2. Ruined Plans
two
After realizing that I was snowed in—not only in this town, but in this old-house-turned-office-building—I had to make some calls to cancel my next meeting. After some back-and-forth, my assistant, Stacey, managed to turn it into a conference call with the client and another lawyer from the firm.
“Oh, man,” Ethan said with a chuckle. “Where are you?”
“Cold Spring.” I sighed. “Apparently, this storm started earlier than expected.”
He continued to laugh while Sam from the firm asked, “How long do you think?”
“I don’t know. I’m stuck here with a writer from the Creators’ Rights. She’s not fazed, so I’m guessing someone will come get us out soon.”
“In Cold Spring?” Ethan exclaimed. “I doubt it.”
“Are you done raining on my parade? I haven’t had any coffee in five hours. Can we get to our agenda now?”
Ethan scoffed. “Jeez, someone’s cranky.”
“Well, it’s not exactly how I pictured spending my afternoon.”
“Okay,” Sam raised his voice a tad, aiming to put the conversation back on track. “So, Kure Pharma sent us these documents this morning…”
Having more work to tend to was a good distraction from the situation I was yet to process. The call lasted about an hour, during which we updated Ethan on his case, and after which I asked Sam to stick around.
“I know you can’t wait to start your break, and I won’t keep you for long. Just a couple of things. Please email Sandra Collins the updates as agreed and don’t forget to copy Nick. Also, make sure that Stacey updates our post-Christmas calendars; I’ll remind her, too. It’s gonna be tight for Jack Phil’s case, so we’re gonna need to get right on it when you’re back.”
“Got it.”
After I was done with Sam, I called Stacey to remind her of a few things. My head was about to explode, and I knew that if I didn’t get out of this room right now and get some coffee, it was only going to get worse. I sent my last email and shut the laptop, getting up and opening the door.
My eyes scanned the space outside and for the first time, I noticed what a good job Nichols had done, turning his mother’s old house into a work space. When my gaze finally met Sophie’s, she smiled. “How about that drink now?”
Returning her courteous expression, I slowly walked out and nodded. “Just point me to it.”
She stood up, and I noticed that she had her coat around her shoulders. “I’ll make it for you. What would you like?”
I smirked, shaking my head as I watched her walk past me. “How much did you hear?”
“You mean the yelling?” She giggled. “It’s okay. People from the city aren’t used to getting stuck, I guess.”
I followed her into a small kitchenette at the end of the floor. “Speaking of which, how long do you think before someone comes to our aid?”
“Coffee?” She held up a jar of instant brew. God, we were going to slum it in here, weren’t we? I must have failed to conceal my disappointment, because she was quick to point out. “We have a machine, too.” She pointed at an ancient coffee maker.
“I’ll drink whatever you’re drinking.”
She shrugged, her eyes carrying something that resembled an apology. “Honestly, I’m not that picky with coffee. Anything to keep me awake.”
“That’s all I can ask for right now.” For a moment, I watched her wash the cups and a spoon and take out a carton of milk from the fridge. Finally, I exhaled and leaned against the doorway, putting my hands in my pockets. “So… how about the help coming over?”
Laughing, she shook her head. “Well,” she drew it out, “I did try to reach Marcus—”
“Marcus?”
“Marcus Hill. He’s usually the one responsible for the snow removal,” she explained. “But given that, this is Christmas weekend… and with the storm and all.” She looked me in the eyes, pressing her lips together. “There’s a good chance nobody will come until Monday.”
She had to be joking. In a bit of denial, I dipped my chin as my eyes implored her to say it wasn’t so. “Monday?”
Pouring the hot water in, she started stirring. “Sugar? Cream?... Milk?”
“Does this not bother you at all?” I tried to conceal my anger.
She shrugged, adding sugar to her cup. “It’s not the first time. Besides, I’ve already made peace with the idea that my Christmas is ruined.”
I raised my voice an octave, “How can you be so calm about this?”
“It’s not the end of the world, is it?” she said matter-of-factly. “There are worse ways to spend Christmas. At least we’re not stuck in a car somewhere off the road.”
Her logic stunned me. “Is this how you weigh everything in life?”
She sighed, picking up her cup and taking a step toward me. Her big brown eyes challenged mine. “Everything you need is on the counter. Will you excuse me?”
I was blocking the door, so I stepped aside, grinding my teeth as I watched her calmly walk out. “I’d like that guy Marcus’ number, please.”
“Sure,” she replied without looking back.
I saw her bend over at her desk, grabbing a notepad, and jotting something down. My phone started to ring; it was a friend from the club who was invited to my Christmas party. Shaking my head, I answered. “Taya, hey.”
“Nate, what’s this I’m hearing about you being stuck out of town?” she coyly asked. “Does this mean no Christmas party?”
“Oh, the party’s happening… just means that I can’t be in it,” I mocked.
“But it’s yours!”
“What can I tell you?” I slowly walked back into the kitchenette, eyeing the store-brand ingredients laid on in front of me. “Believe me, I’m more upset about it than you are.”
