by A. K. Evans
A sultry look came over her, giving me all the affirmation I needed that she was into me. As quickly as it was there, it was gone. “How many days do you think it’s going to be before either the power is back on or the gas company is going to get out here to refill my propane tank?” she asked.
I took in a deep breath as I considered the answer to her question. “My best guess is that your tank will be filled before the power is back, but I think it could be a solid three or four days at best before they can get out here.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “Wow. Are you sure it’s okay that I stay here for that long?”
I shook my head and replied, “No, actually. I’m going to need you out in two days. Do you think you’ll be able to find other accommodations?”
Her lips parted, and she stared at me for a moment before she mumbled, “Um, yeah…I’ll just see if I can get to a hotel. Hopefully the roads will be cleared by then.”
I moved closer to her, threw my arm around her shoulder, and pulled her close. “Ella, darling, I was just joking with you. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”
She tipped her head back and looked up at me. Her voice was just barely a whisper when she said, “That wasn’t very nice.”
“So you can call me an old man, but I can’t tease you?” I challenged her. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
The tension left Ella’s body as she rolled her eyes at me. Brushing it off, she asked, “Do you have a piece of paper and a pen so I can make a list of what I need to get?”
I gave her a quick squeeze before I responded, “You’ve got it.”
Then, I went in search of paper and a pen.
Eleanor
“That should do it,” Max asserted as he pulled the warm and fuzzy winter hat down over my ears.
“I think you’re overdoing it,” I advised. “We’re only going a couple hundred feet away. I realize it’s going to be in the snow and the cold, but it’s not like we’ll be outside that long.”
“Maybe not,” he agreed. “But based on the length of that list you made, I’m guessing we’re going to be in your house for a little bit while you pack all of that up. And it’s not going to be much warmer in there than it’s going to be outside.”
I huffed. “Fine. Can we go now?” I asked him.
Max looked me over from head-to-toe and decided he’d done a sufficient job in bundling me up. “I guess it’ll do.”
When he carried me over earlier this morning, I only had on my layers of clothes, thick wool socks, and a blanket. Now, I had on those same clothes and socks with the addition of one of Max’s hats, a scarf, an entirely-too-big jacket, and a pair of gloves. He also doubled up my socks.
I found him to be incredibly sweet and charming. The concern and care he showed me from the moment he showed up at my door this morning was something I’d miss about being home in Florida. Something I’d always gotten from my parents. But what made it better with Max was the way he climbed under the blanket and used his body to warm mine. It was, by and large, the best experience I’d had since arriving in White Pine.
As much as I used to sit in my office and look at him whenever he was outside working on his house or his landscaping, there was something incredible about being near him and talking to him. There was no denying he was amazing from a distance. But up close and personal was even better. Way, way better.
Max reached out to curl his long fingers around my arm and tugged me in his direction. He ushered us through the house and out into the garage. After getting the garage door opener out of one of his trucks, Max opened the garage door. He stood at the edge of the garage behind the truck and ordered, “Hop on.”
I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly. “Pardon?” I responded.
“Hop on,” he repeated.
I dropped my head to one side and asked, “What do you mean?”
“I’m going to carry you over to your place,” Max remarked, giving me information I already knew. “To do that, you’ve got to hop up and get on my back.”
It took everything in me not to burst out laughing. I succeeded in holding it back and asked, “Are you telling me you’re going to give me a piggyback ride?”
“Would you prefer to wrap your legs around me from the front so we’re chest to chest?” he retorted, as he gave me a devilish grin. “Because that works for me, too.”
My eyes nearly fell out of my head. I enjoyed Max’s teasing, but I didn’t know how to react when someone like him made it very clear that he was attracted to me. At least, I hoped that’s what he meant to imply.
As much as I would have loved to be wrapped around him like that, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea.
So, to save face, I simply claimed, “I was just concerned about your back. You know, at your age I hear that’s one of the first things to go.”
“You better watch it,” he warned playfully taking a step toward me. His voice dipped low when he promised, “You keep it up and I’ll have no problem showing you how fully functional my entire old-man body is.”
I swallowed hard, obviously unprepared for his comeback.
After a beat of silence, he pressed, “What? No response to that?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and ordered, “Turn around, old man.”
A smug look washed over Max’s face. He won that argument and had no problem gloating, either. He turned around and crouched down a bit so I could get a better grip on his shoulders. Once I hopped up, Max stepped out into the deep snow and pressed the button on his garage door opener to close the door before he slipped it into his pocket.
Then, with his arms holding me up under my legs, my chest pressed to his back, Max trudged through the snow. It wasn’t easy considering how deep it was, and it took a lot longer than I had initially expected. When we’d made it about halfway to my place, I began to fret. “I’m sorry. Maybe we should turn around. I didn’t realize just how deep the snow was. You’ve got to be so tired.”
“Ella?” he called.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“I’ve got far more stamina than you’re giving me credit for right now,” he assured me. “If you need me to prove that to you when we’re back at my place, I’m more than willing.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
When I didn’t respond, he muttered, “I see that works.”
