Valentine's Day Storm

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"Jesus, Laura. At least let me drive. I've driven in snow before have you?"

Reluctantly, she handed him the keys. They tossed their bags in the trunk and got in front while David started the engine and cranked on the heater. The traffic leading out of the airport was light, and he soon had them on the freeway headed toward Richfield. The mountains that had been in the distance approached rapidly, and they began to climb as the road narrowed and twisted.

"I'm telling you this is a bad idea. I've been up in these mountains in the winter, and even in a four-wheel drive it can be dangerous."

"I'll be damned if I'm going to let a little snow stop me from netting this client, David. We need a win in our group."

"We might not need a win so bad if you cut people a little slack," mumbled David.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means our problem is less about numbers and more about morale. I'm just saying, maybe if you pressured people a little less and let go of the reins a bit you might get better results."

"So this is all my fault! Your group was lax in so many ways before I came on board. Max Farmer was counting the days until retirement, and he let you guys walk all over him."

"Hey! Max was a good man! He held this group together for many years, and we were productive and successful."

"Maybe by his low standards..."

"Wait just a minute!"

"Watch out!"

David was never sure later precisely what kind of animal chose that moment to charge across the road. It was big and could have been a deer, or even a moose. Whatever it was he served hard to avoid a collision making the car fishtail across the slick surface of the road. He fought to steady them turning in the direction of the skid, but hit an unlucky patch of ice making control impossible.

"Hang on!" he yelled right when they left the road crashing down the embankment into a snow-covered tree. The impact threw both passengers forward in their seats.

Their racing hearts slowly returned to normal as they sat in the rapidly cooling interior of their vehicle staring out the cracked front window with wide eyes.

"Are you o.k.?" ask David in a shaky voice.

"Yes," said Laura, "I thought you knew how to drive in the snow?"

"I do when I'm not trying to dodge around crazed animals like this was a video game!" snapped David who was starting to lose his temper.

"Sorry..." said Laura quietly.

"Sorry? You're sorry! The great Laura Spencer finally says she's sorry about something! Fuck me! I'm glad I survived the crash just to hear you say that very thing. Now if I freeze to death, I can at least go to my grave knowing you were sorry about it."

David slapped the steering wheel getting out of the car. The hood was crumbled in, and a brief attempt at starting the engine failed. He stood next to the car pulling out his cell phone, but not surprisingly he had no service.

"Well, shit...We are in it deep that's for sure."

"What do we do?" asked Laura sounding a lot less sure of herself now.

"What do we do," echoed David, "the sensible thing would have been to never come up here in the first place!"

David walked back to the rear of the car opening the trunk and pulling out his suitcase before shouldering it and turning to look up the road.

"What are you doing? I thought during a wreck you should never leave your vehicle?"

"It's below freezing out here, and the sun is going down fast. We haven't seen anyone else for hours, and we have no way of knowing if anyone will show. They might send someone to look for us when we don't return the car in Richfield, but that won't be until tomorrow, so we need to find shelter for the night. I saw a turn off about a mile back. There are a lot of cabins up in these mountains that hunters and such use in the spring and summer. If we're lucky that side road might lead to one."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Look...Do you want to stay in the car? Be my guest I'm heading that way!" he said pointing angrily up the road.

The two of them walked in silence for some time. Laura at least proved to be up to the physical rigors of the trek. Her stout legs carried her through the snow, and she managed to keep pace with David's long strides even while touting her suitcase over one shoulder. They found the turnoff and started to trudge the slightly uphill path breathing heavier in the thinner mountain air as they went. David looked around hoping to spy some salvation.

"Can we rest for a minute," asked Laura panting.

"Fine," said David.

They sat on their suitcases while Laura held her hands tight to her body.

"You didn't bring gloves?"

"I didn't think I would be spending much time outside."

"Shit. Give me your hands."

Laura reluctantly pulled her hands away from her body. David took them in his rubbing them vigorously for a moment. He made her slip them inside his gloves to warm them up further.

"Thanks," she said.

David just nodded still looking around.

"It's getting dark," commented Laura.

"I know. If we don't find shelter soon, we will have to head back to the car and take our chances."

