I Hope You Find Me by Trish Marie Dawson Read Free Book Online

every move.
    “I feel amazing. Thanks for the shower and
for dinner too?” I aimed my voice in the direction of the kitchen
but walked toward the windows to take in the view, except there
wasn’t much to see, since most of San Diego was dark. A few of the
nearby buildings still had their red emergency beacons flashing on
the roofs, but from where I could see no one else seemed to have
lights on inside.
    Connor smiled over his shoulder and said, “I
showered too. Kinda had to since I was covered in dog hair.” Zoey
mock-sneezed then stretched out along the top of the sofa back. In
so many ways she resembled a cat more than a dog.
    “I noticed my clothes are gone.” I said as I
walked over to Zoey.
    “Oh yeah, I put our clothes into the wash.
There’s a washer and dryer in the bedroom closet. Hope that’s
okay?” He asked.
    “Of course!” I wasn’t going to complain. I
didn’t have many changes of clothes, and after the airport, our
clothes definitely needed to be cleaned.
    He turned to look at me and seemed startled
by what he saw. “You look different.” He said after a moment and
made no effort to hide his gaze as he looked me up and down,
twice.
    “Different? If you mean dry and not covered
in ash, well then yes, I guess I do look different.” I laughed a
bit nervously as I tucked a wavy strand of blonde hair behind my
ear.
    “Your hair is blonde.” He said, sounding a
bit surprised.
    “And you’re cooking in a half-lit kitchen for
a stranger and her dog, wearing only a towel.” I rebuffed.
    He laughed, but before he turned away I
thought I saw the color in his cheeks darken a bit. Good, I thought
to myself, let him be the embarrassed one for a bit.
    “There’s wine on the counter, help yourself.”
He gestured at the open wine bottle.
    “Wine? Well, now I’ll never leave.” I paused,
“Just kidding of course.”
    “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.
But I don’t know how long the generators will last.” And the
reality of the situation came rushing back to both of us.
    I sat down with a less than gracious thud
onto a kitchen stool and poured myself a generous amount of wine
into one of the large glasses. It was a white wine, and tasted
deliciously cold and sweet. I didn’t bother to use the stem of the
glass, and instead, cupped my hands around it to drink.
    “What are you making?” I asked him in between
long sips.
    “Veggies mostly, and some rice.” He turned
with two plates of heaping food in his hands and placed them down
on the counter. He slid onto the stool next to me, close enough
that our legs touched and I shifted nervously at the heat that
threatened to burn my cheeks crimson.
    “Oh, almost forgot.” He got up and returned
to the kitchen, and gestured at a bowl near the stove. “Can she
have this?” He asked me.
    “Sure.” I watched as Zoey flew off the sofa
and trotted into the kitchen and began licking at the food. Before
Connor sat back down the bowl was half empty. The heat of his
partially naked leg radiated through my jeans again, but I didn’t
want to move away. His warmth felt comforting.
    The first bite was delicious. “It’s very
good. Thank you.” I said to him, after my second swallow. I pushed
my bangs out of my eyes as I leaned in for another spoonful. I was
unusually comfortable around Connor already, but the meal still
felt awkward in a way.
    We ate in silence for a while, sipping our
wine in between bites. Half way through the meal Zoey stretched out
along the top of the sofa again, lying on her stomach with all four
legs dangling over the edge of the cushions and within seconds she
was snoring. I offered to clean the dishes but Connor joined me
near the sink and towel dried as I washed. Twenty minutes later and
the kitchen was clean and the small talk was over.
    Connor disappeared into his room for a bit
and returned to announce the clothes were in the dryer. “Should be
ready in an hour or so.” He was wearing a loose fitting