Trapped with the Blizzard (11 page)

Elizabeth Croyden, a mother, a wife, in an apron, about to bake a couple dozen batches of Christmas cookies… yeah, this had to be a bizarro world. But, like every time I experienced one of these odd, disjointed moments, I’d look at Jack and the truth and love of it would come crashing back down.

“Hey, little man,” I said as I kissed him quickly on the cheek. “You’re gonna help Mommy decorate the sugar cookies, aren’t you? I just need to make sure I have my camera ready because Granddad will kill me if I don’t send more photos.”

I was up to my elbows in cookie mix, humming away with the music when Dani emerged from upstairs.

“Hey,” she said, as she rounded the corner and took a seat at the dining room table. She eyed the four racks of cooling sugar cookies.

“You can have one,” I replied, watching her out of the corner of my eye as I cut and rolled out the gingerbread.

After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and grabbed the closest one. “Thanks,” she mumbled. She had her blonde hair in a thick braid draped over her shoulder. Her tight, dark jeans and oversized sweatshirt made her look more thirteen than nearly seventeen. She pulled her heels up on the seat of the chair and hugged her knees, mournfully looking out the window.

“The snow hasn’t stopped,” I said casually. “They say we’re supposed to get twelve to eighteen before tonight. Then we’ll have a little break before the big part hits.”

She nodded slightly. “Where’s Bryan?” she asked without turning.

“Still down in town,” I replied. I opened the oven door, slid in the gingerbread trees, and set the timer. “There are a few poorer rural families who can’t get in, so they have county plows out clearing the way. Apparently evacuating an entire town takes a lot of organization. Who knew?”

Dani turned away from the window and nibbled on the cookie. “So, what. Are you and Bryan like King and Queen of Tellure Hollow or something? You guys practically run the place.”

I genuinely laughed. “It feels like it sometimes,” I replied as I wiped my hands on the apron. As I spoke, I took a mug from the cupboard, filled it with coffee, and set it down in front of her without asking. At least we both shared a deep addiction to coffee. “You know the name Marsh means something around here. As much as this area has grown, there are still people who cling to those original settler last names.”

Dani chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

“After everything that happened here a few years back and then last year in New Zealand…” I said, sitting down with a groan. “Living here brings a certain amount of attention.”

A part of me suspected a lot of her hostility towards me was borne from the stories in the media. They hadn’t always painted me in the best light and, even though I didn’t court it, danger seemed to follow me wherever I went. Bryan was still The Blizzard, but I certainly was the one who drew the most destruction.

Dani tapped the edge of the cookie with her finger, crumbs falling onto the counter. She pressed her thumb into them before lifting it to her mouth. “Don’t you two own the mountain or something?”

“No, not exactly. We’re sort of… caretakers.” I paused for a second, wondering how deep and detailed I should go. “Do you know the story of how Bryan and I first met? All that stuff that went down?” I asked, while gesturing with my hand.

“Yeah, made me a minor celebrity in school after it happened,” she said, giving me a small grin. “Was all that true?”

“Well, I don’t know everything you heard. Most of the tabloids exaggerated quite a bit.” To be honest, it’d been so long I couldn’t even remember all the fantastical stories myself. There had been so much speculation, I could only laugh after a while. I still had the news clippings saved in a shoebox upstairs. “After the original owner, Mr. Richards, lost his son…”

“Noah, right? He’s the one you found dead,” she interrupted excitedly. “I
do
know all this!”

I nodded, not enjoying that particular trip down memory lane. “Right. Well after that, the town pretty much took over the resort. We’ve been loosely in charge since then. But it’s a joint effort.” We sat in silence for a few moments. I remembered those horrible few weeks of my life as if they were yesterday. It was bizarrely refreshing to talk about, though. Most people aggressively avoided bringing any of it up around me.

“I’m sorry about what happened yesterday,” Dani whispered as she chewed the last of the cookie. She couldn’t meet my eye, but I heard the sincerity in her voice.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” I let her sit in silence for another moment, curious if she’d have anything else to say. I finally added, “For what it’s worth, I think you came close to hitting one of my least favorite people, so I probably owe you one.”

Dani chuckled, and for the first time I felt like we might actually get somewhere.

“And for what it’s worth, I think I’m done drinking for a long time.”

“Good to know.” Not wanting to push the issue further and risk alienating her, I changed the topic quickly. “Hey, would you mind keeping Jack distracted for a little while? I have a few things I need to check on upstairs and then maybe you can help me ice cookies?”

Dani reluctantly nodded but seemed into the idea of helping out. I suspected one of the things she missed most since her father’s accident was a normal life. I have no idea what Janet, her mother, considered normal, but I wanted to give this girl the best Christmas I could. Even under the circumstances.

I was absolutely bored out of my mind. I had gone out twice to shovel the deck and front stairs just for something to do. I sat in an overstuffed chair next to the window, leaning over the back as I watched the snow float down. It was hard to believe anything so light and gentle could cause such a fuss.

For the first time since I was a little kid, a tiny twinge of excitement about the holidays fluttered in my stomach. I think maybe it was Jack, or maybe the homey feeling Liz tried so hard to create. Even with the craziness of the evacuation and the storm, I felt that old bubble of excitement I used to get when I was young. The house looked gorgeous, like something out of a magazine. The baking gingerbread, the music, the tree…

Like a flame in a storm, the excitement snuffed with one thought.
I wouldn’t have been here if the shell of Dad weren’t back home.

