Chapter Six
Missy started her new temp job at the Eastman mall the next day with as much quiet dignity as she could muster given her outfit—green velvet dress with a red sash, white tights patterned with giant candy canes, felt shoes curled up at the toes, and a large pointy green hat. Yes, she was an elf.
Think of the children. The Harper family needed her. This was good, honest work at Santa’s Workshop. All she had to do was get through the next three weeks and four days and she’d have enough to repay the money Louis had stolen. She’d have to settle for Christmas shopping the sales online now that her free time was taken up with a second shift. Not as satisfying to shop that way, but whatever.
Thankfully, her first day, though hellishly long, had proceeded without incident. More importantly, she hadn’t run into anyone she knew. She certainly hadn’t told anyone of her new job. She’d never live it down.
Now it was Saturday and she was determined to power through with Christmas cheer intact.
“Yo, new elf,” her baby-faced boss said. Chris? Christian? She couldn’t remember. Yesterday when he’d introduced himself, all she heard was click-clack due to his tongue piercing. “You forgot click the jingle bells clack.”
She put a hand to her chest where the jingle bell necklace should’ve been. “Shoot. I’ll run and get it.” She must’ve left it back in the mall locker room where she’d changed.
“No time click,” he said. “We got clack a line clack already.”
She peered around a large candy cane column to find a huge line of kids fidgeting with excitement, waiting for their big moment with the jolly man himself. Their parents were doing their best to keep them presentable in their Christmas card photo-ready best.
“Santa’s not here yet,” she told her boss. “I’ll be quick.”
“Santa’s arrival is timed for dramatic effect. Hang on.” Tongue-clack boy reached into a small storage trunk near the camera stand and emerged with a shiny red nose with red string that looked like it belonged on Pennywise, the terrifying clown from Stephen King’s It. She suppressed a shudder.
He offered the nose. “Here, you can be Rudolph.”
She stared at it in horror. “I’ll look like a scary clown. The kids will run away from me.”
“You won’t look scary. Just tell them you’re Rudolph the Red-Nosed Elf.”
She was so distraught she couldn’t even hear his tongue click-clacking. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Elf or Pennywise the Terrifying Elf? “Isn’t there anything else in the trunk?”
He pawed through the small trunk. “Extra granny glasses for Mrs. Claus, white beard for Santa, and somebody left a Santa belly in here.” He looked up. “That must’ve been from the skinny Santa who quit.”
“Great.”
“You giving me attitude on your second day?” he snapped, straightening to his full height, a mere inch taller than her five feet three. “Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I tolerate insubordination.”
Ooh, big word. “No attitude,” she said, taking the Rudolph nose and not putting it on. Maybe she could wait him out.
“Let’s see it.”
She gamely put it on. “Merry Christmas,” she said with a bright smile. If anyone saw her in this getup, she’d bolt behind the nearest candy cane. She was sure she was somewhere between absolutely ridiculous and terrifying. Either way, her friends would have a field day if they spotted her.
“Perfect. The kids will go nuts.”
And boy, did they ever. She was the official greeter at the front of the line, keeping the kids back until it was their turn. Not one kid was put off by the nose. Guess they hadn’t discovered Pennywise yet. The little ones rushed her legs, hugging her tight, asking to be picked up so they could beep her nose. She deflected by asking them to sing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to make Rudolph feel at home at the Eastman mall. It was cute.
Two hours later, feet aching from the pointy shoes, hungry, with the beginnings of a headache from the incessant Christmas carol soundtrack piped into the North Pole and the sounds of children squealing and screaming over Rudolph elf, the cuteness wore off. Big time. Also her nose was sweating. She feared the red might rub off and she’d have to explain to her friends why she was a red-nosed Missy.
A little boy smacked a metal Hot Wheels car into her shin as he rushed at her. Ow!
His mom pulled the boy off, but the car caught on her tights, pulling them before breaking free. She looked down, assessing the damage. Great. Now her tights had a hole in them that would surely get bigger as she moved around. At least she wasn’t bleeding.
“So sorry,” the boy’s mom said. She turned to her son. “Tell the nice woman you’re sorry.”
“Sowwy,” the boy said. “Can I beep your nose?”
