Page 22 of Novel Problems

“If you’re sure…” I said. “Thank you.”

We stacked boxes of books so they resembled steps leading to the window, and then Hannah stepped up them carefully. I stayed close to Hannah in case she lost balance and I had to catch her. The boxes wobbled precariously as she reached the top. My stomach lurched, and I put one hand on the boxes and the other on her arm to steady her.

“Thanks,” Hannah said, smiling down at me.

Hannah opened the window, and then I held the boxes as Hannah carefully turned around. She dangled her feet out the window and then rotated her body so she was facing me.

“Here goes!” Hannah said cheerfully as she let her body drop out the window.

I stood on a box and peered out, relieved to see Hannah had landed on her feet, apparently unharmed.Thank god.

She looked up at me, concern in her eyes, as she repositioned her glasses on her nose. We’d been so focused on escaping the shed, we hadn’t discussed what Hannah would do once she got out.

Now that Hannah was safe, my top priority was Novel Gossip and Max, who was upstairs in my apartment. “Don’t worry about me. If you can turn off the oven and take the pork off the stove, that would be amazing. Thank you!” I said.

Hannah nodded and raced into Novel Gossip, disappearing out of sight. I faintly heard the high-pitched sound of smoke alarms going off inside.Shit. I stuck my head out the window and inhaled. To my relief, I couldn’t see or smell any smoke.

I felt so helpless, stuck in here while Hannah dealt with my mess. I examined the window more closely. Perhaps I could fit?

I waited another minute or two in the stuffy shed, jiggling my leg with nerves, and then lost my patience.Screw it, I might as well try.

I carefully made my way up the makeshift steps. When I reached the top, I turned my body just as Hannah had, so I was facing the floor of the shed, and tentatively began to lower myself out of the window, feet first. I slipped my legs through with relativeease.

Okay, this is promising.

And then the window frame met my butt and didnotwant to let it through. I tried wriggling and pushing without any success.Shit.My initial instinct was right. I didn’t fit.

“George?” a voice, partially muffled by my ass, said.

Heat rushed to my face.Hannah.

Oh god.I winced.My ass is half hanging out the window.

“I thought I’d give the window a try. Turns out, I don’t fit!” I yelled, conscious I was facing away from Hannah, and the sound waves had my butt to contend with in order to make their way out of the shed through the window.

I tried pulling myself back into the shed, but it seemed my wriggling and pushing had gotten me well and truly wedged into the window frame.Fuck.

“Do you need to me to give you a boost back inside?” Hannah asked.

I cringed and then took a deep breath. As embarrassed as I felt right now, I knew I needed help.

“Yes, please!” I shouted.

I felt Hannah’s arms wrap around my legs. “Okay, on the count of three. One, two…three!”

I braced my hands against the inside of the window frame and thrust myself forward while Hannah pushed up. Nothing.My heart thumped in my ears.

“Do you mind if I put my hands on your butt?” Hannah yelled after a moment of silence. “I think it might make it easier to push.”

My cheeks exploded with heat.Good Lord, this is humiliating.But Hannah’s hands on my ass seemed like a better option than continuing to be stuck in the window and Hannah having to call for reinforcements. I didn’t need any more witnesses to my predicament.

“Okay!” I yelled, wincing.

Warm hands pressed against my butt cheeks.Oh god.This was definitely crossing some employer-employee boundaries.

“One, two, three!” Hannah yelled and then pushed hard against my butt.

I pushed off the window frame with my hands, wriggling my ass and trying not to think about how this would look from Hannah’s perspective, and suddenly my butt was free. I toppled forward onto the boxes, regaining my balance just in time to stop myself from falling to the ground.

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