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I snickered. “Please, I wouldn’t settle for anyone less.”
I went back out into the mall and debated about continuing to shop. But there was something about a crowded mall that made the shopping experience more exciting, so I wasn’t feeling being there among the few stragglers that were scattered about.
I decided to grab an espresso from Starbucks and head on home.
That idea was short-lived. Once I got within view of the exit doors, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was so much rain coming down that I couldn’t even see the cars in the lot. I stopped in my tracks and said, “Shit!”
I continued through the first set of doors and out into the alcove that led outside. I thought it over. I could make it to my car but I would be drenched. I hadn’t even brought an umbrella with me, which was a shame. I had at least half a dozen at home that were small enough to fit inside my purse. Even so, getting to the car wasn’t the major issue. The amount of water flooding down the street was. A Benz is a great vehicle, but not in bad weather. My previous vehicle was an SUV and I would’ve given anything for it to have been waiting for me in the parking lot.
“You’re not seriously thinking about going out there, are you?” I heard a deep male voice ask behind me. I turned to look into the eyes of a rent-a-cop; a security guard. “You’re crazy if you go out there,” he added.
“What do you suggest?” I asked. “That I get stranded here all day? The mall closes in a couple of hours and there’s no telling how long the rain will last.”
He chuckled. “Oh, they say it won’t be over until the morning.”
“The morning?”
“Yes, and even if you make it to your car, you won’t make it out of the parking lot. All the streets are flooded.”
He smiled at me and I suddenly noticed that he was attractive. Not fine, but attractive. He was of average height and build with dark eyes, a cinnamon complexion, and a goatee. His hair was closely cropped to his head and he wore an earring in his left ear. I always found a man wearing an earring to be a big turn-off. I could never remember if wearing one in the right ear or left ear supposedly made them gay. Dating was traumatic enough without having to worry about that shit.
“I’m sure the roads surrounding the mall are bad, but once I make it to Route Fifty, I’ll be fine.”
He chuckled again and folded his arms in front of him. “I admire your determination and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they shut Route Fifty down about thirty minutes ago.”
“What do you mean? Shut it down?”
“It’s like a mini-river. They said there’s more than four feet of rain on the highway.”
“That’s absurd. How can there be that much water on a damn highway?”
“Ma’am, I have no idea, but it’s there. In fact, if you go inside any of the stores selling electronics and check out the televisions, you’ll see all the madness going on out there with your own eyes.”
I smirked. “That bad, huh?”
“Indeed.”
I played with the tennis bracelet on my arm. “This shit wasn’t even worth it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Um, nothing. Just thinking out loud.”
“Might I make a suggestion?”
I glared at him and hoped he wasn’t going to try to pick me up. “No offense, but you’re not my type.”
A frown came across his face. “Who said you’re my type? Men can suggest more than one thing, you know?”
I immediately felt embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“What I was going to suggest is that you hurry up and grab one of the few rooms they have left at the hotel adjacent to the mall.”
“You really think it’s like that?” I asked.
“Well, you can either do that, or case you out a spot on one of the benches throughout the mall. You could possibly make it to your car and sleep in there, but you’ll freeze unless you have a lot of gas to burn to use the heat.”
“So people are checking into the hotel?”