Missy heroically refrained from covering her nose. “No, but you can sing ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.’ Santa loves to hear Christmas cheer.”
The boy launched into an off-key Rudolph that made her ears ring.
She stifled a sigh. She’d have to buy another set of tights on her lunch break. Unless they had extras lying around somewhere. She approached Mrs. Claus standing to the side, smiling and waving at the children walking past Santa’s Workshop.
“Any chance there’s more candy cane tights around here?” Missy asked her.
“They’re too cheap to order extras,” the woman responded in a rough smoker’s voice. “Try the Christmas shop on the second floor.”
Okay, she’d take the elevator not far from here, book it to the shop, book it to the locker room, and be back before any random Christmas shopper could recognize her.
Her boss appeared again, hands behind his back, all business as he did a tour of Santa’s Workshop, checking on the merry situation. He took one look at her and rushed over. “You’re on break. Fix the tights situation, preferably with a candy cane pattern. Rudolph would also be good.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “I’ll deduct it from your paycheck.”
“Thanks,” she bit out. She took off the awful nose, then the pointy hat, tucking the nose inside. She went to set it on the shelf behind the photo counter when he stopped her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. “Keep the hat on your person at all times. You know how many kids would love to play with this? And I can tell you right now elf hats don’t come cheap.”
“Okay, okay.” She tucked the hat under her arm and quickly skirted the crowd of kids, slipping around a candy cane column, the glass elevator in the center of the mall within sight. The elevator was packed, so she figured she’d squeeze into the middle for maximum camouflage. The escalator was too risky—a long walk away and she’d be in plain view of any and all curious shoppers.
She hurried as fast as she could in pointy elf shoes, feeling decidedly more duck-like than she wanted to think about, and hit the elevator button. Come on, come on.
“Missy Higgins, this must be fate!”
No-o-o-o!
~ ~ ~
Ben didn’t bother to keep the laughter from his voice. “You know,” he drawled, “I’ve always had this secret elf fantasy. Maybe we should see what happens.”
Missy the elf turned, scratching her bright pink cheek with her middle finger.
He barked out a laugh. It had been two days since their hookup, and he’d planned on calling her today to see if she wanted to grab a bite to eat. He’d missed her, not just the sex. She was funny and smart, a tough woman who gave as good as she got, which made her easy to be around. He could relax with her, no bending over backwards to avoid hurting sensitive feelings. And he’d never met anyone who, like him, was adopted as a baby and orphaned a second time. That seemed special, a unique common reference. Plus fate made them keep running into each other. Now he just had to charm the elf panties off her. Did elves wear panties?
He gave her an appreciative once-over. She was a sight. The green velvet dress with fake white fur along the edges and a red sash around her small waist were sexy if you were into the elf look, which he definitely was now that it was on her. Nice and snug too with a short fluffy skirt.
Her eyes flashed. “Shut up.”
A small laugh escaped. “I didn’t say anything.”
A few more people joined them, waiting for the elevator, an elderly man and a mom pushing a toddler in a stroller. No one could keep their eyes off Missy. She stared straight ahead, her cheeks and neck pink.
The elevator doors opened, and a pile of strollers rolled out, parents behind them. He let everyone go in ahead of him and then followed Missy inside.
“Where ya headed?” he asked.
“To the Christmas store.”
“To the Christmas store!” he exclaimed. “Is that where the mall elves go to build toys?”
The elderly gentleman laughed quietly. The toddler in the stroller stared up at Missy in awe.
“Yes,” she said through her teeth. Her cheeks dotted with red on top of the pink; even her nose was red. Clearly she was embarrassed to be caught elfing on the side. He should play nice.
Naughty was his middle name.
“Why is your nose red?” he asked. “I’ve never seen anyone blush like that.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she bit out.
Silence fell, everyone in the elevator discreetly checking out the disgruntled elf, him included.
The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. He kept stride with Missy doing her best to motor through the mall in those ridiculous curly-toed shoes.
“Why don’t you try it without the shoes?” he asked.
She stopped and narrowed her eyes. “I’m trying to hurry. I have to buy tights, change, eat lunch, and be back in under an hour. In case you haven’t noticed, the mall is packed, and there’s sure to be a line at the Christmas store. I might even have to go to more than one store if they don’t have what I need.”
