Shelter Ch. 11-12

The shelter was open until noon on Christmas Eve to accommodate Santas who wanted to give puppies or kittens to good girls and boys. Samantha had planned to give Archie a little while to decompress after work, so she told him she'd be there around 3:00. There was a giant mall just west of Denver, and traffic around there would be hideous on Christmas Eve. And, she had one last minute errand to run, which might take about an hour.

Given all that, Google Maps said, at the absolute worst, she'd need to leave home around 1:15.

So when Samantha found herself sitting in the cab of her dad's old 4X4 at 9:45 am, she wasn't really able to explain why. She certainly wouldn't have admitted to the truth, that she was so eager to see Archie, she couldn't stop herself. "Maybe," she rationalized, "if I leave now, I can get there in time to save him a bike ride home in this cold. And that would be ... well, not irony. Foreshadowing. Whatever -- some literary thing my freshman lit instructor tried to teach me. Yeah. It'd be nice to keep him out of the cold. That's a good girlfriend move..."

Not two minutes out of her driveway, she nearly had to pull over when realization hit her. "Did I just say 'girlfriend'? Oh wow..."

*****

About two hours later, at the other end of Samantha's drive, Archie was checking the clock every 13.73 seconds. There were a thousand things he wanted to do before Samantha got into town. He needed wine and table snacks, flowers, candles, and he needed help picking out each of those. He wanted Samantha to feel comfortable, so he quite naturally drove himself crazy trying to make sure everything was perfect.

Ginger's voice startled him like he really was crazy. "Earth to Archie, come in Archie. If you wipe down that marble countertop for ten more minutes, you'll break Michelangelo's record. Do you have your place ready for her?"

"Uh... I think so."

"And are you ready for her?"

"Not remotely. I'm ... I haven't slept all week. I can't wrap my head around this jumble of emotions. Eagerness, anxiety, worry, fear, joy..."

"The word you're looking for is 'excited'."

"That obvious, huh?" He blushed.

"Archie, the next person who tries to go spelunking in your mind needs to leave a forwarding address. But for the most part, yeah -- it's pretty clear. You're excited to see her, and that's great. Just try to relax and be yourself. That's the person she's coming to see. Listen, it's 11:45. Why don't you..." Whatever Ginger was saying got cut off when the phone rang.

"Golden Animal Shelter, this is Ginger... Hi! ... Oh, okay... Sure, I can take care of that... No problem... Yeah, me too ... See ya."

"Who was that?"

"Tess at the market. Wanted to make sure I picked up my turkey for tomorrow's dinner before they close up for the day at noon. And that means I need to run over and get the groceries now. Just cool your jets here until noon. Don't worry about cleanup; I'll swing by here on my way to your house tonight and get everybody squared away for the night."

"Are you sure? Samantha won't be here for hours, so I don't mind."

Ginger turned at the back door before leaving. "Archie, seriously, you've been useless all day. Hang here for ten minutes, then go home. And I'll see you after a while." With that, she waved and left Archie to his ruminations.

Still looking at the back door, Archie started calming himself. "Okay, ten minutes. Nobody's coming by at this point, so I can get away quick. Swing by the store on the way home, and ..." Again his attention was broken, this time because a bell's ringing behind him meant someone had come in.

*****

All along her drive, Samantha repeated to herself, like a mantra. "I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna go right up to him, and I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna take advantage of the moment when it comes around. I'm gonna do it."

A little last-minute change of plans was necessary. The call to Ginger ensured that Archie would be at the shelter and they could have a few minutes alone. The Moment was fast-arriving.

*****

"Merry Christmas, and welcome to the shelter. What can I do ... Oh, hey, Samantha! What are you doing here this early?"

Samantha smiled broadly. "Hi! What can you do for me? You can come around and hug me. And why am I here early? I'm here to give my boyfriend a ride home."

Folding her in his arms, Archie pulled back to look at her, his eyes gleaming and smiling. "Boyfriend, huh? Is that who I am?"

"Well, let's see."

Samantha's hands reached up into Archie's hair, gently tilting his head down to hers.

*****

The thought resounding in Archie's mind: "ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod"

*****

The thought resounding in Samantha's mind: "Don't you dare let me down, Archie."

*****

Her kiss was tentative, pursed lips pressed against the corner of Archie's mouth, seeking an answer, reassurance. He wanted to give her that, but words would never be enough to express his feelings in that instant. So he responded in kind. His lips parted, welcoming in her heat. His passion newly-awakened, fear and self-doubt were left behind. In their place arose need, hunger.

He felt her tongue flicking against his, and chivalry completely gave way to desire. He brought his hands to her face, as though he was claiming her. The kiss became urgent, demanding. Seven years of pent-up ache within him boiled away. Kissing Samantha, this captivating, vibrant woman who'd just called him "boyfriend", stoked the flames even higher. But here in the shelter, this kiss was the only outlet for his desire. It would have to do. For now.

When they parted, both nearly panting from breathlessness, Samantha looked up into Archie's eyes and sighed. "Yes, definitely boyfriend."

Archie's eyes shone with an emotion he didn't dare give voice to. "Definitely your boyfriend."

"Can I just tell you how much I like the sound of that?"

"Come on. Let's go home, so I can show you how much I like the sound of it."

