“Good thing you have tomorrow off,” she said.
“I know.” He smiled. “You might be stuck with me for a while. Maybe I should go bring some more wood up. I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”
“Good idea. I’ll show you where it is.” Bernie led him down to her basement, and they each carried up an armful of wood and set it by the fireplace. Bernie went to turn off the outside lights and peeked out the window first. It was a sea of white, no visibility at all. She set out some candles and flashlights just in case they needed them. When she returned to the living room, she caught David yawning and immediately felt the urge to do the same. It was getting late. It had taken them almost an hour to drive home from the restaurant.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m beat,” Bernie said. “I think I’m going to head to bed. I’ll get you some blankets and pillows. There are already clean sheets on the bed. She returned a few minutes later with blankets and pillows and helped him pull out the sofa bed.
“If you want anything to eat or drink in the kitchen, just help yourself,” Bernie said.
“Thanks. I appreciate it,” David said.
“Good night.” Bernie went upstairs with Tiny on her heels and got ready for bed. A few minutes later, she was snug under the covers and thinking what an unusual night it had been—more pleasant than she expected. She hoped for David’s sake that the storm wouldn’t be as bad as they were making it out to be and that he’d be able to get home tomorrow. She was sure he didn’t want to have to spend the whole weekend with her.
Chapter 8
David stretched and kicked off one of his blankets. He was warm enough from the heat that was still coming off the fire, even though it was dying down. He was tired, but his mind was spinning with thoughts of Bernie. It never occurred to him way back when they were younger that she thought he was kidding about wanting to take her out. In retrospect it should have, of course. What would she have said if she knew he was serious? And how did he feel about her now? It was so long ago that he’d put the possibility out of his mind and had moved on. One thing he did know was that he wanted to get to know her better and if the weather kept up, they’d have some time to do that.
He felt the bed move as something jumped onto it and a moment later, a tail brushed the side of his face and the purring began. Tiny had come to visit.
“Shouldn’t you be with your mother?” he asked the cat. Tiny responded by rubbing his face against David’s cheek and then plopping down on his pillow, behind his head. Cats were funny. David’s eyes grew heavy and the last thing he heard as he drifted off to sleep was rhythmic purring.
* * *
Bernie woke early as usual the next morning, but after taking a peek out the window and seeing nothing but snow still coming down hard and blowing around, she climbed back into bed. It was a good day to sleep in and she didn’t want to wake David by going downstairs too early. She decided to read in bed for a while, and found a good romance novel that made the next few hours disappear. By the time she finished the book, her stomach was growling and she was craving her morning coffee. It was almost nine thirty, definitely not too early now.
She pulled a U of Idaho sweatshirt on over her pajamas and went downstairs. She found David sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee and reading a Lee Child thriller.
“Morning,” she said as she went to make herself a cup.
“You have a good stash of books in that bookcase. Hope you don’t mind that I helped myself? I’m an early riser.”
Bernie laughed. “I am, too. I was reading in bed. I didn’t want to disturb you too early.”
“Thanks, but there’s no danger of that.”
“Did you eat anything yet?” Bernie asked as she pulled a carton of eggs, some spinach, mushrooms and butter out of the refrigerator.
“No, I figured I’d wait until you were up.”
“I’m going to make an omelet, would you like one?”
“That sounds great. Can I do anything to help?”
“Sure. Do you want to throw some toast in the toaster? The bread is in the drawer closest to you.”
David made the toast while Bernie cooked a giant omelet and then divided it between two plates. David added the buttered toast and they sat down to eat.
“Have you listened to the news yet?” she asked him.
“No, I didn’t want the TV to wake you.”
Bernie jumped up and turned it on, increasing the volume so they could hear it easily from the kitchen. Storm coverage was on all the local stations. They listened as they ate. What they heard didn’t sound good. The storm wasn’t done yet. A second wave of heavy snow was right behind this one and was expected to continue until late in the evening.
“I can’t imagine the plows will get down here until the storm ends. You’re probably stuck here again tonight,” Bernie said.
“I don’t mind. We can have a lazy day and do nothing but read and watch TV. I don’t get a chance to do that very often.” David smiled.
“That sounds good to me, too. I was looking forward to hunkering down this weekend. We can have our leftovers for lunch and I was planning to make a pot of beef stew anyway. That might taste good for dinner, especially in this weather.”
“Sounds wonderful. Do you like to cook?”
“I do. I don’t do it as often as I’d like to since it’s just me. But, at least once or twice a month I like to spend some time on a weekend puttering around the kitchen, making soup or braising short ribs or something.”
“You’re a good cook. This omelet is delicious.”
When they finished eating, David helped her to clear the table and once the dishes were in the dishwasher, they refilled their coffee mugs and went into the living room to watch the storm coverage.
“We’re lucky we don’t have that job,” Bernie said as the camera showed a young reporter covered in snow, hair whipping in the wind as she reported on the weather conditions in the area.
