Page 458 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
Around three in the morning, I spotted Tinsely in the candle and aromatherapy department. She’d tucked herself in a quiet aisle, and while I watched, she took the lid off a candle in a dark green glass jar. She brought the candle to her nose, closed her eyes, and inhaled.
A woman came around the corner and startled her. Tinsely jumped and nearly dropped the candle, but recovered, smoothly spinning to the customer and placing the candle back on the shelf. She held herself with good posture, but I could tell by the way her shoulders pulled slightly forward that her exhaustion had caught back up with her.
The candle had been a short reprieve from a night of madness, but it wasn’t enough.
She left the candle section and followed the customer, who obviously needed help with something. I hung back and followed them to the bedding department, where the customer had Tinsely put out her arms as she loaded them up with two duvets and several pillows. The pile grew so high that Tinsely couldn’t see, and the woman guided her through the store to the nearest cash register, where Tinsely rang her through.
As soon as the sale was done another customer swept in.
I looked around until I saw the red T-shirt of an employee. They were hurrying to fold blankets and tidy up a section of the bedding department before I got to them and asked them to come relieve Tinsely behind the register.
When I took Tinsely’s hand and led her away, the same bedding customer came hurrying back and flanked us.
“Excuse me?” the customer called.
Tinsely turned back to her. “Yes?”
“I need an extra set of hands again. Could you come with me to the pots and pans? I need several new sets.”
Tinsely pulled away to follow, but I held fast to her hand and smiled at the customer. “Apologies, ma’am, but I need to steal my elf back for a moment. She’s a hard worker and hasn’t had a break all day. If I don’t force her to, she’ll never get off her feet, and she has two broken toes from dropping Christmas boxes on them yesterday evening.”
The customer gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, my dear, go rest! I’ll find someone else.”
The woman hurried off. I wished her a Merry Christmas while Tinsely muttered under her breath about how lying like that was totally inappropriate.
“Hush,” I told her. “I’m right. You need a break.” We slipped past the clothing department, through the fitting rooms, and down a narrow corridor that led to one of the storage rooms. Off of that, I opened a door to a small closet with a locking handle, where we could take fifteen minutes and be completely alone to regroup.
Tinsely followed me inside. I locked the door handle and turned to her as she slumped down on a collapsible stool and leaned her head back against the wall.
“You might be right,” she muttered. “I need a break.”
CHAPTER 21
TINSELY
In a span of three minutes, I yawned six times. I rubbed at my eyes with the heels of my hands, slumped forward, and rested my chin on my knuckles and my elbows on my knees.
“I don’t think I’m going to make it,” I said.
Chadwick leaned against the closet door and crossed his ankles. “Ah, come on, it’s not that bad. You pulled an all-nighter in this store once. What’s one more?”
I blinked up at him, fighting the urge to let my eyes stay closed each and every time. “I was eighteen the first time, and all the other years I did these events I had time to rest before I got here. I just want to close my eyes and sleep. I’d even use that mop head as a pillow,” I nodded pointedly at the mop sticking out of a yellow bucket, “or a blanket for my boobs.”
Chadwick threw his head back and laughed. “That would be doing your magnificent breasts an incredible disservice.”
“Desperate times.”
“I will never allow things to get that desperate,” he insisted. “Why don’t we pull another stunt like we did at the Times Square opening?”
Tempting. Very tempting. “I’m listening,” I said.
He pumped his eyebrows and gave me a conspiratorial smile. “We’re already out of sight. You stay here, and away from that mop head,” he added, “and I’ll go find the closest exit. I’ll call the driver and have him bring the car around again, and we’ll go straight to my place.”
“To sleep,” I said, just in case he had other ideas.
“Of course. To sleep.” He winked.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay fine, but if we get heat from your dad about this? It was all your idea.”
