Page 8

Rissa cleaned up after her, and then pulled her hat and mittens from her pockets. Frizzle didn’t like getting far from her friend, so Rissa decided against the leash. Her Yorkie could be stubborn, but offering her a treat was a surefire way to make her comply. Rissa had a little container of treats in her coat’s pocket that would bring her back if Frizzle wandered too far.

Frizzle’s appetite matched her tiny body, so the treats were easy on the budget. That wasn’t as much of a factor now as it had been when she’d first adopted her friend, but being frugal was ingrained.

When Rissa had agreed to contracts that would bring her into the northern states, she’d thrift shopped for outerwear for the two of them, including the cute Santa suit the Yorkie wore now. Being so low to the ground, Frizzle’s clothes got wet quickly, so Rissa needed several if they were outside a lot.

Frizzle barked a question with a look at the barn, and Rissa nodded. “Sure, we can go that way. Our friends told us to explore everywhere we wanted. It’s safe and dog-friendly. We might meet Fox, the outdoor dog they told us about.”

When she heard a boy’s voice call out to them, she wasn’t surprised. Charlie lived on the farm with his parents and little sister. He’d been at the school for her lessons the previous day. A bright, curious boy, he engaged with her lesson, asked good questions and helped a friend who had struggled with the robots’ coding.

“Hi Rissa, hi Frizzle. Good morning. Are you heading to the inn for breakfast?”

She smiled. “I’ve got lots of food in the Q Lab, but thanks.”

His family caught up to him, and Olivia smiled. “We’d love for you both to join us. Please say yes.”

Oggie, the family’s beagle, wandered to sniff noses with Frizzle. Then the dogs led the way away from the barn and up to the path leading to the inn.

Nash chuckled. “Looks like Frizzle agrees with the plan.”

Rissa felt guilty eating food she hadn’t paid for, but she fell into step with the group. It would be easy to estimate how much she’d cost the group and leave an envelope for Amber at the end of her stay. She couldn’t resist the family vibe. It reminded her of the times she’d eaten with Burke’s family when they’d been kids. Halona and Mato had been full of love and warmth—plenty of room for one more at their table and in their hearts.

The warmth of the previous evening’s meal had stayed with Rissa through the night. Amber had offered her a room in the inn, and Jolie had offered one in the farmhouse. Both had handled the offers privately and encouraged her to stay. She’d thanked them, but refused the rooms. She and Frizzle were perfectly content in the Q Lab.

When they’d been kids, Rissa and Burke had been the oldest. They’d been the ones looking out for the younger kids. Now the roles were reversed.

Not surprisingly, the four Malssum siblings had become excellent adults. Kind, hard-working, and caring. Rissa had felt none of her usual discomfort when surrounded by adults. No creepy vibes, no disdain or disturbing digs for more information than she was comfortable sharing. Everyone had shown as much curiosity about her job as Charlie had, but had steered clear of her personal life. The group enjoyed investigating ideas and learning, but had taken her cues that her private life was off-limits.

What the Malssums were doing with regenerative apple farming sounded amazing. It appealed—haha—to her on many levels. She could imagine a permanent job here, showcasing the lifestyle of a farm in online lessons to kids around the country. Yearly cycles of apple trees and other plants. She couldn’t see the details now, but the garden Gray had planted in the huge field separating the inn and the farmhouse would provide dozens of lessons alone.

When Charlie had enthused about her lessons, the conversation had turned to the farm’s scientific aspects. She couldn’t wait to see the Worminator. Thea kept the compost facility working throughout the year. Many schools were composting these days, and seeing a working facility in action would be fun and informative. Kids loved compost.

Jolie had converted a stagnant pond in the orchard to a thriving one. They were going to extend the irrigation lines this summer. That would be a fabulous unit.

Then there were Dani’s bees. Another unit there would encourage kids and adults to take care of the bee population.

Cider making. A brand-new greenhouse with a botanist who was an expert in grafting and splicing new species. He was even growing cinnamon.

Bats and owls. Ducks and chickens. She couldn’t wait to see the inn’s flocks playing in the snow. And the circle of life with the ducks munching on snails at night.

Then there was the machinery. So many examples of engines and electricity. As a mechanic, Lawson would be great at showing kids how things worked.

Ford was a builder and could showcase simple machines in action in dozens of ways.

This was a place Rissa could happily stay forever. The teaching opportunities were endless and the people were incredibly warm and inviting.

But that was a dream, not her reality.

Still, she would enjoy the family vibe as long as she was in town. That would fill her up, and she wouldn’t mind another Christmas on her own.

It was safer that way.

The drive from Boston to Phail was around three hours. More with traffic and idiots who didn’t know how to drive in fresh snowfall. Thankfully, he encountered fewer of them as he left the city behind. The further north he drove, the higher the snowbanks climbed.

His shoulders loosened as he left the densely populated areas. He’d spent his first fifteen years in Burlington, but it wasn’t nearly as large as Boston. Burlington had more of a town vibe. Lots of outdoor activities where winter was a season to be enjoyed, not cursed.

Living with Fox in Swanton until he’d left for college and then the army had been amazing. They’d spent as much time outdoors as in, in part because their grandfather’s house hadn’t been built for five kids. They’d made it work anyway.

Sharing a room with his brothers hadn’t been bad. They’d always gotten along. He’d enjoyed being close enough to help them when nightmares woke them. Knox had only been nine, and he’d had a lot of tough ones. Sometimes he’d snuck into Burke’s bed to talk it out with him. Other times, he’d walked to the kitchen to do the same with Fox.