"I'm sorry I got us into this mess," she said quietly.

He realized by her tone that she was genuinely getting scared, and he sighed, "It's o.k. we're going to be alright. I'm a Boy Scout remember I've been in worst circumstances than this and survived."

"Seriously?"

"Nope," said David getting up and lifting his suitcase.

Laura shook her head and smiled falling in behind him. They walked maybe another mile through the deepening snow while the shadows grew longer all around them. Just when it seemed they would have to turn back, David spotted a large, square shape looming up at them in the semi-darkness.

"Hallelujah!" howled David sprinting forward.

The cabin was boarded up, and it took a bit of effort to pry enough of them loose for David to break out a window pane and enter. The room he dropped into was small but had a large fireplace that took up all of one wall with some furniture covered in plastic. It was just a couch and two chairs, but it might as well have been the Ritz Carlton as far as he was concerned. He went through another doorway and discovered a kitchen with another door off of that leading to a bedroom. By the time he returned, Laura had pulled herself inside and was sitting on the edge of the couch.

"It's freezing..." she said her teeth knocking together.

David walked to the fireplace. Thankfully, there was still wood left over in the box next to the hearth, and David quickly opened the flue and set about building a fire. The warmth spread rapidly in the small space taking the chill with it. While Laura tried to thaw her numb hands, David went to patch the broken window pane to keep out the cold. He managed to find a piece of cardboard in the kitchen and some duct tape that he used to seal the hole.

"Things are starting to look up," he said stripping off his heavy jacket as the temperature climbed in the room.

Laura didn't answer immediately but just sat looking into the fire.

"Are you o.k.? How are your hands?"

"Fine...their...fine..." she mumbled.

"Let me see them."

"David, I'm o.k."

"You can get frostbite at the drop of a hat up here let me look..."

"I said I'm FINE!" she shouted making him take a quick step back.

"What the Hell! Laura!"

"I'm sorry...It's just...Jesus, I could have gotten us both killed...I don't know what I was thinking."

"We haven't survived yet. Maybe you can still turn things around."

"Is everything a joke to you?"

"I laugh to hide my fears, or sometimes my sorrows," admitted David.

"What do you have to be sorrowful about? Everyone loves you, and you're not about to get fired."

"Fired?"

"Yes, upper management is not happy with the results I've produced. If I don't do something to turn things around, I'm out."

"Is that why you were so desperate to get to Richfield?"

She nodded quietly, "I needed a win, David. The group didn't. I did..."

David sank next to her on the narrow couch.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry, Laura."

"I would think you would be happy to be rid of me. The Wicked Bitch of the West," she said.

David bowed his head then looked back up, "You heard about that one, huh?"

"Pretty clever. I've been called worse."

"It was unkind we shouldn't...I shouldn't have called you that..."

"I deserved it. I was doing what I thought was the right thing to make the group better, but I should have listened to you folks. I don't know. I guess I was just afraid I was in over my head and too scared to admit it."

They sat in silence for awhile listening to the wind blowing outside the cabin.

"Is there anything to eat? I'm kind of hungry," admitted Laura.

David managed to find a can of chicken soup in the kitchen and a kettle to put over the fire. A short time later he ladled the steaming liquid into two mugs he located in a cabinet handing one to Laura. She blew on the hot liquid and took a sip.

"Not bad. If your career in I.T. fails maybe you have a shot at being a chef."

"Nah, My mom was the cook in the family. She could make anything taste good. Give that woman a hand full of dirt, and she could have made you a meal that would make your mouth water. This cabin reminds me of my Grandpa's he had one kind of like it when I was a kid. He brought me up with him a few times. We used to hike and go fishing. At the end of the day, he would heat soup on the fire."

David's face was lost in an old memory, and Laura smiled at the peaceful expression on his face.

"Sounds like you had some great memories with your Grandpa."

"With my Mom and Dad too. They weren't quite as outdoors oriented, but we spent plenty of time hiking, and my Dad had a telescope we used to bring up in the mountain to look at the stars. How about your parents?"

