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“Tell you what. I could use some fresh air. Let me get my jacket, and I’ll be right back.”
“I’m capable of walking, Carter.”
“You’ll slip and slide in these conditions, and truth be told,” he stepped impossibly close and lowered his voice, “our hospital isn’t the best, and you don’t want to spend any time there. Trust me on this.” He patted my arm and with a spring in his step, disappeared down the short hall.
Guess I was walking with Carter.
He returned in a heartbeat in a long, mid-thigh red and black puffer jacket, combined with a red and white toque with Canada lettered across the middle – he looked like one of our Olympic athletes. Gloves on, he pointed toward the door.
“I’ll be back in a jiffy, Harry.” He gave his staff a quick wave and opened the door for me. “Ladies first and watch your step. Looks like I’ll need to sand this when I get back.”
I death-gripped the black metal railing as I descended the seven steps to the sidewalk, which was now covered in a healthy layer of slush, but it didn’t look overly slippery. Yet. The sky darkened as fast as the sun dipped behind the mountains, increasing the chill in the air.
“Which way?” I wanted to get back to my warming car as fast as possible.
“Let’s see where you are parked again?”
Removing my glove, I unlocked my phone and pointed it in his direction.
“Ah, okay, I see. You’re over by Jillian’s place.” He cleared his throat.
“A girlfriend’s house?” I didn’t mean for it to be inquisitive in tone. It wasn’t any of my business. It never had been, and that had been the problem.
He didn’t respond to my tone and led the way down the street. “No, Jillian’s is a mishmash of all things, like he’s not quite sure what he wanted to sell, so he sells it all. Run by a big bouncer-type of guy named Randall. Whatever you need, like for say, you are interested in purple pompom socks, he’s the guy to see.”
“What?” My eyes bugged out, surprised he remembered our conversation.
“Just kidding,” he laughed, “at least about him sellingpurple pompom socks. That I’d have no idea about.”
It had been more of a statement than anything else, but when we were dating, I constantly complained about how much I wanted a pair of pompom socks like my much older cousin wore, but in purple, and how despite my desperate searches, I was unable to locate a pair.
“I can’t believe you remembered.” I gently pushed him in jest, and then death-gripped his arm when my right foot slid out a little.
Carter had stifled his sweet smile and looped an arm around my waist to steady me. “All good now?”
I stopped slipping and stared into his eyes. A slight twinkle appeared, but just as quickly disappeared. I broke the connection and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. “So tell me, what have you been up to since… Well, since the last time we…”
He released his physical hold on me and matched me step for painfully slow step. “I had big dreams to obtain an engineering degree, but halfway through my third year, when I was in Europe, I needed to stop.”
I waited for a non-existent explanation. That had been when we’d broken up – our third year of post-secondary.
Focusing back on the sidewalk, he lowered his voice and shrugged. “I had a change of heart. I didn’t choose the mug life; the mug life chose me.”
“What?” My head tipped to the side.
“Sorry, bad pun.” He let it hang in the air for a second. “I serve coffee in mugs, the mug life?”
“Oh, I get it.” It was a bad pun, but had I been reading between the lines, I would’ve gotten it first off. “Sorry. Continue on about your dreams.”
“Since everything had changed, I took some of my savings, and when the time was right, I ventured out into the world. I tried new things, I saw new places, and I pushed every last boundary I’d set my sights on.”
“Oh wow.” I slipped again and instinctively reached out for him.
“I got you.” He offered me the crook of his arm once I was stable.
I debated – briefly – just walking in my stocking feet as I’d likely have a better grip, however, then I’d lose my toes to frostbite which wasn’t any better. Instead, I gazed into Carter’s eyes and whispered thanks.
“Keep telling me about your travels.” I shivered in the cool breeze.
