“This is gorgeous,” she said, taking Calvin’s bag from Alex. Alex picked up hers and his, and they trudged through the snow and up the stairs to the covered wrap-around porch.
“I’ll shovel the steps first thing,” he said, using a key to unlock the front door.
It either was, or was made to look like, a log cabin, and despite the high ceilings and open floor plan, it screamed cozy. Leather couches draped with fuzzy throws surrounded a majestic rock fireplace. A long window seat with built-in storage stretched the length of the room. The short open cabinets housed books, board games, and extra pillows and blankets.
“I thought you said Mitch barely came up here,” Julia said. “It looks like someone lives here.” The way Alex had described it, she’d been dreading a cheap motel vibe with only the barest of essentials.
“I’m sure it was Maggie who added the amenities,” Alex said with a laugh. “Last time I was here, there was a couch, a poker table, and a fridge full of beer.”
“Well, it’s lovely.”
“Glad you like it. There are three small bedrooms. We can each take one, or you and Cal can share one.”
Calvin had already shucked his boots and run off to explore. “Mom, you gotta see this. There’s a room in the back made of glass.”
“Oh, the sunroom. Yeah, that’s a pretty cool place.”
“Where’s my room?” Calvin asked.
“Come on, I’ll show you,” Alex said, leading Cal to the right. Julia trailed behind. The rooms each held a queen-sized bed and a small dresser. The rustic quilts were cabin themed with moose, bears, and trees. Everything was picture-perfect.
Calvin climbed onto the bed and jumped up and down. “Mom, this is my bed, okay?”
“We’re going to share it, honey,” she said. “And stop jumping.”
“Okay,” Calvin said, hopping off and running out the door.
Alex showed them where the bathrooms were. There was one big one with a shower and garden tub and a smaller half bath near the kitchen.
“Alex, it’s perfect. No one will find us here. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m going to shovel the steps and unpack the car. Make yourself at home.”
He started a fire, and she spent the afternoon curled up next to it, working while Alex and Calvin built two snowmen and an igloo. At dusk, they finally came in, red-faced with excitement and ready for something warm to drink. She made them both mugs of hot chocolate, sugar and all, and even let Calvin add mini-marshmallows.
“Mom, did you see the snowman we builded?” Calvin asked, licking a milk mustache from his upper lip.
“That youbuilt? Yes, I saw you from the sunroom. You guys worked hard today,” she said. “I bet you sleep well.”
“Mr. Alex said we could watch a Christmas movie tonight. Can we, Mom? Can we?”
“Sure, sounds fun,” she said to Calvin before turning to Alex. “Thanks for entertaining him. I got a lot done and can spend time with him tomorrow.”
“No problem. He’s a cool kid.”
After Alex took a quick shower, Julia gave Calvin a bath, and then they cozied up on the couch to watch a movie. Calvin fell asleep halfway through, and Julia carried him to bed. When she returned, Alex had poured himself a scotch and her a glass of wine.
They carried their drinks to the sunroom. He turned off the overhead light, flipped on the porch light, and they sat on the sofa facing the forest to watch fat, slow snowflakes fall.
“This is so pretty. Thanks again,” she said, sipping her wine.
“You’re welcome. I called Rudy today to ask if anyone suspicious had come by. He said no and that he’d passed the information on to the night shift guy. DaddyMack01 hasn’t posted anything else, either.”
“Well, I can’t live in fear of what might happen forever. Maybe he’s all talk and has no real intention of hurting us. Or he’ll cool off and let it go. Although, I’ve been hoping that for a while.”
“I like how your fans stand up for you. But they can’t keep you safe. And if he truly means you harm, ‘hoping’ won’t do any good either.”
“I know. I’ll call the police again tomorrow to see if they’ve had any luck getting his IP address. I’m not holding my breath on that though. They were pretty clear they’ve got higher priorities.”
