AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She hasn’t said a word directly to me since we left the chalet. Everything has been an instruction to someone else, to drop us off here and put our gear there. I’ve followed along, trying not to think about how I’m just as uncertain about skiing as I am about spending time with Caleb’s mother.
“We’re nearly at the top.” Abigail finally speaks, startling me. At this point, I figured she forgot I was even here.
Maybe I should have broken the icy silence first, but I’m not sure what to say to her. Part of me resents the disdain she’s made obvious. Part of me doesn’t want to say something stupid around her, because she’s Caleb’s mom and that will always mean her opinion matters to me.
“Great.” I aim for enthusiasm but fall short around apprehension.
“I know I haven’t been very welcoming toward you.”
It takes a minute for her words to register. She’s always hidden her contempt behind small snubs. If I ever confronted her about her behavior, I assumed she’d deny it and act like I was crazy.
“I grew up in Landry, Mrs. Winters,” I reply. “I’m used to it.”
“I’m not so heartless as to blame you for your parents’ shortcomings, Lennon. To be perfectly honest, I think the town’s perception of your family is quite ridiculous. Unfortunately, it hits a little closer to home for me.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I respond.
“I know you don’t,” Abigail says, glancing out the window at the snowy landscape, then back at me again. “I think I knew we’d be having this conversation ever since I saw Caleb go over to you after Richard’s service. Austin was convinced you were a fling to Caleb from the first moment he told us you were dating. I knew better. Caleb could barely get the words out without grinning.”
At that, I smile.
“Austin and I haven’t had the easiest life together. There have been good parts. There have also been some bad parts. The worst was when Caleb was in fifth grade. Richard was gearing up for another run against advice and already having health issues. Austin traveled back to Landry a lot. On one of those visits, he…reconnected with an old high school classmate of his.”
Realization hits me like lightening. I connect the dots. “My mom.”
Abigail nods. Her lips are upturned, but they’re defined by sadness, not humor. “I know you’re not to blame for your parents’—for your mother’s—actions, Lennon. Like I said, I think the fact that others do is silly and short-sighted. But some of those actions nearly destroyed my marriage. My family. You’re a constant reminder of that.”
“Does Caleb know?”
“No,” Mrs. Winters replies swiftly. “He knows Austin and I have had our challenges. But not…”Cheating, I fill in. “I’m not asking you to lie to him,” she continues. “But I want you to know I’ve made my peace with the past now. The actions of two consenting adults are nothing you can or should atone for. I didn’t really believe your relationship with Caleb was temporary, but I hoped it would be, and I’m sorry for that. I was worried you would limit him. Keep him in Landry. But seeing you together yesterday and this morning… I’ve never seen Caleb happier. He won’t hesitate to choose you if there’s a choice to be made, but I never want it to come to that. Selfishly, I just needed you to know why I’ve acted the way I have.”
I nod slowly, trying to absorb the bombshell she just dropped on me. Did Gramps know? I’ll never be able to ask him. Maybe it’s for the best. My mother was complex, and her relationship with Gramps was just as complicated.
“Should we ski?”
I glance outside and realize we’ve made it to the top of the mountain. My head is still spinning from Abigail’s revelation.
“I’m a terrible skier,” I admit. “I got invited to go with a friend in seventh grade, so my dad tried to teach me out in the field with boards strapped to my sneakers. It didn’t help. Might have made me worse, actually.”
“Did you spend much time with your father growing up?” Mrs. Winters surprises me by asking.
“No.” I laugh. “Didn’t spend much time with him at all.”
“My father wasn’t around much either. Always off chasing the next business venture.”
“I wish that’s what my father was chasing,” I reply dryly.
She nods in understanding. Until a few minutes ago, I was certain there weren’t any secrets about my family in Landry. All our dirty laundry has been hung out for years.
The gondola’s doors slide open, revealing a black mat covered with snow that’s been condensed and carved.
Abigail exits first. I follow her lead, hastily looping the straps of my ski poles around my wrists. I was hoping these could be used to slow or stop. Everyone zooming down the slope seems to be using them to go faster.
“Ready?” Abigail asks, snapping a pair of goggles into place.
I swallow. “Yep.”
“We’ll veer left first, then tilt to the right, then back again. Nice and easy.”