Laura was quiet for so long David wasn't sure she had heard him, but she finally answered, "I...didn't know my mother. She died giving birth to me. My dad was career military, so we never stayed in one place too long. He...We didn't spend a ton of time together. I think I reminded him too much of mom, you know? It made him...uncomfortable."

David cleared his throat trying to think what to say about a childhood so opposed to his. He couldn't imagine growing up in a world like the one that Laura was describing. The tension in the air made him nervous, and he looked around the room for something to distract from it.

"Hey! Do you play cards?" he asked.

He had spotted a deck of playing cards sitting on a shelf near the fireplace, and he walked over to scoop them up. He dropped down onto the rug in front of Laura.

"How about Gin Rummy? A penny a point but you will have to spot me I left my wallet in the car."

Laura slipped off the couch.

"Deal," she said with a feral grin that instantly made him wonder what he had gotten himself into this time.

An hour later he tossed down the cards in disgust having lost his tenth hand in a row.

"You now owe me just over seventy-five dollars and change," said Laura.

"You're a card shark! I should take you to Vegas we could clean up! How are you at Black Jack?"

"Las Vegas? Is that where you take your girlfriends," asked Laura as she shuffled the cards.

"I may have taken a lady or two there at one time or another. Why? Do the men in your life treat you to finer venues?"

Laura hesitated as she dealt the cards.

"I don't date...much...Well, hardly at all really."

"What? Not since coming to work at Rothstein and Son?"

Laura fanned her cards in one hand moving them around, "Not since ever...I was..not exactly sought after in school. I moved around a lot like I said so I didn't have time to get to know people very well. Then there was the fact that I'm built like Sasquatch. There aren't a lot of guys that want to go out with a girl that looks like she might eat them."

David chuckled, but he could see by the look on her face these were not pleasant memories.

"You don't look so bad. There are quite a few guys around the office that have said so..."

"Like who?"

"Well...Um..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. It's o.k. I'm used to it."

"I think you're attractive," he blurted.

She looked over the top of her cards raising one eyebrow, "If you're trying to get out of the money you owe me it won't work."

"No, nothing like that I was just being honest."

Laura put her cards down frowning, "Really? Name one thing about me you find attractive, and you can't say my big boobs their the only thing guys do notice."

"Your eyes," he said thoughtfully.

"My eyes?"

"Sure. That forest green color...very pretty...a guy could lose himself in those eyes."

Laura looked honestly shocked as she took the compliment when she hadn't been expecting anything but a joke lobbed back in her direction. There was a different kind of tension in the air now, and they both looked away nervously after a second or two.

"Thank you...Um...It's your play..." she said. David thought it looked like she was blushing a little as he reached for a card.

They finished another round with David still getting his ass kicked, and he finally threw in the towel in disgust.

"I want to save at least a little of my year-end bonus," he said.

"It's getting late anyway," admitted Laura.

"We should bed down by the fire. I can tend it during the night, so we don't get too cold."

David went into the bedroom and found some blankets in the closet, and with Laura's help they pulled the mattress off the bed and laid it on the rug in front of the hearth.

"You better not try any funny business," said Laura wagging a finger in David's face.

He laughed spreading the blankets out over the mattress. They were going to sleep in their clothes, but Laura's joke had made him look over at her as she stripped off her bulky sweater. In a million years, he had never imagined himself being attracted to Laura Spencer, but he had to admit she looked stunning in the flickering light of the fire. As she had pointed out already, she also had a seriously large pair of breasts that swelled the inside of the dark blue t-shirt she had on underneath.

"What?" blurted Laura catching him staring at her.

"Oh...Nothing...Um, this is ready when you want to lay down."

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Sure...I want to stoke the fire a bit first."

Laura crawled under the blanket while David poked at the embers adding another log.

"I'm sorry I ruined your Valentine's Day, David."

"You didn't ruin anything. I didn't have any plans."

"I find that hard to believe. All I hear in the ladies room at work. Oh! That David Martin is so hot! Oh! I want to have his babies! Ohhh! Ohhh!"

"Bullshit!" said David laughing.

"Dream on, David, like you didn't know that already. I've seen the looks you get."

"I think you're exaggerating just a little."

