Page 25 of Cookie

“We still have time,” Charlie said before pulling me back to him and kissing me. My body reacted to his touch immediately, and just like every other night we were together, it didn’t matter how many times we’d already had each other, both of us were always ready for more. Where before there were tentative touches and gasps of surprise, now we knew exactly what we wanted from each other and didn’t hesitate to make sure we were both satisfied, but always ready for more.

“I could stay in your bed all day,” I said afterward and again snuggled in close to him.

“You could always take a day off and do just that,” Charlie said before kissing my nose.

“I know, but not until after the holidays. Maybe I’ll just close the store for a few days.” I was shocked to hear myself say it, but we’d all been working hard on the store for a few months now, and time off did sound tempting.

“Whatever you want to do, I agree,” Charlie said, making me laugh. “Plus, I could always take the same time off. I think they were actually happy when I went with you to Sacramento. Everyone else takes time off throughout the year. I’m the only one that hasn’t. But I love working there, and it’s not like I had other plans. I mean, why take time off to sit at home alone?” Charlie said, and I once again was reminded how lonely he had been.

“We’ll plan it, and we’ll either go somewhere for a long weekend or we’ll hide away in your amazing house,” I whispered before kissing his lips.

“I’d love that. Now, if we don’t get a move on, we’ll be late.” He hurried off to the bathroom while I stayed in bed and watched the snow fall. When he was done, I showered and was ready to go, dressed in my clothes from yesterday. Charlie tipped his head as he looked at me when I walked into the kitchen, where he was making coffee.

“I can change when I get home,” I said as he handed me a travel mug.

“Okay then, let’s go see what we’re dealing with,” Charlie said. He put on a heavy coat and gloves while I put on the only coat I had that wasn’t nearly enough, and I hoped the snow wasn’t too deep for my Van’s. I followed him out onto his porch and was shocked to see nearly a foot of snow on the ground.

“Holy crap. I can’t believe it snowed so much already.” Charlie walked through the snow like it wasn’t even there while I hoppedaround trying to stay as dry as possible and not accomplishing it. By the time I was in the seat, I was freezing and couldn’t wait for the heater to warm up.

Charlie put his truck into four-wheel drive and backed out onto the gravel road that led to the main road to town. “This is going to be fun,” he mumbled, but he was still smiling, so I hoped that meant we were going to be able to make it back to town without any trouble.

Twenty-Three

Charlie

Ididn’t want to panic, Ryan, but this was a lot of snow for this time of year. Typically, the heavy snow came after Christmas and gave us all a little more time to prepare. The plows hadn’t gone down this stretch of road yet, making it slippery and dangerous to drive too fast. I knew the truck could handle it, but I didn’t want to risk getting stuck and having to get towed out.

“Do you think we can make it?” Ryan asked.

“I think so,” I said, not wanting to worry him but also not wanting to lie.

“Don’t worry about the time. If we’re a little late, then so be it.” He held onto the Oh Shit bar above his head and didn’t take his eyes off the road as we crawled along.

“When we get onto the paved road, it’ll be a little better,” I said to him, and hoped it was true. The snowplow drivers were more than prepared, but I wasn’t sure they would have planned to be out yet. The truck slid as I pumped the brakes and hoped it would grab, but not enough to slide on the steep downhill.

“I guess this is why you stay in town more in the winter?” Ryan asked.

“Especially if we’re going to get a lot of snow.” I fought the wheel as the truck slowly steadied when I pulled to a stop before turning onto the main road that would lead to town. “Shit, this isn’t plowed yet either. Hopefully, they’ve had time to plow downtown, or it’s going to be a colossal mess.”

The snow continued to fall, and I drove as slow as I could, but it was still very slick, and it wasn’t just me I was worried about. Ryan still hadn’t relaxed, and I was thankful we’d talked about stopping to get him some winter gear because the store was just out of town, and I was ready for a break even if it had been less than thirty minutes since we’d left.

We crawled along and only passed one or two other trucks that were going as slow as we were as the snow built up more. “Do they normally plow the roads?” Ryan asked.

“Oh yeah. I’m not sure what’s going on,” I said and was relieved to see the sporting goods store just ahead. “We’ll get you some boots and a jacket here.”

He gasped and leaned forward. “Oh good, I can’t believe I’m not prepared at all for any of this. I mean, I knew it would snow, but I guess I thought I still had time. I just—”

“Shhh, it’s okay. Once you have some boots and a good jacket, you’ll feel better. I know it probably feels overwhelming, but you’ll get used to it.” I pulled into the parking place out front and turned to look at him. “They’ll have everything you need here.” I opened the door and hurried to the front of the store, then I realized Ryan was still in the truck. His eyes were wide, and he was still gripping the Oh Shit handle. His eyes met mine, and he relaxed slightly and managed to loosen his grip.

I met him at the door as he opened it and I knew if he stepped into the snow, he was going to soak his shoes, so I lifted him ontomy back, making him laugh. “What are you doing?” he giggled as I carried him to the front of the store.

“I didn’t want you to get your shoes wet. Come on, let’s get you some snow gear.” Some people liked going to auto parts stores, while others loved office supply stores. But for me it was sporting goods. I loved looking at the latest boots or little devices that were supposed to make any weather more bearable. From hand warmers to a cooling headband and everything in between, I loved it all.

“Hey, Charlie, anything I can help you with?” Ruth, the owner, asked when we passed the checkout counter.

“Ryan needs some snow gear,” I said on the way by. Ryan waved to her, and she grinned at the two of us.

“Yell if you need anything,” she said and went back to reading the newspaper.

---