The Naughty List (26 page)

Grace answered for him. “David has to get back to supervise the move.” She held her hand out for her husband and shot him an impish look. “Why don’t we let Marissa start the tour? Rosalie can catch up.”

As soon as the door closed, Rosalie grabbed hold of him. “Move? Are you all coming to Florida?”

“We’ll keep the apartment in New York, but Mom and Dad also bought a place here in town. I have to stay in the city and clear this mess with Anthony first, but I’ll eventually come, too.” He kissed her. “This will definitely encourage me to work faster.” Suddenly, his head shot up and he scanned the office suspiciously. “Where is she?”

“Who?”

“My favorite cupid.”

“She’s gone for the moment. Ms. Jankowski’s not so bad once you get to know her.”

David eyed her askance. “That’s crazy talk, lady. I’m not sure Imr t want you around any other Integrals. You’re beginning to sound like the Baal.”

Rosalie snuggled happily into his embrace. “Are you really moving to Florida?”

“I am. I’ll get my own place and everything. Think you can stomach having me here full time?”

Her heart fluttered and she kissed him again. “I’ll try.”

“Ahem.”

Rosalie felt David stiffen, but nothing would spoil her mood today. Penrose’s was saved and David would soon be with her. To both the cupid and David’s astonishment she greeted Ms. Jankowski with a hug. “Natalie! I’m so glad you dropped in. Have you heard the great news? The Santa bought Penrose’s.”

“Well…ah…yes…” she stammered. “The sale is all the talk.” She turned to David. “I…um…congratulations. I’m confident of your family’s success.”

David regarded her cautiously. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“David is leaving,” Rosalie announced merrily, “so we’ll say goodbye.” She wrapped her arms around the E.L.F.’s neck. “I’m going to kiss him now, Natalie. You may start the countdown any time.”

To David’s amazement, the cupid bowed out graciously. “I’ll wait in the hall.”

“What the hell did you do to her?” David whispered.

“I told you, she’s not so bad. Now kiss me quick before she changes her mind and whips out the stopwatch.”

David dashed-away and Rosalie rejoined Ms. Jankowski. “Isn’t he the cutest thing?” she gushed.

“Um, yes, rather.” To her surprise Ms. Jankowski giggled and her ears turned pink. “Actually, I’ve always preferred human males myself.”

“Why, Natalie…” Rosalie jabbed the cupid playfully in the side. “You little devil you—or should I say demi-god—hey, where’s the tablet?” Rather than her typical computer, Ms. Jankowski carried a beefy three ring binder.

She handed the heavy notebook to Rosalie. “I put together a selection of study materials.”

Nope, nothing would ruin her mood. Rosalie slipped her arm into the cupid’s. “I’m joining Brian and Grace as they tour Penrose’s. Please come with us.”

The cupid hesitated. “I-I shouldn’t.” She glanced at the binder. “The study materials—”

“—will be here waiting. Come on,” Rosalie said. “We’ll have fun. I’ll point out all the bargains. We’ll stop at the coffee shop when we’re finished. The special pie today,” she added with a rascally smirk, “is chocolate pecan.”

After a brief internal struggle, Ms. Jankowski gave in. “Oh, all right. Why not? Thank you, Ms. Thatcher.”

“Please, call me Rosalie.” She placed the binder in her office and with a friendly gesture led the cupid away.

If Brian and Grace were surprised to see Ms. Jankowski, they didn’t say so, although Marissa raised an eyebrow. The five of them wandered through the store from the top down, starting with the roof.

“Lovely view from here,” Grace noted. “You see all of downtown clear out to the bay.”

Brian cast a practiced eye across the surface. “I don’t think structural changes are necessary.” He and Grace held a brief murmured exchange before requesting to see the rest of the store.

Afternoon shoppers packed the floors, but with The Book back in the right hands, good moods were widesodsseepread. As the group ambled through the departments, Brian and Grace took in everything. They asked pointed questions about staffing needs, sales projections, and consumer spending. Brian brought along the original architectural drawings of Penrose’s. He and Grace often stopped and referred back to one section or another. Their actions impressed Rosalie. The pair really did their homework. By the time the tour finished, she was confident they had an excellent grasp of the store’s current needs along with future potential.

“Money and time are needed,” Brian assured them, “but I see Penrose’s as a golden opportunity.”

They ended the tour in Christmas Land. Ms. Jankowski suddenly asked, “How many Integrals do you see working here?”