"Fine. Try to play it cool. I bet you've never gone without a date a weekend in your life."

"You might be surprised. I can be a homebody sometimes."

"Really? What do you do at home by yourself?"

"Watch the History Channel."

Laura laughed loudly. It was the first time David could recall every hearing her laugh like that, and it sounded surprisingly childlike filled with an innocence he would never have expected from Laura Spencer.

"You should laugh more often I like the sound of it."

Even in the faint light, David thought he caught a blush coloring Laura's cheeks.

"I laugh. It's not like I have no sense of humor at all. I was just raised to keep a lid on things. My Dad was a pretty serious guy he didn't exactly promote an atmosphere of frivolity in our house."

"What did you and your Dad do together?"

"He loved military history, not exactly surprising I guess. He used to read to me about great battles like Waterloo or El Alamein. Why other kids were getting tucked into bed with visions of Sesame Street characters dancing in their imaginations I was picturing saber chargers and tanks clanking forward for glory. Dad taught me to play chess when I was five, and by the time I was eight I could almost play him to a draw."

"So not a whole lot of Barbie dolls in your toy box, huh?"

"I had a few stuffed animals, but no dolls. My Mom's sister used to send me more girlie things. I wasn't a total tomboy, but pretty darn close."

"I bet your Dad was an intimidating fellow. That might also explain your lack of dating."

"I admit he could come off as scary, but honestly my lack of feminine wiles undermined my social life more than anything else. I didn't learn how to do my hair and makeup right until I was a junior in high school and met a girl named Felicia. She was my first close girlfriend. We went to the same college and roomed together as freshman."

"I'm surprised your Dad didn't push you to join the military."

"Oh, he tried, but I had already spent a good chunk of my life living like a soldier in a two-person army. I was ready to try something new. He didn't take that decision well and...we haven't spoken for a good many years now."

David cleared his throat feeling like once again he had stepped into an uncomfortable area, "I'm sorry, Laura. That must be hard."

She shrugged looking into the crackling fire, "It is what it is..."

A long silence followed before Laura spoke again, "I bet your parents are proud of you. The successful young businessman on his way up."

"Yeah, I suppose. I think they're just happy that I didn't end up a bank robber or something."

"Right! Because you seem like the dangerous type!" heckled Laura.

"You don't think I could pull off being the bad boy?" asked David in mock anger.

"I think you're a lot of things David, but dangerous isn't one of them. My eyes are getting heavy. I think I'm going to try to sleep now."

"Goodnight, Laura."

"Goodnight, David."

David wasn't sure what time it was, or even what had awoken him at first. The room was semi-dark lit only by the failing flames of the fire he had lit hours earlier. He slipped out from under the blanket reaching for the poker while tossing another log on the fire. The embers caught the new wood sending flames shooting up and down its length lighting the room to reveal the shape of Laura Spencer sitting quietly on the couch.

"Jesus!" cried David grabbing at his chest, "you scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry...I was thinking about stoking the fire. I hope you didn't wake up because you were cold."

"No...I'm not sure why I did. Why are you up?"

"I couldn't sleep. I always have trouble sleeping on Valentine's Day."

"Why? I got the impression the holiday didn't mean much to you."

"It was when he left."

"Who?"

"My husband."

David stopped in his tracks staring, "You were married?"

"Don't sound so shocked I said I didn't date much I didn't say I never did at all."

"What happened?"

Laura took a deep breath, "It's not such an uncommon story. We met in college. His name was Justin, and we were in an economics class together. We started chatting one day after class and got to be friends. I was surprised when he asked me out on a date. I didn't think he was that into me really at least not romantically, but I was kind of naive about stuff like that back then. We dated for a while, and it was nice. I deluded myself into thinking I had finally lucked into a relationship with someone who cared about me. I had been jealous of my girlfriends for so long who all had these great boyfriends while I stood on the sidelines. It felt good to get in the game."

David came over and sat next to Laura as she continued.

"The proposal caught me just as off guard as the invitation for that first date. I told him I would marry him almost before he got the question out. I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. It all seemed so perfect that after we got hitched and he asked me to drop out of school I never even thought about it I just did as he asked."