Club-of-Aces

"I took the weekend off for Valentine's Day." "Valentine's Day?" Miranda showed her the date on her phone and smiled. Olivia, knee-deep in books, returned the smile with a degree of uncertainty. Outside, snow barricaded the doors to the apartment building and froze halpess cars to the pavement on the side of the street. They were lucky to have power, but just in case, Miranda had stocked their apartment with preserves and granola bars and water. At present, Miranda was setting up a ring of candles on the coffee table, which she had cleared of papers and notebooks. "Why are you playing with those?" Olivia asked, closing the giant tome on he