The Perfect Gift

C H A P T E R 🎄11

L I S A

I got the feeling Roseanne was irritated with me. I couldn't put my finger on why, and she didn't say anything, but tension filled the air. She seemed totally at ease with my having visitation rights to Miles. And I'd thought that issue would be her biggest concern.

So, I was confused, to say the least.

After our walk around the square, we returned to the gallery and went over our game plan for convincing Tom to staple our Christmas festival flyers to his delivery bags.

"The problem with Tom is that he's naturally contrary," Rosie said as Miles played in the next room.

"Naturally contrary?"

"Yeah. As in, if you say left, his natural instinct is to say right, whether he actually thinks that way or not. Apparently, his dad was really strict with him, and he vowed never to be controlled like that again or something. To be honest, every time he starts telling that story, he slips into Greek halfway through, and I get lost."

I grinned and leaned back to watch Miles over her shoulder. That kid never stopped moving. He was a bundle of pure energy, and I couldn't help but feel some measure of pride.

"It sounds like Tom is quite the character."

"Yeah, 'character' is one way to put it." She snickered and leaned her elbow on the back of the armrest so she could watch Miles playing. "You could also say royal pain in the ass."

I chuckled and steepled my hands in front of me. I still felt a closeness to her that hadn't been there before. It was there, unspoken, but present.

And yet, she held herself somewhat rigidly. She wasn't ready to give herself over to whatever was going on between us.

"You said Tom's priority is his daughter, right?"

"Yeah, Cassie. The one who sometimes works at the deli in a clear violation of child labor laws."

I laughed. "Well, can we convince Cassie, then?"

"I don't know. I mean, she and Miles are tight, but I'm not sure I want to involve Tom's child in our scheming."

I shrugged. "True. So, we don't plan on using that connection, per se, but if it comes up, we can still take advantage of it."

That seemed to satisfy her. I checked my phone and started to rise. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go talk to Tom."

"Sit your butt back down," Rosie said with a sniff. "That's not how this works."

"What do you mean?" I sat down, confused.

"Look, it's only ten o'clock, so that means Tom is still fending off his breakfast rush. When it gets to eleven, we have a brief window of opportunity before the lunch rush begins. That's when we strike."

Rosie tapped on the tablet I had lying on the coffee table and brought it to life. She used the map function to bring up downtown and then zoomed in on a specific section.

"See here? This is an alley that runs behind the deli."

I peered at the screen. "I'm with you so far."

"Right. So, it's a little-known fact that Tom steps out the back door and enjoys himself a few puffs on his cigar after the breakfast rush. He sometimes helps himself to a bit of scotch. At any rate, this is when he's going to be most relaxed and open-minded."

"So, you don't want to use his kid against him, but you're all for striking when he's at his weakest?"

She laughed. "It'll be in his best interest to go along with the plan. He just won't see it that way. Yet."