When Sage pulled into the parking lot behind the clinic the next morning, Dr. Ingram’s SUV wasn’t there yet, but there was a large four by four truck idling two stalls down from her spot. A nervous shiver raced down her spine. Cherry Lake was a small town but that didn’t make it immune to crime. She was about to back away when Brad jumped out, a big grin on his face, and a second man in uniform hopped out of the other side.
“Morning, Sage,” Brad called. “We’re here to pick up those boxes. Chief says we’re to get them wrapped up for delivery. We’ll store them at the station until drop off. Does that work for you?”
“Good morning.” Gosh, his smile was devastatingly delicious. “Who’s your friend?”
The man strode around the truck and offered his hand. “Gibson Baker, deputy chief. Sorry I missed your visit yesterday. Happy to be of service.” He chuckled. “Especially since it is dead at the station. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be busy with fires, but after a while, waiting gets old.”
“Nice to meet you and I’m thrilled to have extra help.”
Brad frowned at her enthusiastic greeting. “Let’s get this done.”
Oh, he was grumpy this morning. So much for his eager arrival. “Come inside. I’ll get you the boxes, but I don’t have the wrapping paper yet. I’m expecting a shipment from a supplier this morning.” She unlocked the back door and led them inside.
“Can I get either of you a coffee? It will only take a minute.” She wasn’t sure why she offered, maybe in thanks for the eager assistance.
“No, thanks,” Brad said.
“I would love a coffee,” Gibson declared with a smirk at Brad. Clearly there was some kind of dynamic or rivalry between the men.
She shucked off her coat and hung it on the coat rack and put her boots on the mat. “Don’t worry about your boots. Come in.” She padded, sock-footed, to the front of the clinic to find her shoes and flip on more lights. The motion light in the back hall didn’t illuminate much. The men followed right behind her.
“It’s a beautiful day,” she declared. “The sun just lights up yesterday’s snow like it’s full of diamonds.” Glittering snow was her favorite aside from big fluffy flakes that took an eternity to fall.
“Or sparkling fairy lights,” Gibson said.
“It’ll be slush in an hour,” Brad grumped.
For a man who was so good looking with such an amazing smile, he sure had a sour attitude. She hoped the chief knew what he was doing when he assigned Brad to be her assistant. Maybe the chief was looking for a holiday miracle to fix that attitude. The idea had her grinning. She adored everything about Christmas, which made her just the person to give this grinch a taste of holiday magic. She almost rubbed her hands in glee.
“Right this way, gentlemen.” She led them into the small staff area and flipped the switch on the coffee pot. She’s set it to brew last night before she left. “Don’t you just love the scent of coffee in the morning? Take a seat.”
She slid a plate of sugar cookies in front of them. “Help yourself.”
“How long have you been in Cherry Lake?” Gibson asked.
“Oh, just since spring. I wanted a change from where I grew up. I still wanted a small town, just not as small as where I came from. Fox Creek was great, but it’s not much more than a blip on the road map.”
“I have friends there. Cute little town. Are you married?” Gibson asked.
Brad growled almost inaudibly.
A blush heated her cheeks. It was flattering that he asked. Gibson was tall and lean, and very attractive but he didn’t appeal to her the way Brad’s broad shoulders did. Too bad Brad was a sour-puss. “I’m single.” Something compelled her to add, “I’m much too busy to date right now. I think this toy drive will pretty much eat up all my spare time.”
She turned her attention to the coffee pot. She slipped a mug under the filter to catch the drips and poured two other mugs while the pot sputtered to a finish. She carried those to the table and returned with the third one and a small carton of cream. She risked a glance at Brad, his scowl had ebbed to a tiny frown. Interesting. He had a very expressive face, even if the thoughts behind those expressions were hard to understand.
“What’s your plan for the drive?” Brad asked.
“I’m going off Moira’s notes. I don’t know if you knew her. She was receptionist here before I was hired. She ran the drive for twenty years. She’s retired and on a cruise with her husband. Can you imagine, a year-long cruise?” What a dream that would be.
“Moira was great,” Brad said. “Very efficient, but still with a great bedside manner. Or rather, desk-side manner. It was only two years ago that Doc finally hired a nurse. Before he did, Moira stepped in when Doc needed help. Things have gotten busier since Cherry Lake started to grow, and having a nurse has been good for Doc.”
“You’ll do great in Moira’s role. Renna mentioned how calm you were when she busted up her leg,” Gibson said.
Sage winced. She’d been the first on the scene at an accident. Renna, a firefighter, had been in bad shape. Sage kept her company while they waited for help. They’d struck up a friendship. Renna was due to have her cast off any day now, though she wouldn’t be back at work until she finished a long course of physio.
