Wade looked at the puddle of water under his dishwasher and let out a long string of dirty words, this was the third time his brand new dishwater leaked all over the brand new floor in his brand new kitchen. He mopped up the mess and called the number on the warranty booklet, AGAIN.
"Mr. Barrett, I'm terribly sorry about the problems you've been having with your KitchenAid Architect Series dishwasher. I assure you that this an anomaly."
"Anomaly or not, this blasted thing keeps leaking and it has damaged my floor," Wade replied trying to keep his temper in check, after all, it wasn't this poor bastard's fault he got saddled with a lemon.
"I understand your frustration, sir. I will have a repair tech sent out to your residence as soon as possible," he said somberly.
Wade massaged his temples and sighed, "Look, this is the third time I've had the same problem, it's obvious this machine cannot be repaired. I've read the fine print and I know that I'm entitled to a replacement of the same model."
He heard the customer service rep clicking some keys on his keyboard, he waited patiently while the man reviewed his account, he heard a small gasp, that Wade interpreted as the poor man realizing exactly how much money he had spent renovating his kitchen. "Mr. Barrett, I am terribly sorry for the confusion, you are correct, based on your warranty, you are entitled to a replacement after the third service visit if all three visits occur in less than one year from the installation date. However, if you will allow me to put you on hold for just a moment, I will consult with my manager to see if I can make an exception for you."
"Yes, yes, alright, I'll hold," Wade grumbled as he peeled off his wet socks and chucked them in the sink.
After 20 minutes of infuriating ass kissing, Wade was assured that a service technician would arrive at his home between 10 AM and 3 PM to replace his dishwasher. "Bloody hell," he muttered, he was supposed to meet Abby for lunch today.
Abby's head was pounding, her desk phone was ringing off the hook, she had hundreds of unread emails, she had a presentation for her Paris client due tomorrow, a final online advertising campaign for her most loyal client to finalize and two requests for proposals from new clients who would come with a hefty price tag. Meanwhile, all Freddy could talk about was finding the perfect gown for the FOC gala on Friday night.
"FRED!" she yelled from her office. "If you don't start answering the phone and DOING YOUR DAMNED JOB I will be buried under so much work that I won't be able to climb out in time for the FOC gala!"
She heard Fred chuckle as he filed the large stack of prints from their last completed project. She was so happy he was feeling carefree this week. Her desk phone rang, three new emails popped up and her cell phone skittered across her desk as a call came in. She snatched the phone before it hit the floor, screamed for Fred to answer the office phone and barked a hello into her cell phone.
"My, my, love, sounds like your morning sucks much more than mine."
"Sorry, Wade," she said softly, "I'm friggin swamped over here! I need to get out of the city and focus on all this work. I would escape to my parents' house, but they don't have wifi and I certainly don't have the patience to deal with my mother."
"I've got the perfect solution. Pack up and hide out at my place."
"Hmmmmm…." She said twirling a pen.
"I've got wifi, I need to get some work done myself but I'm stuck here waiting for the bloody dishwasher people."
"Again? What the hell?" Abby said.
"Don't get me started, Abs… Anyway, you can use the desk in the guest room. I'll work in my office and then I'll grill up the best steak you've ever tasted."
Abby smiled for the first time in days, "Deal! I'll stop at the farmer's market and pick up some salad makings and I'll be there in an hour."
By 10 AM Abby was settled at the desk in Wade's guest room with the wifi password, a giant cup of coffee and the sweet, sweet sound of silence. She buckled down and got busy, this was the perfect setting for productivity. The plus side of dating a successful business owner was that he understood that sometimes, you just need uninterrupted quality time with your laptop.
Wade watched the dishwasher installation like a hawk, he wanted to make sure it was done right this time, the men worked quickly and tested the machine, once he was satisfied, he gave them a generous tip and wished them a good day. He poured two more cups of coffee and passed by the guest room, he quietly slipped in and placed the fresh coffee on the desk, trying not to break her concentration. He watched as her fingers flew over the keyboard, she was in the zone, a bomb could hit the house and she wouldn't even notice. He smiled and took his own coffee to his office, all he really needed to do was answer some emails and fire off a few memos to Cynthia. A couple hours' worth of work and then he'd be standing outside on his patio with a beer and his BBQ.
Abby didn't leave her seat for over 4 hours, she was vaguely aware that Wade kept refilling her coffee, but he never disturbed her, never said a word, just slid a fresh mug on her desk and whisked away the empty one. She leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms over her head, her eyes burned and her fingers cramped, but she did it. She got the Paris presentation done and emailed the online advertising campaign to Fred for him to check over. She yawned and scrolled through her emails in case there was anything important while she waited for Fred's response. As soon as she got his response, she would sent it over to the client, she was confident that he would love her campaign. This was her first and most loyal client she ever secured, and all of her advertising campaigns brought in the big bucks for his company. But before Fred could reply, her bladder reminded her exactly how much coffee she drank and jumped up and ran to the bathroom.
Wade brushed his special marinade lovingly across the two perfect steaks on the grill. He had vegetables sliced and seasoned waiting to be grilled to perfection and two fat sweet potatoes wrapped in foil roasting away. He grinned when he felt Abby wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head against his back.
"That smells amazing," she said, her voice muffled by his tshirt.
"It will taste even more amazing," he bragged. "You get everything done that needed to be done?"
"Yes! And really, I owe you big time, there was no way I'd get any of it done at the office or even at my place."
"Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery," he said flipping the steak. "How do you like your steak cooked?"
"Medium well, please," she said sitting on a chaise lounger.
"Medium well?" he scoffed, "That's a sin." He reluctantly moved one of the steaks over the hotter coals so that they would both be done at the same time.
"Let me guess, you like yours to be still mooing."
"That's the only way to treat a piece of meat," he said waving the tongs in her direction.
She laughed, "You are such a man."
"And don't you ever forget it, love," he said winking.
She got up from her seat and slapped his ass on her way into the kitchen, "I'll set the table and open some wine while the cave man plays with fire."
A short time later, Abby and Wade were stretched out on chaise loungers each nursing a glass of red wine with full bellies, watching the sun set over the trees in Wade's yard. They sat in a comfortable silence until the mosquitoes came out in full force. Abby stood up and yawned a yawn so big it left tears in her eyes. They gathered up the dishes and carried everything into the kitchen, when they were done loading the dishwasher, Abby yawned again and reached for her purse.
Wade covered her hand with his and shook his head, "No way in hell I am letting you drive back tonight, sleep here, we will leave early tomorrow morning."
Abby hesitated, "I need to be in for 9 though."
"And you will be, I promise," Wade said, scooping her up bridal style and carrying her to his bedroom. She rested her head against his chest and peppered kisses along his neck.