Page 68 of Outside The Wire

Besides, I couldn’t leave Mr. Fluffington here by himself.

“Did you drown in there?” Asher called from the other side when I took too long for his liking.

I finished up and opened the door, quirking an eyebrow at him. “Are you timing me?”

“Every damn minute you’re away from me.”

I bent over, shoving my finger in my mouth. “That’s even too mushy for me. Hallmark will never take you with that kind of line.”

“I thought you liked my cheesy lines?”

“I do, but too many in one day will make my head explode. Where were you with these on Valentine’s Day?”

“As I recall, I was eating with you at Whataburger.”

I glanced past him, wondering if he was going to make me stand in the bathroom all day. “Am I allowed to pass?”

“Not sure. I was thinking about testing out the bathroom.”

“Ew. No.”

I slipped under his arm that was resting against the doorframe and hurried into the front to peer out the front windows. Pulling the blanket tighter around me, I shivered as the cold seeped through the windows.

“Looks pretty bad out there,” Asher murmured behind me.

“You can’t see much of anything yet.”

“You can see the drifts.”

That was true. “Looks like you might be stuck here with me for another day.”

“I’ll call my boss and see what it’s like by him and let him know where I am.”

“I’ll do the same.”

A grin tugged at his lips. “You’re gonna call your boss?”

I snorted. “You heard Noelle in the grocery store. If you think for one second that she doesn’t have the ability to order me around, you would be wrong.”

With a tug on my blanket, he had me pulled against him and wrapped up in his arms. “Just remember who’s in charge in this relationship.”

“Me.”

“Exactly,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to my lips.

I skipped away, feeling way too light on my feet as I went into the kitchen and started the coffee. I was definitely going to need a pick-me-up, and since there was no hot cocoa in sight, coffee would have to do. While it was brewing, I called Noelle, hoping it wasn’t too early for her.

It rang and rang and just when I was about to hang up, she answered.

“You know, most people don’t call when the sun comes up.”

“Most people aren’t your boss.”

“Eh, that’s a terrible excuse.”

“Maybe. What’s it look like out there?”

“I just told you I wasn’t awake. Now you want me to look outside? Geez, you really expect a lot of me at…whatever the hell time it is. Why are you so chipper, anyway?”

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