“Quite a few, especially with the new addition of the day spa, bistro and other new construction.”

“Day spa?” Rosalie chirped in excitement.

“We’ll explain later,” Grace assured her. “Right now we have an appointment. Brian?”

Her husband gazed at Ross perched on the futon. His lips twitched in amusement as the costumed Santa easily coaxed a smile from a cranky toddler. “That guy’s good.”

“May Rosalie leave a little early?” Grace asked Marissa. “We’re closing on the new condo and we’d like to show her around.” Marissa raised no objection. “Ms. Jankowski? If you need an address…”

But Ms. Jankowski also seemed distracted by Penrose’s Santa. Ross waved. “I found you another unicorn. Ho! Ho! Ho!” he shouted exuberantly.

She waved back. “You run on ahead,” Ms. Jankowski said pleasantly to Rosalie. “I’ll touch base later this evening.”

“He’s really,
really
good,” Brian murmured before Grace shushed him.

They finished the tour. Rosalie returned to her office and picked up her purse and the binder. She followed Brian and Grace to the parking lot and dropped the binder in the back of her car. “I’ll drive us. Where are we going?”

To her surprise, Brian pulled her back and locked the car door. He took h
er hand and his wife’s, and shot a quick glance around. The next instant, the dash-away kicked in.

They stood on a wraparound terrace with a magnificent view of the waterfront on one side. On the other was an even grander view of the city than from the top of Penrose’s. Rosalie saw the store a few blocks over.

“Welcome.” Miss Delia greeted them, watering can in hand. An assortment of pots containing lush late season plantings were scattered around at her feet. “I couldn’t leave my babies without a last drink.”

“Delia,” Grace chided, “I could have done that.”

“It’s no bother. Besides, you know how I like to get my hands dirty.” She didn’t seem surprised at all to see three people suddenly appear right in front of her.

Rosalie gaped at the elderly woman, the truth finally sinking in. “Miss Delia?”

She chuckled. “I thought you guessed by now. I’m a gnome.”

Chapter Fifteen

The gloves…the green thumb…everything made perfect sense. “A-A garden gnome?”

“Well, of course, my dear. There isn’t any other kind.”

Rosalie gaped at Brian and Grace. “How long have you all known each other?”

“Only a few weeks,” Grace admitted. “We discovered an Integral was a shareholder and approached Deodsseeachlia with an offer to buy her out. We asked her not to say anything until the deal sealed.”

“You popped back and forth to New York all this time?” Rosalie eyed the gnome with astonishment.

Delia shook her head. “Oh, dear me, no. I haven’t returned to New York since I ran away from home decades ago. I wanted a better life, you see. The only job gnomes were considered fit for was tending a more powerful Integral’s garden.”

“If you didn’t notice already,” Brian disclosed, “Integrals are wrapped in a subtle hierarchy. Some clans definitely garner more respect than others.”

“Gnomes are way down on the totem pole,” Delia clucked. “Back then life was very regimented. You knew your place and stuck to it. Any Integral who left the fold became an immediate outcast. A gnome had no chance of finding other employment or attending a human college. Brian’s father, actually, was one of the first to speak up for the lesser demi-gods and changing the old ways. He wasn’t able to accomplish much, but,” she eyed Brian with respect, “one of the reasons I agreed to sell was his son and grandson are certainly shaking up the establishment.”

Rosalie was fascinated. “How did you end up here?”

“I turned eighteen and came into my full power, such as it was. Gnomes are only gifted with a green thumb. I hopped the first bus out of town. My money ran out right in front of Penrose’s. The store just opened. The concrete planters had only been installed and the flowers were very droopy. Most needed water, some were planted too shallow, others too deep. I got to work. Arthur Penrose came outside. He asked what I was doing and I explained about the plants. We chatted for a while. I had no retail skills, no experience in business, but Arthur offered me a job on the spot. Later, I met my husband there. After Luis and I saved enough money, we left Penrose’s and started a wholesale nursery business. We did very well. Luis had the business smarts and I had the green thumb. Once we retired, we bought the condo. Now Grace and Brian are the new owners. Which reminds me…” She dusted off her hands. “Come inside and I’ll get you the keys.” She eyed Brian with a chuckle. “Not that an E.L.F. needs them.”

