Outside, the air was fresh and cold. Sadie breathed it in deeply. The snowflakes were gone, and the clouds above were thinning. Rays of sunlight cast ladders into the distant mountain range. Although the several feet of powdery snow was more than they ever had in Wisconsin, she still felt at home in the winter wonderland. Max’s cabin wasn’t too far from the town, only about a half hour down a gentle mountain slope.Soon, Fox’s Corners came into view: the autobody shop, the tavern, and the tiny general store.
The snow may have stopped, but the main road hadn’t been cleared yet. There was traffic—but it consisted only of people on cross-country skis or, like Sadie, on snowshoes. Sadie was charmed; it looked as cozy and heartwarming as a holiday movie set.
As she passed the autobody shop, she saw Mary standing outside, closing the hood of a pickup truck with chains on its tires. She smiled and waved when she saw Sadie plodding along the snowy street.
Sadie stepped into the tiny general store, where the owner was restringing an ancient looking pair of snowshoes. She found a bag of decent-looking frozen shrimp and a bake-from-frozen baguette. She added a dusty box of penne to her basket, as well as cream, parmesan, lemon, garlic, and a clamshell container of cherry tomatoes. She even found California strawberries in the small produce section. “Lucky girl,” the man said when she got to the checkout. “Those go fast.” She added a package of taper candles to her basket, and she was done.
After she paid for the groceries, she packed them all into the small backpack she had brought along and headed back up the mountain to Max’s cabin. She felt her anticipation grow with every step. She had only been away from him for just over an hour, but she missed him. And it was a good feeling.
Max was just waking up when she opened the door. He rubbed his bleary eyes, confused. “Where’d you go?”
“Just into town,” Sadie said, closing the door behind her.
“You should have woken me, I would have come with you.”
“You looked so peaceful, and you were obviously worn out from my kicking your butt all night at Rummoli.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I held my own.”
Max stood and greeted her with a kiss, but then frowned when he noticed her phone sitting on a side table. “You really should have brought your phone with you, Sadie. It’s not safe to be trekking up and down the mountain without one.”
“It’s not snowing, there was plenty of light, and it’s a direct and easy path from your place to town,” Sadie said lightly—but she was touched by his worry for her. She picked up her phone but couldn’t turn it on, not yet. She didn’t want to think about the real world. She would focus on their safe little haven inside the cabin instead, and making it a perfect night.
“What do you have there?” Max asked, coming up behind her and sliding his arms around her waist, then nuzzling her ear. She leaned into him.
“I’m making you dinner,” she said.
“Now, wait a minute. You can sing, you’re smart, you’re not so bad to look at, and you can cook? Hot damn, I am one lucky man!”
“You really are,” she said with a smile.
“What can I do to help?” he murmured, his face close to hers.
“We-ell, as enjoyable asthisis, it’s probably not helping much,” she said. She pulled away from him reluctantly and gave him the cherry tomatoes to wash. “Maybe put on some music when you’re done?”
He went to put on a record from his mom’s extensive stashof vinyl. She smiled as the familiar music fromMerry Christmas with Patsy Clinebegan.
“My gran loved—” she said, then stopped and swallowed hard.
“I bet shelovesthis album.”
“Oh yeah.” Sadie recovered as fast as she could. “It’s her favorite. Mine, too. Good choice, Max.”
Outside, the sun was starting to set and the light in the cabin was dim. Max found old wine bottles to put the candles in, as well as a dusty bottle of Amarone in a high cupboard. “No idea if it’ll be any good,” he said as he popped the cork. He brought her a glass and kissed her nose. “Thanks for doing this, Sadie. You’re making me feel real special.”
Sadie kissed him back, banishing the sadness she had been feeling earlier about her gran. But, she decided as she took a sip of wine, she was going to tell him about Gran during their meal. She knew she had to let him in. It would hurt, but then it would be over.
The meal came together quickly, a dish her mom had taught her to make. She explained the steps to Max as she sauteed the shrimp in butter and garlic, added the tomatoes and cooked them until they burst, splashed in some of the cream, and plated it with parmesan and lemon wedges.
“Sadie, this issogood,” Max said, taking his first bite of the pasta when they were seated at the table.
“It’s really nothing,” Sadie said. “But I wanted to show you how much I appreciate...” She looked around her at the cabin, which looked especially enchanting in the flickering candlelight. “All this. This week was just what I needed.”
He looked at her for a long time, the candle flames dancing in his eyes. “Me, too, Sadie,” he said gently.
“There’s something else I need to talk about,” Sadie said. Her heart was pounding, but she knew what she had to do.
“Anything, Sadie,” he said. She took a deep breath—and then noticed a red spot on his neck.
