Finding Me in the Storm (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Chapter Three

Elaina

I check the phone next to me again and still find no signal. There is no cable or Wi-Fi to stream entertainment, but I did find a box with some old DVDs in the closet this morning. Movie offerings were limited to Christmas flicks, but beggars can’t be choosers.

“Morning.” Nate comes out of his room, rubbing a hand through his hair.

The man is wearing a simple blue T-shirt and sweatpants, and yet he could be on the cover of a fashion magazine. His blonde hair features perfectly with a flawless face, a unique divot in his chin, and eyes the color of a clear ocean. Honestly, even if I’m annoyed by him most of the time, I can’t deny he is handsome enough to warrant female appreciation everywhere he goes.

“Morning. I should warn you not to try the front door,” I tell him.

He glances up in the direction of the entrance. “That bad, huh?”

“Well, if you have ever wondered what an igloo might be like to step into,” I tell him with a curl of my lip, “step on outside the door. There are banks nearly to my shoulders.”

“I figured it would get dicey out there with the snowfall adding onto what it was already when we came in last night. It is supposed to snow throughout today,” he replies. “Are you going stir-crazy yet?”

“Nope. You know you had just enough supplies with you for a quiche. I also appreciate that the fridge and stove are the first appliances it looks like you replaced. It’s on the stove if you would like to try some.”

He chuckles. The sound of that low rumble immediately sets off butterflies in my midsection. That is ridiculous; I refuse to be attracted to the likes of Nate! Seriously, this man could have any woman on the planet, and he knows it. I will not be one of his victims, as that would cause ripples through my friendships with his sister and even my acquaintance with his mother. I haven’t been a relationship type of woman due to my career path, and so any fleeting notice of Nate’s finer qualities needs to remain a deep, dark secret I carry to the grave.

“What do you find funny about quiche?” I question.

“I normally make-do with whatever I can scrounge up. Peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes, just chips or crackers. I am not a great baker or cook, so honestly, the fact that you appear to stress cook is the first massive bonus I’ve found to being snowed in with you,” he says as our eyes hold for a moment longer than normal.

He turns first and heads to the kitchen.

“Oh, my goodness,” he groans so loud that I swivel my head to ensure nothing is wrong. “This is the best thing I’ve tasted in a while. I don’t even think that chef up at the lodge does this well with quiche.”

I grin back in satisfaction. “I grew weary of hospital food fast during my initial years as a resident. Meal prepping and doing my own cooking were both stress relieving and comforting during long shifts. I’m glad you enjoy that, as the quiche is one of my favorite things to whip up.”

“Yep, I think instead of hollering at Luna, I might send her a thank you card,” he remarks, scooping a large portion onto a plate as he heads back in my direction. “If she had to lock me in a cabin with anyone, I’m sure glad it was you.”

I giggle at his teasing. “Yeah. I think she is going to be shocked at how civil we are managing this.”

“You’re watching movies?” he asks, looking confused. “I’m shocked that we can get service. Did the phone service also come back this morning?”

“Neither. These are DVDs that I might have found in a closet in my room last night. I hope that is okay; I tried to find some games but then came upon these.”

“Huh. I have allowed numerous friends and family to use the space in the last year. If they were left, I’m assuming they are fair game. Is this Christmas cartoon the best option?”

“A Charlie Brown Christmas is a classic,” I tell him. “Have you not watched this before?”

“It’s a cartoon,” he retorts with a grimace. “Cartoons seem a bit immature at my age.”

“Oh, dude,” I call out. “I guess I know what we are doing today. We are watching this the way I and my sorority sisters did back in college,” I tell him.

“And how is that?”

I turn off the volume. The silence looms for a full minute as he munches on the quiche.

“Are you putting the volume back on?” he questions me with a funny look on his face.

“I am not,” I tell him with a grin. “We are going to narrate this movie just by watching the screen.”

“I’ve never seen it before.”

“I know. It’s going to be epic. You have to just say words that appear to fit the scenes for what is happening on the screen,” I tell him with a little cocky grin thrown in for good measure.

“Okay. Challenge accepted,” he says as he sits forward in his chair.

“The little blanket dude says, ‘Whoa, look at that light. I’m not sure what is happening, and I’m mighty confused. I am worried that I’m seeing an angel. Do you see the angel?’”

I double over, laughing at the funny voice he is using.

“What?” Nate turns to me with his eyes pinched together.

“Sorry, that was a good effort,” I reply, much as I would a toddler who follows instructions.

“Not what is happening?”

“No, he’s talking about the angel of the Lord shining above and that the angels were bringing good tidings. He is talking about the birth of Christ, and it is a pretty pivotal scene. They are trying to show that the frustrations of the holidays sometimes make us lose focus on the true meaning,” I tell him.

“Yep. I didn’t get that from the little dude.”

“Linus,” I laugh again. “His name is Linus. You really never saw this?”

“Nope. I’m good, though. Let’s try another scene. Try not to laugh openly at me again,” he growls as he squints at me.

“No promises,” I tell him as I push the remote-control button.

After a few scenes, I rewind the movie, and we watch it together from the beginning and then move to a Christmas rom-com. Nate is a great sport, and I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in years. I forget for a while our circumstances as we make the best out of what we can and try to enjoy our downtime. I’m honestly having more fun than I expected and seeing a new side of the man I once might have called a bane to all women.