Page 111 of A Second Dawn

The cabin boasts a spacious and airy interior, with the bathroom tucked away to one side. The comfy looking queen-sized bed occupying one corner will be Rhia’s and my resting spot for the night, while Ade will take the sofa.

On the opposite side, the kitchenette awaits, but I doubt we’ll be using it much. Ade has bought pre-prepared meals that take no time to whip up.

The heart of the cabin is adorned with a large, plush sofa, complemented by a couple of armchairs. They create an inviting space around the sturdy wooden coffee table, on which Rhia places her laptop bag.

She and I sprawl out on the thick rug in front of the open fireplace, holding our stomachs. We’re so full after eating the delicious burgers Ade got for us. That’s taken care of my cravings! For how long though? I’m going to miss them when we’re snowed in up on the mountain.

Watching the dancing flames, Rhia and I are catching up on what’s happening in her life. Like always when Lex is away, she’s thrown herself into work as a distraction from missing him.

“Then I was at the airport with Julia on our way to London. When I looked up at the departure board to find our flight, Calgary was right above ours. I kid you not, it was flashing at me and I took it as a sign that I had to come.”

“And you had your fake passports with you?” I ask in disbelief.

“Yes. Lex is paranoid about my safety since all this started and always makes me take them and a disguise wherever I go… just in case.” She air quotes, imitating her boyfriend’s voice with his deep Scottish accent. She does a good job of it too, making me laugh.

“My computer bag has a hidden compartment that’s lined with some high-tech fabric that makes things inside undetectable. I totally feel like a badass spy.”

“Lex is rubbing off on you since you discovered his real job. I noticed already in Switzerland.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of cool the things I’ve got access to now.” She rolls onto her back before jumping to her feet and heading to the kitchen.

“Want to roast some marshmallows?” she asks. “I spotted a bag amongst the groceries Aiden bought.”

“Sure,” I reply, hugging a pillow closer to me.

Rhia disappears outside to find some sticks and I soak up the quiet, more content than I’ve been in a long while.

The rhythmic thud of an axe splitting wood echoes in the background. It’s soothing. Ade is hard at work, chopping that pile of wood to keep up our end of the bargain.

I checked up on him a little while ago, taking him a bottle of water. The crazy man shed his shirt again.

What a sight to behold!

All that muscle moving as he swung the axe had my core clenching. Since then, Rhia and I might have peeked through the curtains a few times, and I bet she’s ogling him now. She’s head over heels in love with Lex, but she still appreciates a fine body.

When she returns, she’s shivering in her boots. “Holy cow, it’s cold outside. How this man walks around without a shirt is beyond me, but I sure as hell enjoyed it,” she giggles, rubbing her hands together after passing me the sticks.

“On our road trip, I caught him taking a dip in a freezing cold mountain stream, even though we had a warm shower in the RV. Who does that?”

“Crazy men. If Lex had been there, he’d have joined him.” Longing flashes over Rhia’s face, and I can tell how much she misses her man.

She puts more logs into the fire, making sparks fly as she pushes them in.

“We don’t need more heat in here,” I say, fanning my shirt away from me. I’ve been getting hotter and hotter.

“What? It’s freezing in here,” Rhia replies, wrapping herself in a blanket.

“That’s only because you were outside. It’s perfect in here, if not a little too warm.” I open the bag of marshmallows, spear a couple on to the sticks and hang them over the fire.

“Can you please pour me a cup of tea? I need to warm up from the inside,” she says.

As I pass it to her, our fingers brush. Puzzled, she takes the cup and puts it down beside her, grabbing my hand.

“Jeez, El, how can you feel hot when your fingers are so freaking cold?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. It’s been like this for a while. My feet are usually cold too. I figured it’s a pregnancy thing.”

Just then, little explosions of heat fire off throughout my body.

---