“I was looking forward to getting into that Jacuzzi with you,” she whispered.
“Don’t torture me, alright? We’ll make it up on New Year’s.”
“I’ll be in Zurich for New Year’s.”
“Seriously?”
Her giggle jingled in my ear. “Yes. My mom wants me to help with her party.”
“I guess I’ll see you after that, then.”
“Exactly how does a man like you get snowed in? Isn’t there some kind of service you can call?”
“Not in this town, apparently. Look, I’m working on it, but it’s not looking good.”
“I’m disappointed,” she used a childish voice.
“So am I; believe me.”
My phone faintly chimed, and I looked at the screen to realize that the battery was at five percent. “Listen, I gotta go. If I manage to come back tonight you’ll be the first to know, okay?”
“Okay.” She sighed. “Ciao!”
“Ciao, bella!”
I hung up and added some cream to my coffee, hoping that it would change the miserable taste it doubtlessly had. I couldn’t find any calorie-free sweetener, so I resorted to sugar, mentally negotiating with myself that I would spend some extra time on the treadmill when I got home.
Picking up the mug, I walked out and slowly sauntered over to Sophie’s desk. She looked up at me, and with two fingers, pushed a little note in my direction. “Marcus Hill.”
“Thank you.” I snatched it, feeling slightly juvenile as I did. Slowly drawing in a breath, I let it out at the same pace. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s just that this… kind of ruined a lot of plans for me tonight.”
She didn’t take her eyes off her screen. “Believe me, nobody else understands more.”
I nodded before taking a sip. Surprisingly, the coffee didn’t taste too bad—just weak. “So, where were you supposed to be?”
She pressed her lips together before smacking them. “Not here.” Pausing, she glanced at the phone in my hand. “I recommend charging that.”
I smirked. “You heard it all the way from there?”
From under her eyebrows, her eyes shot me a sarcastic glare. “We might have to deal with a blackout?”
“Oh, shit—Uh, sorry.” I quickly turned around, rushing to my laptop case back in the meeting room. I placed down my coffee and dipped both hands in, pulling out the charger. After plugging in the device and making sure it was charging, I put it on power-saving mode to speed up the process.
When I walked back out, Sophie had already returned to her bubble with her laptop, seemingly unaware that I was in the same space. Bored, I sat down in one of the chairs and silently drank my coffee, watching her work. She only noticed me when she took her eyes off the screen long enough to grab her beverage.
And then I remembered that I hadn’t tried to call Marcus Hill yet, so I quickly stood up and walked back into the meeting room.
Pulling the note out of my pocket, I punched in the digits and waited patiently. Sadly, the signal wasn’t helping. As I tried again, it rang only once before giving me a busy tone. My forehead wrinkled with concern as I tried a third time, where it kept on ringing until it stopped.
Frustrated, I walked back out and scoffed. “Your friend is ignoring those in need.”
Again, she didn’t move her eyes off the screen. “My bet is that he’s helping someone else who’s in direr need.”
“And how does he know that we’re not drowning in a creek somewhere?”
“Because then we’d be calling Hugh Max.”
I let out a sharp puff of air and shook my head, hanging it down as I leaned against a beam. “Have you tried texting him?”
“I have,” she impatiently said before looking at me, sighing. “Look, Mr. Wright… I don’t want to be here any more than you do. But I also know Marcus and his entire family, and I know that if they could pick up or respond, they would.”
“His family?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Him and his wife, dad and brother volunteer during storms to help out. Now, if they can’t do that, they must have a reason. His mother hasn’t been well and maybe, maybe, something’s up with her. I can’t be so inconsiderate as to bombard them with calls while I’m in here, perfectly fine.”
“This isn’t fine!” I objected.
She shrugged. “Well, I’m sorry. You’re gonna get out of here and eventually go back to the city, but I live here… I’ll see Marcus and the Hills every other day, and I don’t want to be that gal in their heads for the rest of my life.”
“Wow.” I chuckled in disbelief.
With a serious expression, she tilted her head, stared at me for a moment, and then looked away. In no time at all, her fingers were back to their speedy typing, as if I wasn’t there at all.
Disheartened, I went back into the meeting room and looked around for a moment. What sort of room didn’t have any windows? And then I realized; it hadn’t actually existed before. That room was built in the center of the open floor—it must have been Nichols’ idea.
Looking down at my phone, everything was running at full force. Three missed calls from Chad; fifty-something texts on the group chat with him, Abel, and Dean; and a bunch of random texts from everyone else, including my mother. So, I called her.
“Nathan, darling,” she answered in her perpetually serious tone.
“Mother.” I smiled, so she would hear it through the line. “Sounds like you’re at the spa.”
“Facials are crucial at my age. Are you at the office?”
“Uh—No. I’m out of town for work.”
“Oh.”
“How’s dad?”
“Taking tap dance lessons these days.” She laughed.
“Oh?”
“He thinks it’s better exercise than the gym.”
“For him? I’m sure it is.”
After getting that call over with, the next thing I tried to do was call Marcus again. And once again, the signal was too weak to grant me even the privilege of a few rings.