Page 41 of Cascade

“Archer,” she clasps her hands together. “He’s really excited about the data from the program we’ve been doing. With the postpartum patients. I think that—Archer, I think we are really going to be able to make a difference.”

I feel a smile build from my whole body. “Of course you are making a difference. I’ve seen you in action.”

She shakes her head, smiling now even though she still has tears on the brink of rolling down. “No, I mean like a statistical, quantifiable difference. A difference to take to healthcare providers and insurance companies and make changes in how we as a country provide care for people after they deliver babies!”

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard Opal string that many words together at once. It’s hard to stop grinning at her, because she’s so passionate right now. She wants so desperately for her work to benefit other people. She doesn’t even realize how sexy that is. She blows out a deep breath. “It took me to a dark place, when that happiness started to creep up on me this afternoon. It’s like…I am so trained to distrust everything, Archer. Anything good was always temporary or an illusion. Always. So when Andy told me he was confident in his data, I felt this real sense of accomplishment. And it terrified me.”

“Precious,” I say, reaching for her and then changing my mind. I drape an arm along the back of the couch, snaking as close to her as I think she will accept.

She breathes in and out from her nose again. “When I got to your office, I had been thinking so much about my dad. About how shitty he was as a caregiver. It got in the way of me being happy about my work. And then I didn’t expect to see you…different at work.”

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t more direct telling you about the changes at work, Precious.” I place a hand on her back. She seems open to me rubbing her shoulder, so I do.

We sit like that for awhile, quietly, and then she yelps as Oscar jumps up onto the couch. He puts his head in Opal’s lap. “Oh!” She says, petting him. “He’s letting me love on him, Archer.”

“Of course he is,” I say. “He loves you, Precious. He just needs patience.”

“He’s been through so much,” she says, petting him gingerly and practically glowing when he allows it. “I just want him to be happy.”

“Hey,” I say, lifting her chin with one gentle finger. “You’ve been through a lot, too.” As she stares at me, speechless, for a minute, I lean in and kiss her mouth. Just a brief one, to let her know I care about her. And then the three of us snuggle tighter, the house warm and silent apart from Oscar mewling happily between us.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Opal

ARCHER ASKS ME to pause thinking about moving back to my place until after Abigail has the baby. Between us both working so much, and me helping to translate what the doctors say, and helping to calm Hunter down, Archer says Team Crawford needs me well rested and well fed.

Daniel delivers casseroles daily. I stand in Archer’s kitchen heating one up, a sudden hunger emerging after I worked through so many big, conflicting feelings all at once.

I force myself to silence the tiny voice inside questioning whether he’s serious when he says I’m a welcome addition to his house. Instead, I stare at the paper white bulb from Abigail’s shower. Archer had set it on the window sill, where the morning light streams in every day. “We can watch it bloom together,” he says, planting a kiss on the back of my neck.

We wait for the microwave together and he wraps his arms around my waist. “Tell me what’s going on with Hunter and Abigail. I got about ten thousand phone calls from my family members.”

“Can I just tell you they’re going to be ok and fill in the details in the morning?” I’m so relieved when he nods that I could melt.

He grabs a few plates and we sit at the counter, eating cheesy pasta that tastes so good I forget about all my problems for a few minutes. “Archer,” I say, watching him dig into his food. “What is all this Claus nonsense I keep hearing everyone talk about?”

“Mmm,” he says. “That’s some serious insider Oak Creek information.” He winks. “I could get into trouble if I tell…”

“Come on,” I urge, swatting a noodle off his fork with my own, holding it up in challenge.

“Well.” He dabs at his mouth with a napkin. “I’m going to warn you that you’re going to think I’m incredibly sexy after I tell you about this.”

“I think I can handle it.”

He pulls out his phone and scrolls through his pictures, bringing up a shot of a guy dressed as Santa, holding up a sleeping baby. “The Oak Creek Claus has been a thing for over 125 years,” he says. He scrolls through the phone and I see the same Santa with sleeping kids, wide-eyed kids. “Every year, Ed Hastings puts up an ad in the Gazette reminding parents that they can sign up to have the Oak Creek Claus come to their house and visit their kids.”

Archer beams as he describes a tradition where Santa Claus gets a list of the names and addresses of all the kids in Oak Creek and goes to each house that signs up. The parents pick one present for the Claus to give to the kids. “I remember when the Claus used to come to my house,” Archer says. “Man, we thought Santa really lived here in Oak Creek.” He is quiet for a moment, just smiling. Then he shrugs. “A few years ago, I lost a ton of money to Leonard at cards. He said he’d call it even if I took over as the Claus.” Archer stabs another bite of his casserole. “Been Clausing it up ever since.”

I blink at him. “You dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve and go to every house in town to visit the kids and what? Spread Christmas cheer?”

He grins. “It’s noteveryhouse, Precious. But yeah. Pretty much.” When I don’t say anything for awhile, he raises his eyebrows and bumps his shoulder against mine. “It’s hot, right? Me as the Claus?”

I furrow my brow and try to think of something to say, but I just am at a loss for words. “That’s probably the most amazing thing ever,” I tell him. “This town is really something special.”

“It is. Better now that you’re here, Precious.” He kisses me on the cheek, and then I swoon as he scoops me up and twirls me around the kitchen. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“No expectations,” he whispers as he crawls in beside me. “But I want to rub your shoulders for you.”

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