“His story is tragic—and his to tell. But the man’s solid,” Vortex reassured me.
“Shall we go in? It’s freezing out here.”
“Sure.” Vortex reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a key. We climbed the three steps to the cabin door, and Vortex opened it.
It was dark, but Vortex felt around and found a light switch. “Gravey has a generator out back. He says it’s full, so we’re not to worry. Let me get the bags, and I’ll start a fire,” he said.
“Okay.”
When Vortex headed outside, I shivered as a chilly wind blew in. He’d not shut the door, but it didn’t matter because the cabin was cold anyway. I was in a large room divided into a kitchen and a living area. Above our heads was a mezzanine with a bed and a closet. A set of stairs to the side led up.
Dominating the space was a huge stone fireplace, with a fire laid and ready to light. A door stood between the two areas, and I walked over and discovered a hallway. There was a toilet, a separate bathroom, a small bedroom and a larger one. The outside was decidedly deceptive. The cabin was bigger than it looked. Vortex came in, dropped off two bags, and kicked the door shut.
“Fuck, the temperature is dropping fast. Let me start that fire. Babe, you look blue. Get on the sofa and wrap up in a blanket,” he said, pointing.
I didn’t bother arguing. I was frozen. Vortex wasn’t wrong. He’d been wearing full leather, including a thick hat. Although I’d had the helmet, I’d still felt the cold, and while the jacket kept me warm, my jeans hadn’t. My feet were like icicles. I kicked my boots off and curled up on the sofa. It was surprisingly comfortable, and I yanked a woollen blanket around me.
Vortex had the fire started within a few minutes and turned to me. “Gravey has food here. Meadow brought him some to the church. I’ll heat something and get hot drinks going.”
“Thank you,” I said. Vortex sent me a warm smile, bent over, and kissed me gently.
“There’s no pressure this weekend. I know I packed for just in case, but this was about giving you a break,” he whispered against my lips.
“And if what I want is you?”
“Then you have all of me, brave girl,” Vortex promised.
I smiled, and Vortex nipped my bottom lip as my stomach growled in hunger. “You need feeding. I can’t have you passing out on me,” he said.
“That wouldn’t be fun.”
“Fuck no,” he replied and shrugged his jacket off and hung it up. The room was heating up, but the chill lingered as the fire caught.
Vortex rattled around in the kitchen. He placed a kettle on the stove, and it made me smile. Papa had one of them despite it driving Dad crazy. Dad preferred comforts, whereas Papa liked old stuff. So, they each had their own kettle. Vortex saw something on the small dining table and picked it up; it was a note.
“Damn. Seems like Gravey cooked for us. He said he’s labelled some containers in the refrigerator, and there’s a fresh loaf in the cupboard and some frozen ones too.” Vortex shoved his head into the fridge and let out a laugh.
“What?” I asked.
“The man must think we’re heading for a siege; he’s rammed it full.” Vortex pulled out a large container that could feed four. “Lamb stew and dumplings,” he read the label, yanked the lid off and sniffed. “Damn, looks like Gravey has hidden skills. The note also says there’s a heated greenhouse out back with fresh produce and to help ourselves, but not waste anything.”
Vortex scooped the stew into a casserole dish and put it in the oven to warm up. He opened the cupboard and found the loaf.
“Want a quick bite now?” he asked. I nodded, and Vortex cut a thick slice and slathered it with butter.
Sitting here, as my toes and legs warmed, it was almost romantic, with Vortex in the kitchen and the darkness outside. It was easy to forget what had been happening. I relaxed, let everything go, and prepared to enjoy this time with Vortex.
Chapter Thirteen.
Amy
Vortex wasn’t wrong. Gravey, the surly brother nobody knew well, had been hiding some major cooking talents. The stew and bread were amazing and could give Meadow a run for her money. There was no TV in the cabin or any games. I wondered what Gravey did for entertainment. There were a lot of books, so he probably read loads.
“Gravey stated that the two downstairs bedrooms are free. His is in the mezzanine, and he asked we respect his privacy,” Vortex said. He handed me a hot chocolate and sat on the floor by my legs.
“Oh, I wouldn’t pry anyway,” I exclaimed. That seemed offensive to even consider that.
“Brave girl, know it’s not your style, but I’m just passing the message on.”
