guess you have a Santa.”
After breakfast and a shower, Charlotte
dressed, then put on her coat and Lila’s. She also pulled rubber
booties on Lila’s feet, to keep the fur from icing up between her
toes. “Come on, Lila,” she said, opening the door that led from the
kitchen to the backyard.
As she walked across the snow to the stone
outbuilding that served as the workshop for Petey’s Closet,
Charlotte studied the animal tracks she had noticed earlier. Lila
bounded by, leaving almost identical marks in the snow. “Weird,”
Charlotte muttered.
She unlocked the door to the workshop and
flipped on the lights, then turned on the space heaters that made
the place comfortable during the winter. It seemed extra cold, and
Charlotte reflected that a stone building was a primitive dwelling,
even when you put up drywall and track lighting.
She looked around the well-lit space. “Ellen
said she finished your silver parka,” she told Lila. Ellen was the
main designer for Petey’s Closet. She had left to visit family the
day before. “Your elf costume should be here, too.”
She looked on the floor-to-ceiling shelves,
where Ellen usually put completed projects. The pointy elf hat sat
on the bottom shelf, but the rest of the costume and the parka
weren’t there, so she poked through half-finished designs and
scraps of fabric on the two work tables. The parka and costume were
nowhere to be seen.
“Where on earth could they be?” Charlotte
asked, looking around. She turned at the sound of Lila’s
barking.
Lila faced a corner of the room, barking
ferociously at a stack of boxes that held catalogs. Charlotte went
over. The boxes were only a few inches away from the wall. She
started to reach behind them, to check for the missing clothes, but
thought better of it as Lila barked harder. There might be a mouse
back there. She got a yardstick and ran it behind the boxes, but
felt nothing.
Lila continued to bark, pawing at the
boxes.
Charlotte scooped her up. “Oh, hush. Ellen
must have put your clothes in the house somewhere. I’ll call
her.”
Back in the kitchen, she took Lila’s coat off
before calling Ellen on her cell phone.
“Merry almost Christmas!” Ellen answered.
“To you, too!” Charlotte said. “Hey, I can’t
find Lila’s elf costume, and I also want to show off that silver
parka you made, to see how people respond. Where did you put
them?”
“They’re on the bottom shelf, to the right of
the table.”
Charlotte frowned. “That’s where I looked,
but they’re not there. Where else could they be?”
“Nowhere,” Ellen said. “That’s where I always
put finished stuff. Also, I distinctly remember that I had to move
some Halloween things to make room for the parka. So they’re
definitely there. You must not have looked hard enough.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “How hard is it to
look on a shelf? Could you have packed them in your suitcase
accidentally?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Like I said, by accident.”
Ellen blew out a breath. “I didn’t take my
suitcase in the workshop, but hold on.”
Charlotte cleared dishes off the table as she
waited for Ellen to come back. As usual, Ivan had left the crusts
from his toast on his plate, and as usual, she threw them out the
back door for the birds.
“Charlotte?” Ellen said. “I checked, and
there is no elf costume or silver parka anywhere in my
luggage.”
“Well, where are they?” Charlotte
demanded.
“I have no idea. I’m sure I put them on the
shelf, but even if I dreamed that, they have to be somewhere in the
workshop.”
Charlotte sighed. “Okay, sorry to snap at
you. Phil Grant broke his leg and we’re scrambling to make sure
Santa makes it to the clock tonight.”
“Who’s the replacement?” Ellen asked.
“Ivan.”
Ellen burst out laughing. “Scariest Santa
ever!”
“I’m just grateful he agreed,” Charlotte
said. She heard the sound of children’s voices come over the
phone.
“Listen, I
After breakfast and a shower, Charlotte
dressed, then put on her coat and Lila’s. She also pulled rubber
booties on Lila’s feet, to keep the fur from icing up between her
toes. “Come on, Lila,” she said, opening the door that led from the
kitchen to the backyard.
As she walked across the snow to the stone
outbuilding that served as the workshop for Petey’s Closet,
Charlotte studied the animal tracks she had noticed earlier. Lila
bounded by, leaving almost identical marks in the snow. “Weird,”
Charlotte muttered.
She unlocked the door to the workshop and
flipped on the lights, then turned on the space heaters that made
the place comfortable during the winter. It seemed extra cold, and
Charlotte reflected that a stone building was a primitive dwelling,
even when you put up drywall and track lighting.
She looked around the well-lit space. “Ellen
said she finished your silver parka,” she told Lila. Ellen was the
main designer for Petey’s Closet. She had left to visit family the
day before. “Your elf costume should be here, too.”
She looked on the floor-to-ceiling shelves,
where Ellen usually put completed projects. The pointy elf hat sat
on the bottom shelf, but the rest of the costume and the parka
weren’t there, so she poked through half-finished designs and
scraps of fabric on the two work tables. The parka and costume were
nowhere to be seen.
“Where on earth could they be?” Charlotte
asked, looking around. She turned at the sound of Lila’s
barking.
Lila faced a corner of the room, barking
ferociously at a stack of boxes that held catalogs. Charlotte went
over. The boxes were only a few inches away from the wall. She
started to reach behind them, to check for the missing clothes, but
thought better of it as Lila barked harder. There might be a mouse
back there. She got a yardstick and ran it behind the boxes, but
felt nothing.
Lila continued to bark, pawing at the
boxes.
Charlotte scooped her up. “Oh, hush. Ellen
must have put your clothes in the house somewhere. I’ll call
her.”
Back in the kitchen, she took Lila’s coat off
before calling Ellen on her cell phone.
“Merry almost Christmas!” Ellen answered.
“To you, too!” Charlotte said. “Hey, I can’t
find Lila’s elf costume, and I also want to show off that silver
parka you made, to see how people respond. Where did you put
them?”
“They’re on the bottom shelf, to the right of
the table.”
Charlotte frowned. “That’s where I looked,
but they’re not there. Where else could they be?”
“Nowhere,” Ellen said. “That’s where I always
put finished stuff. Also, I distinctly remember that I had to move
some Halloween things to make room for the parka. So they’re
definitely there. You must not have looked hard enough.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “How hard is it to
look on a shelf? Could you have packed them in your suitcase
accidentally?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Like I said, by accident.”
Ellen blew out a breath. “I didn’t take my
suitcase in the workshop, but hold on.”
Charlotte cleared dishes off the table as she
waited for Ellen to come back. As usual, Ivan had left the crusts
from his toast on his plate, and as usual, she threw them out the
back door for the birds.
“Charlotte?” Ellen said. “I checked, and
there is no elf costume or silver parka anywhere in my
luggage.”
“Well, where are they?” Charlotte
demanded.
“I have no idea. I’m sure I put them on the
shelf, but even if I dreamed that, they have to be somewhere in the
workshop.”
Charlotte sighed. “Okay, sorry to snap at
you. Phil Grant broke his leg and we’re scrambling to make sure
Santa makes it to the clock tonight.”
“Who’s the replacement?” Ellen asked.
“Ivan.”
Ellen burst out laughing. “Scariest Santa
ever!”
“I’m just grateful he agreed,” Charlotte
said. She heard the sound of children’s voices come over the
phone.
“Listen, I
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