Chapter Thirteen
Cole
Cole taps his heel repeatedly on the floor, waiting “patiently” for Keith to return with Savannah. The snow is starting to pick up, leaving a thick layer on the ground.Christ! What is taking so damn long?
“I see them,” Abigail calls from the window.
Cole hurries to the door and out onto the porch. His parents follow while Abigail and June stay at the window.
Savannah’s arms are wrapped around her middle, and she has Keith’s gloves on, looking like she’s freezing. As he walks down to meet them, he sees her blue, shivering lips muttering something.
“Did you have to carry her?” Cole asks, glancing at Keith.
“Yeah,” he replies with a chuckle. “She laughed the whole time, so it wasn’t as effective as I hoped.”
“Cold yet?” he asks her. “Go have a shower, before you freeze to death.” He’s feeling so many emotions; he knows he is coming across as angry.
No doubt confused by his tone, she shakes her head and leaves.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Savi—” Keith starts to say as Cole gets hit with a snowball in the back.
He spins around to find Savannah making another one. She stands back up and chucks it at his shoulder, sending pieces of snow down his front. Both his parents have their hands over their mouths, waiting to see what he’ll do next.
“Don’t be crabby with me, Cole Logan,” she shouts through the snowflakes. “You see Keith’s left shoulder? Well, if you don’t get over your cranky mood, you’re going to be hoisted over it and carried to the lake for a refresher.” She crosses her arms as she throws his words back at him.
Keith bursts out laughing as she turns on her heel and heads for the stairs, mumbling something to his parents and making them laugh too.
“Oh, dear, I just love her,” his mother calls out.
Yeah, he can see that. “All right, Keith,” he says, fighting his smile.Christ, she is something else.He was not expecting her feistiness. “Thanks for bringing her back. You can go inside.”
Keith twists his mouth, trying hard not to laugh again. “At the risk of stepping over the line, my friend, that girl is perfect for you.” He slaps Cole on the shoulder as he runs inside.
Savannah
I crawl onto the couch, burrowing under the blanket Abigail wrapped around me, and am handed a cup of coffee. Daniel is lost in thought, and Sue is sitting across from me, grinning.
“I’m sorry.” She chuckles. “I just keep picturing Cole’s face when you hit him with the snowball.”
“It was pretty funny,” June chimes in, holding a plate of brownies in front of me. “Try one.”
I take one off the plate and bite into it. “Oh, wow.” I savor the taste on my tongue. “June, these are delicious.”
“Savannah, were you dating anyone before?” Sue blurts out.
“No.”
“I’m surprised a beautiful woman like you isn’t married with a possible child on the way.”
“Let’s just say I didn’t meet Mr. Right back in my old life.” I glance at June then stare down at the piece of brownie in my fingers. It is slowly melting.
“Perhaps you’ll find him in this life,” Sue says, smiling.
“Perhaps what?” Cole asks as he takes a seat. He drapes his arm around the back of the couch behind me. I see Sue beaming again.
“Girl talk, dear,” his mother says quickly.
Cole looks at his father. “Sorry, Dad.”