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Chapter Sixty-Eight
Ella
Eight weeks later
“Howishedoing?”I ask Claudette as I enter the cabin that’s been home for the past two months.
Tiero and I named itSecond Dawn.Not that it is ours to name… yet.
Turns out, in his preparation to exitla famiglia, Tiero created a few untraceable offshore accounts, securing a comfortable future for us and our children.
So I’ve been trying to convince him to buy this place from Carl Freemont and make it ours. He’s been reluctant, wanting to get a little private island somewhere in the Caribbeans instead.
But I’m attached to this place. Not only is this where we’ve been given our new chance at life, but it’s where our child will take her first breath.
I just adore this location. We’ve been spoiled watching the Northern Lights dance over the majestic mountains from the comfort of our living room. It never gets old!
Plus, the people we’ve met here have been welcoming and friendly. The only downside is the many dark winter hours. But that has its own charm. The two fireplaces and the soft lighting throughout the house create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.
I love curling up with a blanket and a good book by the fireplace. After the trauma of the past few months, it’s much needed.
I’m sure the novelty will wear off, but I’m nowhere near that point yet. Especially when I look at the picture-perfect Christmas tree gracing one corner of the living room.
Claudette and I cut it ourselves and dragged it into the house. Tiero wanted to help, but he’s still restricted from lifting anything heavy.
Dr. Prozesnik—yes, I finally mastered saying his name after a lesson from the good doctor himself—is long gone. He checks in with Tiero once a week over the phone and has visited for a physical examination twice.
“Tiero is fine,” Claudette replies as I hand over the paper bags with the produce I just picked up from the local store. “Not that he would ever admit if he wasn’t.”
I take off my heavy jacket and slide off my snow-covered boots, placing them in a tub by the door to catch the water when it melts.
Claudette takes the bags to the kitchen and starts unloading them, and I follow her to wash my hands.
“Do you think you bought enough lemons?” she asks, peeking into a shopping bag that’s entirely filled with them. “This will last months, even with your lemonade cravings.”
“Good,” I say unapologetically. “I don’t want to risk running out, and they might when the snow really hits. Barb said it’s been mild so far this winter.”
“This is mild?” Claudette huffs, but then shrugs it off in typical Claudette fashion.
Though something is different about her today, I just can’t put my finger on it.
I study her as she puts away the groceries. It takes her a moment to notice, too lost in her own thoughts.
“How’s Barbara? And how is the little princess?” she eventually asks. “Wait, did I ask you that already?”
See what I mean? Claudette is flighty, but not like that. Her mind is always sharp. She doesn’t just drift off.
“Is everything okay with you?” I ask, not sure how to respond to this strange mood of hers.
“Who? Me?” I only widen my eyes at her. “I’m feeling a little weird. Like something is shifting around me,” she admits. “But that happens once in a while. I’ll be fine.”
She furrows her brow and taps a finger against her chin. “I’m going to head down to the water and go for a dip. That will clear my head.”
Brrr… Just the thought of jumping into freezing water makes me shiver. No, thank you. I’d rather sit by the fire.
Claudette, however, has embraced ice-hole bathing like everything she does – wholeheartedly. She goes several times a week and by now has found her favorite hole to relax in… nude, of course, with only a beanie on her head. As if that could keep warm!
She steps closer and gives me a hug. “Anyway, tell me about your visit with Barb?”
