Thawing Hearts

  Thawing

  Hearts

  Michele M. Reynolds

  © 2015 Michele M. Reynolds

  Thawing Hearts

  Copyright © 2015 by Michele M. Reynolds

  Amazon Edition

  Edited by Jennifer Moorman

  Cover Art by Fiverr by Pixel Studio

  All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

  For more information about the author or her books please visit:

  http://mmreynolds.blogspot.com/

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  [1. Fiction 2. Romance 3. Lesbian 4. Christmas 5. Holiday]

  First Ebook Edition, 2015

  For

  Kelly

  1

  Libby sat in her Toyota Highlander and searched through the contacts in her phone. She inhaled a deep breath and pushed the call button. As the phone rang, she looked out her windshield. Snowflakes fell across her headlight beams and the ground was lightly covered in the white flakes.

  “Hello?” a female voice answered.

  Libby focused her attention on her call. “Hi, Paula, it’s Libby.”

  “Hey, I can’t wait until you get here. Are you having a hard time finding parking? You might want to park in the garage.”

  Libby heard several voices, music, and a ruckus in the background.

  “Paula,” Libby said.

  “You’re not coming,” Paula said.

  Libby sighed and replied, “No, I’m sorry. I just...” Libby considered making an excuse but then said, “I just want to be alone.”

  “On Christmas Eve, really?” Paula asked. “You love parties. Everyone’s here Jamie, Ginger...”

  “Yeah, I just I need to just get some take-out and chill out in front of the television,” Libby said.

  “You have to stop being a hermit sometime. You sure?”

  “I’m sure. I’m sorry,” Libby said.

  “Well, take care of yourself.”

  “I will. I gotta go. Say hi to everyone for me,” Libby said.

  “I will. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas. I’ll call you tomorrow to see how the party went.”

  “Okay, you better,” Paula said.

  Libby ended the call and shook her head. She plugged her phone into the car charger. She would not have been any fun at the party tonight. She did feel a little bad about denying Paula’s guests the privilege of eating her famous apple pie. She looked at the pie in the passenger seat, and her stomach growled.

  Snowflakes blanketed the windshield. She switched on the windshield wipers to get a clear view of the ATM booth that stood in front of her. The words Northway Bank glowed in blue lights. It was only 8:00 p.m., but the streets were empty. The meteorologist’s forecast of a winter storm had obviously scared a lot of drivers into staying inside tonight.

  Libby grabbed her purse. Nobody was around, so she left her car running and exited the car. As she approached the booth, she rummaged through her purse and pulled out her wallet. She found her ATM card and slid it into the slot next to the booth’s door. The indicator light went from red to green and back to red again. Libby slid the card in again, the light stayed green, and the door clicked open. She entered the booth, and the door closed behind her.

  Across the road, Keva wrapped her multi-covered scarf tighter around her face. The snow was beginning to fall harder. She tightened her backpack straps and trudged across the road to a glowing cube with Northway Bank shining in blue letters above the door. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She pulled out her phone and the words low battery blinked on the screen.

  As Keva neared the booth, she saw a woman inside, standing with her back to her. She wore a short gray skirt and black stockings. Her long black coat was almost as long as her skirt, making it appear as if she wore only the jacket. A dark blue, winter hat was pulled over her long, straight, blonde hair.

  Keva thought, She’s a hottie. Why do I have such a thing for blondes?

  The woman stood at the shelf and appeared to be signing checks. The wind and snow pushed against Keva. The snow slipped inside her boots and started to soak into her socks.

  Keva thought, I probably shouldn’t enter the booth with someone else in there, but I’m freezing. Keva looked behind her and saw a Toyota with its engine running with no one inside. What a waste of gas. I wish I could just jump in there and drive home.

  Keva slid her card into the slot next to the door. The light stayed red. Keva checked to make sure her card strip was facing the correct way. She slid the card again, the light turned to green, and she entered the booth.

