Time slowly ticked away. Seconds crawled into minutes. Minutes slithered into hours. Hours inched their way around the clock’s face.
“I swear this is the longest Friday of my life,” said Dave, just loud enough for his co-worker on the other side of the cubicle wall to hear.
“You’re telling me,” said Travis. “I finished my last project for the day an hour ago. I’ve been playing solitaire. What have you got going on this weekend? Anything good?”
“Melissa and I are going to her parent’s cottage. We leave tonight.”
“That’s about an hour away, right?”
“Nearly two.” Dave rubbed his right eye and picked up his dwindling cup of coffee. There was a single drop left in the bottom, liquid gold. He sipped and popped his lips. “We don’t leave until six. Melissa insisted we get some dinner in us before the drive. For the best. I’ll be bringing a cup of coffee too.”
“Why not leave tomorrow morning? It’s not like the cottage is going anywhere.”
“That was our first thought, but there’s just something special about waking up to the sound of the waves crashing into the rocks on shore. I could use two mornings of that instead of one.” He took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. “Coffee tastes better when you’re out on that deck, overlooking the sea.”
“Okay, Captain,” said Travis in a teasing voice. “It appears the sea is calling your name. You’d better answer it.”
“Ha,” Dave smirked, “I suppose it is.”
As soon as the digital clock in the corner of Dave’s computer screen turned to 4:00 pm, he got up from his desk and pulled his blazer over his shoulders. He turned the corner to stop by Travis’ desk.
“I hope you enjoy yourself,” said Travis. “Be careful driving out that way. Plenty of deer roaming around.”
“Good call. I’ll send you a picture of my coffee in the morning.”
“I’ll send you one of mine, but instead of the sea in the background, I’ll have the pregame on.”
*****
Once home, Dave changed out of his work clothes and reviewed the contents of his suitcase one last time.
Two pairs of socks
Two shirts
Two pairs of pants
An extra belt
Sunglasses
A sci-fi paperback
“That seems like everything. Oh, phone charger. Can’t forget that.”
As he zipped up his suitcase, he heard the gurgling of the garage door opening.
He slid into the kitchen in his socks and put a pot on the stove. He removed the box of quick rice from the pantry and poured some in, then placed the lid on top.
“Is dinner started?” asked Melissa. The door shut behind her, and she peaked out into the kitchen from the mudroom.
“It’s on the stove. Shouldn’t be long now. I figured we’d do rice and veggies. The veggies part slipped my mind, though.”
“I need to change and pack. Can you cut the veggies?”
“You haven’t packed yet?”
“It’ll only take a minute.”
Melissa disappeared into the hallway. Dave heard her footsteps ascending the stairs as he rummaged through the crisper drawers in the refrigerator.
When Melissa returned to the kitchen, only five minutes later, she placed her and Dave’s suitcases along the wall near the mudroom.
“That was quick,” said Dave. “Are you sure you have everything?”
“Of course. What’s on the menu for tonight?”
“We have the rice, and I have some veggies on the skillet. Celery, broccoli, and carrots. It’ll fill us up and then we can have the cheese and meats I prepared last night with the bottle of red we have in the living room.”
“I’ll pack the red. Is the cooler still in the garage?”
“I believe so.”
“I’ll use that for the cheese and meats. Dinner almost ready?”
“The rice is, but the veggies have another five minutes, at least.”
Forks clinked against ceramic. The scrape of the prongs against the white plate always irked Dave’s ear. It was only in the rush of eating that his fork jabbed down into the contents of his plate so eagerly. He had to eat. They had to be on the road soon. The bright yellow daylight was already turning pink.
“Seatbelt,” said Melissa. She clicked hers into place and turned to Dave.
“Seatbelt. Do we have everything?”
“I believe so.”
“We won’t be back until Sunday night. Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Dave stopped for gas after the first hour, just to top off his tank so he wouldn’t have to worry on the way home. As he stood with his hand on the gas handle, Melissa ventured into the convenience store for snacks.
She emerged as he was waiting for his receipt to print.
“I just remembered something,” said Melissa.
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“I forgot my phone charger.”
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Abigail Bloom's life is thrown into a sweeping romance when a new deputy rolls into the small town of Brooks Landing, but when her ex-husband enters back into her life, she's unsure if she can hold onto her new chance at true love. A break-in in the small town causes Abigail's ex to suspect the new deputy - Can she trust her new love interest or is he using her as an alibi?
How about some serial fiction? “One Town Over” on Kindle Vella offers up another small town romance, this time set in Peek Creak (which may sound familiar if you’ve read “The Centennial Courtship”). Follow along as a new romance blooms! You can read on your phone/tablet/computer. (contemporary romance, office romance, romantic comedy)
(First 3 episodes FREE) John Prince's life in Peak Creek seems perfect. He's been seeing Cassandra Queen for six months and hopes to move in together. However, Cassandra resists the change, putting John's romantic future into question. When an opportunity to advance at work opens up, John feels his luck turning around. Katie Young, a recent transfer at the firm, has other plans. Their rivalry collides when they have to co-present during a company retreat.
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The Mystery of Love: A Romance Story Collection
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