Page 462 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
I chuckled and kissed her forehead. “We’re not going to freeze to death in here, Tinsel. It’s not below freezing.”
“If I lose any toes to frostbite, I’m going to sue you.”
“I’d deserve it. You have very cute toes.”
She opened her eyes and peered up at me with a lopsided smile. “You look at my toes?”
“Don’t make it weird, Tinsel.”
Truth be told? Yeah, I’d looked at her toes, but that was only because I’d looked at every inch of her when I had the chance. I wanted to commit every dimple, every freckle, and every curve of her body to my memory. I’d noticed dozens of things about her over the past several days that I’d never seen before, like how naturally long her eyelashes were, how she had flecks of yellowish gold in her brown eyes, and how she had matching freckles near her nipples on each breast. I’d noticed the scar over her bellybutton which I assumed was from an old navel piercing. I’d noticed a birthmark on her right hip in the shape of an apple with a bite out of it.
“When we get out of here, I’m going to drink a gallon of coffee,” she mumbled with her cheek smooshed against my chest. “Oh my gosh, what I would do for a coffee right now. With a sprinkle of cinnamon. Ugh.”
I wished very badly that I could give her both of those things and enjoy the reward of my efforts.
“And a cinnamon bun,” she purred with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips. “Do you think Wanda is going to be pissed when we don’t show up? She seems so nice on TV, but I have a feeling she won’t be very happy about being stood up. Kind of embarrassing, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about that right now. I’ll fix things with Wanda.”
“How?”
“That’s for me to worry about.”
“Are you going to throw yourself at her, like you throw yourself at me?”
I looked down at her. “What?”
She giggled. “I’m kidding. You’re so easy.”
Chuckling, I brushed hair away from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. She trembled against me from the cold, and I pulled her in a little closer, wishing I could give her all of my body heat.
Just then, I heard a telltale mechanical clicking sound.
“No way,” I breathed.
Tinsely’s eyes were closed as she lingered on the brink of sleep. “What is it?”
I stared at the door handle of the storage room door, and it turned before my eyes.
“No way!” I exclaimed again, louder this time. “Tinsely, I think someone is here.”
She rolled away from me, and we both propped ourselves up on our elbows. Just then, the door swung inward. Blinding light poured in from behind the shadowed silhouette of a woman, who drew up short when she saw us and let out a startled yelp.
Several of her coworkers rushed forward and peered around the doorframe. When they saw Tinsely and me shielding our eyes against the lights, curled up on the floor, surely looking downright pathetic, they all began to giggle.
I scramble to my feet and helped Tinsely up. While I dusted her off from sleeping on the dirty floor, I gave our onlookers a sheepish smile. “Nothing to see here.”
“Did you lock yourselves in?” one of the employees asked.
“No, we slept in here because it looked cozy,” I said dryly.
Tinsely nudged me in the ribs with her elbow.
I sighed. “Yes, we locked ourselves in. Or rather, I locked us in. I didn’t realize the handle was broken or doesn’t unlock from the inside. We’ve been in here since three o’clock this morning.”
The employees exchanged a look. One of them, the woman who’d opened the door in the first place, stood back and let Tinsely and me step out into the blinding fluorescent-lit back room. She pointed to a door out in the hallway. “Washrooms are right there. I’m sure you both need to use them. I’ll crank the heat in the break room and you can warm up while you wait for your ride.”
I gave the woman a one-armed hug, and her cheeks turned bright red. “You’re a lifesaver. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
