Christmas Pet

I waved my phone. “Is there service?”

“Nope.”

“Fuck. We’re leaving first thing in the morning.”

She snickered. “Good luck with that. Hate to tell you, but we’re here for the weekend at least. More snow is coming our way tomorrow. We’ll be lucky to leave by Monday.”

I raked my fingers through my hair. “What are we supposed to eat? Snow?”

She moved toward the galley kitchen and opened up what I guessed was the pantry. “We have lots of canned goods. We have the ingredients for a basic chili and a lasagna. When my mom and I came up at the end of summer, we filled the freezer in case we decided to come up this winter.”

“Coffee? Milk?”

“Instant and powdered.”

I made a face.

“Let me grab my boots, sire. I’ll trek to the closest Starbucks. Anything else you’d like? The newspaper? A massage?”

I grinned. “Now that you mention it.”

“There will be no happy endings here.”

That’s what she thought. If I didn’t have my phone to keep me occupied, I would have to find something else for both of us to do. Something that would keep us warm.

“If you’re bored, there’s a selection of late eighties and nineties rom coms beneath the TV. Pick one. Some action movies too.”

I thumbed through the DVD collection. “Legend, Cocktail, Top Gun, Days of Thunder, The Color of Money, and my sister’s all-time favorite Jerry McGuire. Who has the Tom Cruise addiction?”

“My mom. He’s her idol. Growing up, she made me watch all his movies.”

“That’s child abuse.”

“I made her take me to an NSync concert. Payback is a bitch.”

“Evil.” I laughed and selected Top Gun.

“I feel the need…”

“Don’t even go there. I can out-quote you. Guaranteed.”

I held up my hands in surrender. “I don’t doubt it. How about we find something to eat and drink while we watch Maverick serenade Charlie?”

Pearl opened up the cupboards again. “There’s a bottle of whiskey hidden in the wardrobe, but we should keep that for emergencies. For now, we have boxed mac and cheese.”

There wasn’t anything I could do about not having any cell service or about being stuck in a trailer on a lake, but I might as well make the most of it.

“Sounds like a feast.” I cleared my throat. “And for what it’s worth. I’m sorry for how I spoke to you in the car. That wasn’t fair.”

Warning flashed in her eyes. “Like I said, payback is a bitch.”After a dinner fit for a ten-year-old, we sat on the sofa covered in blankets and watched Tom Cruise play volleyball. When the love scene came on, Pearl cleared her throat and squirmed.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like Kelly licking Tom’s throat?”

“This is the kind of movie you watch with your girlfriends or your boyfriend. It’s not the kind of movie you watch with your boss.”

I picked up the remote, switched the movie off, and regarded her. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend? The real reason.”

“I don’t have the time — you heard me tell Isabella that. I want to have a successful career first. I want a family eventually with the whole white picket fence, kids, and chocolate LaDanielor, but I don’t want to be like my mom.”

“Why? You seemed close.”

“I love her with all my heart, but she lived her life for me and only me. She played the role of mom and dad. When I left for college, she had nothing left for herself. It took her a while to find something to fill her time. When she’s not working as a teacher’s assistant, she volunteers at the animal shelter.

“I count my lucky stars I had her. She helped put me through school and was there for every second of my life. I don’t have a memory that doesn’t involve her. When my dad left, she had nothing but a broken heart. We had lots of lean years. Thank God, my grandma let us move in with her and then left my mom her house.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you don’t have a boyfriend.”

Pearl gave a slight shrug. “Before I meet anyone, I want to make sure I have the skills to survive on my own if I have to.”

I pffted. “And you think you’re nothing like me.”

She tipped her head back, her nostrils flaring cutely. “I’m nothing like you.”

“Yes, you are.” I ran my fingertip along the back of her hand, and she shivered. “Cold?”

Her eyes narrowed, and her lips parted. “Don’t play games, Mr. Matthews. Forget what you heard me say to Bella. I don’t have a crush on you, and I don’t want you to take me over the conference table.”

“Enough with Mr. Matthews. It’s James. And I’m not playing games. Since we’re here and since we have nothing else to do, why don’t we keep each other warm? Perhaps for one night, you won’t need your vibrator.”