Pining For You (Jasper Falls 4)

Colin frowned. “Not a single part of that answer had to do with my question, Sky.”

She sighed. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

He bumped her shoulder with his. “Hey, you’re their daughter—not a burden. You should tell them. Families are great at coming up with solutions when they put their heads together.”

“Yeah, when they’re together. Everyone has so much going on lately. I don’t want to add more stress to their plate.”

She didn’t know what her parents had in terms of savings, but she sensed it was running low. Voices traveled in a house with a family the size of theirs and only four bedrooms.

“What about financial aid?” he asked, seeming to follow her thoughts.

“That would be a must, whether they help me or not. I can’t expect them to support me.” She was twenty-one and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. College debt was normal.

“How much time do you have to decide?”

She needed to give them an answer by the end of the week. “Classes start in December.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you should do it. Keep going after that dream and eventually you’ll get there.”

Her dream was to one day own and operate her own preschool, since Jasper Falls didn’t have one. Technically, once she earned her associate’s, she’d have the necessary credentials, but she wanted a more comprehensive background in education—she wanted the state recognized certification and bachelor’s degree.

“It’s just one class,” she reminded him.

“Credits don’t expire. It all adds up. And eventually, you’ll run out of excuses, Skylar. Don’t take too long to make up your mind, or you might also run out of time.” He stood and placed an affectionate hand on her shoulder. “This is a step in the correct direction.”

“You’re right. I don’t know why I play things down like this. It’s like I’m afraid to do something if it’s just for me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with doing something solely for yourself.”

He had a point. She knew it was a good point. But that didn’t relieve the guilt she felt, as if taking her focus off everyone else long enough to focus a little on herself might somehow disrupt the balance of the entire family.

But, God, she wanted to do this for herself. She wanted to feel the selfish indulgence of going after exactly what she wanted with no consideration for how her choice might affect others. Just once.

Drawing in a deep breath, her hands tightened around the letter. “I think I’ll take the offer. I can take the winter class online, like you said.”

“Good. I think that’s the right choice. And you can always look at schools closer to home in the future if it’s the distance that scares you.”

She wasn’t afraid of leaving Jasper Falls. She was afraid of letting down her family. Her parents depended on her help. It wasn’t a hardship for her to stick around, especially since she pitched in and mostly supported herself, but it might be a hardship for them if she left.

“I think I’m better off commuting to college anyway—wherever I end up going.”

“You’ve got plenty of time to make and change your mind. Trust me. If anyone knows about changing paths, it’s me.” Colin stepped fully onto the porch and pocketed his keys, but paused to look her in the eye. “And tell your parents, Sky. They’ll be proud of you.”

“I will. Thanks, Uncle Colin.”

“Any time.”

2

The shift from Thanksgiving to the Christmas season rolled into Jasper Falls with the subtlety of a ballistic sneeze. For weeks, everything had been pumpkin spiced and blazing autumnal aesthetics, but the second the turkey was served—Augustus was alive and well—fall colors faded to silver and gold, and the town glistened with tinsel, twinkle lights, and holly.

The first snow hadn’t arrived yet, but the blue sky wore a gray, gossamer blanket of clouds and the air tasted metallic with cold. Red noses and shivering faces filled the overcast streets of Jasper Falls. In a town where winters were long and snow often reached shoulders, the population bustled about like bears preparing to hibernate through a long winter.

Painted store windows were dressed in greens and reds while locals wired streetlamps and truck grills with evergreen wreathes. The scent of crackling leaves was gone, and cinnamon, mulberry, and balsam reigned the new three kings.

Skylar took her foot off the brake, slowly maneuvering through the bustling foot traffic crossing Main Street with their arms weighted by packages and some men dragging tightly wrapped pine trees. Shoppers were busy finding those early post-Thanksgiving sales.

Breathing in the scent of oregano and garlic steaming from the brick oven pizza warming the seat to her right, she smiled and turned up the radio. The Waitresses belted out the upbeat lyrics to “Christmas Wrapping”, and she sang along, making up the words she didn’t know and always messing up that one line about the cranberries.