Snow Place Like Home

Bonus Scene

February: Launch Day

Finley and Alex

My phone chimes at 5:47 AM, three minutes before my alarm is set to go off. I grab it off my nightstand and squint at the screen.

I think we’re finally ready

Alex. I smile, the familiar ache in my chest from missing him, and type back with one eye still closed. It’s going to be great! You’re ready for this!

Talk about an understatement. He’s been pulling sixteen-hour days for the past two weeks.

He sends, I wish you could be here today.

My chest tightens. I wish I could be there too. Alex’s start-up was supposed to launch three weeks ago, but they ran into a snag and had to move it to today—the day before Valentine’s Day. And since I already traded my phlebotomy shift for tomorrow night—like, a month ago—so I could go out with Alex, I can’t get out of it now and go to the party… and it’s absolutely killing me.

Me too, I text. But I'll be thinking about you all day. You've got this 💪

I smile at his response.  Love you.

Love you too. Now try to get some sleep.

I set my phone down and stare at Maybelle, who's sprawled across my pillow like she owns the place. Which, let's be honest, she does.

"He's launching his company today," I tell her. "And I'm going to miss it."

She looks at me, completely unimpressed.

"You're right," I sigh. "Moping won't help."

***

By the time I get to Beans to Go for my 6:50 AM shift, I've already decided I'm going to be as supportive as possible from a distance. I'll send encouraging texts throughout the day. Maybe I’ll sneak upstairs during my break and bring him lunch. I know how nervous he is, so he’ll probably only choke down a few bites, but something is better than nothing.

Maggie's already behind the counter when I walk in, and she’s smiling ear to ear. “Today’s the day. How’s our boy doin’?”

I feign innocence. “What makes you think I’d know?”

She rolls her eyes. “Please tell me he was in your bed when you woke up.”

“He was not,” I say with a sigh. “He was working late last night, dealing with some last-minute issues. In fact, he texted about the time I got up, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he never went to bed.”

“He’s had a lot of late nights the past couple of weeks,” Bethany says as she walks out of the backroom with a large bag of coffee beans.

“I know. But they have a lot riding on this.” Millions of dollars from investors and countless hours on their part. And it all boils down to the release today.

“What time’s the official launch?” Maggie asks as she preps the register.

“Three.” I try to hide my disappointment. “The investors and spouses are invited.”

“And girlfriends?” Bethany asks.

“Yeah,” I say, “But—"

Bethany gasps. “But you have a shift at the hospital tonight, and you have to leave by three to get to work in time.”

“Yeah,” I say with a sigh. “Thankfully, he understands that I can’t be there, but I know he’s still disappointed.”

“Maybe you can run up for a few minutes before you head to the hospital,” Maggie says. “I know it’s not the same, but it’s better than nothin’ at all.”

“I was thinking about taking him lunch. Maybe I just take my lunch break at the end of my shift so I can spend more time with him.”

“That’s a great idea,” Bethany says, nodding enthusiastically. “We’ll make it happen.” 

When Maggie unlocks the glass doors promptly at seven, three people are already lined up, eagerly waiting. After that, we get slammed, and I don’t have time to send Alex any of my preplanned encouraging texts for the next couple hours.

Around nine, I anxiously watch the entrance. Alex works in an office on the twenty-eighth floor, and he was a regular at the coffee shop in the building’s lobby long before we got together. He usually stops by nine and nine-thirty, but this morning he’s a no-show.

“I’m sure he’s busy,” Bethany says around 9:45 when she sees my gaze flick to the entrance yet again. “With the launch and all.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Part of me is disappointed—I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning when he came in for his coffee and Danish. But mostly I’m worried about him. He’s been working himself to utter exhaustion. I know he’s made plans for us to go out for Valentine’s Day tomorrow, but I can’t help thinking he might prefer a quiet, relaxing night in.

“When we get a breather, you should hand-deliver his coffee and a danish,” Bethany says, then glances over at Maggie. “What do you think, Mags?”

Maggie nods vigorously. “I approve of this plan.”

The only problem is that the steady stream of customers doesn’t taper off until close to one.

“Now’s your chance,” Maggie says. “Make his drink and head up.”

I make a face. “It might be too late for coffee and a danish.” I don’t tell her that I’d considered bringing him lunch, but I don’t have time to order anything and the closest thing we have to a meal is oatmeal, which he detests. Something I learned the hard way a few weeks ago after he slept over.

“Bite your tongue,” Maggie chides. “It’s never too late for coffee or danishes. Besides, we all know he’ll be more excited about seeing you than the coffee and baked goods.”

I can’t help laughing. “Good point. I’ll make a drink for Roland, so he doesn’t feel left out.” Alex’s business partner isn’t my favorite person, but he is responsible for us getting together, so I feel like I owe him.

