All I Want for Christmas (11 page)

“Your boss is on a roll. He’s got the holiday
charity thing wrapped up and now this. Anybody would think he
actually cares about people.”

Nedra had been so intent on watching the four
men that she hadn’t seen Dwayne sidle up beside her. As his strong
cologne swept over her like a choking fog, she inched as far away
as possible without moving into camera view.

Nedra shot him a brief sideways glance and
ignored his attempt to goad her. “Hello, Dwayne. Sheriff Berg and
Chief White played a big part. This isn’t just about Constable
Davidson.”

“Yeah, but the other two aren’t running for
office, at least not yet. I heard Berg is jockeying to be appointed
to a big position with the state attorney general’s office,” Dwayne
whispered, moving closer.

“Today is about making the city a safer place
and saving lives, not politics,” Nedra clipped before he could go
on.

“Is that a line from your boss’ speech? Good
thing you’re writing for him. Constable Davidson isn’t exactly
smooth when it comes to expressing himself before the cameras.”
Dwayne chuckled. “He’ll have to brush up if he’s going against the
mayor next year.”

“He’ll be just fine,” Nedra replied, unable
to keep the edge out of her voice. Dwayne had a gift for testing
her commitment to non-violence.

“Hey, don’t take offense. Just because our
bosses are political rivals doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
Dwayne’s voice took on a wheedling sound. “I respect the guy. He’s
done some good things.”

“This happens to be
the
third
grant
that Constable Davidson has helped win. Our office used a huge
surplus to upgrade the city jail and he has reduced outstanding
warrants by thirty percent.” Nedra faced Dwayne. “Yeah, I’d say
he’s done ‘some good things’.”

He smiled at her. “Truce, lady. You’ve made
your point. We have two worthy opponents. The election is months
away and the constable hasn’t confirmed that he’ll even run for the
senate seat. Neither of our bosses will care if we have lunch after
this press conference. What do you say?”

“Dwayne, politics is not the reason I won’t
have lunch with you,” Nedra whispered. A blonde woman standing on
the other side of him seemed intent on reading their lips. When
Nedra stared at her, she blinked rapidly and walked off.

“I’ve explained my situation. Okay, so you’re
kickin’ it with Carlos Jacobs… for now.” Dwayne’s voice held a
trace of irritation.

“He’s single,” Nedra tossed back and
smiled.

“And he plans to stay that way for a long,
long time. From what I hear, Carlos loves variety. Don’t start
having dreams of a picket fence, a dog and two-point-five kids; not
with that dude.”

“What I expect or don’t expect is definitely
none of your business. You should be concentrating on your wife and
treating her right,” she snapped, careful to keep her voice low.
“And one more thing, stop bathing in cheap cologne.”

Nedra spun around and marched to the other
side of the room. The district attorney stepped up to the podium
microphone a few seconds later and the crowd began to quiet down.
The DA gave an overview of the new program, and then he and the
other men answered questions from reporters. The mayor had little
to say and didn’t look at all pleased to be present. His expression
stiffened when Constable Davidson began to speak.

When Rod stepped aside, the DA thanked him
for suggesting the grant and the program. Mayor Bates glanced at
the two men before staring at something in the distance. Nedra
repressed a grin. Then she noticed Dwayne staring at her from
across the room. An uneasy feeling took root in the pit of her
stomach.

****

That afternoon, Nedra met with her boss to go
over his schedule and any other tasks they had. Constable Davidson
seemed relaxed and in a good mood. After an hour they finished up,
and he rocked his leather executive chair back while gazing out of
the large window on the west wall of his office.

“The press conference went well, don’t you
think?” Rod asked. “But there’s a lot of work ahead. In the next
six months we should have staff in place though.”

“Yes, sir,” Nedra replied. She shifted in her
chair and continued to make notes on her tablet computer.

“I just wish we had more cooperation from the
mayor and his people. Still we did good getting this far.” Rod
rubbed his chin for a few seconds and looked at Nedra. “I’ve
decided to run for the District Fifteen state senate seat. Senator
Harrison has reached her term limit and she has been nudging me
about running for the past year.”

“Yes, sir, I think you’d do a great job,
too,” Nedra said sincerely.

