Working for a Living

"Chris ... it's Jamie. I'm back here," as she walked towards me with her cellphone in hand. "I can't get a signal."

Smiling, "yeah, the coverage up here is pretty spotty. Why are you still here with the snow coming down?"

"I stayed behind to finish up the heater duct work then my truck wouldn't start. I've been trying to reach a friend on the other side of the mountain but no luck."

I went outside and tried a few things under the hood but didn't have any better luck. By then it was pretty dark with the moon hidden behind the clouds and the snow getting thicker. "Even it starts, I don't think you're getting down the pass tonight with this snow. I was heading to dinner. Why don't you join me?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"What are you gonna do ... go without dinner and sleep in my house? Damn that will be a long, cold night! Come on, there's a good place in town."

I left her digging her toe in the snow as I climbed into the cab of the truck. Turning the motor over, I yelled out the window "Sure is warm in here." Before I could put it in gear, she was running towards the passenger side of the cab.

We headed down the dirt road towards town with the snow falling fast. Twenty minutes later, we parked on the street across from the diner. We walked inside and I was greeted warmly by the hostess. I looked at Jamie and gave an 'I'm a regular' kind of shrug. Jamie removed her cap and jacket and pulled her sweatshirt over her head. For the first time, I could see her shoulder-length blonde hair and a bit of her female curves. A couple beers and a steak dinner and I was hearing bits and pieces of her life story. I kept finding things to say so I could see her smile. It was intoxicating. She had high cheekbones and a bit of crooked nose, but in a sexy sort of way. "So Jaime ... I've got a couple extra rooms at my house. You can stay there tonight and we'll see about your truck in the morning."