Naughty Elf: Mistletoe (Santa’s Naughty Elf Mates)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

MIZ

Ryan was so sweet when he patiently walked me through the shared calendar on my phone. Then he scared me when he proposed a meeting tomorrow evening in his office. Ellie would be downstairs watching her favorite movie for the ten millionth time, and we would be upstairs in the tiny office where we first met.

The morning after the in-service incident, I walked Ellie to school and stopped by Dru's house on the way home, same as I did every morning. Sometimes she had clients in her basement office, or she had to rush out when she received a call from an expecting parent going into labor, but most of the time, we sat in her kitchen talking about nothing and everything. In a matter of days, I felt like I could tell her anything, including my plight with Ryan.

That morning, I told her about our upcoming meeting. Dru was so excited, she taught me how to batter my own chicken nuggets from scratch. We battered and fried enough for her to save in the freezer. The rest, she let me take home and throw in the oven to warm until Ryan finished work.

Chicken nuggets were not on the evening's menu, but I explained Dru and I made them. At first, Ryan thought I reheated some frozen nuggets, but the sound he made when he bit into one was enough to make me want to eat home-battered chicken every night.

"These are so good," Ryan said after he polished off a third.

"Dru gave me the recipe and walked me through how to cook them. Do you have an air fryer?"

"Not yet, but I'll order one tonight." He grinned, and then frowned. "We never talked about your kitchen duties, either." He grabbed a notepad from the counter and jotted some notes on the top page before stripping it off, folding it, and tucking it into his pocket.

After dinner, Ellie and Ryan cleared the table while I prepped the dishes for the dishwasher. Then, it was time for Ellie to watch her movie. She was already singing along to the opening credits as we made our way upstairs.

I couldn't stop thinking about my final work evaluation from Santa, where he changed my "Needs improvement" to a big old "Failed" in red pen across my review, all while flying the sleigh. I didn't want to fail with Ellie or Ryan.

"What do you think of Dru?" Ryan asked as he shut his office door and directed me toward the lone folding chair propped against the wall. He took the chair behind his desk and I unfolded the chair with a loud scrape of metal.

"I like her." I didn't know how to explain how easy it was to talk to her. Ryan argued with her every time they spoke, from the way she described it, anyway.

"I like her, too," Ryan said. "She's too damn smart for her own good, but I need to listen to her more. She suggested this meeting to go over your job duties and exclusions."

He moved a monitor to the edge of his desk so we could both see it, and we talked through the basic contract he'd printed out. At first, he was relaxed, but as we talked about the terms in the contract, I could tell something bothered him. His hand twitched harder over the mouse, the closer he came to the blank space above the signature lines.

"That's everything written in the contract," he said when he reached the end of the last paragraph. "What's missing?"

"It seems straightforward to me." I spoke slowly and watched his face for any sign of what I should say next. When he didn't give me one, I placed my hand over his on the mouse. "I'll take care of Ellie, I promise."

"That's not —" He sighed. "I know you will. I've known from the first night. You're so good with her."

"I want to do a good job, to prove to you I'm a good m—" Oops. Almost said it out loud. I didn't want to blow my chances with my mate.

"You are a good man," Ryan said, misinterpreting my words.

"Elf. I'm an elf."

"Right." He stared at the point of my right ear again. His hand jerked beneath mine, and I remembered how he'd reached for it when we met.

"I think we need a clause about consent," I said. "If one of us wants to change our relationship or living arrangement, we should meet to discuss and mutually agree before making those changes."

The knot in Ryan's throat bobbed as he swallowed. He nodded. "That's reasonable."

"Dru also mentioned she talked to you about taking me out on a date."

He nodded again.

"We don't want to make you uncomfortable or push you to do something you don't want to do." We, because Dru was more enthusiastic about our date than I was.

"I want to go on a date with you." His brown eyes were so serious. "I want to get to know you better."

That was everything I'd hoped for, but I still didn't believe it was true. "Is this because Dru told you to ask me out?"

He snorted a laugh, and I couldn't resist laughing with him.

"Yes. She's incredibly persuasive."

"One date, and if you hate it …" I couldn't finish my sentence without choking up.

"I won't hate it." Ryan's voice was soft as he flipped his hand and cupped mine with both of his. "Does tomorrow work for you?"

"Yes." I didn't have a suit or anything fancy, but I had time to shop while Ellie was at school. "What should I wear?"

"The clothes you wore to the mall are fine."

They were, but I could surprise him with the new jeans I ordered online to go with the pretty yellow dress shirt and blue tie I found at the bottom of the box of clothes Ryan gave me.

I still felt awkward in anything but a tunic and tights, but Dru's enthusiasm for my daily outfits built my confidence. With her help, I might become an omega worthy of an alpha moose mate.