Got To Get You Into My Life

"I'll make time," Sandy promised. "I look forward to hearing from you."

Sandy found herself looking forward to the texts and pictures Mark sent to her phone. It was no surprise that Hawaii was a beautiful place. Sandy especially enjoyed the views from Mark's hotel balcony. He had photos of the beach and the ocean beyond. Sandy decided that she would visit the Hawaiian Islands at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Naturally, Sandy had to make an overnight trip to one of her company's better customers the day Mark was scheduled to return home. She had hoped to see him sooner, but that wasn't in the cards. The good thing was that he understood what her job entailed.

Mark told Sandy that he was meeting with customers the next night, so she stopped at a local grill for happy hour and the blackened fish sandwich.

Shortly after Sandy sat down, an extremely attractive blonde about her age sat at a table next to hers. The blonde was soon joined by several other young women. Sandy wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but the group of women at the next table made no effort to prevent it.

"How was Hawaii, Brittany? Did you have a good time? Your tan looks incredible," a redheaded woman asked the attractive blonde.

"I didn't see as much of it as you'd think," the woman Sandy now knew to be Brittany replied. "I spent a lot of time in bed for some reason."

"Could that reason be a tall, dark handsome man?" asked a mousey brunette.

"That could have something to do with it," Brittany responded with a brilliant smile. "That man is a sex machine. I did get to watch ships on the ocean from our bed, so I guess I did some sightseeing."

"You're really falling for the guy aren't you? In high school you thought he was a jerk," pointed out the redhead. "What changed your mind about him?"

"He was a skinny boy who talked about cars all the time. He was pretty boring. Physically, he was less than impressive. I ran into him at the mall last Christmas and he remembered me. I couldn't believe he was the same guy. He's filled out in the right places and he's a great conversationalist. I think those ten days in Hawaii may have convinced him that I'm the girl he's been dreaming of."

"Do you mean you might marry him?" asked two women at the same time.

"I'm just saying it's a real chance that he'll be asking me a big question before too long and my answer will be 'yes' if and when he does. Brittany Reynolds has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Sandy was so upset she had to leave before everyone saw her crying her eyes out. She dropped a fifty on the table and hurried from the restaurant.

Mark called her later that night, but she let it go to voicemail. After thinking about the situation, she then decided to block his number. Any normal person would be able to get the subtle hint that she didn't want to speak to him. Sandy had no intention of being one of the women in Mark's stable. He flew off to Hawaii with a blonde who looked like a supermodel. She knew she'd never be able to compete with women like her. The disrespect he demonstrated was just staggering.

As Sandy suspected, it didn't take Mark very long to realize Sandy didn't want anything to do with him. After a week with Sandy shutting him out, Mark messaged Sarah on social media and asked her if she could tell him why Sandy had ghosted him.

Sarah replied the same evening. Her explanation was very vague. She told Mark that Sandy wasn't a booty call and he should just leave her alone. Mark tried to quiz Sarah about her response but found he had been blocked by Sarah, too.

The situation became more complicated between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A large winter storm was forecast to sweep through the northeast with snow measured in feet rather than inches. Temperatures were predicted to drop into single digits with gusty winds.

Mark had paid attention to the weather reports and had done everything he could think of to prepare for loss of electricity and possibly communications. Phone lines and even cell towers were going to be severely stressed by the storm. Mark's phone vibrated in his pocket. He was stunned to see Sandy's number on the caller ID.

"Mark, I know I've got no right to ask you for help, but Sarah might be in danger. She was supposed to drive home from college before the storm got here, but she had a flat tire between Henderson and Hastens Corners. A trucker finally stopped and helped her change the tire, but she lost an hour and it was snowing hard by then. She called mom when she was back on the road.

"We expected her back a couple of hours later, even allowing for bad road conditions. I have an all wheel drive car so I decided look for her by driving along the route she would take to get home. I only got as far as the doughnut shop in Blairtown. My car can't get through snow this deep. Now I'm stranded here. Nothing is open because of the weather. We haven't heard from Sarah since she spoke to Mom a few hours ago. Her cell goes directly to voicemail."

