“No, I think it’s great,” she manages to squeak out.
I’m glad one of us does.
Mom and Aunt Trixie are waiting by the front desk when seven o’clock rolls around.
I descend the staircase, and the first thing my mother asks is if I’m actually wearingthatto dinner.
I look down at my outfit. I paired black jeans with a white thermal and a camel-colored cardigan, a chocolate double-breasted overcoat, and black snow boots.
“What’s wrong with what I have on?” I ask.
“It’s just a lot of layers. You look clunky,” she explains.
“It’s sixteen degrees outside, Mom. What do you want me to wear, a sundress?”
Before she can answer, the front door opens, and Bran walks in.
He is dressed in jeans, a tan henley, and a black peacoat.
I look from him to my mother and smirk.
“Bran, don’t you look nice,” she says as he leans in and kisses her cheek.
“Thank you, Trudy.”
He extends his gloved hand to me. “Are you ready?” he asks.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I take his hand, and he leads me out to the porch. Mom and Trixie stand in the doorway, watching us leave.
“You kids have fun,” Mom calls.
Bran stops and turns back to them. “We will. Don’t worry. She’s safe with me, and I’ll have her home by midnight.”
Mom waves him off. “Oh, please, take your time.”
Thanks, Mom.
Bran
Iescort her to the passenger side of my Subaru Forester and help her inside before climbing in behind the steering wheel.
“I hope you’re hungry,” I say as I reverse out of the driveway.
“I am. Where are we going anyway?” she asks as she clicks her seat belt in place.
“To the best pizza joint in Lake Mistletoe,” I inform her.
“Sounds perfect. I love a good pie,” she states.
We drive in silence until we come to the edge of town, and I take a sharp left up a snow-covered gravel road that leads into the forest.
Hannah reaches up and places a steadying hand on the dashboard before turning her gaze to me. “Where is this place?”
“A couple of miles up the mountain,” I reply.
She looks from me to the rear of the SUV and then turns so she can see out of the passenger window. “Is this road safe?”