Page 18 of Snowed In on Valentine's Day

He nodded.

“But how—I assumed—oh, is it from a generator?” Why hadn’t I thought of that? Well, of course I hadn’t. I was great at many things, but being prepared for blizzards and power outages was not one of those things.

He nodded again, this time more slowly as if affirming the obvious. Then he stood up straight and waved an arm in front of him, motioning for me to come in as he opened the screen door. “Fine, just … come in, I guess.” I was about to follow him and express my gratitude for all eternity when he let out a loud exhale, and I stopped in my tracks.

He turned. “Are you coming in or not? Make up your mind,” he snapped. “Haven’t you noticed, you’re letting a lot of cold air and flurries in the house?”

Oh … I actually hadn’t noticed. But what the hell? He was back to being a complete asshole now? Well, at least he’d spoken three sentences to me. That might be a record. I tried to swallow my pride and indignation and adopted a cheerful tone as I stepped into the house. “Well, I’ve got bad news for you, Pete. Given that I just walked through a blizzard, I’m basically one giant flurry myself. Where should I put my boots?” I looked around, not seeing a rug for removing footwear.

He stopped in his tracks and paused before turning around, his eyes boring into me as his jaw clenched. “My name is Peter. I don’t answer to Pete or any other suchnickname.”

I swallowed with some difficulty. “Oh, right—you did tell me that, and I completely forgot. You know, it was …” I trailed off as he turned around and began to stride down the hall.

Screw this. What was this guy’s deal? “Hey. Peter.” When he slowed but didn’t turn around, I added, “Wait.”

Finally, he drew to a halt again and pivoted, and his loud sigh seemed to echo off the long, quiet hall. His lips were pressed in a thin line when his eyes met mine again. “What is it now?”

“You know, I think I’ll just go back home. I don’t want to intrude, and you’re … well, you’re busy or something. I’m clearly a burden. So, I’m just going back to my house now.” I nodded quickly and then turned, my head held high as I fought to remain civil.

But he was by my side in a flash. “Don’t be ridiculous. Your house has no heat or electricity. I assume that’s why you’re here. Only an idiot would go back when—”

My eyebrows shot up my forehead. “Only an idiot? Are you serious right now?” I shook my head. “You know, I would think since our best friends are marriedandwe’re neighborsnow for some reason, you’d want totryto act less like a jerk. But apparently not. Maybe you’re incapable.” I inhaled and exhaled sharply. “But I’m out. This is the last thing I need.”

“The last thing? I would think that it’s the first thing,” he said calmly, his face betraying no emotion. “You need a haven from the storm. That is why you came here.”

I stared at him for a moment. “It is. But I made a mistake. I won’t bother you again.” Before he could respond, I opened the door and practically ran out onto the porch. But I had to grip the railing tightly to avoid slipping on the stairs, which had fresh snow on top of several layers of packed snow and ice, resulting in not only a slippery surface but also a slanted one.

I retraced my steps back as best I could, but it was still extraordinarily difficult to plod through the thick snow, which seemed even deeper now although I hadn’t stayed at his house very long. I nearly fell face first but managed to stay upright, just barely.

After what seemed like an eternity, my legs screaming at me the entire time, I reached my house and practically dragged myself up the three small steps to the porch. I sighed with relief when I reached the landing, only to lose my footing and land flat on my bottom. I winced at the pain, which wasn’t even that bad because of the soft padding of the fresh snow that had blown onto the porch. I bit my cold, wet lip and tried to stem the flow of tears building as I stood slowly and took careful steps to the front door.

Once inside, I slammed the door shut and took in the darkness and eerie silence. All that misery outside, only to be back here in a different kind of misery.

I peeled off my wet outer clothes and boots and tossed them on a chair. Realizingallmy clothes were wet, I pulled them all off, desperate to get the cold, wet, clammy items away from my body.

Now, of course, I was shivering so hard I could barely walk, but I set out to find the bathroom by clinging to the wall to orient myself in the dark, since I had no idea where the flashlight went. Finally reaching the bathroom, I felt around the back of the door and sighed loudly when reaching it. My thick pink robe!

My teeth chattering, I pulled it on, wiped my face and hands with a hand towel, and then grabbed some extra towels from the bathroom cabinet before slowly finding my way back to the living room.

It was only then I realized my face was damp with fresh tears.

No, Hazel. No time for tears. Think!

I wiped my eyes in frustration.

Didn’t I have some more flashlights somewhere? Or other battery-operated light sources? Surely, there were—

Well, I had a few motion-activated lamps that ran on batteries in the basement. But the thought of going down into the cold, dusty basement in complete darkness was so unappealing I immediately dismissed the idea. I stared blankly into nothing as my spirits fell somehow even further.

Think, Hazel. You’re a resourceful, independent woman.

But I couldn’t think. Panic gripped me, and I sat motionless except for the incessant shaking because I was cold, so cold that I felt I’d never be warm ever again.

Somewhere through the brain fog came a startling realization. A lightsaber!Ifit came with batteries, that is. I shot up from the couch and walked toward the kitchen where I knew the island was. I almost made it before smashing my toe into a stool. Flinching at the instant pain, I was grateful to still be somewhat numb, as it should’ve hurt more than it did. And then, my hand connected with the toy, and I almost cried in relief.

Jeff, the financial advisor from the resort, had a daughter who was turning eight next weekend, and she was obsessed withall things Star Wars, so I’d ordered this gift for her and intended on wrapping it today.

But my heart sank when I realized this would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to open in the dark. Plastic packages like this usually required scissors, and I didn’t trust myself to use one in the pitch blackness. I sank into the stool and cradled my head in my arms on the counter.

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