He held out his hand. “Shoe.”
She grabbed his arm for balance, taking one off. “Fine.” She took the other one off and held them both in one hand. “What’re you doing here? I thought you did your Christmas shopping at the craft bazaar.”
“That was Grandmom’s Christmas shopping.”
She continued speed walking, much faster without the shoes. “So you’re willing to brave the mall for…”
“Watch battery.”
“That’s too bad. Shoulda got it online.”
“It was a grandmom emergency.” Besides, the mall had a watch battery kiosk and was close to his house.
Missy smiled for some reason like maybe he’d been suckered.
It had been odd now that he thought about it. His grandmother had made a huge fuss over the watch not keeping the correct time, saying she felt “disoriented” and kept showing up places late, though she’d shown up at his place exactly on time this morning for breakfast. She liked to check on him on a weekly basis to make sure he wasn’t letting his house “go to pot.” Whatever that meant. He had a cleaning service. She’d had a weird dream too about him marrying a redhead. She often had bizarre dreams that he never thought twice about, but now that he was looking at the brunette he knew to be a redhead, he was beginning to get suspicious. This was the second errand he’d run for his grandmother where he also ran into Missy. Was Missy friendly with his grandmother? They did go to the same church, though his grandmother had a different last name than him, so Missy might not have known they were related.
He was about to ask when Missy suddenly slipped, hat and shoes flying, landing on her ass. She swore a blue streak.
He gathered her stuff for her. “Are you hurt?”
“Just my pride.”
He grinned. “Is that what you call your ass?”
She glared at him.
He tried really hard to dial down his smile. “Funny how we both fell on our asses in front of each other. You might say we’re falling for each other.” He winked and offered his hand to help her up.
She ignored his hand and slowly got to her feet. She took her hat and shoes back. “Don’t you have a watch battery to buy?”
He patted his jeans pocket. “Right here. I was about to head out when I caught sight of your elfishness.”
“Laugh it up.” She walked at a more sedate pace, probably a little sore from her fall.
He instantly felt remorse. “I’m sorry, I was being insensitive to your elf situation. Elves have feelings too. Here, let me hold your elf hat and elf shoes.”
“Could you say elf one more time?” She handed them over, seeming glad to be rid of them.
“Elf.”
She narrowed her eyes, the effect still adorable with her little green elf dress.
He bit back a laugh. “What? You asked. Let me buy you lunch to make up for all of my elf insensitivity.”
She gave him side eye. “You don’t have to do that. And I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone what you saw here today.”
“My lips are sealed.”
When they arrived at the Christmas store, she took her hat and shoes back. “So, um, bye. Please wipe your memory of this entire embarrassing time.”
“I’m not embarrassed at all.”
She threw her hands up.
He grinned. “What’re you buying?”
“Candy cane tights or Rudolph. My stupid tights have a hole.”
He’d noticed but refrained from commenting what with all the other great stuff she had going on. “I thought you were doing a goth elf look.”
She cracked a smile. “I need something that goes with this.” She held open the hat to show him a red Rudolph nose. He pressed his lips into a flat line. Good thing he hadn’t seen her wearing that too or he wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing.
She whirled and went into the store. He took a deep breath and followed into the ninth circle of hell. The music was deafening, something about a Christmas donkey, bright lights flashing on Christmas trees dazzled the eyes in the worst way, and a giant inflatable snowman with a clear belly full of snowmen bizarrely took center stage.
He stopped behind her at the novelty socks and tights section. “What size are you?”
She startled. “Geez, Ben, make some noise before you sneak up on someone.”
“I’m not exactly stealth. You were just lost in the beauty of…are these mistletoe tights? Hell yeah. I’ll meet you under there.”
“Under where?” she asked absently.
He chuckled.
“How old are you again?” She grabbed a pair of white tights with little Christmas trees. “Close enough.”
“I’m thirty-one going down on…how old are you?”
She pursed her lips, trying not to smile, her eyes dancing with amusement before she headed toward the register.
He followed. “Yeah, don’t worry about the mistletoe tights. I have a good feeling about those elf panties.”
She shot him a dark look. “Shh.”
He gave her his dimpled elf-panty-melting smile.
