Valentine's Day Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology Book 19)

by Janette Rallison

  “Really? What did you have on the docket? Something anti-V-dayish?” From what he’d heard, two women together on Valentine’s evening usually resulted in some kind of guy bashing.

  “Nope. We were going to watch a movie or two with plenty of action, order pizza, and stuff ourselves with cheesecake.”

  “That’s not anti-V-day?”

  She crumpled the wrapper from her taco and opened a second one. “No, because it’s not about woman power. It won’t be a sappy movie. It’ll be something with plenty of cars blowing up or other action and really fantastic food. This year we planned to re-watch I am Not a Serial Killer.”

  Drew laughed in surprise. “Wow, your taste in movies has expanded.”

  “Thank you, I try.” Colette wondered if she actually would get home in time to see that show with her sister. “When do you think the first flights will be going out and where they’ll be going?”

  He tipped his head. “I don’t know, but it probably won’t be too much longer. We’ll get you back home.”

  “I know, I’m just impatient.”

  “So how often do you travel?” He changed the subject, seeing that she needed a change of subject. It was strange how well he remembered the nuances of her expression.

  She let out a sigh, but appeared to relax a little. “About half the time. I go out to companies to train people. Or they send people to me, and I work with groups from the home office. It’s nice to be able to get out and see a lot of places, but it also gives me time to do laundry and settle in between. How’s your family doing?”

  They finished their dinner while they talked, the crowds rotating around them while people finished eating and others arrived.

  The loudspeaker clicked on, then a female voice said, “Attention all passengers: all flights for the rest of the day have been canceled. We will not be able to have any flights in or out until the snow lets up. Contact your airline for more information, or to reschedule your trip.”

  That was not the kind of news Drew had been hoping for, though he couldn’t complain too loudly about who he’d been stranded with. “Oh man. Keith is not going to be happy about this.”

  “I knew I should have taken the later flight that routed through Phoenix,” Colette agreed.

  “We better see if we can get hotel rooms before they’re all gone.” The airport floor didn’t strike him as the most comfortable place to sleep.

  “Too late,” the woman beside them volunteered. “My husband has been calling around for the past twenty minutes, and we can’t find anything open. Those who do have openings aren’t running their shuttles to the airport because of the storm. Even the taxis aren’t coming out here anymore.”

  “Rental cars?” Colette asked, though she looked skeptical.

  “Long gone. It sounds like they were all gone within ten minutes of the first word of delays.” The woman sighed deeply. “It looks like the rest of us will have a long night in the airport.”

  “Perfect.” Colette frowned.

  Though Drew was not happy about it, there was still a chance he could make the wedding on Saturday afternoon. It was only Thursday night, but he might miss the rehearsal dinner and bachelor party on Friday.

  “I’m going to make some calls.” Colette pulled out her phone. “I know a few people. Maybe I can get a ride out of here.”

  Drew called Keith to tell him about the weather delay. He turned back to Colette in time to see her hang up. “So, any news?”

  “Nope. Looks like we’re stuck here.”

  “All of the locals seem to have been smart enough to clear out already,” he said, looking around the food court at the diminished crowd. “I bet everyone’s off staking out their chairs for the rest of the wait.”

  “We probably ought to do that, too.” Colette stood and dumped her garbage before returning for her suitcase. “I wonder how long the food court will be open?”

  “Or the gift shops.”

  Their eyes met and they nodded. “We better stock up on a few essentials before they get picked over.”

  Apparently they weren’t the only ones with that idea. The lines at the cash register in the first gift shop they passed held at least a dozen people each. They moved to the next, and Drew noticed the sodas were already getting low. They headed in and split up to gather the necessary items. He snatched up the last two jerky sticks, a package of trail mix, two packages of M&Ms, a large water bottle, and, on a whim, a pack of face cards.

  Colette stepped into line behind him, and they compared purchases. She had grabbed the latest cozy mystery by Heather Justesen, a magazine on gardening, a box of crackers and tub of dip, and some gummy worms.

  “Gummy worms, huh?”

  “Always and forever. M&Ms?” Her eyebrow lifted at him. “No reading material?”

  “I have a book in my bag already. When did you get into gardening? And since when do you not have a book on you?”

  “I have a book, but it’s almost finished. I decided to get a backup.” She glanced at the garden magazine. “I wanted something different than the book in case my attention span gets short. It was this or a hunting magazine.”

  “Slim pickings.”

  The area where they had met was full, but they continued down the terminal and came to one gate that still had a few seats open— and was not too far from the charging station. A mother about their age with three young children he guessed to be between ages seven and three were seated next to them. She was distracting her kids with coloring books and crayons. The youngest one whined in her arms while she tried to interest him in a plastic car.

  Drew studied all of the others around them. He would expected major storms in December and January, but the weather was already warming up a little in Kansas.

  “You grew up in Milwaukee,” he said. “How long do you think this storm will last?”

  “This isn’t Milwaukee.”

  “No, but Denver’s, you know, the land of the snow. Not entirely unlike Milwaukee in that way. How long do you think we’ll be stuck here?”

