Christmas Pet by Jamie Knight

Chapter Five - James

Fat flakes swirled around us and showed no signs of stopping. Pearl had been right. We should’ve waited until morning. My impatience had gotten in the way and had left us stranded during a raging blizzard.

The trailer wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. It wasn’t a five-star hotel, but it wasn’t a hovel either. I needed to apologize to Pearl for my initial reaction. The things I’d said to her in the car were beneath me. My frustration and impatience were no excuse. She didn’t deserve my anger, and she didn’t deserve me revealing I’d overheard her private phone conversation. I’d been unnecessarily cruel.

It wasn’t her fault Daniel was a step ahead of me. Something I was sure he got a kick out of. I hoped he didn’t realize I was on his heels, but knowing him, he did.

Pearl had disappeared into what I assumed was the bedroom and came back out layered in over-sized clothes.

“Wait here,” she said, “I’ll go outside and turn everything on. We need to flush the antifreeze out of the pipes before we use any water. Can you turn on all the taps and the shower?”

“You stay here,” I said. “Tell me what to do outside.”

She waved me away. “You don’t know anything about this place. I’ll get everything connected in less time than you would — even in a blizzard.”

While Pearl set about turning on the amenities, I ran the water like she’d asked. As the faucets flushed out the antifreeze, I slid my phone out of my pocket to check my email. Un-fucking believable. Zero bars.

I needed my phone. Everyone had their addictions. My inbox was mine. There must be somewhere I could get a signal in this place. If not, we would have to leave. I couldn’t stay without access to the outside world.

Pearl came back in, her clothes caked in snow. “We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” She toed off her boots and shrugged off her extra layers until once again, she wore only her ugly sweater and jeans. Despite having worn gloves, her fingers were the color of Santa’s suit. I had an urge to take them between my palms to help warm them up.

Snow dotted her eyelashes, and her cheeks and nose were shiny and red. She looked more than fuckable. We might have our differences, but she was one hell of a sexy woman.

With the flip of a switch, a small gas fire flickered to life. “It shouldn’t take too long to warm up,” she said.

I waved my phone. “Is there service?”

“Nope.”

“Fuck. We’re leaving first thing in the morning.”

She snickered. “Good luck with that. Hate to tell you, but we’re here for the weekend at least. More snow is coming our way tomorrow. We’ll be lucky to leave by Monday.”

I raked my fingers through my hair. “What are we supposed to eat? Snow?”

She moved toward the galley kitchen and opened up what I guessed was the pantry. “We have lots of canned goods. We have the ingredients for a basic chili and a lasagna. When my mom and I came up at the end of summer, we filled the freezer in case we decided to come up this winter.”

“Coffee? Milk?”

“Instant and powdered.”

I made a face.

“Let me grab my boots, sire. I’ll trek to the closest Starbucks. Anything else you’d like? The newspaper? A massage?”

I grinned. “Now that you mention it.”

“There will be no happy endings here.”

That’s what she thought. If I didn’t have my phone to keep me occupied, I would have to find something else for both of us to do. Something that would keep us warm.

“If you’re bored, there’s a selection of late eighties and nineties rom coms beneath the TV. Pick one. Some action movies too.”

I thumbed through the DVD collection. “Legend, Cocktail, Top Gun, Days of Thunder, The Color of Money, and my sister’s all-time favorite Jerry McGuire. Who has the Tom Cruise addiction?”

“My mom. He’s her idol. Growing up, she made me watch all his movies.”

“That’s child abuse.”

“I made her take me to an NSync concert. Payback is a bitch.”

“Evil.” I laughed and selected Top Gun.

“I feel the need…”

“Don’t even go there. I can out-quote you. Guaranteed.”

I held up my hands in surrender. “I don’t doubt it. How about we find something to eat and drink while we watch Maverick serenade Charlie?”

Pearl opened up the cupboards again. “There’s a bottle of whiskey hidden in the wardrobe, but we should keep that for emergencies. For now, we have boxed mac and cheese.”

There wasn’t anything I could do about not having any cell service or about being stuck in a trailer on a lake, but I might as well make the most of it.

“Sounds like a feast.” I cleared my throat. “And for what it’s worth. I’m sorry for how I spoke to you in the car. That wasn’t fair.”

Warning flashed in her eyes. “Like I said, payback is a bitch.”

After a dinner fit for a ten-year-old, we sat on the sofa covered in blankets and watched Tom Cruise play volleyball. When the love scene came on, Pearl cleared her throat and squirmed.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like Kelly licking Tom’s throat?”

“This is the kind of movie you watch with your girlfriends or your boyfriend. It’s not the kind of movie you watch with your boss.”

I picked up the remote, switched the movie off, and regarded her. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend? The real reason.”

“I don’t have the time — you heard me tell Isabella that. I want to have a successful career first. I want a family eventually with the whole white picket fence, kids, and chocolate LaDanielor, but I don’t want to be like my mom.”

“Why? You seemed close.”

“I love her with all my heart, but she lived her life for me and only me. She played the role of mom and dad. When I left for college, she had nothing left for herself. It took her a while to find something to fill her time. When she’s not working as a teacher’s assistant, she volunteers at the animal shelter.

“I count my lucky stars I had her. She helped put me through school and was there for every second of my life. I don’t have a memory that doesn’t involve her. When my dad left, she had nothing but a broken heart. We had lots of lean years. Thank God, my grandma let us move in with her and then left my mom her house.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you don’t have a boyfriend.”

Pearl gave a slight shrug. “Before I meet anyone, I want to make sure I have the skills to survive on my own if I have to.”

I pffted. “And you think you’re nothing like me.”

She tipped her head back, her nostrils flaring cutely. “I’m nothing like you.”

“Yes, you are.” I ran my fingertip along the back of her hand, and she shivered. “Cold?”

Her eyes narrowed, and her lips parted. “Don’t play games, Mr. Matthews. Forget what you heard me say to Bella. I don’t have a crush on you, and I don’t want you to take me over the conference table.”

“Enough with Mr. Matthews. It’s James. And I’m not playing games. Since we’re here and since we have nothing else to do, why don’t we keep each other warm? Perhaps for one night, you won’t need your vibrator.”