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“Thanks, Tessa.”
“Uh-huh,” she says quickly, and then rushes away.
I smile as I close the door, amused by her reaction. Then I get dressed and go out to the living room, where I find Tessa’s dad cleaning one of his guns and Tessa’s mom lighting the candles on their mantel. Although their cabin is decorated for Christmas, it’s a much different look than I’ve seen before; everything either looks homemade or like it’s from another decade. I like it.
My gaze searches for Tessa, but I don’t see her. My mind is so focused on wondering where she is that I don’t even notice when Caryn comes over to me.
“Tessa’s in her room,” Caryn says, smiling gently at me.
“Oh,” I say, feeling guilty. “No, I was just?—”
“It’s okay, Sean. You don’t have to pretend that you aren’t interested in her.”
I laugh out of nervousness. When I glance over at John, he’s looking at me, his expression somber.
“You interested in our little girl, Sean?” he asks.
Caryn sighs. “Don’t call her that, John. She’s a grown woman.”
“That might be true, but she’llalwaysbe our little girl,” he says, almost grumbling the words. “Now answer my question, Sean.”
“Sir, I don’t mean any disrespect,” I say. “I just think she’s very beautiful. That’s all.”
“She’s very intelligent, too,” he says.
I nod, feeling like I’m walking into a trap no matter what I say. “I promise to keep my distance.”
“Remember you said that,” says John, and goes back to cleaning his gun.
But Caryn shakes her head, puts a hand on my arm, and guides me into the kitchen with her. Although we’re still within John’s sight, she speaks low enough that I doubt he can hear what she says.
“Don’t listen to him,” she says. “He’s far too overprotective of Tessa. But I’m all for you and Tessa getting to know each other. She doesn’t get nearly as much socialization as she’d like. And I can tell she likes you, Sean. Besides, I can tell you’re a good man.”
“That’s kind of you to say. But I don’t want to upset your husband.”
She laughs. “Oh, he’s all bark and no bite.”
I’m not sure I believe her. Earlier, when he was pointing his shotgun at me, his finger sure looked ready to pull the trigger. He might be all bark when it comes to speaking to his family, but I don’t think that applies to me.
“Is there anything I can help out with while I’m here?” I ask Caryn, wanting to change the subject.
“Not a thing,” Caryn says. “Please just make yourself at home. We don’t have a television, but we do have plenty of books, as I’m sure you’ve seen. Plenty of board games and jigsaw puzzles, too. That’s mostly how we pass the time when a storm like this comes through. In fact, why don’t you pick out a puzzle and the four of us can get started on it?”
I can’t remember the last time I did a jigsaw puzzle. Browsing their collection, I find one that’s an illustration of a bunch of tiny figures ice skating in Central Park. In the background are snow-laden trees and the buildings of New York.
“Oh! That’s my favorite puzzle,” says Tessa when she comes into the living room. As she drops down next to me on the carpet, I catch a whiff of her delicate scent—a little bit of vanilla, a little bit of something else that I can’t identify but that smells light and pure. Whatever it is, the smell of her is intoxicating.
“Nice, you already found two of the corners,” she says, leaning over to peer at the puzzle pieces I’ve pulled aside. In the process, she gently bumps against my arm. Feeling her dad’s eyes on me, I just nod and continue to search through the sprawl of puzzle pieces in front of us.
Meanwhile, the storm still rages outside the cabin, burying us deeper and deeper under the snow.
4
TESSA
We finish the puzzle just in time for dinner, clicking the final piece into place as the last minutes of daylight slip from the sky. I’ve done this puzzle countless times, but putting it together with Sean made it all the more fun. I hope he enjoyed it, too. He just said he did, but maybe he’s only saying that to be polite.
After Sean and I break up the puzzle and put it away, I join my mom in the kitchen to help her make dinner. As I slice vegetables and check on the pots on the stove, I keep stealing glances over at Sean. He’s sitting in one of our big leather armchairs, reading a book that he pulled from our shelves.
