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“Alright, but I’m going to burn through all my best material by the end of the day at this rate.” He thought for a moment. “Did you know that Norway has barcodes on their Navy vessels?”
“Oh, god. Go on. Make it awful.”
“It’s so when they come back to port they can…Scandinavian.” He said the word slowly, emphasizing the syllables.
Her bright loud laugh warmed him from head to toe in a way that no coffee or cocoa ever could.
“That’s the worst one yet. Have you been googling these or something?”
“Nope. Lucky for you, I’ve had years to workshop these gems with my niece. She’s got great taste in jokes and thinks I’m hilarious. She’s the only one who does, but still.”
“I think you’re hilarious,” she said, sounding affronted.
“Well that makes two, then. My comedy career is taking off any second now.” There was a sudden shout in the background and then an echoing choir of people singing a terrible pop version of a Christmas classic. “What the heck is going on?”
“Someone started a singalong to the holiday music overhead. And that’s my cue to get the hell out of here.” The singing faded. “Guess I’m taking you shopping with me.”
“Did all that jolliness give you a craving for rampant capitalist consumerism?”
“Not so much. It just seems like my luggage isn’t coming back to me. Also, holiday jolliness makes me a little itchy.”
He snickered. “Are any of the shops even open?”
“Yeah, one of the gift shops is. There’s a market open, and I heard someone say there’s fast food too.” He listened to her hum as she made her way to the shop. “Aw, Coney Island is closed. That’s a bummer.” She sighed. “Okay we’re here. You’ll be shocked to know that the snowman light up outfit has not been sold.”
“Stunned. I’m stunned.”
She chattered about various things, and he couldn’t help the smile stretching across his face. Why did he like this woman so much?
Suddenly, she quieted and he heard her speaking softer and away from the phone. “I’m sorry, what did you need?”
He couldn’t make out what the other person was saying. But Talia said, “Oh that’s so sweet. Absolutely!” There was another pause and then she gave a braying laugh. “You think so? Maybe you’re right.” There was more talk he couldn’t hear. “It was so nice to meet you.” She sighed into the phone, still laughing.
“Everything alright?” he asked.
“Yeah. It was a fan. Um, I think I just got a message from the universe.”
“Do tell.”
She hesitated. “Nah. The universe might want me to keep it a secret. Anyway, it’s getting weird over here, so I’m taking it as a sign that I need to come see you.”
“Oh yeah, you should heed that.”
She laughed and it sent another spike of warmth through him.
“Seriously, though,” he said. “The storm is getting worse. There are no flights going out tonight. Come on over and bring all your stuff. I’ll find us a place to sleep.” He couldn’t guarantee that at all, but sleeping beside her had been the most right thing he’d done in a long time and he wanted to do that again. Ideally in a bed. But he’d take what he could get.
If his use of the word us surprised her, she didn’t say so. “Is your shuttle running today?”
“Yeah, not that there’s anything for him to do. But let me see what time I can get it over there.”
Turned out, Khalil, the shuttle driver, was dying for a task, so he was decidedly chipper at the idea of tooling through a white-out storm to pick Talia up. “You got it, Captain!” His eyes slid slyly toward him. “Don texted me last night. Said your girl is a whole snack.”
His face burned. “Um, she’s um, yeah, maybe? I guess. I don’t really know what that means.”
Khalil shook his head and headed outside. “Well whatever she is, I’ll be back with her.”
It was a painfully long half hour before he returned with Talia. She was carrying three bags from the airport shop. Her jacket was still wrapped tightly around her and she had some inexpensive-looking gloves and a pair of knee-high galoshes. She looked adorably disheveled and he couldn’t help the smile that took over his face.
