Page 11 of Snowed In with the Bosses

A brush of wind sliced over me and I opened my eyes to find her moving to join Ethan at the windows.

Ethan frowned down at his phone. “Anyone else getting a weather alert?”

I checked my phone. “No.” It buzzed and a blanket of snow drifted across my screen. “Yes.”

“We should have gotten this an hour ago.” Ethan palmed the glass. “I can’t even see the road.”

I’d known something was wrong when I looked out earlier, but I’d thought the wind was whipping snow around. The second alert lit up my phone, along with the peal of the blizzard warning emanating from all four of our phones.

“Fuck.” Ethan cursed. “Blizzard warning. They’re telling people to stay inside. Sudden temperature drop with whiteout conditions. It’s headed our way, but the wind from the mountains is pushing it in too fast for us to try and get out ahead of it.”

I clicked on the weather app on my phone and read the same story Ethan spouted off. “Breakneck speeds. I’ve never heard them say that before.”

Clara paled, her body shaking in a full-body tremor. “What are we going to do?”

“We’ll be fine.” Alexander stood and crossed to her side. “We’re safe here.”

Ethan nodded. “We’re not going home tonight.”

5

ETHAN

Leaving the office held no appeal, especially with the dark clouds brewing outside. Clara stood beside me, and it took a concentrated effort to stay in place and not crowd any closer. I returned my phone to my pocket and made my way back to where our work was piled up. We’d made good progress, enough that I should be satisfied, but being satisfied had nothing to do with the project.

I eyed Clara’s work, once again feeling impressed at her design aesthetic. She worked with the kind of dedication that Summit needed. And God help me for noticing, but she looked amazing while she did it. “Should we keep working?” Harrington would appreciate anything we could do to make sure this project moved forward. I’d hoped we would be finished soon.

“We should gather supplies.” Alexander took charge.

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised that he made the suggestion. Based on the weather I’d seen coming our way, we’d need to be prepared for anything. Liam met my gaze over Clara’s head, and we both grinned just enough to prove we were on the same page. Neither of us were upset at the chance to spend more time with Clara.

As though she sensed our thoughts, Clara turned away from the windows. She buffed her hands up and down her arms. The move spurred something deep inside, a feeling I’d thought lost forever when it came to a woman. Concern.

She looked up and the fear in her eyes sucker-punched me. “Are you sure we’re safe?”

“Positive.” I infused every promise I could muster into that one word. The chemistry that sparked between us earlier lingered in every breath. This smart, beautiful woman reminded me of a lover I had in college. Back then, I’d been young and foolish and I’d let pride tear us apart. Seeing Clara in front of me was like the universe giving me a second chance. No way in hell I’d risk fucking it up again.

Alexander made his way to the door. “Let’s go, people. Looks like we’re here overnight at the least. Time to see what’s available and get ready to hunker down.” He tempered his tone when he looked at Clara. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Damn it. I was supposed to say that. I scowled at Alexander, who shrugged and splayed his hands in a gesture that could mean “sorry” or “should have spoken up sooner, dipshit” and even though I’d known him for years, I still wasn’t sure.

Wind howled down the side of the building, rattling the window behind Alexander. He turned and checked the frame, then drew the curtains closed. “Ethan, help me push the desk against the windows. That’ll hold the curtains tight and make sure the cold doesn’t penetrate. Liam, check the backup generator.”

Clara’s eyes widened. She shuddered and moved away from the window, grabbing her phone from the table as she passed. “Thank God. I still have reception.” She tapped on the screen and brought the phone to her ear.

I moved to help Alexander while Liam headed out to check the generator.

The world outside turned white, the kind of white that made my eyes burn and blocked out everything, even the buildings on either side of us and across the street. We were in a world of our own.

“Mom.” Pure relief shook in Clara’s voice from where she stood behind us.

I grabbed one end of Alexander’s desk. He took the other, and we carried it over to the window, setting the legs on the ends of the thermal curtains and pressing them tight to the window.

“Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

I turned in time to catch Clara pacing the far end of the room. Her skirt swirled around her legs, her leggings flashing with every step. “Are you sure?” She stopped pacing and rubbed small circles on her forehead with her thumb and forefinger. “Has Bridget been out today? And she says you’re doing better? Are you saying that just to make me feel better?” The questions fired out almost too fast for anyone to answer, but the instant relief in the way her body loosened and her frown relaxed said her mom answered correctly.

My fingers curled into the desk.

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