“It’s not that I didn’t think it was coming, but I thought I had enough time to check on the property first.”
“Either way, I’m glad it wasn’t far from here, so you had a safe place to pull off.” Mom rose from the loveseat. “Now that we’ve started on dessert, should I get dinner ready?”
Phoebe stood. “I’ll help. What are you making?”
“Baked ziti. I made it earlier, and all that’s left to do is putting it in the oven.”
“Want me to make a salad to go with it?”
“That would be nice.” Mom started toward the kitchen. “With only your dad and I, I rarely worry about extras. We had salads for dinner last night, so there are still fixings in the crisper.”
Carrying her cup, she followed her mother to the kitchen. Once Mom had taken the baked ziti out of the refrigerator, Phoebe rummaged through the vegetable drawer for the ingredients to a salad. She pulled out a half head of romaine lettuce, a cucumber, and a red bell pepper. “Do we have any onions?”
“There should be a red one and a bag of Vidalias in the bin,” Mom answered over her shoulder.
“Thanks.” She grabbed a sweet onion and then a Roma tomato from the clay bowl.
She was slicing the onion when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Dad called from the living room.
She heard his footsteps, then the opening of the door. Strong gusts of wind whipped into the house.
Dad welcomed the person in and closed the door. Only then could she hear well enough to figure out who had arrived.
And her heart skipped a beat.
Stay cool. Stay normal. Pretend you never saw that stupid article on the internet earlier.
She waited until they came into the kitchen to acknowledge him.
Of course, Mom would welcome him with open arms and a motherly embrace. “What are you doing out this way, Mac?”
He grinned sheepishly. “I got caught in the snowstorm. I knew your house was just up the road, so I drove really slow until I made it here.”
Dad looked her way and grinned. “Seems to be the trend tonight.”
Raising her hand, Phoebe offered him a paltry wave then returned to making the salad. Her feigned disinterest didn’t make it to her ears, however, and she listened intently to every word.
“I didn’t expect it to amount to anything, but the several inches on the road proved me wrong.”
“Think school will close tomorrow?” Dad took Mac’s coat and hung it on a peg.
“If it stops soon, no, but if it continues at this pace, I’m sure they’ll cancel.” A flicker of sadness tinged his tone. “After that school bus accident last year, they don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.”
“Always better to be safe than sorry.” Dad nodded his head with authority. “I’ve been saying that for years. In this day, with all the technology available, there’s no reason we can’t accommodate a few extra snow days through online work.”
“That’s been discussed often at the school board meetings. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see that happen in the next year.”
Mom handed him a mug. “Have some hot chocolate and warm up. Can you stay for dinner?”
Mac held the cup tightly between his hands, seeming to appreciate its warmth. “I don’t see that I have a choice. Even my four-wheel-drive started slipping and stalling. Even if I had a choice, I’d be honored to stay.”
“Go sit by the fire and get warm. I think we’ll eat in the living room tonight where the heat’s concentrated.” Mom glanced at Dad. “Is that okay with you, hun?”
He nodded. “I’ll set the tv trays out and stoke the fire.”
“I’ll help.” Mac followed her dad out of the kitchen.