Chapter 12

"Hey, uh ... new car?"

Samantha chuckled at his confusion as they climbed into the 4X4. "No, this was my dad's. The Explorer's great, but I try to get this out once a month or so, just to make sure it's still running okay."

She turned the key, and the big engine purred to life. "I'm no car guy, girlfriend. But judging from the sound of the motor, it's running great!"

"Mmmmmmmm... Say that again."

Archie laughed impishly. "It's running great?"

Samantha playfully slapped his arm. "No, the other part, you big dope!"

"Oh. That part. Girlfriend..."

She looked over at him dreamily. "That's another reason I drove the pickup today. The bucket seats in the Explorer make it difficult to scootch over like this and make out with my new boyfriend."

As they kissed, a thought popped into Samantha's mind: "I wonder if we might trade 'boyfriend' in for 'husband' someday." And whatever parts of her consciousness that weren't lost in their second kiss of the day were positively shocked to hear that thought. Her eyes betrayed the surprise bubbling inside her, but Archie kissed her even more urgently, and then all thinking evaporated for a few minutes.

"So, where to, Archie?"

"Funny you should ask. I was planning to go buy a few things for tonight, since my girlfriend is coming over. Care to tag along?"

"Sure! What does she need?"

"Oh, I was getting wine, candles..."

"Aha! Setting the mood in your love nest, were you?" They shared a hearty laugh. "Seriously, Archie, that's sweet, but you don't have to do anything special for me. I'm just grateful to spend the day with you. And besides, Ginger's coming over later and making cider. And I'd rather have that than anything else."

"Really? Is Ginger a closet expert cider-maker?"

Samantha laughed. "My mom got her recipe from Aunt Ginger, and it became a big part of the holidays for us. But I haven't had it since she passed away. So, it's kinda like I get to feel a connection to my family tonight. I miss them. You would have liked my parents, and they would have adored you."

"You mean, after I got over the terror of meeting them?"

"Oh, they weren't the least bit scary."

"Easy for you to say; you weren't dating Daddy's little princess."

"Nah. They would have loved you because I lov..." Samantha's hand flew to clamp her mouth shut, her eyes wide as all outdoors.

"Because you say such kind things about me?" Archie asked, with a barely-hidden smirk.

"Yes! Yes, that's exactly what I was going to say. They would have loved you because I would have told them all the good stuff about you."

"Like what?"

"Huh?"

"What good stuff would you have told them?" Archie tried to look earnest, but the grin wouldn't stay hidden.

"Well, one thing would be that you're wonderful about making me feel un-stupid after I almost say something stunningly embarrassing."

Archie reached over and held her hand. "It's okay, sweetheart. I ... have told my parents some of the good stuff about you too."

"Just some of it?" Samantha's smile after her earlier faux pas was as genuine as it was relieved.

"I want to let them find the rest out for themselves someday. This isn't the 'meet the family' Christmas. That'll come, just not this year. My sister in San Diego has two kids, so they retired down there to be closer to the grandkids. Well, if you don't want the full wine 'n candles, decorate to impress package, then we can just go home. Unless you want to grab something for lunch?"

"You have something we can throw together to eat? Sandwiches, something light? Given the option, I think I'd rather just spend the afternoon on the couch, cuddling and kissing."

"Twist my arm. Hey! I didn't mean that literally!"

Her eyes sparkled. "Just keeping you on your toes."

"You are so lucky you're driving."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, tickling you until you begged for mercy might be dangero..." Archie's voice trailed off. Samantha wondered why for an instant, then remembered. And remembered that he didn't know Ginger had told her about Valerie. "Gotta think quick, get this back on track," she thought.

"So, tell me," she asked in a sing-song voice, "what did my boyfriend get me for Christmas?"

Archie shook his head, almost desperate to come back to the here-and-now. "Where would be the fun in telling you? Are you one of those people who skips to the end? You read the last page of a mystery novel first? I'm not sure I can handle a girlfriend who engages in such atrocious behavior."

She pulled onto a side street, parked the truck, unbuckled, and gazed into his eyes.

"Can you handle a girlfriend who engages in this kind of behavior?" She launched herself at him, lips first. For several moments, they devoured each other. But soon, passion yielded, and something deeper, more meaningful settled in. They kissed gently, sweetly. Still exploring each other, learning what made him moan or her swoon, it wasn't the kiss of a torrid affair that would burn out quickly. This wasn't a kiss between lovers; it was a kiss shared by the beloved, an unstated promise that could never be forgotten.

"Come on, let's go home and find that couch. Besides, your Christmas present is there. Are you a Christmas Eve present-opener or a Christmas morning person?"

"Christmas morning! Duh. Who opens presents on Christmas Eve? Talk about atrocious behavior..."

"No doubt. But I want to break that rule this year. It's ... well, it's important to me that you open yours tonight. Besides, I want to see what you got me!"

"Oh, your present's here. And, it might be a little difficult to hide, so ... okay. This year only, and this year only, we open each other's presents Christmas Eve. Deal, boyfriend?"

"Deal, girlfriend."

"Oh, and Archie?" She slid across the seat and cuddled against his side, basking in the warmth she felt with his arm around her. "You can call me Sammi."