David’s cell phone rang and he looked to see who it was.
“Mom calling,” he said as he answered the phone.
“Hi, Mom.” He was quiet while his mother talked up a storm. “I’m fine. I stayed at a friend’s house last night and we still have power. How are you and Dad doing?” There was another long silence and then finally David had a chance to talk again. “Buttercup’s fine, Mom. I filled her big bowl with dry food right before I left and gave her some wet. She won’t starve. Okay, talk to you soon.” He hung the phone and apologized. “Sorry, I know that was rude. My mother was worried.”
“That’s cute. She sounds sweet.”
“She is. My dad is great, too. I’m pretty lucky. They have a generator, too, so I don’t have to worry about them losing power.”
Bernie stood. “I’m going to go put a load of laundry in and take a shower. I’ll be back down in a little bit. There’s a full bath just past the kitchen and towels in the linen closet. Feel free to shower anytime if you like.”
“Thanks. I might read a few more chapters first and then I’ll probably jump in.”
* * *
The rest of their day was a relaxing one. The power stayed on and after eating their leftovers from Giacomo’s for lunch, they watched another movie and then Bernie got started in the kitchen making the beef stew for their dinner later. She almost knew the recipe by heart, she’d made it so many times. There was beef of course, with lots of red wine and mushrooms, potatoes and carrots. After a bit of beef broth, rosemary and flour to thicken and a few hours in the oven on low heat, it would be a rich and delicious stew.
The storm continued to rage outside while Bernie sliced and diced in the kitchen. The snow seemed to slow but the winds were picking up. Several hours later, when they sat down to eat, the wind was positively howling outside. And the lights started to flicker. Bernie had just taken one bite when the power went out. It came back on and then went out again and stayed out.
Bernie jumped up to light the candles and once they were
lit, they continued eating by candlelight.
“This is romantic,” David said as he looked around the room.
“It is pretty, isn’t it?” She had lit half a dozen candles, and their shadows danced around the kitchen as the candles glowed and brightened the room.
“So, what shall we do to entertain ourselves after dinner? Do you have any board games?” David asked.
“I do. Do you like Scrabble?”
He laughed. “I don’t know if you want to play scrabble with me. I always win. I’m obnoxiously competitive about it,” he admitted.
“Well, then, it’s going to be game on, because I rarely lose either. I love scrabble.”
“I do, too. We used to play it a lot in my family. My mother is still addicted but now she mostly gets her Scrabble fix online with Words with Friends. She plays with her old college roommates all the time.”
“I like that, too, but I prefer the actual game. I like the feel of the tiles. It’s more fun, somehow.”
“I know what you mean. After we finish eating, I’ll show you how it’s done,” he bragged.
“Famous last words,” Bernie teased back.
Once they were all done eating and the kitchen was clean, Bernie got out the Scrabble board. They settled in the living room and set the game up on the coffee table.
Bernie hadn’t played Scrabble in ages. David easily beat her in the first game and she even got the sense he was going easy on her. But she was ready for him in the second game and it was very close, but she managed to just barely beat him.
“One more game? But with higher stakes?” he asked.
“Sure? What did you have in mind?”
He smiled. “Let’s make a bet. If you win, I’ll do something for you and vice versa. What do you think?”
Bernie thought for a moment. “Okay, if I win, you have to scoop two bowls of Sadie’s caramel salt ripple ice cream. There’s a new gallon in the freezer. And a jar of fudge sauce in the cupboard next to it. And whipped cream in the fridge.”
He laughed. “Okay, hot fudge sundaes it is. If you win.”
“What if you win?”
A mischievous gleam came into his eyes. “If I win, I get to kiss you!”
“Oh!” She didn’t see that coming.
“Ready?” He shook the bag with the tiles and they each took their seven and the game began.
Bernie started the game off with the word LOVE. David looked more excited than she’d ever seen him as he laid out his word, using all seven of his tiles for a Scrabble bingo with the word JEZEBEL and earning a whopping 150 points as there were two double word squares plus the fifty-point bonus. With one word, he scored more points than she sometimes earned in a whole game. And he looked very pleased with himself.
“Congratulations. I’ve never had a single word score like that.”
“I haven’t either. Must be my lucky night.” He grinned.
It was Bernie’s turn and she sighed as she looked at her letters. They were not good. There was only one option and she took it, adding an A next to the Z.
“ZA? What is that?” David asked.
“It’s a slang term for pizza!”
David raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know about that.”
“Seriously, look it up in the dictionary if you don’t believe me!” She laughed.
“No, I do. I just never heard that one before.”
Bernie actually almost caught up with David by the end of the game, as she managed a bingo, too, and a high scoring word, but it wasn’t quite enough. David still won by twenty points.
“Tell you what, let’s compromise. After we kiss, let’s have that ice-cream?”
“I do really want some,” Bernie said.
