Page 5 of Winter Ends
“Hello?” I pressed the phone to my ear, my heart racing. While Mom and Dad had started talking to me again, the whole calling me on the regular wasn’t the norm.
“Daniel? Are you still sleeping? We were watching the news and saw you guys got hit with a lot of snow overnight. Are you doing okay?”
I stumbled out of bed at my mother’s question. The little baseboard by the window wasn’t doing shit to warm the space, and I shivered as the morning air hit my body.
A blanket of white covered everything as far as I could see. It was times like this that I wished I still had the car, not that it would do shit in this snow.
“Yeah. It started when I got off work last night. I didn’t think it would be this much.”
Mom sighed. “Oh, honey. Is there anything we can help you with?”
Now they wanted to help me? Where were they months ago when cops showed up at their house and dragged me in for questioning? They’d been so fast to shut me out and blame me for everything Art and Tilly had done. It was all my fault for every family heirloom that had turned up missing. They’d had every right to be angry. Hell,Iwas angry. We should have been supporting each other and instead, I was shut out.
“I’m good.” Maybe it was harsh, and the way Mom sucked in a breath betrayed my gruff tone.
“Daniel?”
“Mom, it’s fine. It’s just snow. It helps that I’m close to work.”
“What about clothes? Do you need some more winter items? I know you had a few sweaters, but is that enough?”
I wanted to laugh. “This is Seattle. Not freaking Alaska. The snow isn’t normal. We both know that. Try not to worry so much.”
She was silent for a long moment. “Maybe I haven’t worried enough.”
And there it was. She’d felt guilty about how things went down at the end of summer, but there was no changing it now.
“You’ve done fine. There were hard feelings. It was good that we got some space.” I plopped back onto my bed and pulled my blanket up over me so that I’d stop shivering. The cold was seeping in from the window and the baseboard kept clicking like it was trying to keep up, but failing.
“Let me at least send you some money for rent again. Seattle is so expensive. I’m so proud of you for being independent, but I want to make sure that you’re successful at it.”
Was I successful if they were still sending me cash? If it weren’t for them, I would have been struggling well before now.Despite all the hard feelings when I left Ocean Shores, Mom and Dad had been helping with the rent situation.
I rubbed at my eyes again, pulling the blanket more tightly around my shoulders. “That’s... fine. Yeah, Mom. You can send me some rent money if you want.”
She laughed. “Don’t sound like I’m putting you out or anything. You could always come back home.”
No. No, I couldn’t. As much as I missed the sleepy beach town, it had become toxic. My own version of hell. If I hadn’t left, there was no telling what type of trouble I would have ended up in when Art and Tilly were released from jail.
“Thanks. I appreciate all you and Dad do. I wish there was a way I could repay you sometimes.”
“Maybe we can come out and visit for Christmas? You missed Thanksgiving.”
I had. It was because I didn’t have a way to get home and the idea of even stepping foot back in Ocean Shores had my pulse skyrocketing.
Looking around my apartment, Christmas wasn’t the greatest idea. If Mom and Dad actually saw the place, they’d probably drag my ass back kicking and screaming. I lacked any motivation to decorate.
“Maybe not.”
“Daniel—”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s nothing personal. You said it yourself. Seattle is expensive. I don’t have room for you guys to stay with me and you’d probably have to stay at a hotel...”
“It would be worth it to see our only son.”
There was the classic Mom guilt.
My fingers played with the edges of the blanket, which at this point had migrated over my head. My nose was ice cold, and the baseboard was now making a strange hissing sound.I’d probably need to call the landlord to come take a look at it. Especially if this winter was going to be this cold.
