AllFreeNovel
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"Where's Dad?" I ask, breaking the tension by mentioning the man who always seems to be somewhere else these days.
"Nora's van slid off the road again," Mom shakes her head, motioning toward the window where I see white patches of snow covering the deck. Typical spring on the mountain. It snowed all night and Nora is notorious for driving too fast in it. "I keep telling those two she needs a better vehicle. No one listens to me."
"So, Dad's going to meet us there?" I question, trying to get her back on track.
"I hope so," Mom shrugs. "You know Danny and Nora are having…a hard time right now."
I think the whole mountain is aware of the strange situation going on between Danny and Nora. They're childhood sweethearts who got pregnant a few years out of high school. Neither ended up going to college, so they settled into a predictable life on the mountain. They got married a year after Ollie, their eldest, was born. I'm not sure when it started, but Nora was having an emotional affair with one of the kids' principals. Danny found out and started drinking at the bar after work. Most nights, he could barely walk out the scroungy door to drive home. Well, until Mom and Dad stepped in and told them they had to fix the situation because they have three kids depending on them. They started going to church and Danny got sober. It's been...weird, to say the least.
"It's fine," I offer Mom my best smile. "Danny and Nora need Dad right now. And we have…"
"You have me," Kyle shoots me a cocky grin. "I'm driving."
I breathe out a sigh of relief. I love Mom, I really do, but she sucks at driving in the snow. I can walk places faster than she can drive in it. She won't even go into town before lunch if there's been a snowstorm. She waits until the streets are salted and cleared before venturing out. If she has to go into work early, for whatever reason, she always makes Dad drive her. Thankfully, he owns his own roofing company and does most of his work from home in our basement office. Danny's the one who's out in the field.
Mom brushes past me and she smells like peaches and cinnamon. It smells homey and warm and safe. The knots in my stomach temporarily disappear.
"Did you grab Matt's present?" Mom asks.
I tense as she slips her purse over her shoulder. "I'll give it to him later." Or maybe never.
"Go get it," Mom motions, frustrated, toward the stairs. "We'll wait. We've been waiting on you all morning."
I shoot her an icy glare, but my feet seem to do what she says and carry me to the staircase. I guess he's getting his present whether I want to give it to him or not.
—
"I'm so sorry we're late," Mom apologies as she hugs Diane.
Diane waves her hand through the air, absentmindedly. "The birthday boy isn't even here yet. Don't worry about it."
Mom steps aside and I give Diane a hug. Her long, strawberry blonde hair cascades down her back in waves and she smells like fresh laundry. Her white blouse is silky against my chin as we embrace. When she finally releases me, she puts both hands on my shoulders. Her sparkling green eyes, a ring of bronze around each pupil, take me in with concern.
"I haven't seen you in two weeks. I've missed you," she pouts.
"Just been busy," I reply. I'm pretty sure she knows what happened with Matt and me. Mom probably told her. But it's just easier to pretend everything's fine. That I'm fine. That it's all just fine.
She nods solemnly. "I understand."
I look around and realize the Thompson patriarch isn't sitting at the table. "Where's Randy?"
Diane slips a stray strand of reddish blond hair behind her ear. "He's talking to Gary. He'll be right back."
Gary is the owner of Cedar Ridge Lodge and an old friend of Randy's. They went to college together and he's the main reason the Thompsons relocated to Colorado seven years ago. They stayed at the lodge for vacation and never wanted to leave. Randy has some financial job where he buys and sells stock. Or something along those lines. He mostly works from home like Dad.
"Should we sit?" Diane suggests as I look around, notice Kyle has disappeared.
"Yes," Mom smiles.
We take our places at the table. Mom and Diane sit across from each other, and I pull out the chair beside Mom. The legs scrape across the natural stone flooring, letting out a terrible sound, like fingernails on a chalkboard. Everyone in the dining area turns to look at me. My face instantly heats with embarrassment. I lower my head and fall into the seat beside Mom. Thankfully, she's too engrossed in conversation with Diane to notice.
Diane and Mom catch up on work things. Diane is between cases at the moment, but she's assisting a junior colleague on a wrongful conviction case. One of the witnesses lied on the stand and they can prove it. Mom's store has sold more engagement rings this winter than ever before. Guess people love the idea of getting engaged on top of a snow-capped mountain. Then plunging off a cliff with just a piece of fiberglass beneath them. Snow sports of any kind just aren't my thing. I prefer the familiar comforts of being inside. Dry clothes, warm limbs and hot chocolate.
I could really use a hot chocolate right now.
"Have you found a Prom dress yet?" Diane interrupts my thoughts, tries including me in their conversation.
I clear my throat, uncomfortable. "I'm not going to Prom."
