Page 33 of Ewan

“Uh. Yes. Of course. Follow me.”

I could’ve just given him directions to the restrooms in the back, but somehow, it feels safer to escort him out of the premises and make sure he doesn’t end up in another room.

He picks up the bag and shows me to the door before I spin around and walk across the room.

Maria crosses paths with me, notices I’m not alone, and gives me a swift goodbye.

Not surprisingly, everybody’s in a rush to leave.

“We talk on the phone?” she says.

“Sure.”

My smile is clipped, and she gets the hint. Without wasting another moment, she joins the last guests and heads outside.

A few volunteers linger in the room, wearing their coats, ready to leave.

Since cleaning is not included in the rental fee, we’ve hired a cleaning company to tidy up the place, but they’re supposed to arrive later.

“Here,” I say, pushing the door to the corridor open and showing him the way to the last door on the left. “The back exit door is over there if you want to use it. It doesn’t set off the alarm. In case you don’t want to go all the way back. You must have your car parked in the front, I assume?”

He agrees with a nod of his head before pushing the door to the restroom open and vanishing without a word.

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” I murmur to myself before spinning around and making a beeline for the room where I left my coat, my bag, and my phone.

7

SCARLETT

The room looksdifferent without the people in it.

Someone has turned all lights on, and I walk to the wall and switch most of them off so only a few less intrusive ones glow around the room.

Considering the number of people we’ve had here tonight, the place looks fine.

There’s still food on the table, and I cover it with plastic foil and stick a note on one of the trays. Perhaps someone would like to take it home — it’s untouched.

I spin around and collect my jacket and my bag.

For some reason, I thought I’d sweat if I put my long coat on, so I opted for a double-breasted, tailored jacket that makes a fashion statement but does nothing to ward off the cold outside.

It must be freezing, I figure, glancing out the window. The last two cars roll out of the parking lot, and I move closer and check the space for that stranger’s car.

His truck is still there, parked next to the entrance. So, he’s still in the building. A shiver sweeps my spine.

I’m not the one to get spooked easily. And I have no reason to be. The cleaning crew will arrive soon, and a security guard is in an auxiliary building.

It’s a safe place surrounded by land and trees, with a long winding road leading to the main street a mile from here.

It looks amazing in any season. A historical building with all the amenities.

Footsteps echo in the building, and this can only be him. I don’t know why my heart does gymnastics, bouncing inside my chest like a bird.

It’s strange. The effect he has on me is new to me. But, not having sex in a while doesn’t help.

Every time he moved his eyes to me, fire and ice traveled through me.

He didn’t express much, but it didn’t change how I reacted to him.

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