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When I step to the rung needed to reach the fishing line I’d strung over the mannequins, the glad game seems to have worked its magic on my exhaustion.
I should teach it to Mary. She may need it as there still isn’t any word from Kayla. I know she isn’t a kidnapped child, but I keep thinking about what I heard on the news once, that the first forty-eight hours after a disappearance are critical. That if they don’t find or hear from anyone about the kidnapped child in that time, the chances of finding them go down significantly.
My legs start to wobble, and I realize I should’ve discarded my heels at the base of the ladder. I also should stop thinking about things that counteract the glad game.
Not wanting to climb back down, I tell myself how glad I am that I’m here, working a job I love, making a mock-up display that I designed. An unhelpful voice reminds me that Pollyanna fell out of a tree at the end of the movie and became paralyzed. I’m about to climb back down when a voice startles me.
‘Don’t move.’ Thomas’s distinct timbre rings out across the cavern-like inventory floor.
Whereas a second before I’d felt confident enough to climb down safely, Thomas telling me not to move suddenly makes it seem that much harder to keep my legs from shaking.
‘What?’ Too nervous to even turn my head, I address the wall in front of me. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘What’s wrong?’ The soles of his shoes slap across the cement floor, getting louder with each step until I can see the shape of him in my peripheral vision.
‘What’s wrong is that you’re on top of a ladder in heels with no one around to help you.’
‘Oh.’ The tension in my muscles ease now that I know I’m not in imminent danger. Annoyed at his interruption, even more so because he was right and I shouldn’t have been on top of the ladder, I snap. ‘You’re here now, so can you hold the ladder?’
Without waiting, I stretch my arms overhead. From the way the ladder suddenly gets steady, I know Thomas did what I asked. Lifting on the balls of my feet, I snag the line with the hook and lower my arms. Carefully bending down to grab the top of the ladder for balance, I start my slow climb down, though I almost fall when Thomas hands wrap around my waist in an attempt to help me down.
Taking a deep breath – his touch unnerved me more than climbing the ladder – I pivot to face him. ‘I’m fine.’
He’s frowning at the jauntily swinging butterfly above us. ‘You are not fine.’ He thrusts one of the coffee cups he was holding toward me. ‘What you are is a worker’s comp incident waiting to happen.’
Though extremely doubtful over what Emily said about Thomas not handling his feelings well, I pretend it’s true and that he’s worried rather than annoyed. ‘What’s this?’ I raise the cup in my hand.
His nostrils flare, but he says no more about the ladder. ‘Coffee.’
I decide he’s rather cute when I pretend he cares. ‘For me?’ The look he gives me has me rolling my lips in to keep from smiling. ‘Thank you.’
He grunts in reply before taking a sip from his own cup.
I quickly take a long sip, closing my eyes as soon as the liquid touches my tongue. Honestly, I’m more surprised at the coffee than I was about the shoes. The shoes were Thomas’s wordless apology. I’m not sure what the coffee means.
When I open my eyes, Thomas is staring at me. ‘Where is Deborah?’
‘The IT department.’
‘Hmmm.’ He stares for another beat before taking a sip of his own coffee, looking over the lid at the mock-up display.
‘I thought you didn’t drink coffee.’ I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he drinks.
Ignoring my statement, he gestures to the various-sized paper butterflies. ‘Are you planning on hanging those?’
‘Um…’ Pulling my gaze away from his throat, I look back at the one floating butterfly. ‘Yes.’
The eyebrow over his good eye twitches.
I glance at my feet. ‘But I’ll take off my shoes next time I get on the ladder.’
The eyebrow reaches his hairline.
Not sure what will lower that annoying brow of his, I try, ‘And wait for Deborah to get back?’
His eyebrow does flatten, but then so does his mouth. ‘Deborah will be in IT for the remainder of the workday.’
‘Oh.’ I rock back on my heels and take another sip of coffee wondering how much longer he’s going to stay. I’d planned on getting this done today and it’s obvious Thomas isn’t going to let me while he’s around.
