Page 42 of Out of the Cold

“I wouldn’t complain.”

All his girlfriends had loved that he cooked. They used to brag about it to their friends. He used to cook for Angie and her friends while they drank margaritas and complained about the dating scene.

Lucy stood by his shoulder as he finished tying the hens’ legs with the twine he’d found in a drawer.

“Those are beautiful. I knew I invited you for a reason.”

“It wasn’t for my sparkling conversation.”

She laughed. “You have your moments.”

He washed his hands and looked around for something else to do. Lucy was placing marshmallows on top of sweet potato casserole.

“I always wished my mother would make that,” he told her. “She said marshmallows belonged in dessert.”

“In other words, I’m fulfilling your heart’s desire?” she joked.

She was being lighthearted, and he should have laughed. But all he could think wasyes. He hadn’t hoped for this when he woke up this morning, but her easy presence and husky laugh, her soft eyes and slow smile eased something in him.

He felt human again.

Whatever she saw in his expression seemed to surprise her. She looked down as hot color rushed into her cheeks.

“Anything else I can help with?” he asked.

Her eyes flew back up to meet his. “Oh. Um, I don’t think so. I made the pecan pie earlier, and the green bean casserole doesn’t take any time. I guess you could make the salad.”

Nodding, he pulled a head of lettuce and some veggies out of the fridge. “Did your family try to get you home for the holiday?” he asked, tearing leaves into a big wooden bowl.

She pulled out a casserole dish and emptied two cans of green beans into it.

“Yes, and I was tempted, which is why I stayed here.”

“Why would it be a bad thing?”

She opened the can of cream of mushroom soup like it required all her attention. “I don’t have a place to stay after this. Which really isn’t that big a deal, since I have plenty of time to look, except I know my parents will try to convince me to move back. And by convince, I mean shower me with attention and my favorite foods and generally remind me how easy life would be if I were there.”

“And that would be bad because...?”

She didn’t answer right away. She finished the casserole and set it on the counter, then pulled out forks and knives and started setting the table. Her back was to him, but he could see the tension in her shoulders and in the way she fussed with the exact position of the knives.

“Never mind, you don’t have to tell me,” he said. “Hell, I don’t tell you anything.”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She nodded toward the whiskey by his elbow. “Could you pour me some more?”

“Like that, is it?” he said, pouring a generous refill and passing the glass back to her.

She took a couple of sips, closing her eyes as she swallowed. He could see the liquid travel down her throat—nearly felt it himself, he was paying such close attention.

“I was diagnosed with leukemia at fifteen,” she finally said, looking down at the glass in her hands. “I went through treatments for four years, and for a few years after that, I still wasn’t myself. It completely disrupted my life. I didn’t move out until I was twenty-four, so being back again would feel like going backwards. Like I’d failed.”

“Jesus, I can’t even imagine that. You must have been terrified.”

“It’s a strange thing to face your mortality when you’re so young. The survival rate for what I had—acute lymphoblastic leukemia—is really good for younger kids, but it’s not so terrific for teenagers.” She took another sip. “So yeah, I was scared, but also really sick for a long time. My mom quit her job to take care of me, and I had to be homeschooled. I missed most of high school, and I was exhausted for years, not to mention the brain fog the chemo left me with. I didn’t start college until I was twenty-one, and even then I couldn’t handle more than a couple classes at a time.”

“Is it...do you worry about it coming back?” he asked, holding his breath for her answer.

“I’m considered cured, and ALL is a childhood disease. But the treatments can cause problems down the road. Heart issues, things like that.”

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