She shook her head, laughing as she took her place at the end of a long line.
“What do you want for lunch?” he asked. “I’ll get it while you change your tights.”
She turned to him, a light of surprise in her eyes. “That would actually be really helpful. I usually pack a lunch, but I didn’t have the energy to grocery shop last night.”
“See, I can be thoughtful, considerate…” He paused, trying to think up more good stuff women liked, when she finished for him.
“Don’t forget modest. Can you get me a taco salad at the Mexican place in the food court?”
“Sí, sí, senorita. On me, okay?”
She nodded and smiled. “Gracias.”
“Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in so you can text me when you get to the food court.”
She pulled it from a side pocket in her skirt and handed it over. Now this was progress. He entered his number and handed it back. “See ya soon.”
She shifted forward in line. “See ya.”
Twenty minutes later, his phone vibrated with a text from Missy. All set.
Just about to pay. Where are you?
Sitting across from Yo-Fro.
He turned, scanning the crowded space, and spotted her. She looked worn out, head resting in her hand. Guilt stabbed at him. Here she was working hard on a second shift and he’d been not-so-secretly laughing at her.
He strode over to her table, setting her lunch in front of her, and took the seat directly across from her. She immediately dug in like she was starving.
After a couple of bites, she stopped and looked up at him. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I’m still full from breakfast. Omelet with the works. My specialty breakfast. Maybe one day you’ll get to experience it yourself.”
She spoke around a mouthful of salad. “Let’s not pretend you wanted me to spend the night.”
He leaned forward. “I was going to call you.”
She took another bite, chewed and swallowed. “I didn’t give you my number.”
“I looked you up. I can find most anything on the internet.”
Her brows drew together, but she didn’t comment.
“But then I ran into you. Missy—” he took a deep breath “—I don’t think we’re done.”
She opened her bottled water and took a long drink.
“You want to grab dinner tonight?” he asked.
She put the water bottle down. “Can’t. Got plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
“The kind with my friends,” she said evenly.
“What about after?”
She took another forkful of salad. “For a booty call? No, thanks.”
His neck burned. He did make it sound like that. So much for charm. “What about Sunday for a date?”
“Working.” She put her fork down. “Look, Ben, we agreed to one night. I don’t understand what you want from me.”
He wanted more time with her. “What’s one more time? We keep running into each other anyway.”
“I’m sorry, I just—”
He held up a hand. “Nope, no need to be sorry. I got it.”
She smiled. “Thanks. And thanks for lunch too. I appreciate your help today.”
He’d never been in this position before, trying to extend the hookup to more. Usually women wanted more from him, not the other way around. Was he just drawn to the chase?
Irritated to be so off his game, he shut his mouth. She continued eating, completely focused on her salad.
Finally, he had to ask, “Why’re you working as an elf?”
She glanced up at him, cheeks pink. “I thought I told you this before. Just picking up a little extra cash for the holidays.”
“For presents?”
“Yes.”
He studied her for a minute. It seemed like this was a tough gig just to buy a few extra presents. He leaned close. “Why’re you really doing it? I can’t imagine you enjoy being an elf.”
She sighed. “I have a good reason.”
“Which is?”
She was quiet, setting her fork down like she’d lost her appetite.
Every instinct in him told him something serious was going on with Missy. She was clearly a woman in need. And he always came through for a woman in need. He’d spent half his life caring for his sick mom—she’d suffered from terrible migraines from the brain cancer—and he’d been more parent than kid sometimes. She’d called him Super Ben because he always came to the rescue. It was a part of him that he couldn’t turn off.
He got serious. “Missy, you can tell me. I won’t tell a soul.”
She worried her lower lip for a moment. “I was raising money for a family in need for Christmas. That’s what the craft bazaar was about. Everyone donated most of their profits, and then someone stole the money. More than two thousand dollars. I’m trying to earn it back.”
“Did you report it stolen?”
“No. I didn’t want anyone to know after all the work they put in to make the bazaar a success. I figured I’d just quietly replace the money. I’m the one who was collecting the money anyway, and I’m the one doing all the Christmas shopping for the family.”
