We pulled out and aimed the car toward the road that would take us further down the mountain. The snow had started its steady work, not yet heavy, not yet difficult, but committed.
For the first few miles we didn't speak.
“What’s in the extra bags?” I asked.
“I went to the gift shop and bought extra warm clothes. I know I will appreciate an extra layer with the temperature plunging,” Braxton explained. “I got you some as well.”
“That was a good idea,” I replied.
“Do you think they’re ready?” he asked.
“No." I pictured the dining room, the new sheen on the wood, the old pipes, the way windows like those complain whenwind tests their latches. “But they seem to work through their emergencies as a family so this time will be no different.”
“That’s a good thing to do.”
“It is,” I reflected.
We turned onto the road that led to the inn. The porch light was on, a small steady circle against the gathering dark. There were footprints on the steps and a sweep mark where someone had pushed away the first fall of snow with a broom. We pulled in and cut the engine.
Braxton grabbed the duffelbag and a lantern. I stopped to look at the building for a moment. Somewhere inside, a kettle would be threatening to boil, and someone would be laughing about something. The kind of laughter that keeps a house warm from the inside out.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said with a nod before grabbing some items to take with me.
We went up the steps together. The wind lifted the edge of my coat as I opened the inn’s front door. Warm air met us with the sound of muted voices. It felt like the opposite of the lodge’s curated silence. It felt welcoming.
Helen appeared with two blankets folded in her arms.
“There you are!” she exclaimed, as if we had only stepped out to the mailbox. “I was about to send William foryou.”
“We brought supplies,” Braxton said, holding up the duffel bag.
“Excellent. Bring them to the reception room with the rest of the items. We might lose power,” Helen advised. She looped her arm through Braxton’s. “I’m so glad the both of you are back.”
At least someone was, I grimly thought to myself as I spotted Lucy who was glaring at me.
Chapter Seventeen: A Full House
Lucy.
Braxton headed with Mom to the reception room to deposit whatever he had brought with him to the items we had scoured the inn for earlier.
“We thought you could use a few things,” Dex explained. Holding two duffle bags. “Extra blankets, batteries, and a few lanterns. There’s even a hand crank radio.”
“That’s very kind of you. Though we have everything under control,” I coolly replied.
He looked at me, then at the windows rattling from a gust of wind. “Of course you do.”
The tone made me bristle. “We’ve handled storms before.”
“Good,” he said mildly, shaking snow from his gloves. “Then this one should be easy.”
Braxton grinned as he came back to the foyer. “The roads are already bad. There are a few more items in the car so I’ll go get them.”
“You’ll stay for the storm. We still have your guest rooms available,” Mom mentioned.
“That’s not necessary,” I said quickly.