The phone buzzed in my hand.

When we go boarding together, I want to show you this great little off piste area I like.

~

That’s a good way to go all Sonny Bono, I suppose

~

It’s crazy about that missing girl, isn’t it?

I grinned as I looked at my phone, a dark idea quickly forming. I was really pushing the envelope with this one. My thumbs flew across the screen, hesitating before I pressed send.

Didn’t you hear? They found her

~

No shit? Is she okay?

I jogged to the front door and leaned outside. With my pointer finger, I carefully wrote out
M I A H
in the snow, snapped a picture, and sent it to him.

They found her frozen in the forest. Apparently, before she died she had the strength to carve the name of her killer into the snow.

I giggled as I pressed send, shaking off the cold and shutting the front door as I walked in. Liz glanced up from the TV, frowned, but didn’t question what I was doing.

You are a twisted human being, ha ha. I love it.

I grabbed a cookie out of one of the plastic containers, poured myself a glass of water, and took a seat next to her on the sofa. “Any news?”

Liz’s head swiveled without breaking her gaze, almost as if she physically couldn’t pull her eyes from the screen. “Now they’re saying we’re going to get another three feet before the end of the night. And the storm isn’t supposed to stop until the day after tomorrow.”

Miah replied and as I read his text, my heart beat faster.

I know we can’t drive anywhere, but I could meet you in town. It’s only a 20-minute walk for me, how far is it for you?

I felt the color rush to my cheeks inexplicably as I typed the response.

About the same. I’m not sure though…

I thought about how best broach the subject. Liz was enthralled in the Weather Channel, and Jack was napping. All the cookies were finished and packed, our bags were sitting by the front door ready to go. I stood casually, stretched my arms over my head with a long yawn, and put my hands on my hips.

“So, I think I’ll walk into town. Nothing’s really going on and…”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Liz said with a tight voice. She didn’t even look up from the screen to tell me no.

I tried to keep the sarcasm from infecting my voice. “Well, it’s not like you need me to be here. I seriously doubt this arsonist is just roaming the streets with a torch looking for his next victim,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“It’s not that. The snow is only going to get heavier and nothing in town is open anyway. Bryan will be here soon.” She glanced back at the TV before giving me a sideways look. “You going to meet a guy?”

I felt the phone go off. I stuffed my hands in the pocket of my sweatshirt. “No.”

Liz looked up at me as if she wanted to say something, but bit her tongue. I thought back to the conversation I had with Bryan while I puked up a fifth of vodka and remembered to take it easy on her.

“I don’t have to. Maybe we could play a board game here, you know, while we’re waiting for Bryan?”

Liz blinked at me a couple of times before responding. “Yeah, maybe.” She turned back to the television as if the forecast would change if she weren’t watching.

I huffed and plopped into the chair.
This is what I get when I try to be friendly
, I thought.

I quickly typed out a message to Miah.

I don’t think so. I’m lazy and while walking downhill in the snow does sound fun…

The lights flickered. They browned out a few times before going completely black. Both Liz and I looked up and then to each other. The room fell eerily silent, the TV going black. The power outage must’ve only lasted for a few seconds before the lights came back on.

“Well, that’s a fun development.”

“The generator must’ve kicked on,” she said as she jumped up.

Power’s out here :(

~

Yeah, here, too.

A few seconds later, Liz’s phone rang. I eavesdropped on her conversation with Bryan.

“Hey, baby. Yeah, here, too. The generator is on, though… Seriously? Do you really think… Yeah, no. I get that. It makes sense.” There was a long silence as she listened to him, her eyes darting up more than once. She paced around the living room nodding, her expression growing more concerned by the second.

Trying to keep the situation light, I sent Miah another funny text.

Tellure Hollow the next Donner Pass? It’s more likely than you think!

Liz got off the phone and looked at me with an expression of disbelief. “We’re actually doing it. The evacuation is on.” Liz paced around the room as she spoke, retelling me the high points of Bryan’s call. “The fire hall is completely full. Power is out across the whole town and since a lot of the roads are blocked or shut down, we don’t have any way of fixing it quickly. Normally, we wouldn’t have to do this, but because it’s supposed to go on for days…” She trailed off, probably running through a list of things she needed to get ready before we went up to the lodge.

I have to admit, I didn’t think a blizzard was anything to get that worked up over. Living in Southern California, where people lose their shit at the slightest drizzle, you’d think I would be panicking. But really, how much trouble could snow get up to? It’s fluffy and harmless, right? Yeah, it’ll get in the way, but that’s why we have plows and shovels. Apparently, I didn’t give snow the proper amount of respect.

After double-checking my packed bag, I settled into my spot by the window and watched the storm. The precipitation had changed slightly. Now late afternoon, the temperature had warmed enough that it was coming down in wet chunks, like thick, white rain. The pine boughs hung low with the weight of the damp snow, changing the entire shape of the forest.

A local plow rumbled up the road, his orange lights flashing on top while the metal plow scraped the pavement, flinging snow to the side. A long train of cars followed behind at a glacial rate, little mechanical ducks following their big truck mother. Twenty minutes later, I looked out and the road looked untouched.