Chapter 10 #3
“No,” she snapped, glaring at him again. “Now.”
“Okay.” Then he hopped forward, trying to keep his grin in check.
She snorted at him and shook her head. “You should knock off that grin, or I’ll knock it off for you.”
He burst out laughing, getting the beginnings of a reluctant grin from her. “I am so sorry you had one of those days.”
“I’ve never had one of those days,” she snapped, with another glare, “and what on earth would make anybody think I’m a sympathetic ear?”
He bit back something but still spoke. “You’ll take this entirely the wrong way, but I love you enough to tell you anyway.”
She gave him a narrowed gaze.
Simon began, “A lot of people think you’re a really good listener, and you’re really empathetic and great with people.” The shock on her face had him absolutely bending over with laughter.
She continued to glare at him, now pointing a finger at him. “You have got to be joking.”
Still laughing, he tugged her into the elevator she had just come up on.
As soon as Edgar saw them, he waved a hand. “That’s perfect. The Running Mate, is it?”
“Absolutely,” Simon said, with a smile. “Kate needs a break.”
Edgar suggested, “Kate needs a holiday.”
As she marched past the doorman, Kate muttered to Simon, “Edgar is not good at keeping it all locked up either.”
Edgar smiled and added, “But, short of a vacation, the Running Mate will have to do. For spur of the moment getaways, it’s just what you need.”
“Yeah,” she muttered, turning to him. “You got that right.” She glared back at Simon and whispered, “And you have a lot to explain.”
He was still chortling when they finally got to the Running Mate, the boat that Simon bought from one of his acquaintances, Baxter. Simon led the way down into its warm underbelly. She stopped inside happily, as she took off her coat and collapsed onto the big couch.
She looked around the place and sighed. The cabin was cozy and felt warm enough for her to shed her coat.
“I know it makes no sense. I mean, I know that. I know that outside is probably no different than in here.” She waved her hands around the space.
“And that, if we were to take the same moment and go right back to the apartment, it would be theoretically the same.”
His smile widened, as if understanding what was coming.
“But it doesn’t feel the same when I’m here.”
“That’s what escape is all about,” he noted.
“It’s having a space, not connected to work, not connected to home, not connected to drama, not connected to all that other stuff that just permeates our souls.
And, for all the days that we have problems, everybody should have a getaway place to just escape to. ”
She smiled because Simon really understood what she felt.
He handed her a glass of wine before pouring himself one.
Then he clinked glasses with hers as he sat beside her.
“And that is exactly how we’ll treat this.
Just a step out of time, a moment in time not filled with drama, not filled with death, murder, and lies, not filled with subterfuge, betrayal, or anything else.
” He looked at her sideways. “What do you say?”
She leaned forward, put her glass on the table, and kissed him gently. “I say yes.”
“Let’s just park it,” he muttered, kissing her back. “For the moment until we are a little bit more settled,” he whispered in her ear, “just let go of it all and find something nice to talk about.”
She looked over at him and frowned. “You got something nice you want to talk about?”
“Nope, I don’t.” Her eyebrows shot up, and then he asked her, “You got anything nice you can talk about?”
She stared at him and just mutely shook her head.
He suggested, “In that case, why don’t we just enjoy something called silence?”
Kate chuckled, picked up her glass of wine, and took a sip. “Why don’t we?”
*
Simon rolled over in the night, feeling the cool air.
Kate had somehow stolen all the covers—something she rarely did unless she was stressed. When he checked her, he found her arms and legs tucked up tightly, almost in a fetal position. He realized that, whatever had gone on in her world earlier today, had stressed her out more than he had expected.
It had been the right thing to get her out of the apartment and onto the Running Mate.
They’d even decided to spend the night here and then head off to work in the morning because it offered such soul-enlivening peace for them.
For the most part, every time they spent any time here, it was just … a slice of heaven, for both of them.
He got up, went to the bathroom, then snuggled back under the covers, trying to recapture some of the blankets so that he didn’t freeze, making a mental note that he needed to bring more blankets on the boat.
It wasn’t a big expense by any means. It was just one more thing that he must remember to do.
