Talk about being a little late to the fucking party. This is exactly why I called the fire department myself.
Me: Were they able to give you an ETA? When I spoke to them, they didn’t have any idea.
Ty: My guess is that it’ll either be before the power comes back on or after.
Me: How is it possible that you’re tenured? How?
Ty: Tenured in English, bro. Not fucking elevator engineering.
Me: Thanks. Really. This has been helpful.
I tuck my phone back into my pocket and watch as Maria lifts her head from her own. Her thumbs are moving at warp speed, even while she’s not looking at the screen, and I can’t help but smile.
“Okay, is it just me, or are you not looking at what you’re typing right now?”
She shrugs. “When you text and call as many people as I do in the real estate business, you can pretty much do it in your sleep.”
“And you have little thumbs.”
Her face pinches and curls with humor at the same time. “Huh?”
I hold up my hands and flash them around a bit. “I’ve got these giant meat clubs. It’s hard to make them work in such a tiny area.”
She raises a teasing eyebrow, and I immediately groan. “On phones, Maria. They work just fine in other tiny areas.”
Her cheeks pink slightly, and a vise grip clutches my stomach as she murmurs three little words. “Oh, I remember.”
Holy shit.
While the impulse to take a walk down Memory Lane is strong, I know now isn’t the time for me to relive all of my favorite fantasies that revolve around Maria.
Definitely not a good time for that, bro.
I clear my throat once, and when that doesn’t work, I clear it again. “Well. What should we do with our time?”
She flashes a knowing grin and digs in her purse for only a moment before coming out with a deck of cards.
My responding smile is nearly overbearing.
Back in the day, Maria and I never went anywhere without a deck of cards. We made many a bet and played many a game with each other with just a deck of cards when we dated in high school.
“How about an old-fashioned game of War?” she questions with a wink. “If you’ll recall, it’s excellent for passing time, and I always find a way to beat your ass.”
“I cannot believe you still have a deck with you.”
“Believe it or not, Remington Winslow, time, though powerful, doesn’t always change everything.”
She’s right about that. Because time—as I’m finding out—well, it’s maintained all the best parts of Maria Baros.
An hour and a half later, I pull Maria to my body and listen as firefighters pry at the doors from the other side. It takes them a minute or so to get the pressure to release, but when the doors finally open, I exhale the huge breath I didn’t even know I was holding.
Thank fuck.
Because of where the elevator rocked to a stop, there’s a small step up to climb out. Immediately, I usher Maria forward first, gently spotting her from behind, my hands gripping her hips, as she climbs out with the help of the two firefighters in front of us.
And I only look at her perfectly rounded ass once the whole time, which I’m counting as a victory for now.
Once she’s cleared the doors, I follow her lead and make a jump up the couple of feet to the floor outside and smile. Finally. We’re free.
I’m not exactly claustrophobic, but I’m not exactly not that either. Let’s just say I do better in open spaces. Thankfully, the pregnant woman—an obvious choice to worry about more than myself—served as an excellent distraction.
Once we’re both standing outside the elevator cart, still surrounded by firefighters, Ty spots us immediately.
“Holy shit, Maria?” he questions, looking at the blast from the past with wide eyes.
Grabbing Rachel’s hand, he drags her over the distance between us, practically shoving the firefighters out of the way. They’re pretty big and burly, though, and they don’t budge as easily as my cocky brother expected. Everyone but Ty smiles as he settles for politely working around them.
“You guys okay?” one of the firefighters asks, grinning from his unmoved spot. I clap him on the back gratefully. I know it’s his job to rescue people, but with the size of this blackout, I’m sure he’s been slaving away all day.
“Yeah, man. Thanks for saving our asses.”
“Hi, Ty,” Maria greets, every ounce of what she’s been through the last couple hours disappearing and giving way to her familiar friendly demeanor.