Santa' Wayward Elf (7 page)

Derek took her hand. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to
everyone.”

His big, strong hand felt so good wrapped around hers that
Sosie had a hard time concentrating on anything else, much less putting names
with faces as they spent the next hour working their way around the common
area. Besides Bob and Betty and their son, Jimmy, the nice family from the
second floor, there was John, the heavyset, jovial man who lived in the
apartment beside them. Next was Ben, the apartment building’s elderly
superintendent and resident handyman, and his wife Mabel. Then there was
Connie, the neighbor who had generously given Sosie new clothes to wear, and
her teenage daughter Jane, as well as Linda and Tracee, two women who shared
the apartment down the hall from Derek. That was just to name a few. By the
time Derek was through, her head was swimming, but she tried to remember as
many of their names as she could. Unlike some of the grouchy grinches she’d
seen last night, Derek’s neighbors were as nice as he was. In fact, they were
genuinely concerned when he told them Sosie was from out of town and had been
abandoned by her friends at the club the night before.

After hearing about it, Tracee said, “Well, don’t worry
about them because you found new friends.”

“That’s right,” Linda agreed. “And we won’t be abandoning you,
either.”

Sosie was touched by their words. That was certainly a sweet
thing to say, especially to a woman—er, elf—they’d just met.

“How did you and Derek run into each other?” Linda asked as
soon as he went off to get Sosie something to drink.

Almost a foot taller than Sosie, she had chin-length dark
hair and a bright smile.

“Some very nasty men were bothering me and he rescued me,”
Sosie told her. “I think it was very brave of him, but he said he was doing his
job.”

Tracee shook her head. Not quite as tall as her friend
Linda, she had curly, red hair and freckles. “That’s Derek for you. I have to
admit I’m super jealous he asked you to stay with him, you know.”

Linda nodded. “Me, too.”

Sosie looked from one to the other. “Why?”

“Because he’s totally hot, of course,” Tracee said.

“Totally,” Linda agreed.

Sosie blinked as understanding dawned on her. “Oh! Yes, he
is very hot.” She nibbled on her lower lip, her gaze going from one woman to
the other again. “Are either of you and Derek…” Figgy, what was the right word?

“An item? I wish.” Tracee made a face. “Linda and I have
been trying to get him to notice us ever since he moved in, but no luck.
Unfortunately, he thinks of us more as sisters than girlfriend material.”

“Either that, or he doesn’t want to fish off the apartment
pier,” Linda said.

The two women wanted to go fishing with Derek? Sosie would
have asked, but Tracee continued.

“Well, whatever it is, we’re not going to get a shot with
him. Which means Linda and I will have to live vicariously through you.” She
grinned at Sosie. “Did you and Derek hook up last night?”

Sosie frowned. “Hook up to what?”

“To each other, silly. You really aren’t from around here,
are you?” Tracee asked, then clarified, “You know, did you two have sex?”

“Oh!” Sosie blushed. “No. Derek was a complete gentleman.”
At the crestfallen looks on both women’s faces, she added, “But I did see him
without his shirt.

Tracee and Linda looked at each other, then sighed in
unison.

“Well, don’t leave us hanging,” Tracee said. “We want details.”

Linda nodded eagerly. “Does he look as good underneath his
T-shirt as we think?”

Sosie grinned. “Better. I had a hard time falling asleep
after seeing that chest of his.”

Both women let out another dramatic sigh.

“Okay, you’ve made me jealous enough for today. Let’s talk
about something else besides our hunky neighbor,” Tracee said. “Like how long
you’ll be in the city.”

Sosie hesitated. “I’m not sure. Probably a day or two.”

Or however long it took for Elf Central to find her. Since
they weren’t going to come looking for her in Derek’s apartment, she was
probably going to have to go back to the building where the transport sled had
landed. She doubted she would meet up with the search party, but she could at
least leave a note telling them where she was. If she could find the building
again.

“Linda and I would be happy to show you the sights while
you’re here, if you want.” Tracee grinned. “If Derek doesn’t want to play tour
guide, that is.”

