Page 13 of The Present

7

“Idon’t usually like spy thrillers, but I have to admit, Chris Pratt did a great job holding my attention.” Tess laughed as she struggled to put on her coat. She and Hal had just left the theater, stopping in the lobby to suit up.

“Here, let me help you with that.” Hal took the garment, shook it out and held it open for her. “I may not be a spy with all those action moves, but I can help a lady on with her coat.”

“Thank you.” It was so nice to be treated like a lady. She smiled and glanced out the window. “And a good thing too. It’s snowing.”

“For a while now, it seems.” Hal had turned to gaze at the lobby window. He motioned to the almost two inches of snow that had accumulated since they had entered the theatre. The ground had been bare then. “I’m sure they’ve already started plowing the roads.” He glanced up. “Doesn’t look like it’s stopping any time soon.” Turning back to Tess, as she finished buttoning up, he shrugged. “You want to go get a drink?”

A great question, to which she wasn’t sure how to answer. Of course, she wanted to spend as much time with Hal as possible, so the answer she wanted to blurt out was “Yes!” But the snow but a kink in that plan. If they went to a bar and the snow got really bad, she didn’t want him to have to drive her all the way out to her apartment. She could take a train or an Uber if she could find one, but she doubted he’d let her do that. He’d insist on driving her himself and she’d be devastated with guilt if he got stranded on the way back.

“I’d really love to, but with the snow, you know, I guess I’d better get home.” This sucked the big one. He was leaving tomorrow for another week of meetings in Aspen, so it was her last chance to see him, for a while at least.

“I know a place really close. If it starts to get blizzardy, I’ll take you home immediately.” He turned big, brown pleading eyes on her, and she couldn’t resist.

“All right. But just one drink. I wouldn’t want you to be stranded.”

“I promise you I won’t be. I’ve lived in Chicago long enough to know how to read the snow.” He opened the lobby door, then offered his arm. “Just don’t slip. I can read the snow, but I’ll end up on my butt in the street if you go down.”

Laughing, Tess held onto his arm and carefully walked beside him. The parking garage was nearby and once they entered it their footing was less treacherous. Instead of letting go of his arm, however, Tess continued to hold onto him, enjoying the close contact for as long as she could. All too soon they came to the blue BMW and Hal helped her in.

They started cruising the snow-filled streets, turning this way and that until Tess’s head was spinning. The snowflakes hitting the windshield always reminded her of how the Millennium Falcon looked when it made the jump to lightspeed. Fun for a few minutes, but after more than that very disorienting. She hoped they would arrive soon. “You said this bar was close?”

“Yep.” He nodded to a building just ahead. “Turning in there.”

Tess relaxed back into the seat. Maybe the snow would peter out. She checked the weather app on her phone, but the snow must be interfering with her signal because the app wouldn’t load the page.

“There’s dead zone right around this area, unless you’re in a building,” Hal offered, turning into the parking deck.

“Well, that explains it then.” She clicked the phone off and shoved it into her pocket. “I was checking to see what the forecast was about the snow. Hoping it would taper off sooner rather than later.”

“We can check when we get inside.”

They zoomed up the spiral ramp so fast Tess got dizzy. “Can you slow down a little, please. You’re making my head spin.”

He chuckled. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

“You go to this place that often?” She gave him the side-eye. Was he a big partier? She hadn’t gotten that impression about him.

“Yeah, I do actually.” At last, he pulled the car into a parking spot and set the brake. “We’re here.”

“In one piece, thank God.”

He laughed and opened her door for her. “Come on.” Grabbing her hand, he pulled her toward the elevator. “Let’s get out of the cold.”

They entered the elevator and Hal punched in a number and the car began to rise.

“Is this bar in the penthouse?” That would be super cool, to look out over the city in the snow.

“Not quite. But it’s still got loads of charm and a pretty good view.” His eyes danced with mischief and Tess began to get the idea she was being had.

The elevator doors opened on a long hallway, doors dotting the walls here and there along the way. Tess turned her most sarcastic-but-playful look on Hal. “What did you say the name of this bar was?”

“I didn’t.” His eyes twinkled as he took her hand and led her to the first door on the left. He held his phone against the door’s keypad, there was a whirring sound, and the door popped open. Hal pushed it wide and ushered her in. “Welcome to Chez Hal.”

Well, she should have known, but truly she couldn’t be angry. If he wanted to get her to come to his apartment all he had to do was ask. “Quite a boutique bar it seems.”

“Oh, we are very exclusive around here.” He helped her take off her coat and put it away in the foyer closet. “Not just anyone can get in.”