"Sandy, I'll be there in half an hour. Stay in your car and keep the engine running and the heater on," Mark promised without questioning her.

Sandy felt instant relief when Mark responded so positively to her plea. He could have easily blown her off. The emergency warning system had cautioned against travel of any kind. The weather was described as 'life threatening' but Mark hadn't asked questions or tossed insults. He had simply stated that he'd come to her. When she had realized the difficult situation she was in, Mark had come immediately to mind. There were no second options. She knew that regardless of the trouble between them, he would do his best for her and Sarah.

It was twenty minutes later when a large pickup truck pulled into the parking lot next to her. Snow was being pushed by the front bumper, which Sandy thought was quite high off the ground. By the time Sandy had her car turned off; Mark was opening her door.

"Lock it and get in my truck," Mark insisted. "This is the worst storm we've had in decades. We've got to find Sarah, or at least find out that she's safe.

"I've been thinking about the route she'd take to get home. I'm worried that she may have tried the shortcut over Warren Road. It's a secondary road, always the last one to be plowed. The homes are far apart and there are some sharp turns without any guard rails."

"We always take that road when we going to or from her college," Sandy stated. "She might be stranded on the road, or worse yet, slid off the road and gotten stuck. I'm really worried about her."

"We won't stop looking until we know she's safe," Mark promised. "I have all kinds of gear and equipment in this truck. We're as prepared as we can be."

It took half an hour to get to Warren Road. Mark seemed to drive painfully slow to Sandy, but she had confidence that he knew what was best. Snow was actually sliding up over the hood and falling off the sides, but the big truck kept moving.

Ten minutes later, Mark suddenly stopped the truck and backed up a short distance. Sandy looked around. She saw nothing but white.

"What is it, Mark? Do you see something?"

"The snow on the side of the road looks too shallow compared to everything else. I think something had to have cleared that spot off long after it began snowing. Wait here while I go take a look."

Mark found Sandy by his side as he made his way off the road only to find a steep decline.

"Look! That's Sarah's car in that ravine!" Sandy shouted as she took off as fast the deep snow would allow. Somehow, Mark managed to reach the wrecked vehicle before Sandy. The driver's door was wedged against a tree, so he went around to the driver's side. That door wouldn't open because the car's shifter was in Park. He explained to Sandy that he had a tool in his truck to safely break the window and hurried off.

Sandy tried to peer in through the tinted window, but was unable to get a clear view. What she did see greatly concerned her. Sarah appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel. Suddenly Mark was back at her side. He held a small tool that shattered the window glass. Mark carefully pushed the some glass onto the floor by the passenger seat. Then he reached inside and unlocked the door.

Sandy jerked the door open when she heard the lock release. She crawled to Sarah who had remained motionless. She spent less than a minute assessing her sister's condition.

"She's alive, but unconscious. She feels very cold and there's a small knot on her head. Under normal conditions, you shouldn't move an accident victim, but she's going to freeze to death if we don't get her warmed up. We need to risk further injury to save her," Sandy stated calmly.

"I'll help you all that I can, but it's going to be mostly on you to carry her back up that steep bank to the truck. It's going to be a struggle, but we have to get her warmed up."

It required a great deal of effort on Mark's part, but in twenty minutes Mark was gently placing Sarah inside his truck, which had the heater going full bore. Sandy had him place Sarah on her lap rather than in the back seat.

"I want to hold her still and try to get her warmer. How long will it take to get to the hospital?"

"I hate to tell you this, but I don't know if we can make it there. I can barely see the tracks I made driving here half an hour ago," Mark replied. "I think our best bet is my place. It's a lot closer than your parents' house. The hospital would take another hour beyond your parents', if we could make it there."

"Whatever you think is best, Mark. I trust your knowledge in this. Try to get us there safely so we can care for Sarah, please."

Just over forty harrowing minutes later, Mark guided the big truck into a large garage. He had Sarah inside his house in less than a minute. On the ride to the house Sandy had been able to contact her mother with the news that they had found Sarah and would be doing everything they could to care for her. Sandy assured her mother that Sarah would soon recover.

