Page 45 of Take Her from You

Daisy: PS you were never flaky. Life was happening to you. I got that.

At any other point in the past week, I’d have given an outright no to her coffee invite. Pushed her away and made excuses. That was in the past.

Mia: We’d love to.

The rest of the morning flew by. I picked up an excited Tobi at midday, driving her to the hangar where, Valentine informed me, the bunkhouse key was being kept by a man named Gabe who ran overall hangar operations. I retrieved it and showed my daughter around the huge building. Tobi was all big eyes for the helicopters, pogoing on the spot, zero concerns that this was our home for a while. We had lunch from the breakfast foods in the rec room, then went into the bunkhouse.

“Ohmigod,” Tobi squeaked at the women’s dorm. “Bunkbeds! Can I have the top one?”

“If you like.” I helped her climb up, then grabbed her bag of teddy bears and stuffies, handing them to her one at a time to line up against the back of the bunk.

Each one got nestled into place, Tobi chattering away. “This is our bed now. Don’t be scared of anything because we’re all together. Mama, is my blue blanket there?”

From another bag, I pulled the blanket my mother had knitted when Tobi was born. It was well-loved and frayed in one corner, and I’d used it to bring my baby home, and to every place we’d lived since.

She tucked it around her toys then reached out so I could jump her down from the high-up bed.

She’d sleep in with me anyway. The stuffies could have that top bunk all to themselves.

Locked in together, I unpacked clothes and got us both washed and changed, putting our toothbrushes side by side on the sink and grinning at Tobi’s antics as she played.

Happiness drove away a week’s worth of worry and anxiety. Living without my daughter had been a constant pain in my chest. I’d coped. We both had. Having her back was a balm over every jagged edge.

At long last, we’d left our old life behind completely. Sure, we were still in a transition, but this was a huge step on from where we’d been.

In the living room, I added another log to the wood burner.

Try as I might, I couldn’t stop thinking of the times I’d clashed with Valentine here. Watching him in the shower. The two times we’d fooled around on the sofa. He’d cleaned the place down and taken every one of his possessions, removing every trace, but God, the man was in my head and wouldn’t quit.

At three, we drove out to Daisy’s place, a pretty cottage where I’d applied for my job. A second person waited inside, Ariel, her friend who’d interviewed with her.

I grinned. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself.” She hugged me in greeting. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m here. Daisy said you were coming over,and I wondered how you were doing. You haven’t had a proper welcome to the estate yet.”

Because I’d been hiding.

I needed friends. I liked these ladies. Both were so pretty, and really kind, too. While Daisy served coffee and cookies, Ariel told us how she’d been teaching snowboarding to kids all morning, and my daughter nearly fell off her seat in excitement.

“Does Avery go out on the snow?” she asked.

I explained. “She spent the morning with Cameron and Elise and their kids.”

Ariel grinned. “I teach Zander, but Avery hasn’t started lessons yet. Most of the snow will melt soon, so it’ll be next November when we start up again.”

Tobi blinked at the window. “It’s all going to melt?”

“Yup. Happens every year,” Ariel said. At my daughter’s crestfallen expression, she hastened on. “Tell you what, I’ve got a board and some kit in my car. There’s a slope outside we can practice on. Want to try it out so you know if you like it?”

Tobi sat up tall. “Can I, Mama?”

“If you’re sure,” I said to Ariel.

Tobi leapt up and bolted for the door, making the decision for us. While Ariel took her outside for an impromptu snowboarding lesson, I sucked in a breath, centred myself on my boss, and in an information flood, began to share.

About why I was running. About the scare last night.

“Thank you for telling me this,” Daisy said. “I was so worried, but also unsure about how to support you.”

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