Free His Golden Cuffs: Christmas by Flora Dare Page A

still deserve to be safe . Thanks for bringing that up, Shayna . "
    "No problemo . I was looking at the weather for the week and was dreading having to deal with driving . "
    "Well, you are also welcome to one of the spare rooms if it turns while you are here . Maybe bring a few changes of clothes, just in case?"
    "Sure, no prob . We can sit around draped in all your fabulous gems and drink hot cocoa . With marshmallows . Marshmallows are a hard limit and a deal breaker . "
    "A girl has to know herself . "
    "And this girl knows she likes hot cocoa with marshmallows during snow storms . Maybe a little peppermint or cinnamon schnapps . To keep our spirits up . "
    "I'll make sure Effie keeps us well stocked . Let me run to the ladies, then let's go find someplace else to shop?"
    "Sure, let me buy this . " Shayna flashed a set of handkerchiefs . "My dad will absolutely love these . He's all about a nice hankie . "
    Anya ran to the bathroom and by the time she made it back to Shayna, the woman was waiting at the front of the store with her package .
    Shayna waved her phone at Anya and said, "Oh, you just got a message from a Mr . Jon Maccie . He said, 'Nothing yet . ' And that is all it said . Do I want to know who he is and what he's talking about?"
    "It's fine, I meant to tell you when I hired him . He's sort of a private investigator . I keep hoping my father will finally pawn that necklace he took from me . I really liked the damn thing . I'm hoping he didn't melt it down or anything crazy . Who knows with my father, it could be literally anywhere in the world . "
    "He could have given it to Miranda . "
    "I ... I literally had not thought about that as a possibility . I'll make sure he knows to approach her in a 'reward offered, no questions asked' kind of way . I'm sure she'll jump on it . It's not like she can wear it out anywhere . "
    "I take it there is no word from your father?" Shayna looked at her boss .
    Anya said, "Surprisingly, no . I expected him to last about fifteen minutes in Witness Protection . I guess the bad guys actually scared him enough to keep his head down . "
    "Plus, the courts move so freaking slowly . He'll have to pop back up eventually, at least for the various trials . "
    "He's like a bad penny, he always turns up . Still, some very bad men would like to skin him for winter gloves . "
    "Worst . Gloves . Ever . "
    Anya clutched her mouth and shuddered . "Wow, I just grossed myself out so hard I might just barf . " Anya took a few deep breaths trying to control her suddenly riotous stomach .
    Shayna pulled a bottle of water out of her purse and offered it to her . Anya opened the bottle and took a few sips .
    "Sorry about that . Anyway, I expect to hear that someone is fleecing the Girl Scouts of their cookie sales any day now . And then I can rest easy knowing my con-man father is out there - somewhere . Being him . Even if 'him' is really awful . "
    Shayna took the water bottle back from Anya and stowed it in her purse . She snapped her fingers and said, "Oh, I know what you should get Leo!"
    "What? Please let this be a good idea . "
    "All my ideas are good ideas . You should get an amazing pair of wool socks and shuffle around the house, and threaten him with evil static electricity shocks if he doesn't stop buying himself things and let you buy him freaking anything . Oh! Or even better, every time he buys something, you completely replace a wardrobe item of his, until he has nothing but teal suits, shirts, ties, socks, shoes ... everything!"
    Anya started laughing, imagining the look on Leo's face if he opened a drawer to nothing but teal boxers . "Oh my God, Shayna, he would absolutely murder both of us if we messed with his suits . "
    Shayna threw a hand out theatrically and said, "Vanity is a sin! I mean, and it's not like we would give them all away, it would just be until he bent to your will . "
    Anya shook her head at her overly dramatic assistant and said, "Let's table that idea until,