“See, best of both worlds.” David stood and stretched his legs and then reached out his hand to pull her up and into his arms.
“You’re really good at Scrabble. How do I know you didn’t throw that game just to kiss me?”
Bernie laughed, and then his eyes met hers and he brought his lips down slowly and touched hers. He increased the pressure and she found herself leaning into him and losing herself in the kiss. She hadn’t been kissed in a while, and David was very good at it. He pulled back finally and smiled. “You ready for some ice-cream now?”
The power came back on as they were making their sundaes, and they brought them into the living room and settled on the sofa. It was only about nine or so, so they decided to watch another movie. They picked an edge-of-your-seat thriller and when Bernie nearly jumped off the sofa twice when the villain popped up out of nowhere, David laughed and put his arm around her. “Jumpy girl, I’ll protect you,” he teased.
Bernie laughed and let herself lean into him. “It’s true. I’m always easily startled in these types of movies. I love them, though.”
David leaned over and kissed her again, but just a quick peck this time. “I have to say, this has been one of the more memorable dates I’ve had. I’m really enjoying being snowed in with you.”
Bernie smiled. “Me, too. It has been fun.”
They turned their attention back to the movie and by the time it ended, they were both yawning and ready for bed.
* * *
The next morning, Bernie woke to sun streaming through the windows and the sound of a snowplow coming down the drive. She looked out the window and was glad to see that the snow had stopped. She also saw a figure outside by their cars. It was David, shoveling both of their cars out.
Bernie was making a pot of coffee a few minutes later when the door opened and David walked in.
“I saw you out the window. Do you need some help shoveling?” she asked.
“No, I’m done. I’ve been up for a while. We should both be able to get out now. It looks like the roads are clear enough to drive.”
Bernie was glad to hear it but also a little sad that they wouldn’t be spending more time together. She had enjoyed her time with David more than she’d expected to. He was easy to be around.
“Have you had any coffee yet? I just made a pot.”
“No, I’d love some.” Bernie poured them both a cup and set them on the kitchen table.
“Are you hungry? I think I have some bagels I can toast up.”
“Sure. I wasn’t hungry at all earlier but now I’m starving.”
“You worked up an appetite. Thank you for doing that. I really appreciate it.”
He looked pleased. “It was nothing. I had to shovel mine out anyway.”
They ate their toasted bagels and when they finished, David stood to go.
“I should head out. Buttercup is probably furious with me by now.”
“Drive careful.”
She walked him to the door, and once he had his coat and boots back on, he gave her a smile. “I really had a great time with you. I’d love to go out again soon, if you do?”
Bernie nodded. “I’d like that. Thanks for dinner.”
“That was my pleasure.” He pulled her in for a hug and a quick kiss goodbye.
“I’ll call you this week.”
Bernie watched as he drove away and Tiny did, too, from his usual spot in the window, tail twitching. The energy seemed different now that he was gone. Her house was quiet. Even Tiny seemed sad to see him go. She walked over to the giant cat and gave him a hug. After a minute, he jumped down and Bernie just stood there, looking out the window. She was surprised by how much she was looking forward to seeing David again.
Chapter 9
Bernie didn’t bother to leave the house for the rest of the day, other than to go start her car and make sure she could get out of the driveway. She didn’t need anything at the store and it was still bitterly cold out. She started a new fire and got caught up on chores around the house to get ready for the week ahead. She was just settling down to read a few chapters of a new book when there was a knock at the door. She peeked out the window and saw a police car. It was Jack.
She opened the door to let him in. “What are you doing here? Just get o
ff work?”
He nodded. “My shift just ended and I was right up the road, at your friend Melissa’s house actually, so I thought I’d stop in and see how you made out with the storm.”
“You were at Melissa’s? Why?”
“She had a new security system installed and an alarm was triggered. For the level of service that she has, it means an automatic house call.”
“Is she okay?” Melissa was very private, so Bernie didn’t know any of the details, but she did know that she had escaped a bad situation in Boston by moving to Riston and that she lived alone.
“She’s fine. There was a broken window in her basement, which triggered the alarm.”
“How did her window break?”
“We’re not sure. It could have been the storm tossing a rock against the glass or an animal, maybe.”
“Did you find a rock?” Bernie would have been a nervous wreck if that happened to her.
“No. But we sealed off the window until she can get it replaced. And I walked through the whole house, and nothing looked out of order.”
“That must be scary for her.” Bernie had been to Melissa’s house once and it was similar to her own, set back off the road and very private.
“She seemed fine. She told me she’s been taking shooting lessons so she has protection in the house.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing.” Bernie hated guns. “Maybe I should look into one of those security systems?”
“You could, but I don’t think you need it. You’ve got me, and Tiny there, to protect you.” He grinned. “Seriously, though, Riston is a very safe place to live. Most people don’t even bother to lock their doors.”
Bernie's Birthday (River's End Ranch Book 22) Page 5
