by S. E. Law
“That’s a good suggestion, Marcia. And I don’t mean to be a nuisance about the ring…”
“No, you’re right, Matt. I don’t think she’ll do anything to it, I really don’t. But I’d hate to be wrong. Up to you. I’d prefer you don’t go bother her, but I of course understand if you decide you need to go get the ring.”
It’s my turn to sigh.
“I appreciate everything, Marcia. I know this entire conversation has been difficult, but I appreciate your candor. We’ll wait for Cora to get back before we jump into cancelling all the venues and whatnot?”
“That’d be best. Goodbye, Matt.”
“Bye, Marcia. Thanks again.”
We each hang up, but I stand still, holding my phone and wondering what I should do next.
I agree with her mom that Cora needs some space. But my concern for the precious family ring is genuine, even if it’s only part of the reason I want to see Cora. Of course, the real reason is because I’m concerned for the curvy girl. My son just broke her heart, and she could be crying her eyes out. I should be there to comfort her.
Yeah, right. That’s about as far from the truth as possible. My baser self knows that Cora is single now, and I want to swoop in before another man makes his move. Sure, I’m her ex-fiancé’s father, but we can work that out.
Anyways, my concern over the ring is real. I cringe as I think about the last time we almost lost it. My marriage to my ex-wife ended badly, and the woman refused to give back the priceless ring, despite that being a stipulation of our pre-nuptial agreement. When she finally returned it, I was quick to up the insurance on the invaluable heirloom and to inform Marky that if he were to ever propose to someone with it, he needs to make sure that she understands that the ring belongs to the Harrison Trust.
Shit. That means I have to go get it.
I don’t want to disturb Cora’s much-needed getaway, but that engagement ring has to be returned in pristine condition or else she could be charged quite a lot of money for any damages.
Quickly, I dash upstairs and grab my overnight leather satchel.
If I recall, the cabin is about five hours away, so maybe she’ll let me crash on the couch tonight. Plus, it may be a lot colder up in the mountains, so I better bring some layers.
Following this line of thinking, I throw some sweaters and jeans into my bag, along with socks and pajamas. I change out of my button-down work shirt and put on a warm flannel and pull my fisherman’s sweater on top of that. Feeling ready for a mountain adventure, I head back downstairs with my overnight gear.
I pause at the front door.
Why am I really doing this? I finally ask myself.
Sure, I don’t want Cora to incur any fees in case she throws the ring into a lake, but there’s something else that’s fueling my sense of urgency to go to her, to see her.
It’s more than that.
For some time now, I’ve been attracted to Cora, but for obvious reasons, I’ve never acted on my feelings.
But now?
I shake my head. You’re just going to go get the ring, and deal with everything else later.
Satisfied with my decision, I text Marky that I’ll be on a work trip and out of cell service for a few days.
Content with my course of action, I lock up my house, load up the Land Rover, and begin the long drive up out of my sleepy little town and into the Appalachian Mountains.
A few hours into my journey, I finally veer off the main road and start winding my way into the steep mountains. I’ve always liked this part of the state, especially in summertime. Birds sing morning and evening, while frogs croak from nearby ponds. Even the various woodland critters are active and curious about their human neighbors.
Not too many people in these parts, I muse, especially during early spring.
I think that’s why I’d been surprised when Marcia told me that Cora was going to stay out this way. In a way, the seclusion would be nice for her, but it can also be too quiet sometimes.
Outside the car, I see that the sky is turning an ominous shade of gray, and it appears that an intense storm is about to move in. As if proving my observation right, thunder rumbles in the distance.
Looks like this is going to be a hell of a storm.
I feel a sense of relief that I’m going to be at the cabin soon, not only because of the brewing storm but because I’ll get to check on Cora.
God, she’s beautiful. I hope she’s happy to see me.
Part of me thinks that she will be. Cora and I have always had a friendly, playful relationship, and on more than one occasion we’ve had meaningful conversations about our lives and pasts. I’ve always liked her, and I know that she’s always liked me.
And now that Marky and she are definitely over…
Motivated, I press my foot to the gas pedal, a little too eager to get to the cabin and it’s sexy new occupant.
7
Cora
Okay, the power has obviously gone out.
Just moments ago, the phone line died and every light in the house went out. Now, the cabin is ominously silent.
I chatter away to myself out loud, determined to keep the eerie darkness and its accompanying stillness at bay.
“Oh, it’s no big deal, Cora, outages happen all the time. You know there are big candles in the closet, there are lanterns in the pantry, and the matches are in the kitchen drawer.”
I carefully feel my way around the living room, hoping to find my way into the kitchen without stubbing a toe or tripping over the furniture. Fortunately, I came to this cabin a lot growing up, so even in the pitch black, I maneuver around the room without a problem.
I finally reach the kitchen and feel around the nearest drawer for matches. To my delight, I not only find the matches, but my groping hands also land on a box of tea-light candles.
“Jackpot!” Carefully feeling my way around, I place the little candles on the countertop and strike the match. Its sudden brilliance against the darkness nearly blinds me, but I steady my hand and light the first of the petite cylinders. Once I’ve lit three or four of them, I can almost see my way around the kitchen.
