Page 18 of I Still Do

“I thought I’d check on you and see how you were doing.” Maria nodded to the room behind Cora. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Most definitely.” Cora lowered her voice. “Even without electricity, this place is nicer than my apartment back home. It’s downright luxurious.”

Maria smiled. “It is lovely, isn’t it?” She rested one hand against the doorframe. “I’m glad we have memories of spending vacations here with Grandpa Jackson. I only wish you could’ve come here with us once. We’d have dance parties, play poker, and roast hot dogs and s’mores over the fire.” Her sigh had a hint of sadness.

Cora nodded. “He was an amazing guy. I wish I could’ve met his wife.” She knew her voice sounded wistful. She’d loved having a surrogate grandfather but had often wished she’d had a surrogate grandmother as well. She imagined baking with her or having tea parties as a child. All those fun grandmother/granddaughter things she’d read about in books but had never experienced herself.

“She would’ve loved you, sweetheart.” Maria reached out to tweak a little of Cora’s hair. “Come on, I want you to sit with me at dinner tonight. I have a feeling one of my sons hasn’t been overly welcoming, and I want to make sure he knows that you have support here.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Maria. I’ll be fine up here.”

“Nonsense. I guarantee you that he’s alone in his opinions.”

“The last thing I want to do is make it harder on you and Grey.” Her voice caught.

Maria pulled her into a hug then. “Believe me when I say that you’ll always be a part of this family. You’ve been missed, girl. I love having you here, and I don’t think Grey minds even the tiniest bit.” She leaned away enough to give Cora a wink. “Don’t let the thoughtless words of someone who can’t let go of the past ruin this, okay?” She looked at the empty fireplace. “Besides, it’s getting cold up here. I’ll have Grey come and light the fire before you retire tonight.” Maria offered her a sweet smile. “So, what do you say? Are you going to make me stand here all night, or are you coming downstairs with me?”

There was no sense in arguing with her. There’d never been any doubt where Grey’s stubbornness had come from. Cora returned the smile. “Thank you, Maria. Let me grab something quick and I’ll be ready to go.” Knowing she’d have a place to sit and someone to visit with boosted her mood.

When they got downstairs, Grey caught her eyes and mouthed, “You okay?”

She gave him a subtle nod and then tried to ignore the warmth that surrounded her heart in response to his concern.

Everyone took a seat and bowed their heads as Maria began to pray.

“Father, we praise You. Not only for the opportunity to gather together, but for safely bringing us through a variety of challenging circumstances. It’s too easy to focus on the things that seem to be falling apart around us. Help us to focus on You, grow closer to each other, and make the most of our time here. Please bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies. In Your Son’s name we pray.”

“Amen,” the word was echoed all around the table.

The anxiety weighing on Cora’s heart dissipated a little as she glanced around the table. In this moment, everything seemed to be okay. This right here was exactly what Grandpa Jackson had wanted.

Cora felt a strange mix of contentment and sadness. It was weird to be back with the family she loved, yet very much as an outsider.

~*~

After dinner, Abby brought some toys and a puzzle down for the kids while the adults got comfortable in the living room to discuss their situation. Even with the fading sunlight, the glow from the fire made it easy enough for them to see each other. Grey chose to sit on the couch between Dare and Cora.

“We still don’t have cell service, so it’s hard to know what’s going on at the resort or anywhere else,” Flynn was saying. “They’re used to a lot of snow here. I’m assuming, now that the blizzard itself is over, they’ll be dispatching snowplows to clear the roads in the next day or two.”

Dare nodded. “I can’t imagine that we’d be stuck here much longer than that.”

“We’ve got plenty of food to last us,” Mom told them. “Between all of the sandwich fixings that were left behind, plus breakfast stuff, we’re probably good for at least three days.”

Grey turned to Abby. “How are you on diapers for Emma?”

“We brought enough to hopefully get us through Monday if necessary. After that, we’ll be scrambling.”

“Nothing like situational potty training,” Mom said with a chuckle. “I’m kidding. We can make some cloth diapers if it comes down to it.” She patted Abby’s arm.

It was Saturday night now. Grey hoped it wouldn’t be much longer than an extra day or two. The sun shone all day, although the temperature never did rise above freezing so the snow situation hadn’t changed. If anything, they received a little more accumulation first thing in the morning.

“What about medication?” Cora’s voice snagged his attention. “Is everyone good on that front?”

Everyone looked at each other around the room and no one spoke up. Cora looked satisfied with that.

“We also have more than enough firewood in the storage building out back to last us several days,” Grey reported.

“So, we just sit here and wait to be rescued?” It was clear by Abby’s voice that she wasn’t a huge fan of that idea. “Chances are, the airport was one of the first places they plowed. Why can’t we try to make it there tomorrow as planned?” She exchanged a look with Flynn.

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