Moving her hand over her mouth, she was about to stifle a yawn when the lights flickered and the elevator made a loud grinding noise and then…stopped.
Hard.
Bracing herself to keep her balance, she tried not to panic. The lighting was now dim but at least it was something. Looking over at her elevator companion, Hannah noticed he didn’t look overly concerned. And that made her reconsider asking something ridiculous like…
“Do you think we’re stuck?” Okay, it was out before she knew it.
“It would appear so,” he murmured, staring down at his phone.
Seriously? She thought. Now what?
Looking around, she decided to be the one to actually do something and pushed the call button.
No one responded.
“Great. Just great.”
Beside her, she noticed he was making a call and hoped it was to someone useful and not just a social chat. Almost immediately, Hannah realized he’d called 9-1-1 and was giving them information about where they were. She didn’t want to hover, so she stepped back toward her luggage and waited.
And waited.
She was only getting his side of the conversation, but he wasn’t saying much. It took all of three minutes for him to hang up and turn to her. “A semi hit some power lines and the whole area is blacked out.” He said it all so matter-of-factly–like this was no big deal.
“So…they’re sending someone to get us out of here, right?”
He shrugged. “Eventually.”
“Eventually?!” she cried, panic starting to wash over her. Suddenly it felt too warm and airless in the elevator. She wanted to pace or, at the very least, bang against the door and scream for someone to come and help them. But… “Wait a minute…” Pulling her own phone out, she quickly pulled up Shawna’s number and called her. She was sure Shawna could get the maintenance crew to help them sooner than a rescue squad.
“Hannah?” Shawna said when she answered. “Oh my goodness! Are you okay? Did you make it to your floor before the power went out?”
“Unfortunately, no. Can you send one of the guys to help us get out of here?” she practically begged.
“Oh sweetie, this all just happened, but as soon as everything went dark, I told the crew to check on the elevators. Neither of them has experience with this sort of thing, so they’re making some calls. I hate to say it but…it may take a while.”
Yeah, there really wasn’t enough air for her and it felt like it was getting hotter by the second. “A while?” she repeated weakly. “Like…how long is that?”
“I’m not sure. Just sit tight. I swear we’ll have you out as soon as we can.”
“Oh…okay…”
“At least you’re not alone in there. I mean…” She let out a little hum of appreciation. “Being stuck in an elevator with Gage Lawson is something just about every woman in this building would love to have happen to them!”
Hannah glanced over at…Gage and had to admit there were worse people to get stuck with.
But it would have been better if she were dressed nicer, had on some makeup, and maybe hadn’t embarrassed herself in front of him just minutes ago.
“Hannah, I need to go. People are panicking,” she said apologetically. “I promise to keep you posted on when they hope to get the doors open, okay?”
“Thanks, Shawna,” she said quietly before hanging up. With nothing else to do, she took her coat off, rolled up her sleeves and sat down on the floor. Looking up at Gage, she told him, “Might as well get comfortable. We’re probably going to be here for a while.”
He didn’t comment, but he did move to the opposite side of the elevator and simply placed his satchel on the floor before leaning against the wall. His phone came out again and it was as if she wasn’t there at all.
Clearly not the friendly sort…
Not that it mattered. They were strangers who were stuck in a crappy situation. It wasn’t like they had ever been social with each other before. Why start now, right?
Although…it wouldn’t kill him to ask if I’m okay? I mean, it’s obvious I’m mildly freaking out.
As much as she tried to mind her own business, it was hard not to notice that he still had his coat and scarf on. It was on the tip of her tongue to comment on it, but he was seriously giving off some strong back off vibes–scowl and all. So rather than say anything, Hannah shifted to get more comfortable and reached for her weekender bag. Her laptop was in there along with a tin of cookies and a few other essentials that should keep her distracted. She figured she’d set up camp and wait to be rescued.
And then proceeded to pull off her hoodie, ball it up and use it for more cushioning.
Within minutes, she had the presentation she was working on for tomorrow’s meeting–a design job for a medical complex being built just outside the city limits. The lead position was practically hers already, but she knew this presentation in the morning would seal the deal. Maybe thinking about work wasn’t the best use of her time. She’d already obsessed about it so much over the holiday weekend that her mother had smacked her hand and threatened to take her laptop away more than once.
Pfft…I’m an adult.
Still, she had willingly caved when dessert was offered as a reward.
Okay, maybe not so much an adult at all times…
Smiling, she opted to forgo work and do something mindless like reading the latest celebrity gossip while nibbling on a chocolate chip and sea salt cookie. And within minutes, she was almost able to forget that she was stuck in an elevator with an unfriendly, sexy stranger.
Gage Lawson swore the universe was trying to break him.
Getting stuck in an elevator was just the latest in a line of rotten luck to hit him this week and it just might be the thing to make him snap.
Glancing over at the woman sitting on the floor, he frowned. A minute ago he was certain she’d get hysterical and start to cry, but she pulled herself together and…
He paused mid-thought. The lights were dim but she was fully illuminated by her laptop screen. Most of the times he’d seen her, she wore her long, caramel-colored hair down. Today it was up in a sleek ponytail that made her look much younger than usual. He took a moment to appreciate her sporty attire because it literally fit her like a second skin and showcased her curves. She was staring down at her computer so he couldn’t see her eyes, but he knew them to be a shade of blue that reminded him of clear, crystal waters. He’d seen her around enough that he’d noticed just about everything about her. And now…
For a moment, he could only stare in disbelief.
She’s got a mini battery-operated fan blowing on her and most of her outer layers of clothing bunched around her like she’s planning on being here for a while. Does she know something I don’t? And…is she eating cookies? And not even being friendly enough to offer some to share while we’re trapped? How rude was that?
Clearing his throat–loudly–Gage waited until she looked up at him. He was fairly certain he was scowling and she sure as hell wasn’t smiling either. When she continued to look at him expectantly, he figured it was up to him to be the one with manners.
“I don’t believe we’ve ever been introduced,” he said politely. “I’m Gage Lawson. I live in 5C.” He held out his hand to her and she simply looked at it before wiping her own on her yoga pants. It was tempting to pull his hand back, but instead, he leaned in and shook her hand.