Page 19 of A Winter Thaw

“Relax, Mom, it won’t be that long.” Michelle smiled at her reassuringly, but Audrey thought she detected a glimmer of nervousness in her daughter’s eyes. She wanted to ask Michelle how she was feeling, but Elaine moved in to hug Michelle, and Evan took Audrey’s hand, pulling her to the side.

“Have a wonderful time,” he said, touching her cheek gently as he tucked strands of hair behind her ear. “I know you’re going to shine out there.”

Audrey felt surprised by the way his sweetness caused her throat to close with emotion. “I’m going to miss you so much,” she whispered, her voice husky.

Evan gave her a big kiss. “I’m going to miss you too,” he said, his voice soft. “But you should focus on having a great time. You’ll be home before we know it.”

She nodded, smiling at him. “You’re right.”

“And this trip is going to be so worth it.”

“I know it is.” She rubbed her hands together. “I fully intend to make sure that everything goes as planned. We are going to kill this whole conference thing!”

He chuckled. “I know you are.”

They shared another kiss, and Audrey turned toward the gate. She noticed that Elaine and Shep were sharing their own romantic goodbye.

“Don’t get too lonely without me,” Elaine teased, but her eyes were shining at him in a way that made it clear she meant her words.

“I can take care of myself, little missy, don’t you worry,” Shep bantered back.

Audrey was about to keep walking forward when she felt a sudden urge to hug Michelle again. She ran back to her daughter and gave her a big squeeze, and Michelle hugged her tightly.

“Call if you need anything,” Audrey whispered. “I can come right back.”

“Relax, Mom, I’m an adult now, remember?” Michelle laughed. “Thank you, but I’ve got it. Don’t I, Puddle?”

Puddle jumped up and down at Audrey’s feet as if she was trying to leap into her arms. Audrey bent down and picked the puppy up for a moment, giving her a kiss on the head. Puddle wriggled and whined excitedly.

“I’ll see you darlings later,” Audrey said. “Come on, Mom, we don’t want to be late!”

She and Elaine shared a smile before waving at their loved ones and starting toward the gate, ready to take on their upcoming adventure.

* * *

Michelle pushed open the kitchen door at The Birchwood House and let out an enormous yawn. She’d gotten up early to go with Elaine and Audrey to the airport, and she was feeling groggy and stiff, as if her personal battery had started at low that day and had already run out.

Puddle, on the other hand, seemed boundlessly energetic. She dashed across the kitchen floor, looking for something. She snuffled around the kitchen cabinets, her tail wagging furiously.

“Oh no,” Michelle said, sitting down in a kitchen chair and staring at the puppy. “Please tell me you don’t smell a mouse.”

Puddle trotted back over to her, wagging her tail. Michelle wrinkled her nose at the puppy, imagining what a disaster it would be if there was a mouse in the hotel—and she’d be on her own having to deal with it.

Come on, Michelle, she told herself. There’s no need to start worrying about things. You haven’t seen any signs of a mouse in the pantry or anywhere else. Don’t start overreacting just because you’re feeling nervous.

She stood up, heaving a sigh. She’d been gone for hours, so she should probably check the front desk and make sure there weren’t any new emails or voicemails. She was halfway across the kitchen when her stomach growled, and she decided that she wouldn’t make herself get to work without bringing a snack along.

She made her way over to the refrigerator and made herself a yogurt parfait using vanilla yogurt, blueberries, chocolate granola, and honey. She added a slight sprinkle of cinnamon for good measure and then stuck her spoon into the mixture with a sigh of satisfaction. One taste of the parfait told her that she’d chosen her ingredients well—it was absolutely delicious.

She poured herself a cup of coffee and added a generous amount of milk. She picked up her mug and the glass bowl she’d made her parfait in and was just about to walk through the kitchen door when she realized she’d lost track of Puddle.

“Puddle?” she called, looking around the kitchen. She felt slightly alarmed. Puddle had been doing well in her house training and for the most part was always asking to be let out when she needed to use the bathroom, but there had been a few times she’d seemed to think the front hallway was just as good a spot as her designated patch of backyard.

Michelle saw that the door leading into the hallway was ajar and she hurried through it, looking for her puppy. She located Puddle a second later. The dog was sitting underneath the hallway table, wagging her tail as if she was excited about getting a pastry.

“You silly lady,” Michelle said, setting her mug and the glass bowl down on top of the hallway table. “Come on back to your closet. I need to get some work done, and I can’t be worrying that you’re wandering into people’s rooms and starting to chew on their best shoes.”

She scooped the puppy up into her arms. Puddle seemed happy enough to be carried until she realized that she was being put back into her closet, and then she began to whine.