her head.
“You really should just stay the night,” he said. She nodded. “You want me to try calling ahead to the motel? I’m sure they have a vacancy, but you never know. Weather like this, they may be booked solid sooner than you’d think.”
“You know what?” she let go of the wheel. “I think I’ll take you and Logan up on your offer. If it still stands, that is.”
He tried not to let his jaw fall open. Drooling—not good in front of a woman you just met.
“Sure it is,” Logan spoke up before Jeff had the chance. “Right, Dad?”
“Well, uh,” was he drooling or not? He couldn’t tell, and it bothered him. “Of course.”
SIX
“Wow, Jeff! What an amazing home,” April stepped out of her car. Jeff had to tow her partway up the hill. “A Tudor, right?”
“Huh?” Jeff was still in shock to have a female anywhere near his residence.
“The house, Dad,” Logan handed him an assist.
“Oh, yeah. The house. Tudor, yeah.”
“I just love these houses,” she marveled “The steep rooflines, the intricate brickwork, the exposed timbers. You two live here alone?”
Jeff forced a smile. “Yeah. It’s just the two of us. A bachelor pad, right, Logan?”
“Right!”
“Where’s Logan’s mother?”
He lowered his head and all of the sudden she became apologetic.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so nosy. It’s my nature.”
“No, really,” he looked at her, his smile gone. “It’s okay,” he turned to his son once more. “We lost her. Car accident,” his eyes wandered to the ground again.
“I’m so sorry,” she seemed to struggled for something else to say.
“You wanna go in, or do you wanna stay out here and freeze to death?” Logan broke the gloom. April smiled, but stayed still. Then Logan asked, “April, you wanna go sledding with us?”
She turned to him. “You know what? Sure. Anything to get my mind off today. That sounds fun, anyway. Jeff, you okay with it?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s pretty dangerous.”
“Dangerous? Dad! It’s snow. It’s soft and fluffy. What could possibly happen?”
Jeff crossed his arms.
“Dad, you can’t back down. Remember? We made a bet and I won, fair and square.”
April tilted her head. “Bet? What did you guys bet?”
Logan grinned at his dad, then the boy turned his blue-eyed charm on April. “Well, if you must know. It was about…you.”
“Me? What about me?”
“All right, all right,” Jeff interrupted. “We’ll go sledding after we eat, okay?” he prodded Logan into the house and motioned to April to follow. “Come on in. Do you drink coffee?”
“Uh, yeah. Okay,” she smiled.
As he fired up the Keurig, Jeff tried his best to dissuade his son from going outside, enticing him with video games and promises of pay-per-view movies. He even went so far as to tell the boy he could stay up late on the internet, a rare commodity in their household. No matter how many temptations thrown his way, the kid held firm. No bites. No deals. After a while, Jeff felt his own defenses break down. Logan, it seemed, possessed greater will, greater stamina, greater desire to have his way.
Jeff found a pair of Emma’s old Timberlands that fit April well enough, a waterproof Carhartt jacket he never used, and some extra gloves they had laying around. Nothing fancy, but they worked.
Logan already had his outdoor attire on before his cocoa was made. He even wore his stocking cap inside the house, pulling it over his eyes so he had to tilt his head back to see anything.
With the prospect of sledding becoming more and more a reality, Jeff decided to accept it, though the very idea unearthed bones from the past he would rather have kept buried. However, looking at his son, he remembered being young, and he wanted to let Logan have some memories of his own. As a result, he pushed and locked away those haunting pictures, the lingering cries for help.
SEVEN
“Come on, Dad,” Logan begged. “I wanna go
“You really should just stay the night,” he said. She nodded. “You want me to try calling ahead to the motel? I’m sure they have a vacancy, but you never know. Weather like this, they may be booked solid sooner than you’d think.”
“You know what?” she let go of the wheel. “I think I’ll take you and Logan up on your offer. If it still stands, that is.”
He tried not to let his jaw fall open. Drooling—not good in front of a woman you just met.
“Sure it is,” Logan spoke up before Jeff had the chance. “Right, Dad?”
“Well, uh,” was he drooling or not? He couldn’t tell, and it bothered him. “Of course.”
SIX
“Wow, Jeff! What an amazing home,” April stepped out of her car. Jeff had to tow her partway up the hill. “A Tudor, right?”
“Huh?” Jeff was still in shock to have a female anywhere near his residence.
“The house, Dad,” Logan handed him an assist.
“Oh, yeah. The house. Tudor, yeah.”
“I just love these houses,” she marveled “The steep rooflines, the intricate brickwork, the exposed timbers. You two live here alone?”
Jeff forced a smile. “Yeah. It’s just the two of us. A bachelor pad, right, Logan?”
“Right!”
“Where’s Logan’s mother?”
He lowered his head and all of the sudden she became apologetic.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so nosy. It’s my nature.”
“No, really,” he looked at her, his smile gone. “It’s okay,” he turned to his son once more. “We lost her. Car accident,” his eyes wandered to the ground again.
“I’m so sorry,” she seemed to struggled for something else to say.
“You wanna go in, or do you wanna stay out here and freeze to death?” Logan broke the gloom. April smiled, but stayed still. Then Logan asked, “April, you wanna go sledding with us?”
She turned to him. “You know what? Sure. Anything to get my mind off today. That sounds fun, anyway. Jeff, you okay with it?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s pretty dangerous.”
“Dangerous? Dad! It’s snow. It’s soft and fluffy. What could possibly happen?”
Jeff crossed his arms.
“Dad, you can’t back down. Remember? We made a bet and I won, fair and square.”
April tilted her head. “Bet? What did you guys bet?”
Logan grinned at his dad, then the boy turned his blue-eyed charm on April. “Well, if you must know. It was about…you.”
“Me? What about me?”
“All right, all right,” Jeff interrupted. “We’ll go sledding after we eat, okay?” he prodded Logan into the house and motioned to April to follow. “Come on in. Do you drink coffee?”
“Uh, yeah. Okay,” she smiled.
As he fired up the Keurig, Jeff tried his best to dissuade his son from going outside, enticing him with video games and promises of pay-per-view movies. He even went so far as to tell the boy he could stay up late on the internet, a rare commodity in their household. No matter how many temptations thrown his way, the kid held firm. No bites. No deals. After a while, Jeff felt his own defenses break down. Logan, it seemed, possessed greater will, greater stamina, greater desire to have his way.
Jeff found a pair of Emma’s old Timberlands that fit April well enough, a waterproof Carhartt jacket he never used, and some extra gloves they had laying around. Nothing fancy, but they worked.
Logan already had his outdoor attire on before his cocoa was made. He even wore his stocking cap inside the house, pulling it over his eyes so he had to tilt his head back to see anything.
With the prospect of sledding becoming more and more a reality, Jeff decided to accept it, though the very idea unearthed bones from the past he would rather have kept buried. However, looking at his son, he remembered being young, and he wanted to let Logan have some memories of his own. As a result, he pushed and locked away those haunting pictures, the lingering cries for help.
SEVEN
“Come on, Dad,” Logan begged. “I wanna go
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