I frowned. It wasn’t the time of the year for snowstorms. They usually happened during winter. What was going on?
When I glanced out of the window, the clouds had gathered where it had been blue skies earlier, and the clouds had a strange pinkness to them that predicted snow. Snow clouds were different from rain clouds. They carried a sort of ominous promise to them.
I shivered despite the warm temperatures inside the house. I wasn’t cold at all––it was the reason I hadn’t realized the weather had changed so drastically outside until the bulletin had popped up.
The wind whipped through the trees outside, and they tugged at their roots, bending and creaking in submission. Dust and small debris blew around, promising something bigger that would follow in its wake.
When I picked up the phone to call Carol, she answered almost right away.
“I was expecting your call when I got the warning,” she said.
“It looks like crap out there,” I said.
“Yeah, Jack headed out to the store to grab some supplies. Are you guys ready for it?”
“I think so,” I said. “I’ll have to double check but I’m sure we have all we need. Is Ben okay?”
“He’s perfectly fine. Would you rather him home with you during all of this?”
A part of me wanted to say yes––I wanted my son where I could see that he was okay, but that was my parental paranoia speaking.
“How does he feel about it?” I asked instead.
“He’s excited about being snowed in with Alex,” Carol laughed. “They’re talking about blanket forts and roasting marshmallows.”
I chuckled. “It doesn’t sound like he’s worried at all.”
“He’s not, and you don’t have to be, either. I can still bring him to you if it’s what you want…”
“It’s okay,” I said. “We’ll see how things go. I don’t think it will go as far as being snowed in, and we can always reevaluate.”
“I’ll keep you updated,” Carol said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. We ended the call, and I sat back in my chair, taking a slow breath.
Jade appeared at my office door about an hour later.
“Hey,” I said, looking up from my screen. The office had gotten darker without me realizing it, and Jade had put on an oversized sweater. It worked with her leggings, slimming her legs and making her look taller. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine. I wanted to stretch my limbs after sitting for so long, maybe go for a walk, but the weather isn’t what it was earlier.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s pretty bad out there.” When I turned my head to the window, I realized snow had started to fall.
“They’re saying we should stay indoors,” Jade said.
“Really?”
She nodded. “We might have to miss out on that great restaurant.”
“Well…that sucks,” I said.
Jade giggled. “You sound like Ben.”
I grinned. “Yeah?”
She nodded.
“We’ll have to go to plan B. I’ll have to cook us something.”
“You can cook?” Jade asked, surprised.