Using their soft light, I go to the pantry to search for the kerosene lantern. I finally feel its cold shape on the top shelf and pull it down. Quickly, I light the lantern and suddenly the cabin is much brighter.
Sighing with relief, I walk back over to the living room to test the landline again. There’s no tone on the other end, only silence.
“Okay, well, you’re in the middle of the woods with no working phone. But your mom does know where you are and the cabin is locked up, so don’t let you imagination run wild.” Satisfied with my little pep talk, I survey the room, wondering what to do now.
Involuntarily, I shiver.
“Oooh, it’s getting cold,” I mutter to myself. With the growing storm outside, the freezing night air is slowly seeping into the cabin. “I must have left a window open.” But I know it’s not true. It’s just that the mountains are cold this time of year and with this kind of torrential storm, the temperature has dropped suddenly.
I look down at my jeans and light t-shirt.
“First things first, let’s put on some warmer clothes.” I grab the lantern and make my way carefully up the wooden stairs to the bedroom where I put my duffel bag earlier. The lamp’s light hits the room brilliantly, and I’m pleased that I remembered where the little lantern was.
“Brrrr!” I squeal to myself. Hurriedly, I pull out a sweater and my thickest sweatpants from the duffel and strip to my underwear. I pull the thin sweater over my tousled hair and slip into the sweatpants. Dancing around so my feet don’t have to touch the cold floor for too long, I grab thick wool socks and slide them on.
Still too cold, I think as I realize that I can see my breath in the frigid air.
I grab another sweater, a thicker, cable knit one, and pull it over my current one. I smash a beanie on my head and decide to go snuggle on the couch, since I’ve already piled
some blankets there.
Grabbing the lantern and another blanket from the bedroom, I head back to my cozy spot on the couch.
“Now what?” I ask myself.
Outside, a crash of lightning lights up the sky, followed by the growl of thunder. I hate to admit it, but I’m scared.
“Okay, let’s occupy the mind, then. What to think about, what to think about… your doomed relationship? The fact that someone asked you to marry him and then left you? How about all the weird confusing feelings you were having for his dad? Is that because Marky never paid enough attention to me or because I like the guy?”
Another roar of thunder rolls through, followed by even heavier rain now.
“Ugh, Cora. This isn’t helpful.” I shiver against the cold air, still chilly. “Okay, so let’s make a fire. That’ll take my mind off things.”
I grab the lantern and head back to the kitchen.
“I have matches but I need something to get the fire going,” I mumble as I search the cupboards. “Aha!” I pull out a bottle of lighter fluid from under the sink and head back to the living room with the items.
Kneeling by the fireplace, I try to inspect it for any issues. It hasn’t been used in ages, but there are some logs in it and several more in the log holder next to it. It’s dusty and maybe I shouldn’t… But between the dim light and my chattering teeth, I decide it doesn’t matter.
Carefully, I squirt some of the lighter fluid onto the logs inside the fireplace, mindful not to get the smelly liquid on my clothes or the surrounding floor. Fumbling for the matches with stiff, cold fingers, I finally manage to light one and toss it on top of the pile of wood.
Please work, please work, I think as I rub my icy hands together briskly.
To my delight, the fire catches quickly and is soon roaring. I go back to the kitchen and put the bottle of fluid on the table, unsure if I’ll need more.
There’s got to be something else to help it keep burning.
Inspired, I walk quickly to the entryway closet and grab some old newspaper to throw into the heaping blaze, determined to keep the fire going for as long as possible.
I crumple a few pieces of the newspaper and toss them on top of the flames. Wow, now it’s really going.
The fire crackles loudly and the flames jump higher.
Oh shit, maybe it’s going a little too well, I realize.
But before I can even react to my initial surprise, within seconds the fire is fully ablaze and its hot flames are popping out of the fireplace area. Now able to see because of the brilliant flames, I dart into the kitchen to find a pot so I can douse the blaze with water.
I find the largest pot I can and fill it with water from the tap. I dash back to the hotly burning fireplace and throw the water onto it.
Nothing happens.
Oh god, it’s not enough!
The fire crackles just as strongly as before, and now there are sparks jumping out from the blaze too.
I repeat my efforts a few times – scurrying between kitchen and fireplace but to no avail. The fire only seems to be getting hotter and bigger, and my entire body is drenched with sweat from my dashing around and the sweltering heat. I can tell that my face is red from the heat, too, and my cheeks are hot to the touch. Still, I continue lugging pot after pot full of the cold water from the kitchen.
But the fire gets the best of me. Within a mere matter of minutes, sparks from the blaze jump from the old stone pit onto one of the nearby chairs.
I scream in shock and horror.
Oh god, I’m going to pass out from this heat.
Moaning, I almost want to run out the front door to escape this nightmare scenario but think better of it. I can’t let the cabin burn down! My family would kill me!
Determined now, I run back into the kitchen and strip away my many layers of clothes, until I’m wearing nothing but my bra and panties. Almost immediately cooler, my head starts to clear up so I can focus on putting out the fire.