Sosie looked over at Derek as she considered that. While she
certainly wouldn’t mind spending more time with him, she didn’t think he’d be
able to play tour guide—as Tracee had called it—since he did detective work
during the day and his moonlighting job at night. She opened her mouth to tell
the dark-haired woman as much, but Derek came over before she could say
anything.

“Sorry it took me so long.” He held out the plastic cup he
was carrying. “I wasn’t sure whether to get you beer or soda, so I went with
the soda.”

Sosie had never had either, so whatever he picked was fine
with her. Taking the cup, she lifted it to her mouth and was surprised when
bubbles tickled her nose. She cautiously took a sip. It was different than
anything she was used to drinking up at the North Pole, but it was good. Really
good.

“We’re going to mingle.” Tracee gave Sosie a wink. “We’ll
see you later.”

Sosie sipped her drink as she watched the two women make
their way over to where John was standing talking to another man. She had a
sneaking suspicion Tracee and Linda had left so she could be alone with Derek.

“Tracee and Linda didn’t talk your ear off, did they?”

Figgy, she hadn’t known such a thing was possible. Sosie
quickly reached up to check that both ears were still firmly attached. “Still
there.”

“That’s a relief.”

Sosie silently agreed. She was rather fond of her ears. It
was only after she saw Derek’s mouth twitch that she realized he’d been teasing
about the women actually being able to talk her ears off. Embarrassed, she took
a sip of soda.

“Tracee and Linda thought you might want to show me around
the city while I’m here, but I figured you’d probably be too busy with your
work.”

He looked at her over the rim of the brown bottle in his
hand as he lifted it to his mouth and took a swig of whatever was inside.
“Actually, I’m not busy at all. I have off tomorrow anyway, so I’d be glad to
show you around. If you haven’t already gotten hold of your friends by then, I
mean.”

She had no idea if Elf Central was coming to get her, much
less when. And after Derek’s invitation, she was hoping they’d leave her
stranded a little while longer.

Sosie smiled up at him. “I’d like that.”

His mouth curved. “Me, too.”

Derek looked as if he was about to say more, but at that
moment, a remote-control toy car zipped across the floor and smacked into his
foot. Jimmy came running after it, controller in his small hands.

“Sorry,” he called.

“No problem, dude,” Derek said. “You’re lucky I’m off-duty,
or I’d have to give you a ticket.”

The little boy looked up at him with wide eyes. “Really?”

Derek chuckled. “Nah. I’m teasing.” He reached out to tousle
the boy’s light brown hair. “Go ahead and go crazy.”

“All right!” Jimmy cheered. Grinning, he turned his
remote-control car around and sent it speeding toward the other side of the
room.

Sosie smiled as the boy ran off after his toy. She’d made
hundreds similar to it in Santa’s workshop over the years, but she’d never
actually seen children play with any of them. It was heartwarming to see how
much they enjoyed the things she and her fellow elves made.

Still smiling, she turned back to Derek. “That was very
sweet of you.”

He shrugged, a lopsided grin curving his mouth. “What can I
say? I’m a sweet guy.”

Yes, he was. But she’d already known that.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get something to eat.”

Figgy, she’d been so busy meeting everyone, she’d completely
forgotten about the food set out on the tables. Back home, there would have
been plates of herring rolls, smoked salmon or tuna spread on tiny squares of
crunchy toast, and spice bread filled with sweet, creamy cheese, as well as a
variety of meat dishes. But here there were plates with little pieces of
different color cheeses accompanied by a variety of crackers—all of which were
quite delicious—and bowls of different dip to go along with the crispy discs
she learned were called chips. Those were extremely tasty, too.

Derek must have found her enthusiasm about the food amusing
because he chuckled as she reached for another chip and popped it in her mouth.

“You going to have room for dinner?” he asked.

She looked at him in surprise. “I thought this was dinner.”

“Chips and dip? You really aren’t from around here, are
you?” He grinned. “It wouldn’t be Christmas dinner without turkey and all the
fixings, not to mention dessert.”

Sosie had heard of turkey, of course, but had no idea what
kind of fixings came with it. She wanted to make sure she had room for all of
them, so she resisted the urge to eat any more chips. Though they were rather
addictive. Maybe she’d have some more later.

