Page 21 of Snow Globe Secrets

Innuendo or not, I ignored his comment completely. “We’re going to need more firewood.”

“Done. I filled the other carrier last night and left it outside along the wall, right by the door.”

“We should charge our phones though, and”—I got up, headed to the kitchen, and removed a plastic tub from the bottom of the pantry cabinet—“these.” He turned and looked at me over the couch, hooking an arm over the top. He tilted his head in question. I’m glad he didn’t ask outright what they were, because somehow, I knew the question would imply I’d pulled out a bin of sex toys even if his words were basic and monotone.

I really had to get those thoughts out of my head.

“Portable chargers,” I said quickly, definitely not thinking about the similar tub I had in a cabinet in the downstairs bathroom. “Hopefully, we can keep the phones going when the power goes out. I’d hate for your parents not to be able to get in touch with us and having to worry.”

“Yeah. Yup. We’re both up now, so let’s get prepared.” He stood and clapped his hands, ready for action. “With the way the wind is howling, I can’t believe we still have power. I’m sure it was the wind that woke me up.” He was at my side and hovering over my shoulder to investigate the contents of my electronics bucket. From way too close to my ear, he said, “Or maybe it was that dream I was having about the god of thunder.” His words sent a shiver down my spine that I had to work to make not noticeable.

“Right. I’ll get these charging.”

“You’ve got quite the collection.”

“David did loads of golfing. Always carried one in his bag. Was always losing or misplacing them and just buying another instead of looking for the ones he already had.” He was still looking over my shoulder as if the bin held the secrets of the universe. I was afraid to turn my head; he was that close. “These are just the few that ended up with my stuff.”

“I’ll start the coffee, then I’ll unbury that bag of firewood. Maybe we should collect another? Just in case?”

Mercifully, he had moved out of my personal space to the opposite counter, where the coffee machine and my electric kettle sat. I thought about how I usually only had one cup of coffee first thing in the morning as Austin filled the pot almost to the top. I had picked up the tea habit during my time overseas, and after my morning coffee, it was tea all day for me.

“Beans are in the cabinet above you, along with a grinder,” I offered as I took my bucket of goodies and went to the living room.

I heard him mumble, “Fancy,” as I worked to put some distance between us. I could have plugged in the chargers in the kitchen area, but I needed to get away from my guest.

The ledge in front of the fireplace extended the length of the wall on both sides, and one end had an outlet nearby. I often kept a charger for my phone in that very plug. I set the bucket down and pulled out an extension cord with multiple plugs in it. I stacked the three portable chargers that were in the bucket and searched for corresponding wires.

“One more,” I muttered as I ran up the stairs to my room. I took a moment away from Austin to catch my breath and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I was being ridiculous, I realized as I stared at the reflection of a man who was literally his father’s age. Austin didn’t see me as anything but the old guy who was meant to drive him home. There was no need for me to get worked up about our proximity, when the very reason he could stand so close to me was likely because he didn’t see me as anything but an old man.

I sat on my bed and took a cleansing breath, hoping my little inner pep talk was enough for me to head back down and into the fray. ”What type of phone do you have? Do you need anything?”

“Nah. Thank you,” he yelled back up to me. “I’ve got everything I need. I’ll get charged up in a minute. What should I pull out for coffee?”

Charged up, pull out. I needed to get my head out of the gutter. I cleared my throat and stood, hovering over the railing. “Oat milk is in the fridge. Sugar’s in the same cabinet as the beans if you need it. None for me.” I realized I didn’t need to be shouting, as the wind had died down and my voice easily carried from the loft down to where Austin stood puttering around my kitchen. I was probably coming off as awkward. With a sense of resolve and trepidation, I started down the steps but then remembered why I’d gone up in the first place, turning around to pull my phone charger from the nightstand. Not awkward at all.

I bounded down the stairs again with a confidence I did not feel, returning to the kitchen.

I plugged my phone in on the kitchen counter and turned to find Austin handing me a mugful of coffee. “Thank you. Very much.”

“You're very welcome.” At least this response was just a little flirty and teasing and not a full-on innuendo.

“Go get your phone on a charger. And any other electronics,” I suggested. The wind took that moment to rattle the windows again. “We may be watching tonight’s movie on a laptop.”

“On it,” Austin agreed with a nod.

The sun wasn’t even up yet, but I pulled out a griddle and supplies to make pancakes.

The fire was waning, so I put the griddle on to warm and headed that way, passing Austin as he sat on the couch, leaning down to straddle his backpack. When I stopped hearing sounds of movement behind me, I turned to catch him staring my way. He played it off.

“Let me help.” He headed toward me, and I was nervous about him being in my personal space again even though I had tried to convince myself it didn’t mean anything mere minutes earlier.

“I think I’ve got it. Relax. Drink your coffee.” He watched me intently as he approached, but then he decided to agree. He added a tablet and laptop to the items charging on the fireplace ledge and plugged his phone in on the kitchen counter as I added one more log and followed him to the kitchen, where he sat at the table, nursing his coffee while I forked bacon around the griddle and poured pancake batter.

“Snow’s gonna let up for a few hours, and the wind, but the next batch will be right behind it,” he said from behind the screen of his phone. “When the sun comes up, I’ll unbury that stack of wood and collect some more. If you’ve got work to do or whatever, I’ll stay out of your hair. I’m charging up my earbuds, or I can read a book or whatever …” His voice trailed off as he repeated the phrase.

“Technically, I’m on vacation,” I assured him. “Sure, I’ll check my emails and make sure everything’s running smoothly every day, but I had planned to spend today with your dad, so my schedule is clear. I can help with the firewood.”

We ate as the sun was coming up, and Austin got his first good look out the back windows, overlooking the valley and Mount Pheasant on the other side.