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She replaced her phone and paused as the lights flickered. She would be fine. There was nothing to worry about at all.
Heading upstairs, she took a quick shower. Changing into her pajamas, she settled into bed, turning on the television. She held a pillow tightly, trying to calm her nerves, but nothing was happening. The storm was getting stronger with every passing minute.
When the lights went out, and the electricity went off, she couldn’t just stick around in one place. Reaching out for her flashlight, she flicked it on. Her heart was racing as she made her way downstairs.
Every now and again, she released a little scream as another wave of thunder crashed.
Finally, when her doorbell rang, she rushed toward it.
There was Slade, completely soaked, but she threw her arms around him.
“Don’t like storms?” he asked.
“Nope. Not at all, and right now I’m totally freaking out.”
He carried her inside, closing and locking the door.
“I heard your screams, so I guess it makes sense for us to hang out for a little while. Or at least until the storm dies down.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course I would. You clearly don’t like them.”
She shook her head. “I never have. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”
He laughed then. “I wasn’t doing anything other than watching a movie, which totally cut out on me.”
“Me too. Upstairs.”
“Come on, let’s grab some of that iced tea you like to keep on hand, and play a game or something.”
****
Slade sat in his office, and couldn’t stop thinking about Cassie. He’d stayed with her the entire night. Every time there was a wave of thunder, he’d seen how nervous she was. In the end, he’d fallen asleep with Cassie in his arms.
When he woke the next morning, she’d still been there. He’d not freaked out. In fact, for another hour while she slept, he’d simply held her, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. Not for the first time he’d wondered if that was what got men going first. The feel of their woman in their arms.
“You survived the storm?” Daniel asked, standing in his doorway.
“Yep. The power was out, but not for long. Nothing went bad in my freezer.”
Cassie had also been concerned for hers. Knowing that when she was growing up, food was often scarce, he’d not said anything. Her freezer had been full, carefully labelled, and was a top quality one that had been able to retain the cold.
“I know some water pipes burst, and a few cables came down. The entire town lost power. Not for the first time, I’m going to recommend you and Cassie getting a generator for your houses. They can be expensive, but if you split the bill, it’ll keep your homes running.”
“We handled everything quite well.” He didn’t want to give her power when she was more than happy to accept him into her home.
“Is it starting?” Daniel asked.
“Is what starting?”
“You know, the fall.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The guy before you started out screwing around, having a shitload of fun, and that changed quite quickly when he realized the gem he had living next door.”
Slade rolled his eyes. “Nothing is going on. I’m just more of a love thy neighbor than hate her. I don’t want her throwing shit bombs over my fence.”
