Stockings and Suspenders by 10 Author Anthology Read Free Book Online

thought, I decided to hang out at the Great Santa Run. Wouldn’t an elf
love to be in a place where everyone was dressed as the big boss man? Seemed
plausible to me, and it’d show Lory and Trish I was making an effort.
    “You’re not racing today?” The musical
voice sang behind me.
    I turned, coming face to face with the
woman who’d been plaguing my thoughts. She, too, was dressed in a Santa outfit
that reminded me more of a cat suit than loose fuzzy pants held up by
suspenders. Red tights clung to her legs. A white turtle neck beneath a
form-fitting red jacket molded to her torso. White fur lined the cuffs and hem
of the jacket. She even wore a matching red cap. A green name tag with gold
lettering stated she was a volunteer.
    “Nope. On the clock today actually.”
    “Working? On a Saturday? That’s a
shame.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
    Moving the hair was exactly what I
wanted to do for her. I cleared my mind before any strange daydreams could take
hold of me. “Not really. I enjoy my work. I’m a private investigator so I have
to chase leads when and where I can.”
    “There’s no danger here, is there?”
Her concern seemed genuine.
    “I can’t really discuss the case, but
no, there’s no danger.”
    “Good. I’d hate if something bad were
to happen here. The charity’s done a lot to make this a fun and profitable
fundraising event.” She tilted her head, appeared to study me. “Are you going
to be here for a while?”
    “Yeah. Why?”
    “I’d like to go to lunch with you when
my shift is done.”
    “I would like that, too.” Happy she’d
changed her mind about a date, I grasped her hand, brought it up to my lips and
lightly kissed the back of it. “See you in a few hours then? Over at the food
tent?”
    She nodded, then left to take care of
whatever duties she’d been assigned.
    I kept my eye on her and the rest of
the crowd as I made rounds of the grounds, waiting for time to pass so we could
go to lunch together. Nothing and no one struck me as being out of the norm so
to say. Then again, I had no clue how an elf would act and react to situations.
Websites covered a lot of stuff about legends and their mythology, not about
interacting with humans in an urban setting.
    Kristina was a wonder to behold as she
worked. Several times I hung out in a corner, close enough to hear and watch
her, but not close enough to be a bother. No matter who walked up to her or
what kind of issue the person had, Kristina dealt with them with a grace I
hadn’t seen in a long time. Any problem, big or small, garnered the same
attentiveness and care from her. She had joy in her work, almost glowed with
it.
    Her brightness made me with my jaded
attitude feel dirty. Did I deserve someone like her? Feeling unworthy, I
considered leaving the grounds so I wouldn’t have to tarnish her and her inner
beauty. I’d go home and do my work, research how to catch an elf.
    “Where are you going?” Kristina stood
beside me, gazing at me with her gorgeous eyes.
    The woman had the stealth of a cat.
That or my instincts and gut-reactions weren’t working anymore to notice her approach.
I hoped it was the former and not the latter. If I lost my instincts, my job
would be twice as hard as it already was. “I’m not going anywhere. Just waiting
on you.” A tiny white lie. For a guy like me, no big deal.
    “I’m ready now. How about we get away
from this craziness and go to the brew pub down the road.”
    Once we were seated at a quiet table
in the corner of the microbrewery and restaurant designed to look like an
English pub, I told her what I’d observed of her.
    “I don’t doubt that’s how I came
across. I like to give people hope. Maybe some of my holiday cheer will rub off
on you and you’ll find your Christmas spirit again.” She leaned across the
table and playfully punched my shoulder.
    “I doubt it. I’m pretty set in my
ways.”
    “Well, miracles do happen you know.”
    Our order of