While Sosie absolutely loved the turkey and all the side
dishes that went along with it, she enjoyed talking and laughing with everyone
even more. It was as if the people who lived in Derek’s building were one big,
happy family. While she had friends back home, they hardly ever got together
like this, and when they did, they didn’t tease or joke with each other as the
BPs did. She couldn’t remember ever having so much fun. And they hadn’t even
opened presents yet.

That was another new experience for her. Although they
celebrated Christmas, elves didn’t exchange gifts for the holiday. Which, now
that she thought about it, was a bit odd, especially since they did nothing but
make them all year long. As she watched first the children, then the adults
open their gifts, she couldn’t get over how enjoyable the tradition was.

“And this,” Connie said, handing her a beautifully wrapped
box, “is for you from all of us.”

Sosie blinked. “Me?”

The dark-haired woman nodded. “I always like to keep an
extra gift on hand in case someone brings a guest.”

Sosie gazed down at the package. The gesture was so sweet,
it almost brought tears to her eyes. She lifted her head to see everyone
regarding her expectantly. “But I didn’t get any of you anything.”

Connie waved her hand. “Having you here is present enough
for all of us.” She grinned. “Now, go ahead and open your gift.”

Sosie didn’t need any more encouragement. She tore into the
paper, eager to see what Connie had given her, and was thrilled to find out it
was a bottle of perfume. She read the name on the box, but didn’t recognize it,
of course. Wondering if it smelled like the scent she wore at home, she took it
out of the box and sprayed some on, then inhaled deeply. Soft and delicate, the
fragrance was more tantalizing than the usual cinnamon and sugar scent she wore.

She gave Connie a smile. “It smells beautiful. Thank you.”

Beside Sosie, Derek leaned in closer. A moment later he
lifted his head to grin down at her. “Mmm, that is nice.”

Sosie’s pulse skipped a beat. She’d heard perfume could have
a very desirous effect on members of the opposite sex, but hadn’t believed it
since she’d never experienced its power herself. Then again, maybe it didn’t
work on elf guys. Maybe it only worked on BP men. Right then, she didn’t care.
She liked the way Derek was looking at her.

She opened her mouth to thank him only to be interrupted by
a child crying. She turned to see tears running down Jimmy’s face as he stared
down at the remote-control car in his hands. Figgy, she hoped he hadn’t gotten
into trouble for playing too wildly.

His father kneeled down in front of him. “It’s all right,
buddy. We’ll take it back to the store tomorrow and get you a new one.”

The boy sniffed. “B-but I want this one.”

The man put his arm around his son. “I know, but this one
doesn’t work anymore.”

Sosie chewed on her lower lip. While she hadn’t worked on
that particular model of toy, she might be able to fix it if she had the right
tools.

Setting the bottle of perfume down on a table, she walked
over to kneel down beside Jimmy and his father.

“I have a knack with toys,” she said. “Want me to take a
look at your car and see if I can fix it for you?”

Hope filled Jimmy’s tear-filled eyes. “Do you really think
you can?”

“All I need are a few common hand tools.”

“I’ve got those,” Ben said, coming over to stand beside her.
“What do you need?”

“Some screwdrivers and a small pair of pliers,” she told
him. “Oh, and a soldering iron, if you’ve got it.”

“As a matter of fact, I do. I’ll go get them for you.”

Behind Jimmy, his mother frowned in concern. “I don’t know
about this. Are you sure you can fix it without breaking it? I don’t want to
void the warrantee.”

“She can fix it, Mommy,” Jimmy said confidently. “I know
it.”

Sosie gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. It’ll be
good as new. I promise.”

The woman still looked unsure, but didn’t say anything. A
moment later, Ben came back, tools in hand. Turning the remote-control car
over, Sosie unscrewed the cover on the underside and took it off. She
immediately saw the problem and was relieved she could indeed fix it. She would
have felt awful if she’d had to disappoint Jimmy. But luckily, a few wires had
broken loose from the circuit board. She had them soldered back on in no time
flat, then tweaked the settings on the main PCU so the car would move faster.

She popped the cover back on, then held it out to Jimmy.
“Why don’t you go take it for a spin and see what you think?”