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A movement on one of the chairs drew her attention. A black cat stood and stretched, arching its back. Kara stepped forward. The cat poised at the edge of the chair, ready to scamper away.
“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”
The cat sent her a wide-eyed stare, as though trying to make up its mind about her. Finding her not to be an immediate threat, it sat down.
“Well, aren’t you a cutie? I’m surprised you’d live here with Mr. Scrooge. You know, he wasn’t always so grouchy.”
Kara glanced around, making sure they were alone. A clank followed by a thud assured her Jason was still in the kitchen. Now would be a good time to contact her family.
“I’ll be back,” she told the cat, whose golden eyes followed her every movement.
With her outerwear wet, Kara borrowed Jason’s far-too-large boots and a dry blue coat that was hanging on a wooden peg by the door. She rushed out into the driving snow to retrieve her belongings from the SUV. She hoped and prayed her cell phone hadn’t been damaged in the accident. Once back on the covered porch, she dropped her stuff on one of the rockers. A quick search of her tote revealed her phone had survived the accident. The lights twinkled across the screen and displayed a weak signal. It’d have to do.
Her parents would be anxious to hear from her. She always called when she was going to be late, and she refused to take advantage of their generosity. Only tonight, there was no way she was going to make it home. She hit the speed dial and pressed the cold plastic to her ear.
Crackle. Crackle. Ring.
By the fourth ring, she began to worry. Surely her parents hadn’t done anything foolish, like heading out in this storm to hunt for her. She paced back and forth. Please let them be safe.
As though in answer to her prayer, her father’s voice came over the line. “Kara? Is that you?”
“It’s me, Dad.”
Crackle. “...been so worried.”
“Dad? I can hardly hear you.”
“Kara...” Crackle. “...and Samantha are all right. Where are you?”
“I’m at the resort.” The answer was close enough to the truth without having to get into the sticky explanation about spending the night with her ex-fiancé. “The roads are impassable. I’ll be home tomorrow.”
“Okay, be...”
Crackle. Crackle. Silence.
Time to deal with Jason. What in the world would they discuss? Her mind raced as she rushed back inside to warm herself by the fire. There had to be some sort of casual conversation they could make to keep the tense silence at bay.
The weather? A mere glance outside pretty much summed up that depressing subject.
The resort? It was bad enough being snowed in with the new owner. If firing her was part of his reorganization plan, she didn’t want to find out tonight.
The past? The mere thought soured her stomach. That subject was best left alone.
Perhaps in this case silence truly was golden.
* * *
Jason reached into the far corner of the cabinet above the stove. Luckily, a neighbor had presented him with a welcome basket containing some tea bags. Not knowing what to do with them, he’d stashed the bags in the back of the cabinet. He never imagined he’d be serving Kara, of all people, some chai tea.
His mind was still reeling from the news that she was now a mother. As he placed the mug of tea on an old tray, an image of her with a baby in her arms filled his mind. Uneasiness settled in his gut. Years ago, when he’d proposed marriage, he’d been too young to think much about kids, other than someday they’d have two. A boy and a girl.
Even though he’d wanted her to move on, he’d never thought he’d be around to see her again. And he’d certainly never imagined she’d end up a single mom. A fiery rage slithered through his veins and burned in the pit of his stomach. The guy who’d abandoned Kara and her little girl better hope Jason never crossed his path.
Jason opened the fridge, removed a jug of milk and banged it down on the counter. What excuse did this man have for walking away from Kara? Sure, he himself had done the same thing, but there hadn’t been a baby involved. He’d left in order to protect Kara from what he’d learned about himself. At the time, he’d been in shock, and repulsed by the ugly words his drunken father had spewed at him. Emotionally wounded and in trauma, he’d needed to get away from everyone he knew, including Kara.
The memory of the tears streaking down her cheeks, dripping onto her new green Christmas dress, still bowled him over with self-loathing. His jaw clenched. He’d totally botched the entire situation. Now he deserved her contempt, and anything else she could throw at him. He was a mature man, a soldier, he could shoulder her wrath. Besides, she couldn’t say anything about him that he hadn’t thought at some point.
“Do you need any help?” she called out from the other room.
