Santa's Posse (23 page)

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. 

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?”

“I … may never
come out,” she said.

She heard him
laugh.  “Come on out.  Nobody knows about the costume, except Jill and me.  We
can keep a secret.”

“Yeah, right. 
Nobody in this mall can keep a secret,” she said in a pique of temper.

He laughed again,
but without humor this time.  She detected the shift in his manner, despite the
fact that she was separated from him by a metal door.  “Well, I understand how
you feel, and that’s something you and I really need to talk about.”

She sighed.  He wanted
to talk.  And now, when she really wanted to talk to him, she was too
embarrassed to talk to him. 

“Kellie,” he
prompted, “it’s okay.  Come on out.  You can be my number one elf in your work
clothes.  It’s not a problem,” he assured her.

She finally
stepped out of the restroom, relieved to see the precinct lobby empty of
volunteers.  She averted her eyes from Miles, but he reached for her and pulled
her close to him.  “We do need to talk,” he whispered against her ear.

Suddenly, she felt
like crying.  She realized how much she had missed him.  Her emotions were
suddenly all jumbled, and she didn’t think she held much hope of sorting them
out.  He was simply too close and had such an odd effect on her thought
processes and heart rate.

She finally pulled
back and really saw him.  Or rather, she saw Santa Claus!  It was the jolly old
elf himself holding her in a tender embrace.  That particular mental image
simply did not compute.  She started laughing.  “Okay, I’m good,” she said,
stepping away from him and lifting her hands.  “Let’s make those deliveries.”

“Okaaay,” he said,
watching her face.  “And then … we can talk?”

“That was the last
delivery,” Kellie told Miles, smiling with satisfaction.  It had been a
wonderful night—at least after they’d left the mall behind.  The families they
had visited had been so appreciative of the food and gifts, and the children so
adorable in their excitement at seeing Santa Claus.

“It has been fun,”
he said, grinning at her before turning his eyes back to the road.  “What time
is it?”

“Nearly ten,” she
told him.

“We’ll head back
to the precinct, and then I was hoping…”

She watched him
expectantly.

“Can we … talk?”
he asked, bracing for her answer.

She nodded with a
smile, and he visibly relaxed.  “And can we eat something?  I’m starving.”

“You didn’t
partake of all those sugar cookies when you were filling baskets earlier?” he
asked.

She shook her
head.  “Naw, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to fit into my number one elf costume.”

He burst out
laughing.  “I’m glad you’ve managed to see the humor in that, uh, particular
situation.”

“
You
saw
more than my
humor
,” she accused.

He really cracked
up then, laughing until Kellie thought he was going to cry.

When he finally
stopped chuckling, he turned to her again, briefly.  “I’ve really missed you.”

She sobered
suddenly.  “I’ve missed you too.”

He reached for her
hand and she allowed him to hold it.  She gave his hand a squeeze. 

When they returned
to the mall, they entered through an exterior door that led directly into the
precinct.  “I will be so glad to get out of this suit,” he said.

They noticed
several volunteers had already returned to the mall, many milling around in the
corridor outside the precinct.  Dolores was there, as were Jill and George. 
When they spotted the returning couple, they called them to join the jovial
group.

After discussing
their evening of deliveries with their friends, Miles announced he was changing
out of the suit.  Dolores, however, asked that he hold off until everyone
returned.  He gave her a puzzled glance, but agreed.

He joined Kellie
at one of the tables, heaving a tired sigh as he sat down beside her.  He
reached over and took her hand again, and the gesture did not go unnoticed by
those around them.  Kellie was certain she saw Jill smiling, as if relieved.

Soon, the
volunteers arrived, one by one, until the last entered wearing a weary grin. 
Dolores rose and moved to stand at the front of the center table.  She raised a
hand to silence the crowd.  “Folks, thanks again to you all!  Tonight was a
rousing success, and as I said earlier, we couldn’t have done it without each
and every one of you.” 

Her eyes fell on
Kellie then, and she extended a hand in her direction.  “I’d like to give a
special thank you to our new Mall Director.  When drafted—
and she was
drafted
—into
the position of procurement specialist,” Dolores admitted with a grin, “she
stepped up to the plate and I couldn’t be more pleased with her tireless work
for us.  She did a tremendous job, despite a very demanding workload here at
the mall.  Kellie, stand up, please.”

Kellie gave Miles
a stunned look, and then rose, surprised at the recognition.  She certainly
hadn’t expected to be singled out.  The group applauded, until she raised a
modest hand.  “I couldn’t have done it without Jill,” she said, pointing out
her friend, “and Miles, of course.”  The group applauded until Dolores silenced
them.

“Speaking of our
esteemed commander, and our Santa Claus,” Dolores said, “Miles, please stand
up.”  He rose with a questioning glance.    

She continued, “Like
Kellie, Miles has been tireless in his efforts towards making Santa’s Posse a
success.  When anyone needed any help in completing their assigned tasks, he
was always there to lend a hand—in addition to completing his own duties. 
Miles, you’re a gem.  You really are.  We love you to death.”

He nodded and took
his seat, and despite the faux facial hair and painted-on rosy cheeks, Kellie
could see he was coloring under the praise.  She studied him, realizing he had
been such a good friend to her and hadn’t deserved the treatment she’d given
him of late.  He deserved an explanation for her behavior.

He apparently
sensed her watching him, since he turned toward her.  “I really need to get out
of this suit,” he whispered, making a comical face.

She nodded, and he
rose to leave when Dolores stopped him, calling him up to the front.  He gave
Kellie a quizzical glance as he stood beside the older woman, clearly
uncomfortable in front of the crowd.  Or maybe the suit was getting the better
of him.  He kept scratching at his arms and shifting his shoulders.

Suddenly, a deputy
slid a chair toward Dolores.  She turned the chair toward the crowd and told
Miles to sit down.  He obliged, but still wore a bewildered expression on his face.