"Where's your bathroom? Do you have bathtub?" Sandy asked. "I want to get her out of these wet clothes and into a warm bath as soon as possible."

"Follow me. I'll carry her into my bedroom. The master bath has a big Jacuzzi tub. I'll start filling it with hot water while you take care of Sarah."

Mark gently placed Sarah on his king size bed and hurried into the bathroom to draw water in the tub while Sandy carefully began undressing Sarah.

"Mark, I need you to carry her to the tub" Sandy instructed. "She's breathing regularly but her respirations are shallow. Try to carefully place her into the water. I'm going to get in with her so she doesn't drown or something."

Mark gently lifted the beautiful naked woman off his bed and carried her into the bathroom. By the time he was ready to lower Sarah; an equally nude Sandy stepped into the tub and sat down with her arms up to accept her sister.

Once the two women were situated, Mark began to relax. Sweat was dripping off his nose. That led him to the realization that he was soaking wet. He unzipped his heavy jacket and dropped it on the floor. He stared peeling layers of clothing off until he was down to his boxers, which clung to him like a second skin. He picked up a bath towel and stepped into his walk-in shower. Five minutes later he emerged wearing a towel and feeling much better.

"Sarah's moving," Sandy called from the tub. "Would you please bring me some small towels and wash cloths? Could you lower the water temperature setting a little? It's starting to feel kind of warm in here."

Now that Mark was refreshed from the shower and had time to relax somewhat, he was acutely aware of the two beautiful sisters sitting naked in his bathtub. He tried to avert his eyes as he fumbled with the water temperature control.

"For God's sake, Mark. You carried Sarah in here naked and handed her to me while I was naked. You don't have to pretend you didn't see us or that we'll be offended if you see us again. I think you saved Sarah's life. We're certainly not going to be upset if you get a few extra peeks."

Mark slid on a pair of shorts and pulled a chair over to the tub. He sat down and watched as Sandy kept rubbing a warm wet cloth over the parts of Sarah not immersed in the warm water. He would jump up and get whatever Sandy told him she needed. Sarah began to move more and finally looked around with apparent understanding.

It required a couple of efforts but she finally spoke as her eyes focused on Mark. "What happened? How did I get here? Where's Sandy?"

"I'm the one running warm cloths over your shoulders and cooing in your ear," Sandy replied with a smile. "How do you feel? We were pretty worried about you for awhile."

"My head feels sore and I have a headache," Sarah responded slowly. "I remember feeling cold. Then I didn't feel anything. I thought I was going to die and I accepted it for some reason. How did I get here? Where is here?"

"We're at Mark's home," Sandy answered. "He picked me up in his big truck so we could look for you. He saw where you had slid off the road. He carried you up a steep embankment through two or three feet of snow to his truck. The roads are so bad we decided to stop here and get you warmed up.

"This warm water feels great," Sarah acknowledged. "I don't have any clothes on! How long has Mark been sitting there watching me?"

"I would guess for about two hours," Sandy answered with a chuckle. "He wasn't watching you all of the time. His eyes wandered over me now and then. I couldn't get mad at him after he worked so hard to save your life."

"I'm not complaining," Sarah insisted. "I was just wondering about how we seem to wind up in these weird situations. Would it be possible to wrap up in something warm and get some sleep? I can barely keep my eyes open."

"Is it okay if we lie down in your bed, Mark?" Sandy asked. "Sarah can sleep but I'll have to wake her up every few hours to check her mental state. Do you happen to have any pajamas we could wear?"

"I don't actually have any pajamas, but I have some running shorts and sweats. My tee shirts will be too big but you've slept in one before. I'll get them."

Sarah and Sandy spent the next ten hours in Marks' bed. Sandy woke Sarah up twice to check her conditions but was satisfied that she was recovering as well as could be expected.

By the time they fully awoke it was two in the afternoon and the storm had abated. When Mark took the sisters home, their mother demanded that he come into their house and have some coffee and a piece of pie.

"Mark, my wife and daughters would kill me if I didn't apologize to you for being a bit surly when we met the first time," William Phillips told Mark. "What you did for Sandy and Sarah last night was something I'll never forget, nor be able to repay. Just know that I'm grateful as hell."

