Page 91 of Pain in the Axe
He had a big duffel slung over one shoulder and a bag of groceries in his other arm.
I tamped down on the wave of comfort that hit me at the sight of him. He should not make me feel so good, dammit. “You came prepared.”
He ran one hand through his wet hair and hefted the duffel higher on his shoulder. “You could just say you missed me.”
I crossed my arms and attempted a sneer. “I didn’t. I was just trying to work, but there’s no power.”
“Sure. Give me a few minutes.”
He set the grocery bag on the counter, then removed a headlamp from his bag and went down to the basement.
While I waited, I grabbed a towel and dried off Clementine, who wagged her tail wildly.
I put my arms around her, burying my face in her neck. “I’m happy to see you too, girl,” I said, already feeling less alone.
Gus returned a few minutes later. “You do have a generator. But there is no gas.”
My face fell. I was such an idiot.
“Don’t despair. I brought some. I’ll run out to the truck and get it. It may take me some time to get things running. I checked out the circuit breaker in the basement. Everything is clearly labeled, so we can prioritize what gets power.”
I nodded, half-overwhelmed with gratitude and half-embarrassed about how ill-prepared I was.
This was not the Chloe LeBlanc I’d become over the last twenty years. I was not the woman who asked a man for help. Who needed a man to fix things for her.
I sat on the couch with a huff and petted Clementine, hating myself. But before I could fall too deep down the self-loathing rabbit hole, the lights came back on.
The way my fear fled made it impossible to deny that I did need this man. Granted, if I told him that, he’d never let me live it down.
A moment later, he came back through the door and headed to the basement.
Some lights went off while the living room and kitchen lights stayed on.
“I kept the kitchen circuits on, so you’ve got lights in here. The refrigerator will work, and you can use the stove, but we’ll keep everything else off to save on gas.”
“Thank you,” I said, choking up.
Hovering above me, he stroked my chin gently. “Dragonfly, I’ll always be here to help. You only have to ask. Clem and I aren’t going anywhere. We’ll stay with you until the storm is over, okay?”
I nodded, so damn close to bursting into tears. Goddamn these pregnancy hormones.
“Now, how about a snack?”
Without waiting for a response, he strutted away. When he returned, he brought a bowl of Chex Mix, another of green grapes—which had recently become my pregnancy craving obsession—and two bottles of water. As well as a deck of Uno cards.
“Where did you get grapes?”
“You mentioned you’d been craving them.” He shrugged as he dropped onto the couch next to me. “So I bought a whole bunch just in case.”
With one brow lifted, I scrutinized him with a frown. “Just in case I came over to your house.”
“Yes. It’s my job to keep you and the little bean fed.”
“It’s not,” I argued, though I was already shoving them into my mouth.
He just shook his head, as if he was humoring me. “Want to play Uno?”
I grabbed the entire bowl of grapes and clutched it to my chest. They tasted so damn good. “I have a better idea. How about truth or dare?”
