“Or you could just invite the entire town over.”
I frowned. “Possibly not the best idea.”
“They could come to you instead of you going to them.”
“I’d need a bigger table.”
“And a bigger door.”
“The door’s actually custom. Had to be, or I’d be stuck going through windows.” I finished my pancakes and started on another double stack. Yeti metabolism was no joke. “Most of the cabin’s been modified. Higher ceilings, reinforced floors, oversized everything.”
Maya looked around with new appreciation. “You built this yourself?”
“Not all of it. There’s a clan of Bigfoot around here as well. They did the heavy construction, but the finishing work was all me.” Pride filled my chest. “It took a while, but it’s exactly what I wanted.”
“It’s impressive. Also very cozy, which somehow I didn’t expect from a bachelor.”
“What did you expect? A cave with bones scattered around?”
Maya grinned. “If you’re in the mood to redecorate, you can do some cave paintings of successful hunts on your walls.” She pointed to the living room. “And there’s a place for a pile of furs to sleep on.”
“I have one fur,” I said, my voice solemn. “It’s in my bedroom. Ceremonial.”
She nearly choked on her pancakes. “You do not.”
“I absolutely do. Family heirloom. My great-grandfather’s.”
“That’s actually kind of cool.”
“It’s also very weird looking at it and thinking ‘that used to be Grandpa.’”
“Oh my God, that’s not… You’re messing with me.” Her eyes widened. “Please say you’re messing with me.” But she was laughing, and the sound filled the cabin in a way that made me want to hear it every day for the rest of my life.
It was a dangerous thought. Very dangerous.
I cleared the plates, loading them into the dishwasher while Maya watched. “So what’s the plan for today?” she asked. "Besides being snowed in and waiting for rescue.”
“Well, I need to dig us out to make sure the generator’s accessible, clear the vents, check the roof. But after that…” I paused, an idea forming. “You want to play something?”
Her face lit up. “Really?”
“Why not? We’re both here, both gamers. Seems like a waste not to.” I gestured toward my setup. “I’ve got two controllers, or I could set up my laptop and we could do co-op.”
“Geoff.” She said my name with something like wonder. “Are you suggesting we do exactly what we’d be doing if we were both at home, except in person?”
“I guess I am.”
“That’s perfect. Yes. Absolutely yes.”
The pure joy in her expression made something warm bloom in my chest. This was exactly right. I was taking something familiar and comfortable and letting it bridge the weirdness of our new reality.
“Let me go change into real clothes,” she said, sliding off the stool. “These are very comfortable, but I feel like I should at least put on pants that fit.”
“Your clothes from yesterday should be dry. I put them in the dryer last night before I went to bed.”
She paused halfway to the hallway. “You did my laundry?”
“They were soaked and you were asleep. Seemed like a practical thing to do.”