When it was time to leave, Sandy walked Mark to the door. "You're a good man, Mark. I knew you'd help me when I called you. That's what you do. Thanks for everything."

"Could I call you sometime, Sandy? I don't know what I did to piss you off so badly, but I'll try to get it right this time."

"I really don't think that would be a good idea, Mark. I appreciate everything you did for us more than you'll ever know, but I really don't think I can spend any more time with you. I can't change how I feel."

Mark was totally confused, but Sandy's complete refusal to interact with him in anyway caused him to accept the situation. He nodded and left Sandy standing on the porch.

"That man's in some pain, "Sandy's mother observed. "Are you sure he's got other girlfriends? He seems so sincere."

"He's a true salesman, Mom. He could sell ice to Eskimos," Sandy quipped. "It doesn't make him trustworthy."

"It sure looked like you trusted him when we were both naked in his bathtub," Sarah pointed out. "You'd trust him with your life, but not your heart?"

Winter finally faded away. The local Chamber scheduled its annual awards for April. Mrs. Haynes was the chairman of the awards committee and she used the power of her office as she saw fit.

"Grandmother, it's just petty and cruel to insist that I award Mark with the small business of the year award. It isn't going to make me suddenly accept the way he treated me. It'll just be an awkward situation for him and me," Sandy complained.

"I want you to be seen and known in the business community and this is one of the most visible ways to accomplish that," Mrs. Haynes explained. "You're making out of this more than it is. Just ask a few questions to draw him out.

"We've found over the years that most business men make really lousy acceptance speeches. They either try to sell their product to everyone in attendance or they just say 'thanks' and sit down. By asking some questions from a list you'll have, Mark will have the opportunity to explain what his business is and how it works. You two may have hit a rocky stretch, but it's no reason to not be professional."

"A rocky stretch? Grandmother, we're not even friends," Sandy replied. "It's a huge gap, not a stretch. I think he's a cad and a liar."

"Yeah, except when the chips are down and you need a guy with character, ability and nerve to help you out of a jam," Mrs. Haynes stated.

She couldn't talk her grandmother out of making her present the award at the chamber's annual awards dinner, but Sandy did dream up a way to teach Mark a much needed lesson.

Mark knew that receiving the small business of the year award would benefit his business. He could use it to promote himself and his standing in the community. He had his roots in sales and he understood how good press always helped make a sale.

The problem was that the letter he received telling him of the award also stated that Miss Sandra Phillips would be the presenter. She had pretty much told him to leave her alone and he had abided by her wishes. That didn't mean that he didn't think about her often. It hurt that she found him so reprehensible without even knowing why.

His parents had insisted that he needed to go to the dinner and graciously accept the award. He had reserved two tables for the presentation. His five employees and their significant others were attending, as were his parents, his sister and Brittany.

Mark's group took their seats as the formalities began. There were numerous speeches and acceptances. Mark appreciated how the person presenting the award drew out the recipient by asking some general questions about the business and why it was successful. It was far more interesting than the usual bit where a recipient thanked Mom, the guy upstairs and the maintenance man.

Mark began to relax when he saw how smoothly the system appeared to work. All he would have to do is answer some questions about how and when he started his business, what they do and why it works so well. He felt confident he had the answers for any reasonable question. He had this!

Mrs. Haynes took to the podium to introduce her granddaughter, who would be handling the final presentation. Sandy graciously took over and began reading the qualifications needed to win the prestigious small business of the year award. Mark felt confident and relaxed, at least until Brittany whispered to him.

"I've seen that woman. I don't remember where, but it'll come to me. Something seems off here."

"The winner of this year's Small Business of the Year Award is Reynolds Restoration," Sandy announced to a lengthy applause. "The founder and owner is Mark Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds, please stand."

"Mark stood and Sandy continued. "Mr. Reynolds, can you tell everyone what it is that your company does?"

Mark smiled as he gave his best sales pitch on the merits of his small company. Sandy lobbed a few more softball questions before things became interesting.