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“That’s quite an assortment you have there,” he chuckles, “I’ll take a water,” he replies. I pause the movie and hop up. I grab two bottles of water and head back to the living room. Before I sit, someone knocks on the door. “It’s probably our dinner. I’ll get it.” I place the waters down and pad toward the door only to be thwarted by Travis. He looks through the peephole then promptly opens the door to grab our dinner. Instead of arguing, I head to the kitchen to get plates and napkins.
“I just wanted to make sure it was the delivery guy. Old habits, ya know?” Travis mentions as he places the food on the table before us.
“No problem. Here’s your plate, dig in.” I press play and we binge our Thai food while we watch White Christmas. Once we are both full, we cast our plates aside and sprawl out on the couch. We are much closer now but still not touching. I don’t know what to make of oursituation. Maybe it's all in my head, but some days it feels like we are more. He’s so concerned about my safety, maybe that’s just from the military training and his line of work. I can make an argument for almost anything involving him.So, who knows?It’s not like Ineeda man in my life right now. I am so close to making partner in our PR firm. I need this weekend’s art show to go off without a hitch.
The movie finishes and I’m not sure how I managed to stay awake through the whole thing. I am bone tired. I imagine it’s from the sickness leaving my body. Travis helps me clean up and put away the leftovers.
Walking him to the door I say, “I had a good time tonight. Thank you for coming to check on me again. I guess I need to stop getting myself in compromising positions,” I say with a chuckle.
He leans in and my breath hitches. He slides a piece of hair behind my ear and my heart drums in my chest. “I’ll be there to make sure you’re safe. All you have to do is call me and I’ll come,” he murmurs as he kisses my forehead and walks out the door. “Make sure you lock this.” I nod standing there stunned in the doorway. His lips always send shivers through me. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.
“Be safe going home. Oh, are we still on for tomorrow since we technically had a bite to eat tonight?” The question has been churning in my mind most of the night. I didn’t know if he would still want to go out.
“Of course, kitten. I’ll let you know the plans tomorrow.” He gives me a wink and then he’s gone, leaving me there trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I shut the door and make sure I lock it before I head to myroom for bed. Before I can drift off to sleep, I rehash the whole night, smiling at times but wondering what the heck we are.
Chapter 9
7 days til Christmas…
Travis
“There is a large snow storm heading toward the city this weekend. Roads will likely be closed until snow ploughs are able to get through. People living on the outskirts of the city need to take precautions and plan ahead. Grocery stores are already getting hit hard with people stocking up. The snow could last all the way to Christmas Day! That’s for all those children hoping for a white Christmas. Everyone stay safe out there. Tune in for more information about the Great Snow Storm of 2022 to come at 11 p.m.,”the newscaster says as I turn the TV off.Great, the roads leading into the city will be mainly blocked off if this storm is as large as they say it will be. I love the quiet life away from the city, but this kind of weather makes living on the outskirts hard.
I sip on my coffee as I look out my office window. I can already see the dark clouds rolling in. This thing might hit before the weekend even gets here. I make a mental note of things I need to pick up from the store on the way home this afternoon. I’m not worried about power going off, I have a generator and a fireplace in my home. However, most of the people in New York City don’t have that luxury. This kind of storm can be very damaging for the city.
Placing my coffee down, I call in Ryan. His office is afew doors down from mine and we need to get on the same page in case the power to our building goes out. Someone has to be here to man the generator to keep the people that have our systems connected. However, that’s only if they remain with power as well.
Ryan walks through the door and sits in front of my desk. “You wanted to see me, Tank?” he asks.
“Yes, have you heard about this storm that’s supposed to hit this weekend?” I question.
“Yes, sir. I heard it on the news this morning before I came in. Are we mandating that someone stay here to run the generators? I volunteer, sir. I already began getting the apartment suite ready for someone to stay in,” he mentions. When we bought this building it had an apartment attached to it. Since then, we have used it for various things, one of which being if there was a storm. Someone needed to stay here to make sure the building had power.
“Good work. Go to the store and make sure you have all the food and drinks you need for about a week just to be prepared. This thing could go on longer than they are forecasting. Crank up the generators and check how much fuel they have. You’ll need to get some of that as well. Use the company card for whatever you need. Thank you for volunteering. I would have done it myself if it had not been for you,” I reply. “Go ahead and take the rest of the day off to get prepared. I’ll have one of the other guys take over your schedule today.”
“Thanks boss. I’ll keep you updated.” Ryan stands and leaves just as quickly as he came. With that under control I can breathe a little easier. Our clients depend onus, and I don’t want this building to be without power for more than five minutes, tops. Ryan is my second in command for a reason, he was already preparing for the weekend.
I down the rest of my coffee and dive into reports that have needed to get done for a couple days. Once I finish with those, I check my watch. I've got to make plans for tonight and let Sarah know so she can plan accordingly.
Travis:Since you have to go Christmas shopping tonight, do you want to eat someplace close to where you will be going?
I don’t have to wait long for her to write back to me.
Sarah:That would be great. I was going to go to the Galleria. They have everything under one roof so would only have to make one trip.
I cringe at the words. I hate that mall. The security is terrible, and the parking lot is dark at night. Definitely not a safe place for a woman to be going by herself.
Travis:How about we eat there then. That way you won’t have to drive there in the traffic.
Sarah:Are you trying to go Christmas shopping with me?
Travis:Well, someone has to hold all your bags.
Sarah:Deal, on one condition.
Travis:And what would that be?
Sarah:You have to sit on Santa’s lap and get your picture taken.
