I pressed my cheek to his shoulder. “Yeah, but moments like this aren’t so bad.”
“No.” He hugged my legs. “These aren’t so bad.”
I closed my eyes and absorbed his warmth, wishing I could hold onto this moment forever.
Harvey turned his head. “Hey, Shelby, er, Sugarplum? Do you want to–” He slipped so fast I barely had time to tighten my grip on his shoulders. He twisted to take the brunt of the fall himself, one arm out, though my knee smashed into the pavement.
I let out a little cry.
Cursing, he rolled over. “I’m so sorry, are you okay?”
“I could ask you the same question.” I checked out his red, skinned palm, then gently pressed some snow into it.
His breath caught.
“Is this okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.” After a second, he chuckled. “I’m still not going to throw a snowball at you.”
“You don’t want revenge?” I grinned.
“No, I think we’re good at this point.” He wiped his brow, which was shiny with sweat. Carrying me down the aisle after a full day of work must’ve been quite the effort.
“We need a less strenuous activity after a full day of working.” I pushed to my feet and took his hand. “Come on, I'll help so you don’t fall.”
“It’s a little too late for that,” he mumbled sheepishly, threading his fingers through mine.
I pulled him up, both of us nearly slipping in the process. He cursed, then joined in my laughter. We were going to be fine. Strangely, his nervous shuffle and sidelong glances gave me more confidence. He was an awfully cute grinch.
Once we got to my snow-covered car, I started the engine, which wheezed repeatedly before catching.
“Is your car okay?” Harvey asked, marching to the exhaust pipe.
“It just needs to warm up. Like us.” I almost smacked myself for the double entendre. “Let me get my brush.” I leaned over the back console. A burst of light through the back made me squeal in surprise, and I slammed back so hard I almost hit the horn.
Outside, Harvey waved through the back windshield. He was using his arm to clear the snow for me!
Laughing, I scrambled out with the brush. “Wow, impressive reach.”
He popped his jacket collar. “Thanks, so few people notice.”
I dusted the powder from his arm. Parking lot flood lights sparkled off the snow and reflected in his eyes. I hadn’t had this much fun in forever. We flirted and brushed off the car until all the windows were clear.
I double-clicked the unlock button on my key fob. “You carried me across the parking lot, so I’ll drive to your car.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled to the passenger’s side. “You don’t have to do anything.”
“I want to." I wanted to do a lot of things. "Where are you parked?” I asked before my mind could run away with a fantasy.
“About two rows over.” A few seconds after we started the drive, he glanced at my back seat and laughed. “What’s this?”
Oh. Oh no.The blanket must have fallen off my personal comfort stash when I went to get my brush.
My hands shook as I turned the vents towards him. “Just some stuff. The penguin is Mr. Waddles.”
“Is that a famous character?” Harvey leaned further back, sending my heartrate soaring. “You’ve got coloring books and a sippy cup. Do you babysit or something?”
“Sometimes.”Not really.I rocked in my seat and flexed my hands around the steering wheel. “They also help me.”
