Page 1 of The Naughty Elf

1

GINGER

“Where do you…see yourself…in five years?” Gracie shoves a spoonful of cereal in her mouth after she gets through the question. I grin at my daughter, trying not to laugh at how the milk runs down her chin.

“Planning fantastic events for children and those who are still children at heart.” I crunch on my toast and point at her with a corner of it. “And being the mom of a preteen-slash-newly-budding-teen, so my hands will be full.”

Gracie laughs, the happy sound filling the space under the kitchen lights. Her head falls back, and her eyes close, and it’s the most wonderful thing in the world. “Very full. I want to dye my hair pink when I turn thirteen.”

“And you can. Just like I did.” I take another bite of my toast and talk around it. “Next question.”

“Can you give me…an example of an event you have planned?” Gracie’s face scrunches up. “You’ve planned events, but what were they for and when?”

I shake my head. “I plan your birthdays every year, I’ll have you know.”

She perks up, bouncing in her seat. “They’re always fun!”

“Exactly, but for the job, I would say my favorite example would be the welcoming event for the incoming freshman class. I was one of seven planners. We each organized a day for Welcome Week. My focus was on student life.”

She nods and indicates that I can keep talking. I smile at her and keep talking.

“I organized a morning scavenger hunt for students to locate and become familiar with places and actions they would need to get used to doing, like finding a specific resource person in the library to get free scantron sheets, introducing themselves to the student IT staff to get a free phone case, and going to the football stadium to get a free ticket to our homecoming game. That kind of thing.”

I swipe my hair away from my face, resolved to pin it back for the real interview. “During the afternoon, I had clubs and activities set up booths around the center of campus where they could interact with freshmen and get people involved in the event.”

It was my favorite part of my initial welcoming week when I was a freshman. I tried out so many clubs, and they were all low-key enough that Gracie came to most of the meetings with me. I’m pretty sure that’s where her artistic side was born.

“And in the evening, we had local food trucks set up around the green space on campus, and I got to MC the movie night with some fun raffle prizes for those who were paying attention. And people who stopped by got coupons for the participating vendors for their first weekend on campus. I ate so many lobster rolls that my picture should be on their wall.”

Gracie laughs at me again. “You’re such a goose.”

“Thank you.” I shove the last bit of toast in and sip my cooling coffee. “Any other questions?”

Gracie picks up her bowl and slurps down her milk with a sigh. “It just says weaknesses and then there’s a question mark after it.”

She hops off her stool and carries her bowl to the sink, rinsing it out and putting it in the dishwasher like a good girl.

“Sometimes, I get lost in the details. You know, can’t see the forest for the trees. But I’ve learned to put systems in place to keep track of everything so that I can focus on the big picture.”

“Why can’t you see the trees, Momma?”

I rinse my coffee mug and place it in the washer beside her bowl. “I can see the trees just fine, pumpkin. It’s like if I was walking through the woods, and I was looking at the beauty of the trees and didn’t see that I’d gotten lost in the middle of them.”

Blinking up at me thoughtfully, Gracie thinks through what I’ve said. “Okay. It’s like when I get stuck in math because there are too many numbers.”

God, my munchkin is hilarious.

“Yes. Exactly like that.” I start shooing her toward her room because it’s time to get to the school bus. “All right. Brush your teeth, grab your backpack, and meet me by the door.”

I take the time to pin my auburn hair back. It seems more red today with my Hot Tomato lipstick and starched white shirt. I add a slender navy tie to be cute but professional, but I leave the jacket. It showcases my personality.

Gracie is slipping into her sneakers as I come back. I tuck my portfolio into my purse and slide into my red kitten heels. They match my lipstick perfectly.

“Ready?”

“Ready,” my mini-me repeats.

I drive her to the bus stop where we wait for the bus. I’m still too scared to leave her standing there, even with other kidsaround. Besides, we never have to wait long, and I love the ritual. “You’ve got all your homework?”

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