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he replied. “We’re almost there. I’m taking my time because I’m trying to keep you out of the snow.”
“Okay.”
I figured since he was doing all the work and not complaining about it, I’d keep quiet and let him focus. And in doing that, I noticed that what he said had been exactly the case. Despite the amount of snow, Max could have easily gone a bit faster. I had no doubts that he would have if I wasn’t on his back. He was taking his time because some of the snow had drifted, and it was deeper in a few spots. Whenever he reached a spot where the snow was a bit higher, I watched him hoist my legs a little higher so my feet wouldn’t end up in it. I found it to be incredibly thoughtful of him.
A few minutes later, we were at my front door. Once we were inside, I realized what Max said was true. There wasn’t much of a difference between the temperature in my house and outside in the snow.
“Alright,” he began as he gently set me down on my feet. “Before you take off to get your things, can you show me where the door to your basement is?”
I found it to be an odd request, so I questioned him. “Why?”
“How about we save the questions for when we’re on our way back to my house?” he suggested. “I’ll explain then.”
“Right,” I agreed on a nod.
I led Max through my house to the basement door. Then, I took off upstairs to my bedroom. I packed as quickly as I could. Fifteen minutes later, I’d managed to get my clothes, sneakers, and a few toiletries I didn’t suspect Max would have into a bag. I also packed my laptop and cell phone, along with their chargers, and a game. I didn’t k
now if Max was the type or if he’d even be interested in playing, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to have something for entertainment just in case.
When I made it back downstairs, I dropped my bag at the front door and found Max in my kitchen.
“Looks like you stocked up right before the storm hit. It’s cold enough in the house that I don’t think you’ll need to worry about anything really spoiling, but if there’s something you want to bring with you, feel free. Otherwise, I’ve got plenty to cover the both of us.”
I suddenly had an idea. I ran over and grabbed one of my environmentally-friendly reusable grocery bags and started loading up with the items I knew I’d need. Max didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by the fact that I was taking longer to gather up a few extra things that I hadn’t originally planned on bringing.
Once I’d gotten everything packed up, I slipped on my snow boots. Max and I made our way to the front door where he turned and confirmed, “Got everything?”
“I think so.”
With that, he took both bags from me and walked out. After I locked up, Max and I trekked back through the snow toward his place. Even though I didn’t have the pleasure of hitching a ride on his back on our journey from my house to his, the return trip was just as sweet. This was because Max had my bag filled with clothes, toiletries, and electronics slung over his left shoulder, the grocery bag in his left hand, and my hand in his right.
That’s right.
Max held my hand as we walked back to his house. It was the sweetest gesture, and it made me feel so special. In fact, nearly everything he’d done from the moment I met him was sweet. Even in the moments he was teasing me, I found him to be exceedingly charismatic.
“So, the good news is you won’t need to worry about any of your pipes bursting,” Max stated as we cut through the trees that separated my property from his.
“What?”
“At your house,” he began. “When I went down in the basement, I was checking out the water lines. The house was built back when they were making a change in a lot of homes from the standard copper pipes for plumbing to polyethylene tubing. It’s far more durable than copper piping and is a lot more forgiving if the lines freeze. I turned on a few of your faucets so they’ll drip water slowly. That’ll help relieve the pressure in the pipes if ice does form.”
Well, that was nice of him to do. I wouldn’t have even thought about that, mostly because I didn’t even know it was a thing that should be done.
“Does that happen?” I wondered.
“It can,” he confirmed. “And it’s a disaster if it does.”
I did not need to be dealing with a disaster after all of this. Feeling appreciative of his mindfulness, I stated, “Thank you for doing that for me.”
Apparently, living in northern Maine all his life meant that Max had learned a thing or two about how to survive the harsh winters. I was grateful he was sharing his wisdom with me.
We finally made it back to his place, but despite the snow boots that I’d been wearing, my pants were still soaked. The snow was just that deep. I slipped off the boots just as we stepped into the mudroom. Then, I took off the scarf, gloves, hat, and jacket Max had loaned me. I hung everything up on the coat rack he had in his mudroom so it could dry.
When I finished, I looked up and found Max watching me. It was clear he had something going through his mind, but he never shared whatever it was. Instead, he urged, “Come on. I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”
I followed behind Max as we climbed the stairs to the second floor of his beautiful home. He took me down the hall to a massive yet gorgeous guest bedroom, where he walked inside and placed my bag down on the end of the bed.
“The guest bathroom is right through that door,” he began. “It should have everything you need in there, but if you find something is missing, just let me know.”
“I will. Thank you so much.”
In the moments that followed, things turned tense. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but I had a feeling both Max and I were left wondering where to go next. Thankfully, Max broke the silence.
“I’ll get out of your hair so you can change out of those wet clothes and settle in. If you want company, feel free to come and find me. If you need some time to yourself, have at it. No matter what, I want you to be comfortable and to make yourself at home.”