Her boss had his faults, but despite his love
of the limelight and political posturing at times, Rod Davidson got
things done. Nedra had listed only a partial list of his
accomplishments when goading Dwayne earlier.

“Thank you, Nedra. I appreciate your
encouragement and competence. My office is working smoothly because
of your excellent work. I don’t have to worry about things getting
done. That frees me to concentrate on big issues. I apologize for
not saying so more often.” Rod nodded at her with a solemn
expression.

“Thank you, sir. I never doubted that you
recognized my work.” Nedra smiled back at him. Like most bosses,
Rod only noticed when things didn’t go well. She made it her
business to make sure he didn’t need to address the smaller details
about the office.

“Technically, you could work on my campaign
since you’re not a classified city employee, but we won’t give my
opponent any ammunition. We’ll avoid even the appearance of
impropriety.”

“Yes, sir,” Nedra replied.

She thought of how she had insulted Dwayne
and imagined him seeking revenge for her words. Knowing him, he’d
make digging up dirt on Rod or anything about the constable’s
office a special project.

“When I’m elected I hope you’ll consider
being my chief legislative assistant. I’ll need good, level-headed
support when I enter that pressure cooker.” Rod sat taller in his
chair as if he were already in office at the state capitol. “It’ll
be a tough election. Mayor Bates takes no prisoners when he runs a
campaign, but I’m ready for him.”

“Uh, Constable Davidson, I had a little, um,
run in with the mayor’s top assistant.” Nedra stopped when her boss
raised his hand like a traffic cop.

“Dwayne has been flirting with you. He has an
inflated opinion of how charming he is to women. You set him
straight and didn’t sugar coat it. Am I right?” asked Constable
Davidson with a chuckle.

“Yes sir. The thing is he has a bit of a mean
streak.” Nedra bit her bottom lip. “I shouldn’t have let him get on
my nerves. I sort of insulted him.”

“I’m sure he deserved it.”

“He did, but I may have given him even more
incentive to go on a smear campaign. I just wanted you to know.”
Nedra let out a long sigh, relieved at getting it off her
chest.

Her boss shook his head and grew serious.
“You didn’t need to give Dwayne any encouragement to look for ways
to hit below the belt, trust me. He was planning to come after me
long before you told him off; not to mention his boss and I haven’t
gotten along in years.” Constable Davidson smiled again. “So, enjoy
the memory of giving the jerk a verbal smackdown. I just hate that
I wasn’t close enough to see it.”

“Yes sir.” Nedra laughed with him.

“I can swing with the best of ‘em, so Dwayne
can bring it. If they want to go negative in the campaign, I’ll be
happy to hit back; not directly though. I know how to keep my hands
clean even when the mud is slinging.” Constable Davidson wore a
determined expression as though anticipating the fight ahead.

“Okay then,” Nedra replied and cleared her
throat. She thought of Carlos and his mother’s close ties to the
mayor for the rest of the day.

***

Two days later, Nedra met Carlos for dinner
at a seafood restaurant in Mid-City. The dining room was crowded
for a Wednesday. The gray, rainy December weather hadn’t seemed to
dampen the good mood of the young professionals. Christmas garlands
and lights added to the merry atmosphere.

Nedra arrived first and found a table away
from the entrance to avoid the chilly air each time the door
opened. She ordered a pot of hot tea and enjoyed the scenery
outside the restaurant windows. Town Centre, an upscale shopping
complex, had beautiful lights strung along its busy boulevard.
Gigantic green, gold, red and deep purple gift boxes were
positioned around the large trees that graced the intersections
leading into the stores.

Carlos arrived twenty minutes past their
agreed upon time of six thirty. Night had fallen and the headlights
from passing cars lit up the street. Nedra watched him stride in
wearing a khaki rain jacket over a handsome chocolate-brown
pullover sweater and matching slacks. Brushing a few rain drops
from his sleeves, he scanned the room until he found her.

“Sorry you had to wait, baby,” said Carlos.
“Things are a little bit hectic at the shops. I swear, everybody in
town must be trying to get their cars dressed up for the holidays.
We’re selling rims and accessories like they’re going out of
style.” He kissed Nedra’s cheek and sat down.

