Page 20 of It's a Brewtiful Day
Had he felt it too?
“Really? Wow. Thanks.”
“That show was the best. Such great memories of it.”
“Oh yeah?”
“My sister and I used to watch it with our mom on Sunday nights. It wasourshow. We’d make popcorn and watch as Snow White and PrinceCharming always found each other.” I tipped my head back and looked toward the heavens, or in this case the roof of the Coffee Loft. Maybe someday my Prince will show. I lowered my head, blinking away the weird thoughts of Elliot being a prince in disguise. “Maybe that’s where my enjoyment of romance started.”
He snorted, but softly and in a charming way. “And do you all still get together?”
I shook my head. “No. My mom passed away a few years back, not long after the failed reboot of season seven.”
“Sorry to hear that.” His normal smile flipped upside down.
“About my mom or the failed reboot?” Yeah, it was a weak attempt at humour, but after freaking out during the storm, and then discussing the heavy topic of maternal death, I needed something to laugh about and Elliot was amazingly easy to talk to and laugh with.
“Well, the reboot was terrible, but losing your mother is awful.” He grabbed my hand and gently stroked his thumb over my knuckles. “I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like.”
“It was worse than terrible.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. How did she die?”
My mouth opened and shut.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to answer. It’s personal.”
“Heartbreak,” I said without thinking. “She died of heartbreak. My dad cheated on her with a co-worker, and their marriage, and her self-esteem never recovered.”
When Mom, Cassie, and I found out who he’d cheated with, we couldn’t believe it. The mistress was a step above trash, and she wasn’t a nice person. We couldn’t understand what he saw in her to ruin his marriage and make his whole family distrust his every action. When he said he was heading to the ski hill, was he really? After he and Mom split, Cassie and I tried to be impartial and not pick sides, but it was impossible. He’d hurt Mom so badly, and since we had to witness her self-destruction, we stopped seeing him; we couldn’t let go of her pain.
“Dang. That’s rough. I’m really sorry.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.” I stood there, shifting back and forth on my heels.
The air was comfortable, and for the first time, discussing this pain in my life didn’t cause me to hyperventilate. The opposite happened. It was calming, andthatscared me slightly.
It wasn’t getting any lighter inside the Coffee Loft, and it was time we called for help. “Your cell ... Where is it, again?”
“It's in the back room.”
“Through the storage area, right?” He nodded with hesitation. “Great, so let's go.” Grabbing his hand was as easy as breathing. Besides, after he held me close while thestorm passed, I was beyond being shy and meek. Much.
He followed me to the edge of the coffee prep area but dug his heels in going further. “I can't.”
“Why not?” I glanced around.
“Because.” His voice was suddenly strained, and as if he’d ingested too much caffeine, there was a chop to his words. “Because there's a code to enter the room. With the power being off to the building, and the whole town really, the keypad may not work.” He was breathing in shallow breaths and he avoided eye contact. “Yeah, that's why.”
“Hmm...” I let go of his hand so I could cross my arms over my chest while assessing his body language. Long gone was his confidence. Apprehension, and maybe a touch of fear, took its place. “Wouldn’t it just be always unlocked?”
“Or it’s perpetually locked to protect against thievery?” He shrugged and rocked back and forth on his feet.
Nina and Harvey must’ve graduated from the same business school – both were obsessed with thefts, although it happened more often than Harvey knew.
“Well, if it's true, we have nothing to lose by trying, right?”
“I suppose.”