  “Overnight? Three days? Who knows? It could be a while. My phone says it’s supposed to keep snowing at least another twelve hours, maybe sixteen. But if the snow lightens up the last few hours of the storm, we could get lucky and get out while it’s still the weekend.”

  Definitely not great news, then. “So you’re saying I should ration my M&Ms, just in case.”

  “Definitely. You can even give them to me for safe keeping if you’re afraid you might eat them too quickly.” Colette shot him a sunny smile.

  “I’m sure they would be very safe in your hands.” She might be somewhat addicted to gummy worms, but chocolate was a close second. He didn’t plan to chance it.

  “The safest.” Colette grinned. “So, tell me absolutely everything you’ve done and everywhere you’ve gone since we talked last.”

  “Everything?” That encompassed a lot of topics.

  “Yes. If we have three days, then there will be plenty of time for us to discuss every detail of what we’ve been up to.”

  “You’re on.” He told her about finishing his degree at University of California, Riverside, and his student teaching. He didn’t mention his lack of a social life after she had chosen Nick instead of him. Instead, he asked a question that had passed through his head several times over the years.

  “How long did you stay with Nick before kicking him to the curb?”

  Her head swiveled in surprise. “What makes you think I broke up with him, instead of the other way around?”

  Their truce was still tentative, so he was careful about his tone, wanting this to be a friendly conversation rather than a big fight. “I knew him better than you did at the time. I knew what a jerk he was, and the kind of person you were. You couldn’t be fooled for long. Then again, I was surprised that he had managed to fool you at all.”

  She nodded, “Three months. Which was honestly about a month longer than things between us should have lasted. I think I was trying to c
onvince myself that I hadn’t totally screwed up by picking him over you, but I knew better. Staying with him didn’t make it better; it only made me miserable for longer than I needed to be.”

  It was actually a relief to get it out in the open, even though it made the conversation awkward and uncomfortable again. “That was a rough year. I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too. I totally screwed up with you, and I’m sorry. But you seem to be doing well now. I mean, you have a good life, right?”

  He couldn’t argue that point. “I absolutely have a great life. I love teaching, I have great students, and I coach girls’ lacrosse every year for the school— practices start next week. Our team is phenomenal, and I’m living in my home town, which definitely makes me happy. ”

  “I’m really glad. I learned a few things from Nick myself. Him making fun of my fear of public speaking was what actually pushed me to join Toastmasters. Sarah knew that he had worn me down, that I needed self-confidence, and that facing my fear was only one way for me to conquer it. That’s why she invented the bet, thought I didn’t realize it at the time.”

  They talked about their jobs and family trips, his first year of coaching lacrosse, and her first year of working for her current employer.

  When ten o’clock rolled around, they decided they were hungry and decided to take turns with one person ordering for both of them while the other saved their spot.

  They flipped a coin, and Colette lost. As she walked off and Drew stretched out his cramping legs, he wondered if maybe she had actually won, and not the other way around. He needed to move around for a while.

  He glanced over at the little girl who was a year or two older than his niece back home. He also had a nephew who was a year younger. He could only imagine how difficult it had been for this mother to manage all three kids for the past few hours. The boys were already sacked out on the floor— he hoped for their mom’s sake that they slept well.

  “Is she your girlfriend?” the five-ish-year-old girl beside him asked.

  “Hannah,” her mom said. ”Hush, don’t pry.”

  “It’s fine,” Drew assured her. “No, Colette’s not my girlfriend. We used to date a little, a very long time ago.”

  “How long?” his tiny companion asked.

  “Before you or your brothers were born.”

  “Wow. That was a long time.” She nodded her chubby little face. “But you’re friends now?”

  “Yeah. I think we are.” Or at least they were headed that way, which was a nice thing to be able to say again. It had been a long time since he’d been able to consider Colette his friend, though back then he had wanted much more. He’d missed that. He looked out the window and watched the snow swirl and drift and fall. Periodically, he saw a snow truck clearing the tarmac. It was a losing battle, but he supposed it would be easier to clear the runway for real when the snow stopped, if the trucks kept it from accumulating too much first.

  “Where are you guys from?” Drew asked the mom a few minutes later.

  “New York. We were going to Arizona.”

  “I bet Arizona is great right about now.”

  “Yeah, my sister sent a text this afternoon to gloat that her kids were out running on the lawn in their shorts.”

  “Meanwhile, you’re stuck trying to keep your kids entertained in an airport. There’s always that one sibling who has to rub things in.” That one sibling used to be him, but he’d gotten over himself. Mostly. “I’m Drew.”

  “Teresa. Where are you headed?”

  Drew told her about the wedding in about forty hours and the activities he was probably going to miss. He asked the kids about school and their favorite show. By the time Colette finally returned with their late snack, he was able to introduce the women as if they were old friends.

  They snacked on fries and apple wedges, and Drew offered to get something for Teresa if she wanted anything.

  “No thanks, I think the kids have had enough to eat tonight, but I might take you up on it in the morning.” She yawned, but seemed determined to stay awake.

  “I’m going to stretch my legs for a few minutes,” Drew told Colette. “I’ll be back.”