It seemed as if there were a lot of those lately.
Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was up for debate.
However, definitely some challenges had presented themselves in both of their worlds right now.
He couldn’t figure out just what was going on in terms of his banking mess and whether it was something big or whether it was literally just nonsense.
He wanted to believe it was nonsense, but he wasn’t a fool.
And he wouldn’t necessarily have the right answers all the time for everybody. If the bank manager was just worried about checks and balances, that was fine. However, if it was more than that, it was far from fine.
Simon really had no clue what started it—or who—but Simon mentioning pulling all his business from the bank where David worked had certainly caused David a bit of a heart attack. Of course Simon would only move the cash, as he was locked into the debts, unless he paid penalties on all of them.
David had texted back how that was not necessary. He shared how he’d had a long talk with his superiors about it, explaining that Simon’s system was potentially unorthodox but had never been an issue.
You’ve never defaulted on anything was exactly what David texted. And he shared about not understanding the sudden change from management. He then further elaborated in another text how an investigation into the bank’s checks and balances was underway, after another US bank had fallen.
David followed up with another text. Of course, we don’t have the same system, and everything we have is backed up by the government, but it’s all made them a little edgy. So they’re just doing an audit. It should be just fine.
Simon texted back Should?
David replied, Let the process do its thing. Don’t worry about it. I’m here. I’ve got your back. That’s all you need to know for now.
Simon wasn’t so sure, but he was willing to let it slide for the moment.
He didn’t know whether investors were getting into his quiet little corner or something else was brewing here.
He didn’t take kindly to something else brewing in his world as that was never a good thing.
When he didn’t hear anything more from David for the rest of the day, Simon had more or less forgotten about it.
His life had gone a little bit sideways at one of the renovation sites.
Now he and Kate had to get up soon. It was six already. They had to go back to his place and each get ready to start their day.
He rolled over and found Kate curled up beside him and had thoughts of anything but heading back. He decided that life out there could wait for at least ten minutes.
She opened her eyes, squinting them at the rising sun.
“If only we had the time,” he muttered, smiling at her sleepy face. “How fast can you get dressed?”
Her eyes opened with alarm. “Oh my God, are we that late?”
“Nope. It’s only six.”
She sank back and smiled. “That’s not late at all.”
“I know,” he muttered, as he nuzzled her cheek. “So, I highly suggest we take advantage of the fact that, for the first time in a long time, we’re awake together.”
She wrapped her arms around him, smiling as she pulled him close. “Only if we have time.” And they did, indeed, take complete advantage of the time they had.
Two hours later, as they walked out of his apartment, Kate called Rodney, saying that she was on her way into work but could be a few minutes late, then promptly ended the call.
Simon looked at her and asked, “Will you really be late?”
She shrugged. “I don’t really know, but I won’t push it,” she replied. “He’s having an okay time at the moment, but he’s not the same after … the beating he took. It wasn’t exactly the easiest on his ego.”
Simon shrugged. “My ego is just fine, by the way,” he added, with a chuckle. “But, hey, thanks for asking.” Startled, she turned to him. He added, “I’m just kidding. I’m fine.”
She narrowed her gaze, trying to see right through him.
God, if his grandmother were alive, she would be absolutely delighted with Kate because she was such a no-nonsense, no-frills, live-life-to-the-fullest woman, and she did it just right.
He leaned over, grabbed her chin, and gave her a kiss right there in front of everybody on the busy Vancouver sidewalks.
“Honest, I’m fine. Now get to work. Meanwhile, I’m heading off to check on all my projects, as usual. However, a couple months ago Joe had to fire a wannabe welder, who ruins everything he touches, and Joe has seen him back on our site again.”
“Problems?” she asked.
Simon groaned. “He didn’t take being fired very well, so apparently he came back early today to cause trouble.” She studied him for a minute, and he shook his head. “Obviously everything’ll be aboveboard and legal.”
She stared at him and asked, “But is he aboveboard and legal?”
“If not, I know who to call.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t bother.” But then she stopped and added, “Unless you kill him.” Then, with a laugh, she got into her car and took off, leaving him standing there.