Page 16 of Girl in the Snow
She picked up the camera, checked the settings, pointed it at Cal and took a snapshot.
Beauty and joy.Yes, Cal fit the bill.She winked at him and then set the camera down.
Inside the box, there was also a large, old-fashioned key with a red ribbon tied to the end.It was stuck to another note in an envelope.She opened it up and read the contents, smiling at her mum’s characteristic, looping handwriting.
Deanna, my sweet girl,
I’m so sorry to leave you so soon.I’m writing to remind you of all the things I’ve tried to teach you.I want you to do everything, and experience everything that you want in this life.Do not live your life in a small way.Be big, be unapologetic.Do the thing!I know that sometimes that’s frightening, but you should always go after your dreams.
If you find love, hang onto it with everything you have.Give all of your heart.You will know when you meet the one, just like I did with your father.He would be so proud of you, of the lovely woman you are.And so am I.
Also, I want you to give the key to Cal.It's for a safe deposit box and I found it a few months ago.His father had an account with the local bank and I think he had forgotten he gave it to me for safekeeping.Cal is a smart person and he will know what to do with it.
I wish you beauty and joy all the days of your life.
Love always
Mum.
P.S.if I have sent you in the wrong direction and Cal is not the one, don’t you worry.But he sounds like a sweet boy.I’m sure you two will hit it off again!
Deanna sighed as she finished reading, and handed the letter straight to Cal.“You should read this too.”Tears were streaming down her face now, so she reached for the Kleenex box on the table and wiped her cheeks with a tissue.
Cal took a while to read the letter right to the end, then his snort let her know that he’d taken in the unbelievable levels of sneaky matchmaking her mother had planned.
“What was all that about a key?I don’t know anything about a safe deposit box.”Cal’s forehead was all creased again, so Deanna leaned over and kissed him right there.
“I think we’d better find out.”
Chapter Six
Itwastwodayslater, a day after the town’s power came back on, when Cal suggested they visit the local bank.The key with the red ribbon attached sat in the console between Deanna and Cal in his truck.She glanced across at him from the passenger seat and smiled as he turned into the main street.
They had spent their time wisely, in Deanna’s opinion, making good use of Cal’s bed and shower and generally getting to know one anothera lotbetter.
Christmas Eve had been spent drinking wine by the fire, and they stayed up far too late playing Uno.That was only partly a euphemism.Deanna had woken Cal on Christmas morning with what he called her seductress moves.For lunch, they’d roasted a chicken and potatoes and eaten a gorgeous chocolate mousse.
Later, they’d stayed in together as the snow didn’t stop falling.She now knew that Cal liked it when she clung to his shoulders when he kissed her, digging her nails in a little.Cal had learned that Deanna was helpless to resist him when his voice was low and growly and he called her ‘sweetheart’.Actually, she was helpless to resist him, in general.
The way she felt about him…suffice to say, she had warm and fuzzy feelings.She hadn’t named those feelings aloud, but they were there, making her cheeks burn and her skin tingle in unmentionable places.She never wanted to leave his side.
“We should see if the bakery has reopened, after we go to the bank,” Cal said as he reversed into a spot in the parking lot behind a small market.“They have the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever tasted.”
Deanna shot him a sideways glance.“I do love a good cinnamon roll.”
Cal snorted as he killed the truck’s engine.
Cal seemed to like driving her around.He’d taken her to meet the tow truck yesterday.Her hire car had been picked up by the rental company, and they had refunded her more than half the cost and offered to pay for a replacement car.She’d declined the car but took a voucher.
So far, neither she nor Cal had raised the idea of him driving her to the airport or anywhere else.When he’d asked if she wanted to go home with him, she’d grinned and said yes.Then he kissed her, right there in the middle of the road.
Now, Deanna reached out and placed her hand over Cal’s on the steering wheel.He seemed to be stuck, having trouble getting moving.“Are you worried about what your dad left you in the safe deposit box?”
Cal turned to her, one thick eyebrow raised.“Yes and no.He forgot about it, so it can’t be that important.It’s the fact that he left me anything.He’s gone, yet not gone.But you get it, after that package from your mother.”
“Yes, it’s strange but also nice to still have a connection.”
Cal smiled at her, the subtle, sexy smile she was coming to think of as hers.“Yeah.Okay, let’s do this.”He nodded, seeming to talk himself into it, and they both got out of the truck into the freezing wind.