“No problem. My day got kind of crazy as
well. I’m winding down with some of this delicious tea. Want a
cup?” Nedra signaled to the waiter.

“I’m a manly man. I need coffee,” Carlos
replied with a grin.

“Oh, please.” Nedra rolled her eyes and
giggled.

They ordered and the waiter hurried off to
take care of the other customers.

“Dang, I thought this wouldn’t be such a busy
night.” Carlos glanced around at the throng of people eating,
ordering, leaving and arriving.

“People are shopping, honey.” Nedra nodded to
the diners sat at several tables nearby. Large shopping bags sat on
the floor at their feet. “I’ve only just about finished. I’m
waiting for toys to be delivered from Toy Central for my nephews
and nieces.”

“Cutting it close, huh? Christmas is a week
away.” Carlos sat back as the waiter placed a cup of steaming
coffee in front of him, before racing off again.

“Yeah, I’ve been so busy with work and
everything. The customer service rep at Toy Central assured me that
I would get the delivery this week; Friday at the latest. I’m
hoping my neighbor has them for me when I get home,” said Nedra,
holding up crossed fingers. “Last year, I foolishly waited too late
to order and ended up at the store on the Saturday before Christmas
Day. Never again.”

Carlos started to laugh again and then
stopped. He held his head in both hands. “Crap.”

Nedra raised her eyebrows at him. “You do
have your baby girl’s Christmas gifts, right? She’ll be here in
three days.”

“I kept putting it off, and things got so
wild at both my shops. I have some clothes and a doll, but I was
supposed to get her these electronic bugs. She wants them so bad.”
Carlos looked at Nedra with desperation stamped on his handsome
face. “You’ve got to help me.”

She shook her head. “Oh no, I’m not going
into a toy store this late in the game. Those places are like war
zones.”

“Please, baby. Please. I can either be a hero
daddy or scar my little girl for life,” Carlos blurted out. “Tell
you what, let’s go to my place and search the internet for them. I
still have time to pay extra for emergency shipping.”

“If those bug things haven’t sold out,” Nedra
said.

Carlos blinked at her. “Don’t even say it! If
we can’t get them online Friday, we can go to…”

“Uh-huh. You got yourself into this mess.
I’ve still got the scars from last Christmas when I tried to beat
three grandmothers to the last three electronic car tracks we all
wanted. Those little elderly ladies were cold-blooded killers.”
Nedra shook her head.

Carlos grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
“Please, baby.”

She continued to shake her head at him.
“Start praying to the online-shopping angels, sweetie.”

All through dinner they enjoyed pretending to
argue. Nedra laughed at the way Carlos grew frantic every time she
reminded him of the date, and he promised her whatever she wanted
on the condition that she helped him brave Toy Central. By the time
they finished eating, Nedra’s sides hurt from laughing at the
panicked father.

“In all seriousness, I love the way you take
being a father seriously. A lot of men don’t even visit their kids,
let alone have them over for Christmas. If you tell me you comb
Carly’s hair on your own, that’s it and I’ll help you out.” Nedra
grinned at him.

Carlos sat up straight and patted his chest
in pride. “I’ve been styling Carly’s hair since she was crawling. I
even painted her little fingernails and toenails a few times.” Then
he dropped his voice and glanced around. “Uh, let’s keep that
between us. Not even my best friend, Brian, knows about the polish
stuff. He teases me enough about being a family man.”

Nedra melted at the image of Carlos lovingly
putting ribbons in his child’s hair. “That’s beautiful, Carlos,
really.”

He shrugged and blushed at the compliment.
“Well, I call it our bonding time. So, you see why I have to bring
my A game when she visits.”

“Then we better get on our job and find those
bugs. By the way, what exactly are these things and why do kids
love them?” Nedra patted her lips with a large paper napkin.

“They’re actually neat. You’ve got a spider,
a caterpillar and a beetle. They crawl around and change direction
if they bump into anything.” Carlos’ eyes lit up as if he were a
kid describing what he wanted for Christmas.

Nedra raised an eyebrow. “Um, are you sure
they’re for Carly? You sound suspiciously excited about getting
your hands on them.”