Page 27 of My Greatest Joy

When I enter the kitchen, Dad’s sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading on his tablet.

“Anything mind-blowing in the news?” I ask.

“Nope. Nothing has changed.” He meets my eyes. “Did you finish plowing already?”

“Yeah, and now I’m ready for summer.”

He snorts. “The cold and snowy season has only begun.”

“I don’t usually mind it, but damn, that blizzard was a monster.” I grab a knife from the drawer and cut myself a big piece.

“I’ll take another.” Dad smirks as if he’s not supposed to have more, but I serve him one anyway. I set mine on a plate, then grab the whipped cream from the fridge and add a healthy dollop on both.

“Wanna hear a crazy story?” I join him at the table as my mom comes in and starts a fresh pot of coffee. “Glad you’re in here, Ma. I was about to tell Dad about my current predicament.”

“Everything okay?” she asks.

“Well, I found a strange woman in my house and, more specifically, in my bed the day of the blizzard.”

Dad gives me a look.

“No, I didn’t invite her,” I clarify before he can ask.

“Who is she?” Mom asks.

“Fallon Joy. She’s a journalist from Seattle who’s been assigned to write about Maplewood Falls.”

“That doesn’t explain why she was at your place,” Dad tells me.

“She claims she’d rented it online. But I found that out after she maced me.”

“Oh no, poor thing. I bet she was scared half to death,” my mom says.

“What about me? My eyes burned all night long.”

My dad chuckles. “So where is she now?”

“She’s there watching Dasher for me. I offered her the guest room since the roads were closed, and she had nowhere else to go. But now I have to try to find her a hotel or something.”

“You know that’s not going to happen this time of year,” Mom says.

“Still going to try. But if there’s no luck, I’ll let her stay because I can tell how important this project is to her. She’s very dedicated.”

“That’s lovely, dear!” The excitement in Mom’s voice is unmatched.

I give her a pointed look. “Except for the fact she’s a grinch and hates Christmas. Should’ve seen her trying to survive without power or heat. You’d think her whole world collapsed.”

Mom chuckles.

“What happened to your furnace?” Dad asks.

I explain the problem and remind myself to call about it on the way home.

“She lost her mind when she learned we don’t have any food delivery services.”

Dad smirks as he takes a sip from his mug. “Well, not everyone’s built for this kind of weather and lifestyle, son. She’s probably used to city living.”

“No kidding. I genuinely want her to have a good time, and I’m worried she already hates it here.”

---