Page 36 of A Runaway in Winter
“But how…” Her words trail off, a myriad of emotions crossing her face before she turns and trudges through the snow toward the porch. “Oma?”
“How are my two favorite people this”—Oma pretends to check her watch, her arms and hands covered by her coat and gloves—“afternoon?”
“I told you I’d take care of the wood,” I say pointedly at the older woman who grins like the cat who ate the canary.
“It must be my memory,” she says innocently and I roll my eyes, handing my helmet to Pen.
“Take her inside,” I grumble, earning narrowed eyes from both women, “please.”
Cackling, Oma leads Pen into the house, leaving me to grab the shovel from the porch and get to work.
PEN
“You didn’t tellme it was the Sterlings that bought the land from you,” I say when the door closes behind me.
Oma places the wood in her arms on the stack by the woodstove and raises a single brow at me. “I didn’t think it was relevant to the story.”
I set our helmets on the coffee table and pull off my gloves.
“Was I the only one that didn’t know?”
“Penelope Renee,” she huffs, her tone exasperated as she stares at me, “what is the real problem?”
“I don’t like feeling like my whole life is one damn handout!” I yell, my words startling us both as my eyes fill with tears.
“Come have some bourbon.”
“What about tea?”
“You can put the bourbon in the tea.” She motions toward the chair. “Now sit.”
“I’m sorry.”
She waves me away. “You’re allowed to have feelings, Penelope; it’d just be helpful if you’d tell me what those feelings actually are.”
“I haven’t been able to get a single professional contact from my old life to even say hello to me, let alone give me an interview. Carter is blocking me at every turn.”
“I told you I never liked him.”
I roll my eyes. “That doesn’t change the fact that I can’t get anyone to call me back. Add to that the fact that Winston and Elora paid Carter’s parents to leave Wintervale and then finding out that they also acquired the land here and—” I wave my hand around as Oma sets the steaming mug in front of me. “It feels like I can’t seem to stand on my own.”
“Do you even want to be in accounting?”
I open my mouth and then close it because I can’t add anything else to my mental load, and a massive career change would topple the small amount of stability I’ve gained.
Right?
“It’s what I went to school for and I’m good at it.”
“But do you like it?” she asks pointedly before adding, “No one wants to start over, Pen, but if ever there was a time, this would be it.”
“And the Sterlings?” I ask instead.
“Winston came and talked to me after all hell broke loose, said he didn’t want them hassling us and would it be all right if hemotivatedthem to head on out. I offered to pay and he wouldn’t hear it.” She shrugs. “He loved you like a daughter before he ever really knew you, Pen. The man has a big heart and so does his son.” She hums. “All of them as a matter of fact. Beau, Jess, Wren, and even Reid stop by to see me.”
My eyes well with tears, the information too much to process right now.
“I didn’t plan on crying today.”