I couldn’t be certain, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be unwelcome if I hugged him at this juncture. It was so out of character for me; however, Max had been accommodating, kind, and sweet. I felt compelled to express my gratitude. So, I took a step toward him, slid my arms around him, and gave him a hug. “I really appreciate your kindness, Max. Thank you for being so generous and opening your home to me.”
Max’s body had tensed initially when I hugged him, but within seconds it was gone. His arms came around me, and he returned the hug. His voice sounded a bit husky when he replied, “Any time you need me, Ella…”
At that, he let me go and walked out.
Two minutes later, I was still standing in the space where he left me. Eventually, I snapped out of it and got myself changed. After, I plugged in my phone and fired up my laptop. Once the phone had enough of a charge, I turned it on and set up a wireless hotspot. I needed to check-in and make sure all was running smoothly with work. Most importantly, I needed to reach out to my two best friends so I could get their advice about my current situation.
I confirmed there were no major, or even minor, work issues that needed my attention, and moved on to what I’d been dying to do since Max stood at my front door yesterday. I pulled up my messenger program and entered Steph and Maggie, my best friends, as my recipients. Then, I sent them a text.
I’m currently living in the midst of a monster snowstorm here in northern Maine, but you’ll be happy to know that I’m messaging you both from the comfort of my neighbor’s guest bedroom.
Within seconds, I saw that at least one of them was replying. Sure enough, only moments later, a text came through.
Steph: Wait. You mean the guy you are always watching from your office?
Me: It’s not ALWAYS.
Maggie: OMG. You’re in his bedroom? How did this happen?
Me: It’s not his bedroom. It’s the guest bedroom. And I officially became a damsel in distress when the propane tank that powers my generator ran out of gas. The temps are so cold right now and it’s only stopped snowing for brief periods of time. He was outside when my generator shut off and came over to offer me a place to stay.
Steph: I’m squealing over here! This is so exciting. What’s he like?
Me: He’s the sweetest, most compassionate man I’ve ever met. And I’ve officially decided I want to marry him.
Steph: Ahh!!! Love!!
Maggie: When do we get to meet him?!?!
Me: Relax, girls. He’s been very flirtatious and has used his body to warm me up, but nothing like that has happened.
Steph: Oooh. I remember that pic you sent of him. He’s got an amazing body. I bet it was nice being warmed up by him.
I rolled my eyes and laughed. I forgot that I’d sent the girls a picture I’d taken of Max from my office one day not long after I’d arrived in Maine. He was outside doing some landscaping, and I was busy ogling him. I didn’t think it was fair for me to keep the identity of my future husband from my best friends, so I offered up some eye candy. They weren’t disappointed.
Returning my attention back to the conversation, I sent another message.
Me: I’m really worried.
Maggie: What?! Why?
Me: Because it’s only been a day and I really like him. But it’s not just that. This man is the kind of man I know I could easily fall in love with. We get along really well, and it’s clear there’s an attraction on both sides, but I’m worried he’ll be turned off once he finds out who I am.
Steph: Maybe he won’t.
Maggie: Yeah, maybe he’ll find you even sexier than you already are.
; Me: That NEVER happens.
Steph: First time for everything.
Me: I’ll believe it when I see it.
Maggie: You’ve got to give him a chance to prove it to you.
Me: I should get going now. I’ve got to get myself unpacked and settled.
Maggie: Unpacking…nice. Sounds like something you do when there’s an extended stay.
Steph: Haha. So true! You better keep us in the loop. We want regular updates.
Me: Yeah, yeah. You’re both crazy. I’ll talk to you later.
Steph: Love you, Ella.
Maggie: XOXO
Me: Same.
I closed my laptop and disconnected the hotspot on my phone. Then, I hopped out of bed and started unpacking my things. As I put my clothes in the dresser and my toiletries in the bathroom, I thought about my conversation with my two best friends.
Maybe Steph was right. Maybe there was a first time for everything. I didn’t know where things were headed with Max and me. While there was no denying the innuendo in a lot of what he said, I wasn’t entirely sure he was interested in something serious.
But I knew that I wanted that with someone. And I believed Max could very well be that someone for me. I wanted a chance at love with a man like him. One who was as handsome as him. One who looked out for me. And one who teased me and made me laugh more in less than twenty-four hours than I’d done since I’d moved to Maine three months ago.
Yes, I definitely wanted a man like Max.
In fact, I wanted to make him my old man.
Eleanor
When my eyes fluttered open the next morning, it took me a few seconds to remember where I was. But the moment it all came flooding back, I felt myself smile. Because even though yesterday started off horribly, it quickly turned around and had truly been one of the best days of my life. And that was all thanks to Max.
Max, who apparently carried my sleeping self to bed last night.
Following my chat with my friends yesterday and the subsequent unpacking that I did, I spent the rest of the day mostly with my new temporary roommate. We had both lunch and dinner together. Just before dinner, I took a shower. Otherwise, I watched television for a bit while Max took off somewhere in the house. When he returned, he joined me. We talked for some time about inconsequential things. Our conversation was easy and comfortable, and I never felt any pressure to find something to talk about. We either did or didn’t. And it was great both ways.