Page 38 of A Winter Thaw

“I can imagine.” Elaine gave Audrey a sideways hug, and Audrey had a feeling Elaine was thinking about Audrey’s own messy, painful divorce. “Come on, let’s go get some fresh air and all the sunshine that’s available to us on this cloudy day. I’m sure that will help lift your spirits.”

Audrey bundled up in her coat, scarf, and hat, and pulled on the mittens that were tucked inside her coat pockets. Once she and Elaine were both properly wrapped up against the cold, they stepped outside together.

“Oof, that’s brisk,” Audrey said as a gust of wind rushed against their faces. “I hope we find a nice building to go inside soon. It’s frigid out here.”

“A little cold is great for the body,” Elaine said cheerfully. “It gets the blood moving.”

Audrey laughed. “If you say so, Mom. I guess I do feel a lot more awake than I did.”

“So tell me how Penelope’s doing,” Elaine said, adjusting her scarf so that it covered more of her face. “You said it seems like this is hard on her?”

“Yeah.” Audrey sighed. “She’s trying to put a brave face on it, of course, because she’s Penelope, but I can tell she’s really upset. I know deep down she still wishes that everything had worked out. That the original dream she’d had about Robert had stayed intact.”

Elaine nodded. “She’s been dealing with sadness for a long time. This is the last hoop she has to go through in order to find healing and a better life. It’s hard for her, but it’s good.”

“You’re right.” Audrey stuffed her hands in her pockets and half-closed her eyes as another gust of wind rushed against their faces. “I just wish I could be there with her right now. And Michelle too. I feel bad about not being there for either of them.”

“It’s not your fault.” Elaine patted Audrey on the back as they walked. “You would be there if you could be. And I think they’ll both be just fine. Who knows? Maybe it’s even for the best. Community is what holds us together, but sometimes we need to learn how to depend on ourselves more. Maybe both Penelope and Michelle need this time to practice self-reliance and figure some things out for themselves. I know you would love to be able to step in and help them whenever they need, but the reality is that we have to face a lot of things in life by ourselves. The more we learn to trust ourselves, the easier everything feels.”

Audrey nodded, feeling comforted by her mother’s words. “I think you’re right, Mom. I would be there for them if I could be, but maybe I’m not meant to be there right away.”

The two of them walked quietly for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. Audrey was just beginning to feel too chilly, and she was about to suggest to Elaine that they go inside somewhere, when Elaine touched her arm.

“Look!” Elaine said eagerly. “There’s an old church. It looks like it’s open for tours—we should go inside.”

“Sounds great.” Audrey shivered. “I need to warm up somewhere.”

They pulled open the heavy wooden door of the old church, which creaked in low tones. Inside, the church was hushed and smelled faintly of incense. It was cool inside, but significantly warmer than it had been outside.

Audrey and Elaine stepped forward carefully into the sanctuary, their footsteps echoing slightly in the vast room. Magnificent stained-glass windows glowed in the dim winter light, and the sight was so awe-inspiring Audrey had to stop and take a deep breath.

The beauty of the church reminded her of the permanence of important things. They might all be going through struggles at the moment, but those struggles were temporary. Audrey gazed up at the beautiful, glowing windows and listened to the sound of distant bells playing a Christmas carol. She couldn’t wait to be home with her whole family again, celebrating the most joyous season of all.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Michelle set the last plate into the dishwasher and breathed out an exquisite sigh of relief. Around her, the kitchen gleamed and a cinnamon spice candle flickered, letting off a cozy glow and a wonderful aroma. A boisterous winter wind blew around The Birchwood House, rattling the old windows slightly and sighing in the eaves.

I finally did it, she thought, rising up on her tiptoes with happiness. I finally got all my work done for The Birchwood House. Every email has been replied to, everyone has been called back, and all the guests are checked in and have everything they need.

She went over to the refrigerator and opened it leisurely, wondering what she would make herself for dinner. She didn’t like the idea of cooking after she’d just finally finished all her work, and she decided to make herself a sandwich using some leftover roast chicken and coleslaw. She’d just set the container of coleslaw down on the table when there was a popping sound and the kitchen was plunged into darkness.

Michelle squeaked, looking around in alarm. Only the cinnamon candle still glowed, casting a pool of golden light across the counter and gleaming on the kitchen windowpanes.

The power went out? she thought in alarm. Not in the middle of winter! This is an absolute disaster. I have to call someone right away.

She could hear the guests upstairs, calling to each other and shouting. She could hear that some of them were a little panicky, and she felt panicky herself. She ran to one of the kitchen drawers and opened it, pulling out a flashlight that they kept there for power outage emergencies.

She’d left her cellphone on the front desk, and she clicked on the flashlight as she hurried across the kitchen. She hoped she’d be able to call for help and get an answer before one of the guests came downstairs, asking her what was going to happen. She hated that the guests were dealing with the stress of a power outage at all—the last thing she wanted to happen was for her to have to tell them, “I don’t know how or when this is going to be resolved.”

She located her cellphone and switched off the flashlight. Standing in the dark parlor, she dialed the number of the electric company. A woman on the other end assured her that the power would come back on soon, and there was no need to fret.

“Just hang in there,” the woman said. “If you’ve got a fireplace, light it. That will help with heat. Keep the fridge closed. Other than that, just hang tight and we should get that fixed for you within an hour or two.”

An hour or two? One hour sounded bearable, two sounded like a disaster. It was an old house and it was the middle of winter. Without heat, the hotel would become very chilly in a short amount of time. She didn’t want the guests to have an unpleasant experience. And what if the electric company was wrong, and they weren’t able to fix the power in a few hours?

She thanked the woman and ended the call. For a few moments, she stood in the dark parlor, feeling frozen with indecision. What should she do? Call out to the guests? Light candles? Start fires in all the fireplaces?

At that moment, the front door opened.