  Libby jumped when she heard the door open and looked over her shoulder. A woman with long, red, curly hair had entered. Libby gave her a quick smile and returned her attention to the ATM. The machine dispensed dollars and a receipt. She shoved the receipt and money into her wallet. The redhead raised her head, and their eyes met.

  Libby thought, I don’t think I have ever seen eyes so blue.

  “Merry Christmas,” Keva said.

  “Yeah, you too,” Libby answered.

  Libby’s stomach turned when anyone wished her a Merry Christmas or happy holidays. She barely made it through Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday and this year she had boycotted it by staying home, watching movies and eating pasta. Christmas was more difficult to avoid. Even the convenience stores were decorated for the occasion.

  Keva then approached the ATM and slid her card through the machine.

  Libby put her wallet back in her purse and pushed on the door to exit the booth. The door did not budge. She pushed again and then looked to make sure she was not supposed to be pulling. She looked back at the redhead, who was still at the ATM. Libby inhaled a deep breath and pushed on the door again. Her Toyota sat outside, and the lights shined in her face. Every ten seconds the wipers swiped across the windshield.

  “Excuse me,” Keva said beside her.

  Libby stepped aside, and let Keva try to pass. Libby watched as Keva pushed on the door and then pushed again, putting her shoulder into it.

  “Oh,” Keva said as she looked at Libby. “I guess that’s why you were just standing here.”

  “You think?” Libby replied.

  Keva took out her phone and checked the time. She asked Libby, “We’re not stuck in here, are we? How can that be?”

  “I’ve no idea,” Libby answered. “I’ve had a hard time getting into these things before but never getting out.”

  “It was giving me a hard time getting in here,” Keva said.

  “Me too,” Libby said. She pushed on the door again.

  Keva pushed too and then shook it back and forth. “What the heck?”

  Libby walked to the ATM, searched its front, and said, “I wonder if there’s a number that we can call to get out of here.”

  “Or a secret passage button,” Keva laughed. She looked out at the road. No cars had driven by in the last few minutes, and the fat flakes were falling faster.

  “I’ll just call my...” Libby started to say as she rummaged through her purse. “My friend. She’ll come down and help us out.” Libby’s hand continued to root through her purse. She threw her head back and sighed deeply.

  “What?” Keva asked.

  “I left my phone charging in my car, and my car is sitting out there running,” Libby said. “I never leave my car running. Can you call a friend?”

  “I could, but they wouldn’t get
here for hours. I don’t live around here. I took a bus to the depot a few blocks away, and I have to be back in thirty minutes if I want to catch it,” Keva said.

  “Oh, how ‘bout I text one of my friends to come get us from your phone?” Libby offered.

  “Yes, great.” Keva handed her phone to Libby. “It’s dying, so be quick.”

  Libby started to push numbers on the screen and then stopped. She handed the phone back to Keva.

  “What’s wrong? Did it die?”

  Libby walked over to the small counter and leaned against it. “I don’t know any of my friends’ numbers. I’m so used to just hitting their names on my phone.”

  “I think we should call 9-1-1. Right?”

  Libby looked out at the empty road where snow was gathering quickly. An inch had accumulated and answered, “Yes, let me. I can tell them where we are.” Libby dialed 9-1-1 and put it on speakerphone.

  “9-1-1, what is your emergency?” a female voice came through the phone.

  “Hi, my name is Libby Hollis. I’m on Federal Street in Northampton. Another woman and I are stuck in a Northway Bank booth.”

  “Is someone hurt?” the operator asked.

  Libby answered, “Nobody is hurt, but the door won’t open, and we can’t get out.”

  The operator asked, “Do you know that making a prank 9-1-1 call is a punishable offense?”

  “This isn’t a joke,” Keva yelled to the phone.

  “Who’s this? Can you identify yourself?” the operator asked.

  “Yes, this is Keva McKie,” Keva answered.

