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Ellie was still smiling as she made her way across the frozen farmyard. The dusting of snow that had fallen that afternoon had started to freeze, making the trees and the hedgerows glisten, but the scent of more snow was definitely in the air. Wouldn’t it be fabulous it they got another layer tonight? Josh and Toto would be ecstatic, especially when they discovered the sledges Art had made for them both under the tree.
As she rounded the farmhouse, her heart soared at the sight of Art’s camper van coming down the lane. She spotted Josh waving frantically and Toto bobbing up and down next to him in the van’s front seat.
My family’s home.
The swell of emotion blindsided her as both kids piled out of the van.
‘Mom, there’s snow!’ Josh said, as he barrelled into her and wrapped his arms round her waist.
‘Welcome home, honey,’ she said, holding him close. She placed her hands on his shoulders, which were almost level with hers now. Good Lord, how could he have grown so much, in just two weeks?
‘Didn’t you have snow in New York?’ she asked.
‘Yeah, but it’s not as cool as here,’ he said.
She laughed, while trying not to feel smug at Dan’s expense.
The divorce had gone through two months ago with a minimal amount of fuss. And she knew her ex was trying. Josh had reported with enthusiasm all the stuff he’d done with his dad in Orchard Harbor in the past fortnight – a tour of the New York Mets Stadium, a Broadway show, a trip to the mall to buy Josh a ton of designer clothes and video games and about five trips to the local multi-plex to see all the Christmas movies. Even if the line-up of events had been the same shiny distractions Dan had always enjoyed doing with his son, Ellie could see how much Josh had revelled in all the attention.
Dan had always struggled with the responsibilities of being Everyday Dad – the man who did ‘stuff’ with his son, the man who could be a role model as well as a pal, who could instil discipline, who could nurture and protect and spend more than just bursts of quality time without getting bored. And that hadn’t changed.
But, as Art approached them both with his hand in Toto’s, she knew Josh no longer lacked that male presence in his life. Without ever being asked, Art had moved seamlessly into the role of Everyday Dad – leaving Dan free to be Vacation Dad, a role he excelled at, during the six weeks of the year they had agreed Josh would spend with him and his new girlfriend Ally in Orchard Harbor.
Somehow, so far, and against all the odds, their shared parenthood plan seemed to be working out.
Maybe there would be complications down the line. Josh wouldn’t always be so sunny and adaptable – she and Art had already had a few short sharp bursts of Teen Josh, and Teen Toto, to handle in the last few months. And maybe one day Dan would want more of his time. Plus, there wasn’t a lot of love lost between Dan and Art. But so far it was working. And after everything that had happened in the last six months, to her and Josh, Ellie had happily adopted a new life strategy.
Until it’s actually broke, don’t waste your time and energy freaking out about it.
‘Me and Toto are going sledging,’ Josh announced. ‘Art made us sledges.’
‘That was supposed to be a surprise, for tomorrow.’ Ellie’s gaze connected with Art’s and she spotted the crinkle of amusement round his eyes.
‘Not any more, I peeked,’ Toto announced.
Art shrugged, as the rueful smile she had come to adore spread across his face. ‘How glad am I, I spent all those nights working late in the workshop to keep it a secret for Christmas morning.’
‘Toto, you fiend,’ Ellie said.
‘Oops,’ Toto said cheekily, not chastened in the least. ‘But it’s silly not to use them. The snow might have melted by tomorrow and then all Dad’s hard work could be wasted for another whole year.’
‘Fair point, Batman,’ Ellie said, and Toto grinned at her.
‘So can we go sledging now?’ Josh said. ‘We’ve been talking about it for hours.’
‘But it’s going to be dark soon,’ Ellie said, checking the skyline – her worry gene never too far from the surface, despite her new life strategy. They had an hour of daylight left at best.
‘Please, Mom.’ ‘Please, Ellie.’ Josh and To
to begged in unison.
Gathering them both in her arms, she turned to Art. ‘What do you say? Should we reward Toto’s espionage skills?’
The look in his eyes had something dark and intense flickering to life in her abdomen.
‘Definitely,’ he said.
The kids ran off, chasing each other to the workshop as Art shouted after them. ‘Be back at least ten minutes before it gets too dark to see.’
