Page 15 of Just A Dash of Holiday Magic
“Oh no,” she says under breath.
“What?” I ask, turning to her as the lift shakes.
I grab her arm to help brace her as she manages to keep the milk from spilling on the tray.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods. “But we may be stuck here for a while.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tobey, the hotel maintenance guy is out and won’t be back for at least another hour.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I say, pulling open the door to the emergency telephone box. “There has to be someone who can help get us out of here.”
The phone rings over and over again in my ear until I finally give up on the fact that no one is going to pick up. Without meeting her glare that I can feel, lasering a hole in the side of my head, I hang up the phone.
"As I said, he won't be back for another hour at least." She sets the tray down on the floor and sits down next to it. “We might as well get comfortable.”
I sit down on the wall opposite to her and zip up my hoodie. She picks up the Christmas tree cookie off the plate. I watch as she starts picking each sprinkle off the frosting and popping it into her mouth. My stomach rumbles from skipping dinner, and suddenly I wish I had taken her up on her offer of milk and cookies.
"Can I have one?" I ask, pointing to the others on the plate.
“I offered, and you made it very clear that you weren’t interested.”
“Look, I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you.”
“No. you shouldn’t have. Especially since I was just trying to bring you some holiday cheer.”
I can’t hold back the smile spreading on my face. I’ve never had a woman be so dismissive of me before. Winning her over will be a challenge. And it looks like I have some time to try.
"Well, can I have some holiday cheer in the shape of a stocking?” I ask.
I know she wants to tell me no, but she's too kind to refuse me again. Since a few days ago, when I checked in, I couldn't help but notice her and her joy of the holiday. I was looking to avoid it but couldn't help but smile inwardly when I was around her.
“Fine.” She holds out the plate to me. “But I can’t make any promises that I will share the milk with you.”
I chuckle, and the corner of her mouth ticks up.