******

Ten minutes later, I’m walking off the elevator on Alex’s floor. I’ve only been to his office twice, both after hours, so this is the first time I’ll be there while a few of his employees are around.

The office is at the end of the hall, with double glass doors and sidelights. A receptionist desk is behind the doors, and a well-dressed woman who looks like she’s in her early twenties gets up from behind the desk when I open the door to come in.

“Did anyone order Uber Eats?” she calls out over her shoulder.

The office is mostly open concept, with the wall behind the receptionist’s desk blocking the view of the main office from the hall.

“Oh, I’m not with Uber Eats,” I say, my face flushing with embarrassment. I glance down and understand her confusion. My hair’s in a messy bun, and I didn’t put on makeup this morning. I’m wearing jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt with my brown Beans to Go apron over them. Not to mention, I have a two-cup drink carrier and a bag.

She lifts an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.

“I’m here to see Alex.”

As if saying his name summoned him, he rounds the corner, dressed in a black suit, white button-down shirt, and a slim black tie. He’s gotten a haircut since yesterday morning, and my heart skips a beat at the sight of him.

A huge smile spreads across his face. “Finley.” His face is bright with happiness.

“I didn’t know the coffee shop delivered,” the receptionist says, then leans over the desk. “Hey, can I order a London Fog and have it delivered?”

“The only one getting deliveries is me,” Alex says as he closes the distance between us. He wraps an arm around my back and gently draws me to his chest as his lips lower to mine.

After he gives me a tender kiss, he lifts his head and grins down at me. “She’s my girlfriend.”

The receptionist is quiet for several seconds before she says, “I should hope or that was quite a tip.” Alex doesn’t seem to hear the contempt in her voice, or if he does, he doesn’t let on.

He glances down at the carrier in my hand and lifts a brow.

“You didn’t come down to get your coffee this morning, so I decided you might need a caffeine boost.” I lift the bag slightly. “And some carbs.”

His eyes light up. “Thank you.” Based on the look on his face, you’d think I’d brought him a lobster dinner.

“Oh, and I brought one for Roland.”

He takes the carrier from me and takes my hand. “Then let’s go give it to him.”

We walk around the wall into the office. Three men in their twenties are sitting at computers typing, while Roland is to the side, talking to several men in suits. They seem to be having a serious conversation.

“Oh,” I say, coming to a dead stop. “Are the investors here already?”

“A few,” he says. “They wanted a demonstration before it goes live.”

I glance down at my clothes. “Maybe I should go.”

“What?” he protests. “No. I’ve missed you.”

I’m completely underdressed, but I’ve missed him too. Besides, I’m not here for the launch party. Just to stop by and check on him. “How’s it going?”

He leans close and lowers his voice. “We had a rough morning, but we think we’ve worked out the issue. We should be good to go by three.”

“On a scale of one to ten, how nervous are you?” I ask.

He hesitates before he says, “Eleven.”

I’m proud of him. Not because he’s nervous, but because two months ago, he would have blown off my question and said fine.

I reach up on tiptoes and plant a kiss on his cheek. “Everything’s going to be great. You have nothing to worry about.

He lets out a short laugh. “Easy for you to say, considering you don’t know much about how this all works.”

I could be offended, but I’m not. He’s explained it to me a few times, and while I know it involves AI and forecasting the stock market, I have no idea how all the coding works. “Maybe not,” I say softly, holding his gaze. “But I know you. And I know you’ve given this your all.”

He smiles down at me. “I’m damn lucky to have you, Finley.”

I grin. “I know.”

“Finley!” Roland calls out from across the room. “Are you making coffee deliveries?”

I steel myself before turning to face Alex’s partner. “I came up to see Alex, so I thought I’d bring him a caffeine boost since he hadn’t come down this morning. I brought you one too.” I gesture to the carrier in Alex’s hand.

A sneaky grin spreads across Roland’s face as he turns to the three, very serious-looking men next to him. “Finley is Alex’s girlfriend. She works at the coffee shop in the lobby.”

The three men give me questioning looks, then turn to Alex again.

He wraps a protective arm around my back, his hand resting on my hip.

“Finley, this is…” He introduces me to the men, but they look me over like I’m the hired help. Nevertheless, I nod and say hello to each one of them. They remain silent.

“Shouldn’t you be checking on the one o’clock report, Alex?” Roland asks in a terse tone.

“I already checked ten minutes ago,” Alex says, his voice tight. “Everything is fine.”

“What’s in the bag?” one of the suited men asks.

A flush of embarrassment hits me. “Danishes.”

The tall one perks up. “Oh, from the bakery down the street?”

“No,” Roland says with a laugh. “From the coffee shop downstairs. I’m pretty sure they’re baked in a warehouse somewhere and individually wrapped in plastic bags.”

I feel Alex’s arm stiffen around my back, but I say sweetly, “Actually, Roland, we have a partnership with the bakery. They deliver fresh pastries every morning before we open.”

