Pining For You (Jasper Falls 4)

“Any left?”

Her mom appeared with the last stack of boxes. “Dinner’s in the microwave.”

Her dad pressed a kiss to her mom’s head and Skylar smiled. No matter how busy or stressed life got for the two of them, they never forgot to show affection.

“Who’s Escalade’s in the driveway?”

Skylar blushed. “It’s the mayor’s. My car was iced over and he insisted I take his SUV instead. I’m driving it back first thing in the morning.”

“Huh.” Her dad nodded with approval. “That was nice of him. Sounds like a decent guy.”

She thought so. “Did you get anywhere today?” Skylar asked, changing the subject and hoping her father made the breakthrough he’d been trying to accomplish for the last eight months.

As an epidemiologist, he spent hours researching. He’d been working on a proposal for a new treatment, but their funding was running out and the grant money hadn’t come through yet. He finally had to tap into the family savings, which put everyone on edge.

With Frankie away at Penn State and Hannah looking at colleges, Skylar once again figured it would be a relief when she moved out. Though her family would never admit it was a struggle to feed, clothe, and shelter so many kids, she knew her absence could lighten their burden.

“Nothing yet,” he said, heating up his plate and carrying it to the table. “How’s the new job?”

She smiled. “I like it. Addison is adorable and my boss is nice.”

He took a bite and raised a brow. “Don’t say that around your grandfather.”

She rolled her eyes.

He patted her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m proud of you, Sky. This is a big step, and it’ll be good for you to make some real money.”

She grinned, hoping it helped take some of the pressure off his back. Not only was he spending countless hours at the lab, he sometimes picked up extra shifts at the lumberyard. No wonder he was exhausted.

“I won’t have rent, so maybe I can help out once I start getting paid—”

“Hey, stop that. We’re fine. You put that money away for your future, you hear?”

She nodded.

“Besides, once my grant gets approved and I get this lab up and fully running, we’ll make our money back tenfold.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“What do I always say about big pharma?”

“It’s bigger than our human brains can calculate.”

“Exactly.”

Her room was dark and Hannah snored from a lump of blankets on the bed shoved against the wall. Skylar’s side was the tidy one.

Boxes were stacked by the door and only a few items remained in her closet, but it was too late to pack now. She told Rhett she’d be moved in by Saturday, which was only two days away.

She could swing it. More than anything, she needed sleep.

Climbing into bed, she turned out the light and stared at the shadows cast on the wall from the window. Specks of snow flurries danced in the moonlight as she went through a mental list of everything she needed to accomplish.

As she fell asleep, her last thought was of her boss, and how he insisted she take his car home. She smiled, a warm sensation she didn’t recognize filling her chest. She secretly admitted she couldn’t wait to return to work, tomorrow.

9

Addison gasped as the log cabin came into view. “Is this the North Pole?”

“Not quite.” Skylar parked beside her grandmother’s ancient, wood-paneled Jeep Cherokee and helped Addison out of the back seat.

Gran had called that morning to inform Skylar that the kids were working on a gingerbread house. Being that her grandmother watched all the little ones who had not yet reached school age, Skylar figured this would be a good chance for Addison to make some new friends.

As they climbed the steps of the big house, Addison asked a hundred questions. “Does Santa live here? Where is this place? How many chimneys do they have? Were those reindeer or regular deer we saw on the way in? What if I have to go potty? Do they have a toilet? How did you find this place? What’s in that barn over there? Do they have horses?”

Gran greeted them at the door, wearing her usual warm smile, threadbare apron, plain house dress, and, of course, a battered pair of work boots.

“Well, you must be Addison. Aren’t you just as cute as a bug’s ear? Come up here and let me have a good look at you, love.”

Suddenly shy, Addison clung to Skylar’s leg. She nudged her forward. “Addy, this is my grandmother. You can call her Miss Maureen.”

Gran crouched in the doorway. “I was just making the kids some hot cocoa. Would you like some?” When Addison didn’t answer she said, “I need a special helper to drop the marshmallows in. Do you think you could do that?”

The screen door on the other end of the porch swung and snapped. Little footsteps raced closer and Ciera jumped into view from around the corner of the wrap around porch. “I’m Rudolph!”