Page 23 of Snow Drift

That feeling of having a dark presence following me around is mostly gone.

I get back to the kitchen and retrieve my phone from the charging drawer. Mrs. H. gives me a look, since we're not supposed to use our phones while working.

"I really need to call my Mom," I murmur.

She softens immediately, patting my shoulder gently. "Of course. Go use my office, honey."

I've only been in her office twice, so I take a moment to admire the shelf of antique teapots, the nature photography calendar, and the lavender crocheted shawl that I've seen her wear on the coldest days.

I sit in the soft green guest chair. As always, Mom answers on the first ring. "Kallie! Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," I say quickly. Back when she was being stalked, we would start almost every conversation by assuring each other that we were all right.

She relaxes immediately. "Are you still at that mountain hideaway?"

"Yes. The roads are out and we're snowed in for a couple of days, but the power's come back on. We have firewood, food, everything we could possibly need."

"That's good. I hope the guests that you're stuck with are nice?"

"Oh, yes." Taking a breath, I decide to just blurt it out. "There's one guy…Moore. He's incredible. And… He's kind of invited me to come live with him."

There's a long pause. "Do you have a truly positive feeling about him?"

Sitting up in surprise, I can't quite believe it. Her response is more girlfriend than mother. Certainly not the reaction I would have expected from someone who's gone through what we did.

"Yes. I trust him completely."

"Is he cute?" Mom laughs at my giggle-snort. "Oh Lord, that's a yes."

"Hey," I say slowly, trying to corral my thoughts into a straight line as my head spins with questions for her. "Do you feel safe now, with your security systems and everything?"

There's a long pause, then a sigh. "Yes. I really do."

"How did you…you know. Get to that place?"

A faint laugh. "A whole bunch of little things. I got to know my neighbors, so I always have people around. I took a self-defense class. That made me feel strong, knowing that I could throw a punch. And therapy, of course."

"That all sounds…reasonable."

"Oh, sweetie." Mom sighs. "I'm so sorry that my crappy luck has made you so afraid of the world. And I'm so sorry that he followed you, too."

I can't help but notice that she still can't say the stalker's name.

"Moore looked it up, and apparently since I'm not in entertainment and don't have any crazy ex-boyfriends, statistically I'm pretty safe from stalkers."

"Moore sounds like a terrific guy if he actually looked into that for you. Seems like you've had some pretty good conversations with him already?"

"Yeah."

"Sweetie, it might be really good for you to have a home base. I haven't said anything about you zipping around from job to job because honestly it's none of my business, but I know it's not healthy. Why don't you go live with that nice man for six months, see how you feel?"

Brushing a tear from my eye, I nod to myself, then giggle. "Wait. My own mother is telling me to shack up with a guy she hasn't met?"

Her bright laugh feels like she's right in the room with me. "I mean, it wouldn't hurt to ask if he's looking for marriage and children down the line. Make sure you're on the same page before you pack your bags."

"Good call."

"Wait – he doesn't live in Siberia or anything, right? You'll still visit a few times a year?"

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