Chapter Three

Forrest

My morning had been meeting after meeting, so by the time lunch rolled around, I was ready to go somewhere, anywhere, to grab a bite to eat. I'd packed a lunch, but I needed some space, and it was easy enough to have what I brought for dinner. I grabbed my keys and headed to the elevator, going straight down to the lobby and not looking back until I was outside. I didn't want to take a chance that someone was going to waylay me with a question.

I loved this time of year, the crisp air tickling my cheeks. In the city, I didn't have the benefit of as many trees as I liked, but we weren't far from the park along the river. The city had pretty much turned the entire riverfront into public space, which was nice. In so many areas, all waterfronts were predominantly occupied by houses of the wealthy. Here, everyone got to experience the beauty of the water flowing downstream.

Sucking in a deep breath, I let the cool air fill me and then started my walk. I wasn't even sure where I was going, but I needed to stretch my legs. At the corner, the light was red, and I opted to turn right so I didn't have to wait to cross the street. I soon found myself in a neighborhood I'd never explored before, filled with wonderful little mom-and-pop restaurants, all advertising lunch specials. The choices were endless, each sounding better than the one before.

I opted for a gyro from a walk-up window, and while waiting for it to be finished, a shop across the street caught my eye. All the sign had on it was a huge teddy bear, and it intrigued me. So, once I had my sandwich, I crossed the street and went right inside. The entire place was filled with stuffies. And not ones I recognized, either. They all appeared to be originals rather than licensed designs. I was in love.

According to the in-store poster, they were a local company and everything was handmade using fair labor standards, their employees receiving a living wage. These weren't some random toys from overseas. These were works of art, and I was immediately enamored.

"Is there something in particular you're looking for? A present, perhaps?" An older woman I hadn't noticed came out from behind the counter. "If you don't see something here, chances are we can arrange something for you."

"I'm just looking today, thank you." I'd be back though. My stuffed kitty could use a friend, but it wasn't going to be a matter of randomly picking out a toy. This was a place of magic and treasures, and I'd need an entire afternoon, not a lunch break, to find the perfect one. "I didn't know you were here."

"A lot of people say that. It's because we don't have the name on the sign."

"Yeah, how come?" I asked. "I saw the teddy bear and was intrigued but wasn't sure what to expect." I'd been more than half hoping it would be a little store. There weren't many around, but they existed.

She shrugged. "I don't know. The guy never came back to finish it, I guess."

I looked around, ignoring the sandwich getting cold in my bag, fascinated by everything. Their attention to detail was stunning. And sure, some of them were very basic, but others…wow!

When I realized time was running out, I said goodbye.

"Oh, wait a second," she called out, coming over with a piece of paper. "This explains our process, if you ever need a specialty stuffed animal made."

Taking it from her, I thanked her and put it in my pocket. It wasn't until much later that night that I was able to read it and see what she meant by "special." They would take your old clothes—or those of a loved one—and turn them into memory stuffies. Old baby clothes or maybe those of someone who passed on were repurposed into huggable treasures. It really was a magical shop.

I raced back to the office and barely got off the elevator when Evelyn stopped me. "Hey, you weren't here for Secret Santa."

Okay, I didn't get the announcement because Secret Santa was pretty awesome and had I known, I wouldn't have missed it. "Sorry." I wasn't sure what she was looking for by way of response, but it felt pretty universal.

"No, don't be sorry. It's perfect!" How my missing out could turn her giddy made no sense, but it was better than her being mad, so I'd take it.

She was technically on my level only in a different position, but because I was new, she tended to act more like a boss. I didn't mind. She was a sweet woman, if a little high strung.

"Come with me." She wasn't asking, and that was fine. My sandwich wouldn't get any hotter if I rushed to my desk to eat it.

I followed her to her desk, unsure what she was planning.

"I have Frank for my person." She held up a piece of red paper not much bigger than an index card.

"Okay."

"Frank will know it's from me on day one. He's really clever." If she thought she was explaining what she needed, she wasn't.

"Okay." I still didn't see where this was going. Secret Santas never really stayed a secret. I didn't know why anyone pretended. It was all about giving and Christmas joy and stuff.

"Yeah, so I was thinking you could be my elf. If he catches you delivering it, he still won't know it was from me. And since you're not in Secret Santa, you could still play. Win-win."

While she probably thought she was asking me for a favor, I was excited about the chance. I got to participate in the fun part of Secret Santa without having to worry about whether I knew the person, finding the time to get the perfect gifts, or filling out forms so people could learn enough about me not to give me coffee with extra sugar when I like it black—that kind of thing. She was right. It was a win-win.

The idea of being an elf upped my Christmas spirit. Maybe I was going to be the big winner after all.

She told me she would leave the gifts on my chair for me to find in the mornings. From there, all I had to do was deliver them without Frank seeing me. Easy peasy.

Only it was far from easy or peasy.

I got to work early the next morning, ready to deliver it before he came in. I carried the small gift bag, careful to make sure Frank didn't see me if he happened to be here early.

Who picked then to decide to come off the elevator just as I was turning the corner? Frank.

I tossed the bag behind me, crossing my fingers it wasn't fragile.

"You're here early." My conversation starter was beyond awkward. If I were to guess, my face was shouting my guilt. The only saving grace was that he'd have no idea what that guilt was from.

"You can't let them do that to you." He tsked.

"Do what?" Not for the first time since this whole Secret Santa thing began, I was confused.

"Make you think you need to come in early and stay late all the time."

"You're here early, too," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't stick around much after lunch. You are here late every day. Don't pretend you aren't."

I shrugged. It was accurate.

"Gotta make sure not to burn yourself out."

"Okay, thanks," I said, crossing my fingers and toes that he didn't see where I dropped the bag. Fine, where I threw it.

"Come with me. I need to give you some paperwork." What was it about people here telling me what to do? And they were never dicks about it, so I always went along.

I followed him, and when he said "paperwork," what he really meant was that he wanted to show me how he set up his schedule. While I appreciated it, I needed to get back to the gift. It didn't have a name on it because she didn't want him to know her handwriting—or at least I guessed that was the reason; she didn't really say. But I needed to get to it before someone else found it.

Only, when I arrived, it was gone.

Crap.

I looked all around, even crawled on the floor to see if it fell behind the planters. I backed up, bumping into a person. Could the day get any worse? It wasn't even my official start time yet.

When I looked up, I saw my boss, Cliff, staring down at me, holding the gift bag.

"Looking for this?"

"Um, yes, sir." Why did he have to be so freaking hot? It was making me sound even less put together than I was, which wasn't much.

Also, it felt so wrong calling the man I had the biggest crush on "sir" while on my knees in front of him. It came out with a little squeak.

"Not ‘sir.'" He held out his hand and helped me up. "Cliff. People call me lots of things, but not ‘sir.'"

I didn't want to think too hard on what he meant by lots of things. It wasn't the first time I pictured him as a daddy, and I refused to imagine myself calling him that. It would only lead to trouble.

"Did Evelyn talk you into being her delivery service this year?"

"How did you…"

"Don't you know?" he chuckled. "Evelyn always wants to win."

"Win?" Wasn't everyone a winner in Secret Santa?

"There's a pool we bosses aren't supposed to know about as to who can go the longest before getting caught. Evelyn lost last year, barely. She's in it to win it this time."

"She should've gotten a better elf." I chuckled.

"Pretty sure you're the perfect elf," he said, and heaven help me if my cheeks didn't burn with heat.