Floor to ceiling windows flooded the space with light. All the furniture and personal possessions cleared away—easier to note the beautiful hardwood floors throughout. So much for your theory about Mittens living on a fixed income in a dinky little retirement home, Rosalie thought with amusement. A penthouse like this runs way over a cool mil.

Miss Delia handed the keys to Grace. “I hope you’ll be as happy as Luis and I.” Someone knocked at the door. Miss Delia motioned to a pile of suitcases nearby. “The concierge is here for my luggage. If you’ll excuse me I have a plane to catch.” She gave Grace and Brian a hug. When she turned to Rosalie, she was unexpectedly touched by the gnome’s affectionate goodbye.

“I’ll miss you, Mittens,” Rosalie said. Her face flushed. “I-I mean—”

“Don’t fret, my dear. I know all about the nickname. I always liked it.” Her expression turned serious. “Brian told me you’re monitored by a cupid. Don’t let her get you down. They can be a real pain in the ass.”

Rosalie considered her last few interactions with Ms. Jankowski. “I think we’ve come to an understanding.”

“Good girl,” she said. Mittens reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out a brand new pair of garden gloves. She eyed her sharply. “These are for you. Remember love is like a plant. Given enough time and care, it will bloom in the most unexpected places.” Sh pls. She ee held her tight and whispered in her ear, “I think your young E.L.F. is a very lucky Integral.”

As the door shut, Rosalie turned to Brian and Grace with misty eyes. “I’ll miss that gnome and her cucumbers.”

“You’ll help me plant more on the terrace,” Grace offered, “although, I have nothing like Delia’s green thumb. I’m looking forward to the challenge of starting something new.”

Rosalie perked up. “Speaking of new challenges—tell me more about this day spa.”

****

David strode out of the council room with The Book in hand. Storm clouds gathered in his eyes. Brian followed right behind. The Santa dashed-away in from Florida to attend the meeting and lend moral support, but the request to the wardens didn’t go well. “What did you expect?” he asked his son.

“I expected them to start doing something.”

“Half of them want to.”

“And the Baal and the other half don’t. Ergo—a deadlock.

“Welcome to my world.” Brian placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Change is hard.”

“All I want them to do is authorize a full search.”

“For Integrals who committed no crime—”

“—yet, but they will. You know it. I know it. And what drives me crazy is I’m sure the wardens know it, too. They won’t admit the truth.”

Brian’s phone rang and he glanced at the display. “It’s your mother. I have to go. Will you see Rosalie tonight?”

The strain quickly evaporated from David’s features. “We made dinner plans. We actually finish dessert now and spend some time talking before Ms. Jankowski blows in.” He shook his head in amusement. “I still don’t believe the change. Rosalie said she used a creative approach to get on her good side. Who knew a cupid had a good side?”

Brian chuckled in understanding. “By the way, the last of our new furniture arrived. The dining room set is in, so we’d like you to bring Rosalie to dinner soon.”

“How’s the new place working out?”

“Terrific,” he said happily. “The two of us alone, no Integrals knocking at the door every ten minutes asking for advice. Your mom and I actually have privacy.”

David flashed a wicked grin. “Maybe I should send a cupid to keep an eye on you two.”

“You do and you’re dead meat.”

“Rosalie and I will come by Friday, seeing as how the wardens won’t give me permission to do what I want.”

His father eyed him sympathetically. “Don’t give up.”

“I’m not. Actually, I have an idea. Maybe now is time for me to bend the rules a little.”

Brian raised an eyebrow. He knew that look. “Or maybe today is the day to snap them in two?”

David gave him a wry grin. “It’s better if you don’t know the details. Thanks for your support, Dad. It meant a lot to me for you to be here.”

He said goodbye to his father and headed for the one of the lower floors. Brian watched him go. He had a suspicion where his son headed and why. If David was to become the Santa someday, Brian knew he needed to solve tough problems on his own. It was the only way to garner the respect of the other Integrals. However, a father is still a father. Brian pulled out his cell phone again.

“Got a minute?” he asked whe h="justin the other party picked up. “I need a favor.”

****

David stood at the threshold of the kennel. His gaze strayed around the room. The makeshift altar was long disassembled, all remnants of the funeral swept away. Billy sat in the common room staring glumly at an old sport’s magazine before pitching it aside with a look of disgust. Not for the first time, David wondered how far a hellhound would go for justice. If this crazy plan had a hope of success he needed to find out. He stepped into the kennel. “Your team lose?”