  He studied the people around him as he walked through the halls. A lot of travelers had fallen asleep. The airport had brought in cots, but there weren’t enough to go around, so there were still quite a few people sacked out on the semi-padded seats or the floor. On the way back he helped an older couple with their bags and filled a water bottle for a kid who couldn’t reach the dispenser button. There were a lot of stranded passengers, but other than a few grumbles, most people seemed to be taking it in stride. He wondered how long that would last.

  Security guards roamed up and down the terminals keeping an eye on things. Drew greeted one, “Hey, how are things going?”

  “As well as we can expect, I guess. Things are quieting down. The restaurants are going to be closing soon for the night, since they can’t get new workers in to cover the night shift.”

  “Good to know. What time will they open again?”

  “By breakfast, I’m sure. I’ve never worked here when everyone has been snowed in.” He shrugged.

  “Will they have enough food if they can’t get deliveries?” It was a joke, mostly, because the food vendors served a lot of people every day here and surely would have plenty to last a couple days.

  “It depends on how long this lasts, but I wouldn’t worry about it yet.”

  “Thanks.” Despite being admonished to not worry, the conversation left Drew slightly unsettled.

  When he returned to their group, he noticed that Teresa had fallen asleep with her children gathered around her in the corner and Colette was on the phone.

  “I know, I’m sorry to put you in such a bad position at the last minute. I promise to let you know. Tell her everything’s fine. Yes, really. I ran into an old friend. Okay. Talk to you tomorrow. Sorry, Bill.”

  She looked unhappy when she ended the call.

  “Who was that?” Drew tried to act only mildly curious.

  “Sarah’s husband. He called to see if I was going to be home tomorrow.” Colette’s brows furrowed. “How was your ramble?”

  “It was good to stretch. I talked to a security guard.” He pitched his voice low so no one else would be able to hear. He adjusted their things to provide a little extra buffer for Teresa and her kids from everyone else, and to keep all of their things beyond the reach of sticky fingers. While he worked, he told Colette about his conversation with the security guard. “I hope it doesn’t become a problem.”

  “Maybe the snow will slow down soon?” she suggested.

  “Maybe.” He doubted it. This could be a long wait if the storm didn’t let up by noon like they expected.

  Chapter Three

  Colette read for a little while after Drew settled on the padded seat beside her, but she was starting to get sleepy.

  She turned to find him fully engrossed in his book. It seemed unreal to be with him now, here.

  Drew met her gaze.

  “Looks like a lot of people are hunkering down for bed. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m good for a while yet. You can lean here if you want.” He patted his shoulder.

  Colette was tempted, even though she didn’t want to fall asleep yet— it was too nice to be with him. “I may take you up on that later, but I was thinking maybe we could try a game of Slapjack for now.”

  A smile stole onto his face. “You know me, I’m always up for a game of Slapjack. Only we have to be quiet enough that we don’t wake up the kids.” Drew reached into his bag for his pack of cards. They sat cross-legged on the floor facing each other as he started mixing them up and then dealt their hands.

  “I haven’t played this since college,” Colette admitted. Not since she’d last played it with him, actually. It was his favorite game.

  “Well, then, be prepared to be creamed.”

  “You always were a big talker.”

 
“Fine, if I win the first round, you have to share your gummy worms with me.”

  She feigned shock. “No! Not my gummy worms. Pick something else.”

  “I don’t want anything else. It’s gummy or bust. Unless you don’t think you can beat me…”

  This guy— this was the man she had liked so much in college. She loved the competitive look in his eyes. It was worth her gummy worms, she decided. “Okay, you’re on.”

  It didn’t take long for her to get right back into the groove, and though he won in the end, it didn’t happen nearly as fast as she had expected.

  “You earned it,” she said when she pulled the gummy worms from her bag.

  He waved the candy away. “How about you hold onto them? I’ll claim my winnings tomorrow. I don’t have any way to keep my half overnight.”

  Colette yawned. It was almost midnight in Kansas, and it was definitely past her bedtime.

  Drew pushed himself back up onto his chair and patted the seat beside him. “Come on up and rest. You know you need to get some sleep.”

  “If you don’t take your gummy worms now, you might not be able to before we get out of here tomorrow.” That thought make her surprisingly sad.

  “I seriously doubt it’ll be that early.” His eyes narrowed and he pointed at her. “Don’t try eating them all just to keep me from my share.”

  “How did you guess I was thinking about that?”

  “I remember how you are.”

  Colette chuckled and boosted herself back up beside him, glancing over at Teresa to see how she was handling the kids. The kids were all sleeping soundly. Colette tipped her head against Drew’s shoulder. They were facing the windows where snow continued to twist past their view. She thought of the wedding he would be missing if he didn’t get out of here tomorrow. “Why do people want to have their anniversary on Valentine’s Day?”

  “Keith jokes that it’s so he only has to remember one day to give his wife a gift, and that it’ll save them money, but I’m pretty sure it’s because it’s supposed to be romantic.”

  The tone in his voice made her lift her head and scrutinize him. “You don’t think Valentine’s Day is about romance?”