3- I’ll be the homewrecker
1187 Words
Claire Dane's POV
“Where… exactly is here?” I ask because I know I was lost. I shove eggs into my mouth and almost groan at how good the food tastes. I’m starving!
“My cottage,” he answers. “A few miles away from wherever you were staying. The storm’s bad, so you’ll be stuck here until it eases.”
“That’s days, Claire,” the boy chimes in, and my eyes widen.
My stomach flips. “Great. More vacation magic.”
Jeremy raises an eyebrow. “Magic?”
I shrug. “Long story. Involves an ex-boyfriend, betrayal, and a severe lack of common sense on my part.” Oh wait- what does a boy know about these- ugh, why did I even say that out loud? “Where's your mom?”
Daniel's smile drops. “Home.”
Way to go, Claire, I chide myself. One second he was happy and now this…
Catching his father studying me for a long, slow moment, I almost apologize for my mistake, but he shakes his head a bit as if understanding my guilt. Dry mouth, I give up my location. “Crimson Hills. I don’t know the number.”
The main section always has phones and Wi-Fi for emergencies.
“Crimson? Wow, you were really lost. That's nearly five miles away. I assumed you were from Creak, as that’s the nearest to here.” With a raised eyebrow, he takes a seat on the opposite side of the small table, shoving almost half of the plate's contents into his mouth.
Oh. Well… having your heart crushed twice in one shot ought to have your mind occupied. I mean, your boyfriend is supposed to be there to support you when your friend betrays or upsets you, just as your friend is supposed to comfort you when your boyfriend breaks your heart.
“Daddy carried you like a superhero,” Daniel announces proudly, and I eye his father, knowing what a child calls a superhero a girl calls bridal-style. I shove the remaining egg into my mouth.
Jeremy clears his throat, visibly annoyed. “Daniel.”
“What?” Daniel says innocently. “You did.” He finishes his tea, then pipes in again. “So now that you’re not dying, what are your plans?”
Not dying? Why is this child so… strange? He knows what freezing to death is? And why-
“Whose waiting back there for you?” Jeremy’s tone is serious, and it sends my heart up a bit. That’s a strange question to ask when you’re married, no?
“You can stay here with us until we leave,” Daniel pops out of his chair and takes his cup to the sink, then returns for his plate.
“When the storm passes,” I say carefully, “I can head back. I don’t want to intrude.”
His father’s eyes lock onto mine. “You’re not intruding,” he says quietly. “But you’re not going anywhere until the storm’s done.” Something in his voice slides right under my skin.
My heart thumps hard enough to warm me from the inside out.
__
Two days. Two whole days snowed in with Jeremy Anderson and his angel-faced son. By the end of the second morning, I had learned three things-
Jeremy cooks like someone is paying him.
Daniel could charm Satan out of a contract.
I can’t think straight when his father is within a ten-foot radius, which is always except when he’s in his bedroom, and even then, he’s on my mind. I cannot explain it to myself, no matter how many times I flip it over.
It’s so bad that last night I dreamed of Jeremy in the snow saving me- only this time I am in a long white dress and ‘fainting,’ but that’s a slim crown on my head. Yes, I’m a princess. When I faint, he comes rushing in from across the forest. Yes, I am suspended mid-air until he reaches me, and I float-fall into his huge arms. He kisses, and I awake.
If only I could make the dream real- f#ck Claire! He’s married!
God, I need to get out of here or else I will so not be a girl’s-girl. I’ll be the homewrecker.
Day number three, dressed in Jeremy’s flannel shirt, I woke to silence and rushed to crack the front door open. A blast of icy air hits me, but there’s no more raging wind. The storm is over!
Snow piles in mountainous drifts around the cottage, nearly swallowing the porch. The landscape looks untouched, pristine, deadly, but breathtakingly beautiful.
I breathe in and out, the frozen air in front of me. Freedom!
“Claire.” Jeremy’s voice behind me is soft but carries a gravelly command that shoots down my spine. “Don’t step out.”
I turn back. He’s in thick bedroom slippers, hair tousled, wearing a black thermal shirt stretched across his shoulders like a second skin. His eyes flick from me to the snow like he’s calculating threats.
“It stopped,” I say quietly.
“Yeah,” he answers, his replica steps beside him, rubbing his eyes, blanket around him like a delightful burrito. “But stopping doesn’t mean safe.”
Rubbing his head, his father tells him to stay put and steps onto the porch. The wood creaks under his weight. He stands at the edge of the snow, and I swear he inhales like he’s smelling something in the wind.
I blink. Weird.
"So… we can leave now?” I ask hopefully, my breath freezing.
He shakes his head once, and he joins me in frozen breath conversation. “No roads and everything’s buried, meaning the trail to the rental cottages is gone.” His jaw tightens. “We’re still stuck.”
A pit forms in my stomach. “For how long?”
“Until they come.”
“They?” I echo.
Jeremy glances at me. “The owners of the rental cottages. They check the trail after major storms.” He steps back inside and gestures for me to do the same, closing the door behind us. “They’ll check in on me to relax. Two days max. At least you’re not out there and in here warm and cozy, right?”
At my furrowed brows, he adds, “This land’s been in my family a long time.” His eyes scan the treeline, sharp and alert. “We’re safe here.”
“So what now?” I ask.
He looks at me then, really looks. “Now we stay inside. Stay warm. Stay together.”
Together. Great. My heart doesn’t need that word right now. I literally have to remind myself that my heart was broken by the love of my life just a few days ago. Hadn’t I been bawling my eyes out over that?
“Dad, can we make pancakes?”
Jeremy finally relaxes enough to nod. “Yeah, bud. Go preheat the pan.”
Gosh, not even the man’s son is preventing me from having these fevered thoughts of him.
- Writer