  “Do either of you feel that you’re in immediate danger?”

  Libby and Keva looked at each other; both shrugged and Libby answered, “No immediate danger but...Keva has to catch a bus in a few minutes. Can you send a police car or the fire department or something?”

  “All services in our area are busy. I’ll ask for a squad car to be sent out, but it might be a while,” the operator said.

  “How long?” Libby asked. “It’s Christmas, and I don’t want to be stuck in here.”

  “Yes, I realize that it’s Christmas, and I’m here working. Sorry, but if it’s not an emergency, it’s not high priority. Please call back if–”

  Keva’s phone vibrated and then shut off.

  “No,” Keva said. She pushed the power button, and the screen remained black.

  Libby said, “Well, I tried. Sounds like it might take a while for someone to come. Do you want me to break the glass or something so you can catch your bus?”

  Keva laughed as she slid her backpack off her shoulder, put it on the floor, and said, “Wow, I didn’t peg you as being a bad ass.”

  “I do take kick boxing, so don’t think of trying anything,” Libby said as she narrowed her eyes at Keva and then smiled.

  “Like what? Robbing you and then having nowhere to go?” Keva sat on the floor below the ATM machine next to her pack.

  “Something like that,” Libby said. “I should have made our situation seem more dire. I should’ve said that I was having chest pains.”

  “It’s okay. There are probably other people who need more help than us right now. I’m sure that someone will come along soon. If we see a car pass by, we should try to jump up and down and flag them or something,” Keva said.

  Libby looked out at the barren, snow-filled street and said, “I haven’t seen a car or a person out in a while. There aren’t many shops open along this strip at this time of night. And can you believe this snow? Nobody was prepared for this. “

  “We’ll just have to think positively,” Keva said. “So, I’m Keva McKie. You’re Libby?”

  Libby extended her hand to Keva. “Yes.”

  The two shook hands. Libby put her purse on the counter and then stood awkwardly against the wall. Silence fell between them. Keva saw an outlet under the ATM machine and rummaged through her pack.

  Libby took this time to look at Keva. She wore a black winter hat that held down a head full of red, curly hair. Her blue Columbia coat covered her torso, and blue jeans covered her legs. A colorful, striped scarf hung around her shoulders. Keva looked up at Libby, and her blue eyes pierced through her.

  Libby asked, “What are you looking for?”

  “I was looking for my phone charger, but it’s not here. I swear that I packed it,” Keva said.

  Libby laughed. “My phone’s charging in the car and yours is here with no charger. We’re a mess. Some night.”

  “Don’t you wish you were at that party?” Keva asked.

  “I’m not going to it,” Libby shot back. After a few seconds, she asked. “How did you know that?”

  Keva laughed. “It doesn’t take a genius. It’s Christmas Eve and you look...I mean, you’re dressed up. Why weren’t you going to go?”

  “Long story,” Libby said.

  Keva pointed to the booth they were stuck in, and Libby laughed.

  “Okay, it was a friend’s party, and I just don’t feel like being in a crowded house today.”

  “If that’s a long story, this is going to be a long night,” Keva said. “So instead of being at the party, you’re stuck with some chick in this booth.”

  “I’m not complaining,” Libby said as she looked at Keva.

  Is she flirting with me? I can’t be lucky enough to get stuck in an ATM booth with a hot, blonde lesbian, Keva thought.

  Libby asked, “How long you think we’ll be here?”

  “I don’t know. We don’t even know what time it is. Your phone’s in the car and mine’s dead,” Keva said.

  “We make a good pair,” Libby said. “What do you have in that huge pack?”

  “Let’s see. Enough clothes for a week, toothbrush, my Kindle, my journal, and that’s it,” Keva answered.

  Libby stepped out of her heels and then leaned back against the wall again. A car drove by, and Libby jumped up and down, but the driver did not seem to notice her and kept driving.

  “Ahh!” Libby yelled. “Next time I’m mooning them.”

