The container of strawberries appears to be okay. I chop them up, and put them into a container. I grab the opened bag of beef jerky and give it the sniff test. It passes. In the brown paper bag it goes. I portion out an individual serving of potato chips and hunt down a juice box from the cabinet. With the cookie from the diner, I’d say that’s a pretty darn good lunch.
I stand at the counter and finish my breakfast in record time. Flipping my wrist, I check my watch.
“Shit, Nellie-Jo. Run and brush your teeth. We’ve got to go.”
I collect the garbage from breakfast and run it outside to the big garbage bin. By the time I get back inside, she’s got her backpack on, and she’s wrestling with her shoes.
“Will I see you tonight?”
I kneel while she practices tying them tight.
“I don’t know. I have some overtime this week, but Aunt Cortney and Uncle Spencer will walk you home from school.”
Her eyes light up at the mention of my brother and his veterinarian wife. They solidly became two of her favorite familymembers after Spencer took her to the vet clinic to play with some kittens last summer.
“Okay, Daddy.” She stands up and throws her arms around my neck. “Love you.”
There’s nothing in the world better than hearing those words from my girl. The dirty dishes, the long hours, the late nights working overtime. None of it matters as long as I have her.
“I love you too.”
2
Alice
“Areyou sure you want to come straight here? We have no problem pushing until tomorrow if you need some time to rest and freshen up.” My best friend Whitney’s voice flows through the speakers of my car.
I blink the grit from my eyes. “I’m well rested, Whit. I took a shower this morning and everything.”
“You’ve been on the road for three days.”
“And I feel as fresh as a spring tulip.” The leather on the steering wheel creaks beneath my fingers. “The sooner I land this position, the sooner I can settle into my new life.”
“I’m going to do whatever I can to make this easier on you,” she says softly.
I twist the dial to crank the AC. “Are you kidding? This is the best thing to happen to me in ages. I don’t know why I didn’t follow you to Minnesota in the first place. I’m so excited to be close to you and the kids again.”
“Me too.”
“And hey, you now have a built-in babysitter for date nights.”
“I already have a babysitter. You will, however, be joining our book club stat.”
“Give me all the details when I get there. You know how I love a good romance.” Seeing as my sex life is nonexistent, I need to live vicariously through someone, fictional or real.
“I already have an extra copy of the book reserved. And the rental is ready for you. It’s a beautiful property. You’re going to love it.”
“I’m just really glad for a place to crash, even if it is only temporary.”
“Six months is plenty of time to get your feet under you. The whole family will be keeping their eyes out for something more suitable.”
“That must be half the town,” I joke, thinking of her large extended family. Her husband, Jack Powell, has five siblings, all of whom are in serious relationships.
Whitney laughs. “There are only ten of us. Eleven if you count Nancy. Twelve if you include Cortney, but she’s technically a Stone, not a Powell. The town is small, but it’s notthatsmall.”
My mind wanders to my one and only other visit this far up north, and I shudder. “Well, to an outsider, it sure felt like you know everyone in that town.”
“Let’s just say the Powells are very involved here. It doesn’t have to be like that for you if you’d rather keep to yourself.”