She decided to get the charity talk rolling. “I’ve got three dozen boxes to start. Once they’re wrapped, I’ll drop them off at schools, churches, and businesses. I’ll work up a schedule for checking them. I think we want to empty them regularly.”
“Maybe you should leave one of two items in each after collection,” Brad said. “Make it look like people are giving, but encourage them to add their own donation. Some people will see a full bin and think their support isn’t needed. Others might see an empty bin and think nobody supports the charity because it isn’t worthy.”
She stared at him, shocked by his insight. “That makes so much sense.”
“You, we, could also put small trees in each location. We could put tags on them with the name and age of each child,” Brad added.
“Great idea,” she gushed. “They’d feel like they were buying for someone they know. You’re brilliant.”
Brad’s smile was short lived but radiant. “I looked up ideas last night. If I have to help out with this, I want to give it my best shot.”
“I really appreciate that.” She patted his hand in gratitude. Heat raced up her arm and she jerked her hand back.
“Will we be emptying the bins, or replacing them?” Gibson asked.
“Replacing them makes more sense,” Brad said. “Haul out the old and bring in the new. More efficient. If you have enough boxes, that is. Plus, I think the boxes might get worn, depending on the weight of the paper we cover them with.”
“Then, we can reuse the boxes to deliver the gifts. It will make it extra festive to have wrapped boxes. An extra layer of Christmas joy,” Gibson said.
They chatted back and forth on ideas for implementation of the drive. Every time Brad made a suggestion, Gibson added one. Her head pivoted back and forth between the two of them until she felt like she was at a tennis match. It was a relief when Dr. Ingram strolled in and busted up the discussion.
She had to open the clinic in two minutes. She’d gotten so wrapped up in the discussion she clean forgot about pulling the day’s patient files. She’d have to hustle. Still, she didn’t regret one second of the conversation.
Gibson was charming, and despite his constant flirting, she realized that he wasn’t serious about dating her. Brad was a good guy, generous and thoughtful, even though he had a tendency toward grumpy. There was definitely something between the two men. It felt like a good-natured rivalry, with a bit of an edge. Their constant back and forth made her increasingly curious about her grumpy elf.
♥♥♥
“What was that all about,” Brad snapped at Gibson as he drove away from the clinic. “What’s with all the flirting? She’s a nice girl, too good for a playboy like you.”
“Just testing the waters,” Gibson gloated. “Sage is good looking, and did you notice how that slim skirt highlighted her backside?
Brad punched his friend in the shoulder. “Don’t talk about her like that. She’s a respectable woman.” And hot! He liked how she didn’t berate him for being out of sorts, and how she praised him for his ideas. He’d gotten lucky when insomnia kept him up last night and he’d spent his time researching how to run a charity drive. It gave him ideas to input this morning.
“I think I’ll ask her out.” Gibson stared straight ahead like he hadn’t dropped a bombshell.
“Back off, man.”
“You don’t date. Ever. What do you care?” He turned to stare at Brad.
“She’s in a public position. She needs to be respectable, not associated with you.” What was with Gibson being so dense all of a sudden?
“Are you implying that I’m not respectable? I am deputy chief of the station. In case you forgot.”
“You’re one step above a serial dater. Why all the women you go out with still respect you is beyond me. Leave this one alone.” He drove slowly down the slushy street, careful not to splash any pedestrians.
“Whoa! Wait! Are you interested in the lovely Sage? Is that why you’re warning me off? You want her for yourself!” Gibson crowed. “You moved back to town five years ago, and haven’t dated once despite the women throwing themselves at you. What makes Sage so special that you’d stake a claim the day after you met her?”
They pulled around the fire hall and into the staff parking lot. He didn’t bother to answer Gibson’s question.
As they unloaded the boxes, Gibson said, “I’ll give you until Valentine’s Day, then she’s fair game. Maybe it’s time I settled down.” He paused. “I like Sage. I like her a lot. She cute. She’s civic minded. She’s got a delectable body. She’s intelligent. I won’t let her waste away just because you’re a coward, so consider yourself warned. She’s safe from me. For now. The rest of the guys are a different story.”
Brad groaned.
If he warned the other guys off, he’d be the brunt of months of teasing. If he didn’t, any one of them might bump into Sage and ask her out. An idea hit him. Unless, as her number one elf, he was constantly at her side.
All he had to do was figure out how to help her, and stay on her good side. She was upbeat and cheerful and he didn’t want to do anything to upset her. He wasn’t super into Christmas, but that was more due to being single and alone than anything else. Being an only child had been great for years, but as his parents aged, then passed, he wished they’d given him a sibling. The guys at the station were amazing and they usually invited him to their celebrations. Last year, he’d had four Christmas dinners, but it wasn’t the same. While they were family of sorts, they weren’t family.