Page 10 of Love in the Storm

She closed the box and set it on the end table nearby. “What do you need now?”

“Nothing. Thanks. Looks like we’re just hanging out here for a while.”

Lyric groaned. “I’m supposed to work in the morning.”

“Better call your boss. I’m sure lots of things will be closed tomorrow, after the mess this storm dumped tonight.”

“Yeah, can I borrow your phone?”

“Sure.” Asa handed over his sleek smartphone.

She cradled the phone and pulled hers from her pocket. Flipping through the contacts, she found her boss’s number and hesitated before making the call.

Asa’s hand rested on her shoulder, only reminding her that she was still shaking. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I just don’t want her to think I’m a flake. I just started two weeks ago, and I’m already calling in.”

Asa frowned. “I think this is an understandable situation. Where do you work?”

“Blackwater Restoration.”

“The thrift store downtown?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Working at a thrift store was about the most unglamorous job she could imagine, but they’d had a help wanted sign out front, and she’d needed an income.

“Camille Harding is your boss?”

Lyric perked up. “Yes. You know her?”

“I do. She’ll understand about the storm.”

“I don’t know her well, but she seems nice.”

“She is. Just call her. If you need my help, I’ll explain things to her.”

Lyric hated she needed someone to vouch for her. Her word should have as much weight as the next person’s, but it didn’t.

She called Camille, and her boss was overly understanding, just as Asa said. She also promised to have her husband call to check on Asa as soon as he got in from his shift at the fire station.

Lyric’s shoulders relaxed as she ended the call. “She said everything is fine and not to worry about coming in tomorrow. Sounds like things are worse out there than I thought. Apparently, a lot of roads are closed.”

Asa rubbed the stubble on his chin. “We should probably turn on the news. I can’t believe the power is still on.”

Lyric tried not to tense back up, but she wasn’t a fan of hanging out in the dark. “Right.” She grabbed the remote from the table and extended it to him.

When he didn’t take it from her, she glanced up at him. Big mistake because she could see the wheels turning in his head when he looked at her.

Finally, he took the remote and turned on the TV. With the volume low, they watched scene after scene of the ongoing storm damage.

“This is awful,” Lyric said. She turned to him and found him looking at her again. His intense stare was heating her up from the inside.

He cleared his throat and focused his attention on the TV. “Thanks for rescuing me. I’m usually the one doing the rescuing.”

“Oh?” Everything about the conversation was awkward. She didn’t want to flat-out ask what he did for a living, mostly because she already knew.

“I’m a police officer and expecting to get called in any minute now.”

Lyric nodded, hoping to think of some wise response. “Cool.”

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