Page 14 of Once Upon a Winter
The two men laughed, the humor momentarily dispersing the growing cold around them. When the laughter faded, Cooper shifted the subject. “Enough about me. What about you? How’s the family?”
Enzo shrugged. “Same old, same old. I’m ankle deep in toys and potty training. That didn’t sound right. At least the potty training’s confined to the bathroom. Well, most of the time. But I’m not going to lie. I’ve thought about running away and joining the circus.” He chuckled.
Despite the chill, warmth spread through Cooper. Enzo’s chaos sounded like the life he’d once envisioned—the kind he was reluctant to envision with Laura.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything, though,” Enzo continued, pulling Cooper from his thoughts. “They’re my world.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Cooper responded, the slight envy in his voice undetectable.
Just then, a gust of wind hit them, bringing with it a handful of icy snowflakes that caught them in the face. Cooper squinted against the onslaught, his heart sinking. “Time to head home. Looks like it’s going to be a bad one.”
Enzo followed his gaze, his smile fading. “Yeah. I hope Laura gets home okay.”
Cooper turned to his truck, and his mind suddenly filled with images of Laura trying to navigate through a blizzard. “She will,” he assured Enzo, not entirely sure who he was trying to convince.
As he climbed into his truck, his eyes lingered on the path Laura’s car had taken, worry gnawing at his insides. But Laura was independent and stubborn; she’d proven that already. Cooper had to trust that she knew what she was doing.
With a last nod to Enzo, he drove off into the growing storm, his thoughts echoing Enzo’s last words. He hoped Laura would be okay.
Seven
Cooper pulledout of the garage parking lot, his truck rumbling as he headed for the grocery store. Snowflakes flew at the windshield and coated the ground in a pristine white blanket. It was nothing he hadn’t seen before, so he’d committed his storm preparation list to memory: beer, chips, cookies, and frozen pizza. He chuckled to himself as he mentally arranged them in a food pyramid.
Stepping into the store, he found a few shoppers and sparse shelves. The sensible ones had already secured their supplies, leaving Cooper with a sense of solitude amidst the towering shelves. Not minding the tranquil shopping experience, he gathered his essentials and made his way to the checkout counter.
With his purchases rung up, Cooper walked out to his truck, the cold air biting at his face. The thought crossed his mind to drive by Laura’s house to make sure she’d made it home safely. It was on his way if he took an alternate route. He tried to tell himself he was being overly protective, if not irrational, but he drove by anyway.
“Man, look at yourself.” He laughed. However, his laughter quickly subsided when he arrived at Laura’s house and found her driveway empty. Worry took hold, and he debated whether he should search for her. But then reason prevailed. He reminded himself they were practically strangers, and she had made it clear she had errands to run—alone. It wasn’t his place to get involved. So, he headed home instead. As he did, he wondered if that was how stalkers got started.
He’d just popped the tab on a beer when his phone startled him with an incoming call. Panic gripped him as he answered, fearing the worst. “Laura?”
“Cooper?” Her voice sounded shaky. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what? Are you okay?” His heart pounded in his chest, his worry turning into action. “Where are you?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.
“I tried to call Enzo, but there’s no answer.”
Cooper interrupted. “He didn’t fix your car?”
“He did, but…” She heaved a sigh.
“Laura. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. A little shaken up, but—”
“Tell me what happened.”
“I’m trying. The car is fine. Or at least it was until I took a corner, and another car took the opposite corner, and we both started skidding. I kind of spun around, and now I’m stuck in a ditch.”
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Well, my pride is a little bruised.”
“Where are you?”
“Uh, I don’t really know. I can only see one street sign, and it’s covered with snow.”
“What else do you see?”
