchange an innocent kiss or two?” he asked, his eyes
sparkling.

Kellie glanced
around again, noting that several heads were turned in their direction.  “Do
you know any of those people?” she asked—easily discerning the features on the
interested faces of the movie goers several rows beneath them.  She knew—if she
could see them, they could see her.

He glanced out
over the theater, raising his hand in a gesture of greeting.  “Mike, Cathi,” he
called, and then squinted slightly at two other faces a few rows below the
couple.   “Dave, Grace.”

“Good to see you,
Commander,” one of the men called back, and then another.

“How do you know
them?” Kellie whispered.

“Mike works at the
mall, and Cathi is his fiancé,” he said.  “And Dave is a deputy, and Grace is a
dispatcher downtown.”

Suddenly, the man
he’d identified as Dave rose from his seat, gesturing at the woman beside him
to stand up.  The couple awkwardly left their seats and climbed the steps to
the back. 

“Mind if we join
you?” Dave asked when he reached them.  Without waiting for an answer, he
dropped into the seat beside Miles and then patted the seat beside him.  The
woman sat down, aiming an apologetic smile in Kellie’s direction.

“Maybe they wanted
to be alone,” Grace said pointedly, shooting Dave a look of daggers.

He waved off the
suggestion.  “They’re not kids,” he declared.  “It’s not like they’re going to
be locking lips back here.”

Miles turned to Kellie
and gave a disheartened smile. 

Had he planned to
spend the duration of the movie kissing her?—because that hadn’t been her plan
at all.  She really hardly knew him. 

“Sure, join us,” he
said, attempting to sound upbeat.  Kellie wasn’t fooled, since she heard a
disappointed tone to his voice.

Soon, a series of
previews played on the big screen, and finally, the feature presentation
began.  The foursome settled in to watch the movie.  There was no mistaking the
fact that the movie was a chick flick, and Kellie turned to Miles, noting he
was trying valiantly to appear interested in the film.  Dave, on the other
hand, began fidgeting in his seat.  Finally, he groaned loudly.  “I’m going to
get some popcorn.”

“I’ll … help you,”
Miles said, rising and following him out of the theater.

Kellie watched his
retreating figure, but turned to Grace when the woman cleared her throat.  “Miles
is a good guy,” she said, leaning across Dave’s seat so she could better see Kellie’s
face in the dark theater. 

“He seems like a
nice person.”  What else could she say?  She really didn’t know him.

“Oh, he is.  His
co-workers just love him, and well, the people who work at the mall feel the
same way about him.  He would give anyone the shirt off his back.”

Kellie only nodded,
unsure how to respond. 

“So…” Grace ventured. 
“Do … you like him?”

Kellie swallowed. 
“Like him?”  She smoothed a hand through her hair.  “Well, I mean, I don’t know
him well.  He seems very nice,” she repeated, neutrally.

“Oh, he’s nice all
right,” Grace said.  “Too nice, if you ask me.  I’d … well, Dave and I both,
we’d hate to see anyone hurt him.”

She swallowed
again. 
What was she supposed to say
?

“You see, he’s been
hurt in the past.  His wife was killed in a bad car accident, and from what I
understand, the evening of her death, the two had had an argument and she had
left the house angry.  He, well…” The woman’s words trailed off, as she seemed
to watch her for some reaction.

Kellie’s head
nodded, almost of its own volition, since she had no real wish for the woman to
continue talking.  It seemed the information she was about to divulge verged on
‘too personal to repeat.’  She continued anyway.

“He felt
responsible for her accident.  But the truth is, his wife was young and
headstrong.  If you ask me, they had married far too young, and it’s a miracle
they managed to make it work as long as they did.”

Kellie rose slightly
in the chair, situating herself more stiffly on the cushioned seat.  She gave a
hesitant smile.  “This really isn’t any of my business.”

The woman gave her
a speculative glance in return.  “Talk around the mall is…”

She shook her
head.  She really didn’t want to have this conversation.  It was far too soon
to have any conversation about the nature of her relationship with Miles,
because one, she didn’t have one, and two, she hardly knew him.  “I don’t…”