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“Oh, come on.”
“No chance in hell.” Then he tossed me the keys. “It’s the silver one.”
I found the key to the front door and turned the lock, pushing my way inside. He carried the case of wine, and I let the door close behind us. My hand went for the light switch as he hauled the case of wine to the kitchen island. But nothing happened. I narrowed my eyes and tried again but still nothing.
I fished out my phone and turned the flashlight on. “Uh, I think we have a problem.”
“What’s that?” he asked, going to flick on the kitchen light. Nothing turned on. “Well, fuck.”
And somehow, that was the moment that I broke.
Not when I’d stood alone in my flooding house as I watched everything fall apart. Or the moment of sheer terror as I’d nearly been driven off the road. Or the frustration with dealing with an issue that I hadn’t caused. Or finding Jordan Wright’s face there when I’d just wanted to deal alone.
No, it was this moment. When, against all odds, his power was out.
The laughter bubbled up from the deep recesses of my chest before bursting out of my mouth. It was a hysterical madness that couldn’t be contained. Tears came to my eyes as the compounded effect of this terrible day hit me full force.
“Annie?” Jordan asked.
But I was already leaning forward on my knees, trying to suck in air as I hiccupped around my laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Everything,” I gasped out. “This day. Just think, we came here to escape a flood, and your power is cut. It just feels too good.”
“I think you’ve lost it.”
Slowly, my laughter subsided, and I swiped at my eyes. “Maybe I have.”
The anger was gone. That end of my rope feeling subsided, and in its place was relief. Because the day was almost over, and if it wasn’t tempting fate, I’d wonder, What else could possibly go wrong?
Jordan used his phone as a flashlight to find a stash of candles. He lit a few of them, positioning them around the living room. The space glowed soft, ambient light. I dropped my purse on the island next to the case of wine and took in the vaulted ceiling with the enormous royal fireplace, nearly big enough to walk into. The couch and chairs matched without being too matchy, making the room feel open and inviting. The back of the house was all glass, looking out over a pool and the golf course beyond. It was a marvel, and he’d clearly spared no expense. Not surprising considering the family business.
“Here you go,” Jordan said, appearing again a minute later. He held out a set of clothes.
I raised my brows. “What’s this?”
“You look cold.” He pushed the clothes into my hands and walked away without looking back. “Bathroom is the first door on the left.”
I stared after him in confusion. This wasn’t the Jordan of three years ago, who couldn’t get me out of my clothes fast enough. Now he was offering me sweats and not even paying attention as he started a fire in the fireplace.
Huh. Maybe this wasn’t as bad a decision as I’d thought.
I ducked into the bathroom and stripped out of my ridiculous heels and dress. He’d left me gray sweatpants, a plain blue T-shirt, a black pullover with the Wright Construction logo on it, and a pair of wool socks. I hadn’t realized how cold I was until I pulled it all on. Even though it was way oversized and I had to roll the pants four times before they fit me, I was finally warm, which was all that mattered.
When I came back out of the bathroom, the fire was slow going, just a gentle flame in the enormous fireplace. Jordan had set up what was essentially a pillow fort on the floor in front of the fire. A dozen blankets and pillows littered the space with a few bottles of wine and glasses next to the fort, like a picnic.
“You’ve been busy.”
“It’s cold,” he admitted, glancing back at me. His eyes scanned me in my oversized sweats, and something possessive flickered through that gaze. As if the sight of me in his clothes did it for him just as much as my skimpy clothing. He quickly looked away. “I contacted the power company. I guess a line was cut in our area, and they’re working on it. They didn’t give me an ETA on when everything would be working again.”
“Idiots,” I grumbled.
“Do you think you could watch this while I change?” he asked.
“Sure. I was a Girl Scout. I can manage a fire.”
“Thanks,” he said gratefully and then disappeared around the corner.
I craned my neck, wondering which room was his, but the place was too big. I lost him around the bend, and really, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like I had any plans to see his room.
