Page 24 of Home Between Homes

“It's a start. Okay, listen carefully because you need to keep your house warm.”

Fortunately,the mudroom had a well-insulated door to the kitchen. In the ten minutes it took to bring in as many logs as possible from the backyard, the temperature in the mudroom dropped to the same level as outside. But thanks to the insulation, this didn’t affect the rest of the house. Thirty logs, hopefully enough to last at least a day, were now stacked on top of each other as Jack closed the back door behind him.

Even though Dany had given us step-by-step instructions that Jack had written down, it took us another twenty minutes to get three logs burning. First, we had trouble finding the chimney flue he mentioned, and after ten minutes, we were a second away from believing it wasn’t even there (which luckily we didn’t, or we would have died of monoxide poisoning). Then,the firelighter would burn like crazy, but the wood needed two more blocks to start crackling.

The fireplace was built between the kitchen and the living room as if the decision to place it there had been made with our situation in mind. As a result, the fire heated and illuminated almost the entire first floor when we finally got it going.

While Jack stayed close to make sure the flames didn’t go out right away, I gathered all the blankets I could find, as well as all the bottled water and snacks I’d bought yesterday.

When I came back downstairs with two more blankets, the fire was fully up and burning. The heat emanating from it was warmer than anything the fan had produced when it was still running. Maggie had already made herself comfortable in front of the couch, and I was about to do the same. I spread one blanket so we wouldn’t have to sit on the cold leather and snuggled under the other to warm it up.

A glass front shielded both sides of the fireplace, allowing me to watch Jack tending the fire from the kitchen. But my joy was short-lived when he got up a minute later.

“Looks like we make a good team,” Jack said as he joined me in the living room. When he noticed me, a broad smile spread across his face. “Well, someone looks comfortable.”

“It’s nice and toasty under the covers.” Since I was taking up all the space on the couch, I pulled my legs in and lifted the blanket to invite him under.

He sat down with his head bowed. He was close, but there was still room for a third person between us. I threw the blanket over him. His whole body seemed stiff, almost as if he were only now realizing where this might lead us. “Don’t they say in all those survival videos that,um, it’s best to,um,” he laughed, scratching his head, “keep each other warm, too?”

“Looks like we watched the same video again.”

He acknowledged my answer with a nod but didn’t move. The way he tried to hide his excitement was so damn cute. I rocked closer and brushed my hip against his. He flinched at our touch and lifted his arm as if to wrap it around me but then stopped in mid-movement as if he wasn’t sure it was okay.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I grabbed his wrist and pulled it around me, snuggling into his arms. “Is that okay?”

“I’m… comfortable.”

“You don’t seem to be.”

“I am.Very. It’s just…”

I leaned my head on his shoulder to look at him.

His face was now so close…

As he looked at me, he blushed again and pulled his head back.

“Just what?” I asked. “You can be honest. If this is too much, we don’t have to?—”

“That’s not it. I like it. You.This. It’s…”

I lifted my head, not wanting to force anything on him, but he didn’t release his grip on my shoulder.

“...romantic.” His face softened. “A lot more romantic than I’m used to.” He closed his eyes. “And I’m afraid I might want to do more with you if we stay like this.”

“Well, I guess we have three choices.” I turned my head back to him. “We could decide who gets which side of the couch. Which I don’t think either of us would like. We could talk about it, which might be the right thing to do. Or...”

His eyes were open just wide enough to see me, as if he was afraid my sight would overwhelm him. “Or?” he whispered.

His breath caressed my face.

There was only an inch between us.

“Or we could dothis,” I whispered, closing my eyes and leaning in.

He met me halfway.

Our first kiss was soft. Our lips met for only a second, testing the waters, not allowing that first contact to linger. The second was bold and decisive, clarifying that the waters were warm. His hand on my shoulder pulled me closer as I parted my lips. His tongue sought mine, and when they met, they celebrated their newfound unity as if they had needed nothing more. We inhaled through our mouths, breathing new life into each other as if we had died in the storm.

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