“You can set them on the table,” Roland says, nodding behind him. “With all the catered food we had brought in.”

I glance over his shoulder and notice the table and the elaborate food spread of sandwiches, fruit, cheese, and a cake. Bottles of champagne are in ice buckets, waiting to be opened.

“Finley won’t be able to attend the launch,” Alex says. “She needs to head to her shift at the hospital, so she came up to bring me coffee and check in.” Alex gives me a little tug. “Fin, why don’t we head to my office for a few minutes?”

“Sure.” I smile at the investors. “It was nice to meet you.” They don’t respond before Alex leads me toward the far wall, which has his and Roland’s separate offices.

“Don’t take too long, Alex,” Roland calls after us. “We need you back in time for the official launch.”

Alex is fuming as we head to his office. Once we’re inside, he sets the carrier on his desk and shuts the door, not that it does much to hide us. The wall is solid glass overlooking the center office.

“I’m going to kill him,” he grunts, his hands clenched at his sides.

I place a hand on his arm and squeeze. “No. Not today. Don’t let him ruin your day.”

“He insulted you, Finley.” Anger blazes in his eyes.

I force a smile. “Actually, I think he insulted your danish.”

He stares down at me and shakes his head. “Don’t let him off like that.”

“I’m not letting him off. I’m choosing my battles.” I give him a cockeyed grin. “But let him try that tomorrow, and I’ll let loose on him.”

A soft smile lifts the corners of his mouth. “Promise that you’ll wait until I’m there to see it.”

I let out a small laugh. “Promise.”

But even though I’m doing my best to comfort him, I know what Roland and those men think. That Alex is too good for me. That I trapped him somehow. Because why else would a man like Alex King be interested in a barista?

“Don’t let him get in your head,” Alex says softly. When I blink in surprise, he says, “I’m getting to where I can read you pretty well.”

The thing is, I know those men aren’t any better than me. They just happened to be born into more privilege than fate had given me. I might work at a coffee shop, but I was just as smart as they were. You couldn’t get into nursing school if you weren’t intelligent.

But I had to wonder how long Alex would want to deal with men like Roland and the investors. How long until he grew tired of defending our relationship?

“I love you,” he says softly, studying my face.

“I love you too.”

“I don’t care what Roland thinks,” he says, but there’s no heat in it. Only certainty. “Roland’s most significant relationship is with his fake Rolex. He doesn’t know crap about relationships.”

“Yeah,” I say, pushing down my fears. “You’re right. But maybe I shouldn’t have come up today.”

“What are you talking about? You were invited to the launch party. You were just a couple hours early. Besides…” he puts his hands lightly on my arms. “You have no idea how happy I am that you came up to see me.” He rubs my arms lightly. “I miss you. And I needed your reassurance that things are going to go great.”

“I thought I didn’t know enough about it,” I tease.

“You know me,” he says before he gives me a lingering, gentle kiss, his arm wrapping around my back and tugging me closer. “And that’s all I need.”

“Liar,” I mumble against his lips with a grin.

He pulls back and smiles. “Roland’s an ass, but I’m still thankful he suggested I bring you home as my fake girlfriend.”

“Which is the only reason I brought him a coffee. Once I get back downstairs and tell the girls how this went, he’ll be lucky if they don’t spit in his drink.”

He laughs. “They would never do that.”

“Bethany? No. But Maggie…” I lift my brow as my voice trails off.

I glance at the clock on his wall and groan. “I should probably get back downstairs. We’ve been crazy busy today and you need to get out there and appease Roland.”

“I’ve done everything there is to do, but I understand that you need to go.” But he still keeps his arm around me.

I laugh. “You’ll have to let me go. Unless you’re coming down with me.”

“Then I’d be in much better company than I have up here,” he says with a sigh. “But if things go well, then hopefully we’ll be able to sell. Then I can part ways with Roland and never see him again.”

“Here’s to hoping.” Then I pull away and reach for the door.

Roland is conversing with the investors who look dull as dirt as we walk out of the office.

“Are those guys as boring as they look?” I ask in a whisper.

Alex laughs. “Worse. You should see them at a dinner. Their wives take over the conversation.” He grabs my hand, and we walk to the elevator. He pushes the down button.

“Can I come over tonight?” he asks softly. “I miss you like crazy.”

His request fills my chest with bubbly excitement. “Of course. I’ll tell Barb and she can let you in if I’m not home yet.”

The elevator dings, and I hear the doors open behind me.

“Congratulations, Alex,” I say, squeezing his hand. “I’m so proud of you.”

Surprise and pride fill his eyes before I walk into the elevator and turn around. He smiles and gives me a little wave. As the doors close, I still feel bad about missing the party, but I’m leaving with hope for what comes next.

***
March Bonus:
The First Fight