He stared at her, an unexpected lump in his throat. She took this ridiculous elf job to help a family in need? She wasn’t just a tough woman, underneath all that, she cared deeply about others. That meant a lot to him, a value he’d been raised with that he took to heart. “Missy, I’ll give you the money—”
“No. It’s my problem. I’ll fix it.”
He blew out a breath. “Why is it your problem? It’s not like you stole the money.”
“It just is. Now drop it.” She broke off a piece of the taco salad bowl and chomped it ferociously. She was just being stubborn.
Don’t do it. Don’t you offer her that admin job.
It would be hell, knowing how much he wanted her, knowing how good it could be, knowing how much he liked her and wanted to spend more time with her, only to keep a line of professionalism between them. He could not have her in his office day in, day out and deny all of his natural instincts.
She stood abruptly, grabbed her elf shoes, and hung onto the back of her chair, slipping them on. “I’d better get back to work. Thanks for lunch.”
“I’m heading out.” He crossed to her side and took her tray from the table. “I’ll escort you to the North Pole so you don’t get accosted by some eager kids.”
“I’m more afraid of getting accosted by you.”
That stung. “Seriously?”
She smiled and squeezed his arm. “Kidding. You’ve been very helpful.”
“It’s kinda my thing.” He dumped the trash, and they took the escalator at the end of the food court back down to Santa’s Workshop.
She turned to him. “You know what’s great about being an elf with a Rudolph nose?”
He smiled. “What?”
“Spreading Christmas cheer,” she said deadpan.
They cracked up.
“Seriously, though, it’s worth it,” she said, “though I confess my first thought was Pennywise. You know that terrifying clown from It?”
He laughed. “I don’t think you could ever pull off terrifying in that dress.”
“I guess not. The kids were thrilled. Anyway, I can’t wait to make Christmas special for the Harper kids. There’s three of them, and I think the two youngest might still believe in Santa. They’ve been through so much, and I just want their first Christmas in their new home to be perfect.”
His chest ached with all her heartfelt sentiment. “You’re a good person, Missy Higgins.”
She blushed. “It’s not me. A lot of people helped.”
“Just say thank you.”
“I’m not good with compliments.”
He waggled his brows. “How’s this for a compliment? You make a beautiful—” he leaned close to her ear “—dare I say, sexy elf.”
She snort-laughed. “I’m going to get a big head, and then how would it fit in my pointy hat?”
“You know what you need? Some elf ears.”
“Don’t even mention it. My boss would be all over that.”
“Maybe some jingle bells—”
“I’m already in trouble for forgetting my jingle bell necklace. Shit. I forgot it again. I was just in the locker room. I was in such a rush, I didn’t even think about it.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
They got off the escalator, heading for Santa’s Workshop, Missy telling him all about her baby-faced boss with a click-clacking tongue and then doing a hysterical impersonation of him. “Keep the hat on your person at all times!” she bellowed. “I can tell you right now elf hats don’t come cheap!”
“I’m glad you found that funny,” a voice snapped.
They both turned to find a short red-faced man, couldn’t have been more than twenty, practically frothing at the mouth. “You’re fired.”
“What?” Missy exclaimed. “I’m sorry, that was in poor taste. It won’t happen again.”
The man remained stone-faced. “Security will escort you to the locker room. I want all of that costume, including the jingle bell necklace.”
The distraught look on Missy’s face had Ben stepping in. “She said she was sorry. We were just joking around.”
“Tell it to security.” The little weasel waved a security guard over. The security guard, a bald man with a huge beer belly, hopped to it, looking happy to have something to do.
“It was my fault,” Ben said. “I did my boss impression, so she did hers.”
Missy shot him a look that said really? He lifted one shoulder. It was hard to deny what had happened when the guy had heard everything.
Missy turned to her boss as the security guard stepped close to her side. “I’m not a flight risk, you moron,” she snapped. “Here.” She shoved the hat and Rudolph nose into the guy’s hands. Then she took off her shoes and threw them at him.
“Hey!” The guy ducked. “She accosted me! Did you see that?”
“Why don’t you try being an elf?” Missy spat. “You already look like a troll.”
She turned on her heel and stalked off, the security guard quickly joining her.
Ben didn’t have to think twice. He turned and followed her. Fucking A, he was going to offer her that admin job.