AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes,” she said.
I continued to stare at my laptop, listening as she stood and left my office. I waited until I heard the front door close before I slammed my fist on the desk and stood.
“Fuck!” I snarled to my empty office.
My office window faced the driveway, and I told myself not to turn and look out the window, not to watch her climb into her shitty car and drive away, before spinning around and staring out into the darkness.
“What the hell?”
Charlotte’s piece of shit car wasn’t parked in the driveway, and, barely visible in the dark, Charlotte stood at the end of the driveway. As I watched, she started walking down the road, her head bent against the wind and her arms wrapped tightly around her torso.
“Fuck,” I repeated before running out of my office and down the stairs. I didn’t bother to snag a jacket, just went out the door and, skidding on the snow and ice, jogged down the driveway.
“Charlotte!” I shouted, and she jerked wildly, slipping on the ice and nearly landing on her ass before she caught her balance.
She turned around, staring wide-eyed at me as I joined her. “Mr. Steele? What’s wrong?”
“Why the fuck are you walking?” I asked.
“My car broke down on the way here,” she said. “It’s why I was late.”
It was too dark to see much of her features, but I could see how her body shivered in her thin coat. She at least had winter boots on her feet, but she wasn’t wearing a hat, gloves, or even a damn scarf.
She started to back away. “I’m sorry, but I need to go, Mr. Steele. It’s a bit chilly tonight, and I’m not dressed for the weather.”
“A bit chilly? It’s fucking freezing out here. Come with me.” I took her hand, tugging her back toward the driveway. There was no sound but the crunch of the snow beneath our feet and Charlotte's occasional sniffle. Once we were back in the house, I got my first real look at her, and guilt rocketed through me. Her face was pale and streaked with tears, and her lips were blue. Despite the warmth of the house, she still shook wildly, and her teeth chattered.
“Thank you,” she said. “As soon as I warm up, I’ll leave.”
I bent to unlace her boots, and she took a step back. “Oh, um, my feet are kind of cold. I’ll just leave these and my jacket on while I warm up.”
I ignored her and unlaced her boots before pulling them off. I felt her foot through her nylons, muttering a curse at how cold her toes were. “You might have frostbite.”
“I don’t,” she said.
I stood and took her purse, setting it on the side table before unbuttoning her jacket.
“Mr. Steele,” she tried to bat my hands away, “I’m very cold and I -”
“You have hypothermia,” I said.
She smiled faintly. “I don’t have hypothermia.”
I tossed her coat on the side table and took her hand, pulling her across the foyer and down the hallway. I walked her past the formal living room and into the smaller family room. I made Charlotte sit on the couch and tucked the blanket draped on the back of the sofa around her body before turning on the fireplace. I sat beside her and pulled her in tight against me, rubbing her arms briskly through the blanket.
She was tense and still shaking, and I kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, Charlotte. I was a dick.”
“You weren’t,” she said. “I knew the rules. I should have texted the sisters and asked them to notify you that I needed to cancel instead of trying to get here on time by walking.”
I made her rest her head on my chest. “You shouldn’t have walked here in the dark. That was incredibly dangerous.”
“It wasn’t that far,” she said. “It’s why I thought I could make it on time, but the steep hills and snow slowed me down more than I expected.”
Her body had finally stilled, but I hated that she was still tense. Keeping my voice low, I slid my hand under her silky hair and lightly kneaded the back of her neck. “Be my good girl and relax for me, Charlotte.”
She immediately burrowed against me, tucking her legs up under her and wrapping an arm around my waist. We sat silently for nearly a minute before she said, “I’m so sorry I was late.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you explain.”
