Page 6 of Good Taste
“The tower must be down.” His brow furrows. “I’m getting nothing.” I pull my own phone out of my pocket and realize he’s right. It’s just a series a beeps when I try and make an outgoing call.
“Me either.”
Nick’s face turns beet red. He sets his phone down on the steel table and runs his hands through his hair. His boots land heavy as he paces back and forth across the kitchen, a ticking time bomb. He turns on his heel and faces the wall, then doubles over and shouts at the top of his lungs. “Fuck!”
I flinch at the sudden outburst, even though I figured it was coming. A half-sob escapes his full lips. He’s a wild animal I want to take in my arms, pet him until he’s calm, and keep repeating that everything will be okay. Even though I’m not sure that it will.
Instead, I let him get it all out. He shouts and stomps and I stand out of the way. It’s clear this is a major setback for him. I just wish I could help take the pain away.
“I’ve got to get out of here.” He shrugs his massive shoulders. “Figure out insurance before everyone and their brother starts filing claims.”
“Sure,” I say, untying my apron. I grab my purse and follow him toward the front door. He pushes on it, but nothing happens. He tries again, pressing all of his weight into it, but the door won’t budge.
“What’s wrong with the door?” I ask, trying to stay calm.
“There must be something blocking it. I can’t get it to budge.”
“Shit.” I whisper. Nick continues to beat at the door, using brute force to change the situation. I press my hand against his strong back. He steps away, and I take the opportunity to peel away the brown craft paper lining the door. I immediately regret it. A giant tree lies wedged against the front.
“Holy shit.” Nick whispers
“At least it didn’t hit the building.” My voice is nearly breathless. This could’ve been a lot worse. “Let’s try the back.”
“Yeah,” he says, breathing heavily. “Good idea.”
I step out of the way and let him lead us back toward the alleyway door, following closely behind. We’re barely through the swinging door when everything goes black.
A small scream escapes my mouth. I freeze in place. The sudden power outage nearly throws me off balance.
“Great!” Nick yells. Then he reaches back and finds my hand in the dark. “I’ve got you.”
Even in this moment of pure panic, my panties drench at his touch, at this whole situation. Slowly, we keep moving on our path. When we get to the door, Nick lets out a long sigh, followed by an outburst of laughter.
“Nick?” I’m not necessarily scared, but I know this sudden reaction can’t be good.
“Well, good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”
“Good.” I say.
“I just put new batteries in the flashlights.”
“Awesome. What’s the bad news?”
“This door is key card operated.”
“Okay?”
“And that requires electricity.”
“So you’re saying we’re?—“
“Yep.” His voice regains its steely coolness. He’s back in control. “We’re officially stuck here.”
Chapter Six
Nick
I knewI needed to buy a generator. I just didn’t figure I would need it so quickly. An earthquake? How could this happen. This is just my luck. As soon as things are starting to fall into place, something has to come and mess it all up.
