Page 12 of Home Between Homes

Since that wasn’t to anyone’s liking, we merely waved at each other, and I closed the door behind him, watching through thewindow as he walked to his pickup truck. The white hell that was the outside didn’t allow me to see much further than the end of the front yard, but I could tell he made it safely to his car.

I turned to Maggie, who was wagging her tail and tilting her head, ears pricked up, still focused on the door.

The sound of an engine starting and an exhaust puffing found its way inside but stopped a second later. I looked through the window in the door again. The dying sound of the engine came twice more, and by now, it was obvious what was going on. I opened the front door again, giving the snow a chance to fall onto the freshly mopped floor.

I clenched my face. Going out there wasn’t something I was eager to do, but I wanted to see if he needed any help. I slipped into my jacket and boots, skipping the sweater and three extra shirts, which I regretted the moment I stepped off the porch. I hurried across the yard, and when I reached his car, he jumped out. “What is it?” I asked as if I didn’t already know that his car had broken down. “Do you want to come back in?”

Jack looked distraught. Snow was hitting his exposed face and chest because his jacket was still open. I grabbed his arm and pulled him behind me toward the porch so at least we wouldn’t have snow in our faces while we talked.

“Things like this always happen at the worst of times,” I said as if that would brighten the situation, but Jack seemed lost.

“I’m going to...” He didn’t finish his sentence but pulled out his smartphone and pointed at it. He dialed a number and brought it to his ear. “Dany, it happened again. Yes... I suspect the exhaust... Are you sure? No...” He glanced at me. “No, it’s okay. I understand.” He hung up. “He says the storm is only going to get worse from here. It’s impossible for him to come with the tow truck because he’ll get stuck, too.” His eyes darted from side to side. He took a deep breath and buried his face in his hands.

“Do you want to come in?” I asked him again as the cold slowly crept under my clothes.

“I can’t. I still have Mrs. Candice’s groceries. I can’t let her get snowed in without food.” His brows furrowed as his eyes already pleaded with me. He opened his mouth but then looked away.

There was a way out of this. “Would you like me to drive you there?” I asked, not because I felt obligated, but because I genuinely wanted to help. His reasoning was sound, and I didn’t want to be responsible for an old woman going hungry on Christmas.

“I feel bad asking you to do this. What if we get stuck in the storm?”

“I understand that a big tow truck might have problems, but if we’re quick, we should be fine for at least another hour or two.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” I wasn’t. Winter was only my fourth favorite season. Sometimes, I even feel cold when it’s ninety degrees outside. Driving in this weather probably wasn’t a good idea, but helping him was. He seemed like a guy who cared more about others than he probably did about himself. It was the day before Christmas, and he was running around so everyone else wouldn’t have to. “All I have to do is put on some more clothes, and then I’m ready to go.”

He nodded. “I’ll pay you for your time.”

“That’s not...” I didn’t want his money, but I felt like if I refused now, it would only get us into a discussion that would cost us valuable minutes. He looked like the kind of guy who would insist. “We can discuss this later.”

His face was more hopeful now, and that alone seemed like a sufficient form of payment. “I’ll get ready. You get whatever you need from your car, okay?”

“Thank you. I owe you a Christmas present,” he said, hurrying back down the porch.

This wasn’t at all how I had imagined my time in Seastone, but all of this made me feel warm in my usually cold chest. Maybe coming here was the right idea after all.

FOUR

MRS. CANDICE AND THE TWO COWBOYS

The roadmy navigation sent me on wound through an open pasture. If there hadn't been a fence, I wouldn't have known where the asphalt ended and the fields began. It took us twenty minutes to cover the two miles. No matter how much I wanted to get it over with, I couldn’t go any faster unless I wanted to end up in a ditch.

Jack spent the time calling his other clients to let them know he wouldn’t be able to make it today. He spoke politely to them on the phone, a smile helping him to sound relaxed. The look in his eyes told me he wasn’t. I could hear most of the reactions of the people on the other end. They all called him son and wished him a Merry Christmas, but most also told him he was crazy to even think about going out in this weather.

They were right. We shouldn’t be out here. However, at least Jack didn't have to go through this alone.

“You have a lot of parents,” I joked. Part of me wanted to lighten his mood while distracting myself from the nagging feeling in the back of my head.

Jack glanced at me with a question mark on his face.

“Because almost everyone called you son?” I added.

“Oh, that.” Jack leaned his head against the headrest. “I mean, I could be their grandson. And they probably see me more than their grandchildren.” His head sank. “They treated me so well when I moved here. Even though they pay me, I feel like I owe them a lot. That’s why this blizzard couldn’t have come at a worse time. Especially around Christmas, it can get pretty lonely. That’s why I usually take more time when they’re feeling talkative.” He let out a deep sigh. “But I guess not this year.”

“You really could’ve skipped cleaning this morning. The McCormacs are gone anyway, and those old people sound more important than some random dog-sitter.”

“You deserve a clean house as much as anyone else.” He kneaded his hands. “Besides, I couldn’t have known the weather would get worsesofast. If I’d had all day, I’d have gotten everything done easily.” Jack let his head fall against the backrest. For half a minute, we rolled forward without saying a word. Only the blizzard howling around us drowned out the roar of the hard-working engine. “Plus, if I hadn’t come by this morning, my car would still have broken down. And who knows where I would be stuck right now, alone, without you to help me? So it was a good thing,” Jack pointed out as if he had to defend himself.

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