Page 26 of Mine For The Winter

“You’re up early,” she said to her son. “It’s Sunday, you could have slept in.”

“A few of my friends are heading to the Inn. They’re opening the Christmas Trail at lunchtime. We want to be the first ones there to try it out.”

The Christmas Trail was a new thing, planned by Alaska, who ran the Inn. During the day you could walk around and see Santa and all his elves, and by night it would be lit up into a magical walk.

“Aren’t you too old for that?”

He shot her one of those looks. “There’s free candy,” he said.

“Ah.” She nodded.Of course. He was still at the age where sweet things trumped anything else. “Make sure you keep your phone with you. And if anything happens…”

“I’ll call,” he promised.

She was still getting used to him going out with his friends on his own. The first few times she’d hated it. But he was growing up and she knew he was slowly pulling away from her.

But only slowly, thank goodness.

“Once you finish at the Inn, you can all come to the Tavern and I’ll make you hot drinks,” she told him. She liked his friends, and she never got to host them at home. But at least she could spoil them there.

“Sounds good. Thanks, Mom.” He finished his cereal and carried the empty bowl over to the dishwasher, half an eye still on the television. “Did you hear about your car?”

“Yeah. It’s kaput. But I’m working on getting another.”

“Oh. That’s sad.”

“Right? Come on, we can walk into town together if you’re ready.”

Cole wrinkled his nose. “I was going to take my bike. We’re all meeting in the square and riding to the Inn.”

Ah. If only she had a bike. But her legs would get used to walking until she worked out how to get another car.

An hour later, she was at the Tavern. She’d deliberately arrived early, because she wanted to go through the old filing cabinet in the office to find the last insurance valuation they’d had done.

She knew her dad didn’t want to secure a loan against the business, but they had no choice. She’d go to the bank and find out what they could borrow and give it to him as a fait accompli.

There was no way he could go on without that surgery.

“Knock knock.”

She looked up to see Amber in the doorway. “Hi.” She closed the filing cabinet. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Will let me in.” He was one of her barmen. “I heard about your car,” Amber said.

Kelly wrinkled her nose. “Of course you did. Who spilled the beans this time?”

“Charlie Shaw told Dylan, who told Everley who told Alaska who told Gabe who told North.”

Kelly started to laugh. “That’s one hell of a grapevine.”

“Right? And I started to wonder why my best friend didn’t tell me herself.” Amber gave her a pointed look.

“I would have if I saw you. Anyway, yesterday was a mess. I had to get Cole to his hockey game and then work a double shift. I didn’t have a chance to think let alone call you.”

Amber looked mollified. “Okay then. But I could have helped.”

“It was fine. Honestly, I had it covered.”

Amber rolled her eyes.

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