Page 10 of James

Laura’s cheeks burned even hotter.

“Come on, honey,” he said as he helped her up. “Let’s get you dressed!”

CHAPTER SIX

James made swift work of helping Laura back into her clothes. Her hair was a bit mussed, and she still had a lovely flush on her face. She looked edible in his opinion. Male pride and possessiveness surged through his veins, igniting a primal fire within James –he was the one who had put that look on her face. Her lips were swollen, impossible to resist, and he swooped in for another kiss. With his arm around her shoulders, he walked her into the employee’s area and opened the back door.

The cable was still on the ground, sparks flying, but the sounds of chainsaws, axes and heavy machinery was much louder, much closer than he had guessed. In the side-lot, where the vape store used to be, a couple of firefighters cleared the debris and cut fallen trees. James called out several times before one of the firefighters spotted him. He yelled over his shoulder and the chainsaws fell silent.

“Sir, be careful!” the firefighter called. “KCP&L is securing the high voltage cables, but the area isn’t safe at the moment.”

“We know,” James replied. “We’ll stay clear, but I wanted you to know people are in here.”

“How many? We can’t reach you now but we’ll get you out as soon as possible.”

“There’s a woman with me. It’s just the two of us.”

“Are you hurt? Do you have food and water?”

Laura piped in, “James, we have my groceries. We haven’t eaten for hours now.”

“We’re all right.” James replied. “We’re not hurt. We don’t have running water, but we have some food and a few drinks We’ll wait inside the building.”

The firefighter held up his thumb. “Great we’ll get back to work and get you both out as soon as possible.”

Laura looked at James and said sheepishly, “I can’t believe we didn’t think of eating or drinking. I think I have some bananas. I’m not sure what else is in here. Yesterday might as well be last year so much has happened?”

There wasn’t much food that didn’t need to be cooked, but they each had a banana and shared some cookies. Laura found a mostly-full water bottle in her backpack, and they passed it back and forth for sparing sips.

Without warning, Laura giggled.

James smiled. “I like your laugh. What’s so funny?”

Laura fumbled with the wrapper on the cookie package. “First, I was thinking how my weight loss group would react to our breakfast. Then I thought, at least I’ve gotten some exercise.” She didn’t dare to look at him.

James burst out laughing. “Orgasms are proven to burn calories. Why did you join a weight loss group?”

“Why does anyone?” she countered, then shrugged. “I’ve been curvy as long as I can remember, but I neverthought I was fat… until I met Jake. He was constantly after me about that, in lots of little ways. We’d go to a friend’s birthday party and he’d ask me if I was sure I should be having all that cake. It was one slice, the same size as everyone was having! I’d buy myself earrings and he’d say they were meant for a thinner face. When we got engaged, he got the ring a size too small and joked it looked like a string tied around a sausage. He called me a fat cow so often, at some point I started to believe him.”

She was quiet for a moment, staring at the cookie wrapper until, just before James was about to take it from her, she crumpled it up herself and tossed it away. “So I left my husband and filed for divorce. Gosh, it sounds easy when I say it like that,” she remarked. “It wasn’t easy. We had a bitter separation and it cost me dearly. I had to get a restraining order to keep him away from me until the divorce was final and the stress really got to me. I started to care less about my appearance and fell into the comfort food trap. From then on, I gained weight, until I was up to a hundred and seventy pounds.”

Laura fell silent and stared off into the distance. Soon, she pulled herself together and continued, “After my brother-in-law died of cancer, I realized I had this one life and I had to be here for my sister and her children. So I joined the group, learned to eat healthier and started to exercise. It hasn’t been easy – sometimes it still isn’t – but I’ve lost thirty pounds and feel much better.”

James had been listening with his attention focused solely on her. That was a new experience for her – a man who seemed to be really interested in what she had to say.

“Why did you and Cindy split up if you’re still friends?” she asked to move the subject away from herself.

James stroked his chin. She could hear his beardstubble rasp under his fingers. “I think I was infatuated with her beauty and free spirit in the beginning. She was a cheerleader and popular at school. My growth spurt came early and I was the tallest boy at school for a while. It was an instant attraction between us. We seemed like the perfect couple. For the first fifteen years it was great between us, but the last five years not so much. Chris and I had started our business, and my interests and needs changed, but all Cindy wanted to do was party and have fun. It seems like she didn’t really grow up. She’s still as energetic as she was when we were teenagers.” He grinned and shook his head. “Our friendship never died and we still meet once in a while, but somehow the love between us fizzled out.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. We’re both in a better place now. She found a decent man who loves to go out and have the same kind of fun as she does.”

“And you?” she asked, smiling. “What have you found?”

“I found you.”

A shout from outside interrupted their conversation. The rescue workers had arrived.

---