Page 9 of The Naughty Elf

We all pull in deep breaths at her word choice.

“Does this one have the same room as your office? What is it here?”

“A flex space. Office, den, library, sunroom.” Jackson looks up at me. “Have we decided in this one?”

“Library,” I answer. My skin tingles at the delight on Ginger’s face.

“Oh, I have to see this. How much is done?” She’s already stepping around Jackson, and we’re helpless but to follow.

Daniel, Jacob, and one of the Nicks all stop to say something to Ginger in passing. I’m getting whiplash from the frenzy inside me.

She stops in the middle of the library, her hands clasped to her heart. “Oh. My. Lord. Look at those shelves.”

They’re unfinished, still drywall and rough wood until I can get the placement how I want it. I also need to pick a color scheme, which is what’s really holding me up. But now, a natural oak color with a deep teal backdrop suddenly seems fitting.

When she turns back around, she’s imagining how it will look finished. “Your handiwork?”

Jackson and Ashley turn to me. I nod.

Her mouth purses as she steps forward, grabs me by the arm again, and tugs me to the bookshelves. “Paint me a picture. How did you get them to hover on the wall like that?”

The guys laugh behind me.Paint her a picture.“There’s no insulation here. I built the shelves into the wall.”

She tugs me closer still. “Mm-hmm. And…”

“I’ll keep the wood pale and paint the wall teal.”

Those slender fingers squeeze my arm. “So, you’re the one I need to help me build my Christmas carnival.”

“Yes.” If it means getting to work with her more closely, it’s a definite yes.

Her grin is bright. “Good.”

Patting my arm, she turns to Ashley and Jackson. We’re all three out of our depth here.

“I’m bursting with ideas. Show me where I can get to work.”

Jackson escorts Ginger off the site and back to the office. She bounces away as quickly as she came crashing in, turning my life upside down. I survey the supplies outside simply to watch her go.

As I predicted, the distance between us doesn’t release the stranglehold she has on me. A new, brighter world has revealed itself, and I’m caught adrift in the wild.

5

GINGER

It’s after five, and my mind is still spinning with more and more ideas. I’ve accumulated a binder and started a spreadsheet on my computer. My office sits upstairs on the left. The master bedroom is set up like a showroom, but my space is on the opposite side, with a window that looks over the front lawn.

It means I can watch the comings and goings, and I have a general idea of what’s going on with the construction outside.

Most people have left for lunch, and Jackson brought me some barbeque chicken from Ruby’s Pork and Dreams, the local joint with the best smoked meat and hickory beans. He must have gotten asked my dad what to order for me.

He ate at my desk with me, silently surveying the spread of papers from the notes and preliminary phone calls I had made.

Prices and availability. That’s always my starting point. After that, I can put together the bigger picture.

I’m just finishing putting the last of my findings into a spreadsheet when Brenda knocks.

“I’m locking up. Time to get home.” She taps her wrist, even though there’s no watch there. Her silver brow rides high towardher quaffed and curled silver hair. “I’ve got dinner waiting for me. Let’s go.”

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