  “Umm, flashing them might be more likely to make them stop.” Keva laughed.

  Libby said, “Yeah right. I can hear the story now. ‘One snowy Christmas Eve I got locked in an ATM booth, the police wouldn’t come, so I flashed someone and then got arrested.’”

  “Now that’s a story,” Keva said.

  Libby paced back and forth. “How are you so calm?”

  “How are you not? You have nowhere to go, and you’re in the company of an awesome person like me,” Keva said. “Relax. You’re making me nervous. Sit down.”

  Libby pointed to her skirt.

  “I have sweatpants in here you can wear.” Keva pulled out a pair of blue sweatpants.

  Libby said, “No, that’s okay. We’ll probably be picked up soon and–”

  “Stop being a stubborn girl and put these on,” Keva said. “Why are all the good-looking girls stubborn?”

  Libby thought, Did she just call me good looking? She can’t be a lesbian, can she? Can she tell that I’m a lesbian? Libby thought about the prospect of kissing Keva, and her face turned red. She continued to pace back and forth for a few more minutes and then stood uncomfortably against the glass wall. “Okay, I’ll take the sweatpants.”

  Keva tossed them to Libby. “Here you go, princess.”

  “Thank you,” Libby said. She took Keva’s sweatpants, pulled them onto her legs, and slid them under her skirt. She then unzipped the skirt and took it off. Keva pretended to be scrounging through her pack as Libby made her outfit maneuvers.

  Keva asked, “Better?”

  Libby answered, “Much. Thank you.” She slid down onto the floor a few feet from Keva, who nodded and zipped up her pack.

  “Keva,” Libby said, “I’ve never heard that name before. Where does that come from?”

  “It’s Irish. As you can tell from just looking at me, and from my last name, I’m Irish. Keva means ‘precious.’”

  “Nice.”

  The two sat on
the floor staring out at Libby’s car headlights. “I can’t believe that I left my car on. Anyone can come by and just steal it. My apple pie is in there.”

  “Apple pie?” Keva laughed. “That’s what you care about? Apple pie?”

  “Yes, I make a damn good pie. I’m so hungry,” Libby said. “That’s why I came in here. I needed money to get Chinese food.”

  “Yeah, I left the bus depot to get some money to grab some too. They don’t take debit or credit cards,” Keva said. “Who doesn’t take cards nowadays?”

  “Real China,” Libby said. “That’s my restaurant. To think if we didn’t meet here, we would have seen each other at the restaurant. Oh man!”

  “What?”

  Libby answered, “I know Real China’s number by heart but not any of my friends’ numbers.”

  Keva laughed, grabbed her stomach, and rolled onto her side.

  “Funny, huh? So funny that you would be on your way to wherever you are going if it wasn’t for me,” Libby said. “Where are you going anyway? Did you miss your bus yet? We don’t even know what time it is.”

  “Wow, a lot of questions. I’m going home to see my family. I’ve been overseas for two years and haven’t seen them. I especially miss my nieces. Well, I’ve seen them on the computer but not in person,” Keva said. Her voice quaked a bit, and tears formed in her eyes.

  “What? Oh no,” Libby said. She stood and paced the room again. She pushed on the door and then pushed on it again. She looked around the room and noticed a plastic trash bin. She picked it up and hit it against the glass door again and again. On her last hit, the bin bounced off the glass and out of her hands. Balled up receipts flew out of the bin and carpeted the floor. Others floated like leaves to the floor.

  Keva’s laughter filled the air behind her, and Libby said, “This isn’t funny. You need to be home.”

  “You’re insane. You must make a crazy girlfriend. He’s in for big trouble when he pisses you off,” Keva said as tears streamed down her face.

  Libby gathered the receipts and placed them back into the trash can. Keva noticed how ridiculous Libby looked with her fancy black coat, silk top, and her blue sweatpants. Somehow, Keva still found her sexy.