I try not to think about the damage or the fact that the air inside the little cabin is filling up with smoke. Instead, I just refill the old pot and continue my frantic dash from sink to fire to sink, hoping with each douse of water, I’m closer to putting out the monstrous blaze.
8
Matt
As I round the last bend before reaching the cabin, I suddenly feel unsure about my late night mission to retrieve the engagement ring from Cora. It’s bold and not entirely rational, and plus I don’t want to scare her to death given the wild storm raging outside. Plus, it’s late. Who shows up this hour of the night?
Dammit. I’m not a man who tends to feel nervous, but something about Cora makes me that way.
Too late now, I sigh as I finally pull up to the quaint little cabin. But something is wrong with the little wooden cabin in front of me. Even in the dark rainy night, it’s obvious that the chimney is billowing tons of dark smoke, its hazy cloud filling up the air around the little cabin. I look back toward the front of the house and even from behind the closed curtains on the first floor windows, I see flashes of orange and yellow light.
What the hell? Is the cabin on fire?
“Holy shit!”
I park the car and jump out immediately, not caring that it’s pouring rain or that the wind is tearing down branches all around me. I run as quickly as I can to the front door, alarmed at what I might see inside. Hopefully, Cora got out before this blaze started.
I try to open the front door, but it’s locked. I pound hard on its heavy wooden frame, but even my loud knocking is no match for the roar of thunder and the cracking trees nearby. I listen at the door for any sound of life, but hear only the storm around me and the crackle of fire inside.
Shit.
I back away from the door a few feet and then – with every ounce of my strength – I run and hurl my body against it. The door bursts open with a loud splitting sound and I find myself in the most bizarre of situations.
In the living room, there’s a blaze that’s spiraling out of control. Part of a nearby chair and part of the carpet is on fire too. And standing next to the roaring inferno is Cora, nude save for some lacy lingerie, trying to douse the fire with a pot of water.
For a split second, the sight of the busty brunette standing nearly naked in front of me distracts me from the fire. Her skimpy lace panties leave little to the imagination while her thin bra is barely able to contain her full breasts. Cora’s face is flushed with the heat of the fire and obvious exertion, while her skin glistens with sweat. Almost immediately I feel my pants get tight at the intoxicating and unexpected site of so much woman before me.
She’s as sexy as hell.
But just as quickly, I snap out of my trance and shift my focus to the problem at hand: a raging fire that’s threatening to burn down the cabin. I spring into action. The blaze has covered enough of the room to where it doesn’t look like I can get Cora out the same way I just came in. In fact, it looks as though she’s directly in the path of the next lick of fire, but she doesn’t appear to realize that.
“Cora, back away from the fire. Go to the kitchen – or find a room where you can climb out a window if necessary.”
Cora looks over at me, her deep brown eyes wide with shock and confusion.
“Matt? What are you doing here?”
“No time, just go, get away from the blaze. That next flame might jump right to where you’re standing.” She still hesitates. “Go!” I tell her harshly, trying to snap her out of her confused state.
Cora finally obeys and I run back outside, searching for something, anything to help me fight the blazing beast inside. Next to the house, I spot an old garden hose, curled up in a tidy pile and still attached to its spigot. Deftly, I unwind the hose and turn on the water, dragging the hose back with me into the house.
Please be long enough, please.
Fortunately, the old hose extends all the way into the house and through to the living room. Braving the intense heat, I breach the wall of fire
that’s made its way toward the entryway and jump into the living room. I turn the hose on full blast and, as I feel the water pump into it, I aim it at the worst parts of the blaze first. I don’t hesitate to spray the rug, chairs, and couch. Within moments the entire living room is soaked but the fire is sizzling out. Ash flies around the room, but the sparks are slowly losing their vigor. They float about, bright sparks of orange amid the wreckage of the doused room.
It takes several more minutes, but finally, the whole fire is done. I breathe hard, doing my best not to inhale the smoky air. My clothes are drenched with sweat, but to my relief, I don’t have any burn marks or obvious breathing trouble.
The room is nearly pitch black save for a kerosene lantern emitting light from its spot on the kitchen counter. I look around as best I can for Cora, but she’s nowhere to be found.
“Holy shit.” I can’t help but express my relief out loud, tired from my short battle with the blaze. “Cora, are you okay?” I call out to her, unable to see her in the dark room.
“Yeah, yeah, I think so.” She steps from the kitchen slowly, as if in a daze.
Quickly, I walk over to Cora and take the lamp from her hands and set it back on the counter. Without thinking, I grab her and hold her tightly in my arms.
It’s pure instinct, but I don’t care. She hugs me back, softly crying with what I imagine is relief now that the fire is extinguished. We stand this way for a moment, her nearly nude body pressed against my clothed one, each of us spending a moment feeling grateful that everything is okay.
I stroke her damp brown hair while she leans her face into my chest. Cora hugs me tighter, her fear finally catching up with her. My hands wander to her naked back and I stroke her smooth skin, careful to keep the gesture soothing. But inside, I’m seething mad and scared because something horrible could have happened to the pretty brunette I’m currently comforting.
What the hell happened here?
After a few more moments, Cora finally pulls back and looks up at me with her big brown eyes. They’re still misty, but most of her tears seemed to have stopped.