Dare got to his feet and stalked across the room to the fireplace and back again.
Truthfully, Grey would’ve decked Flynn more than once if it hadn’t been for Abby. He had no intention of doing that in front of her. His thoughts shifted to Cora, and he wondered if he should go find her anyway.
The four of them stood there for several minutes until Mom came back downstairs. She nodded to Grey. “She’s going to be okay. She opted to go to bed, and I can’t say as I blame her.” She regained her spot in the recliner and stared at her oldest.
Abby stood on tip-toes and whispered something in her husband’s ear. He looked like he was going to argue before his shoulders finally dropped. This time it was his turn to sit on the hearth. Abby joined him. “I need to get back home before tomorrow afternoon because I have an interview.” He paused. “I was fired from my previous employer two months ago and have been finding it difficult to locate a new job.” From the sound of his voice, it was near torture to have to utter those words.
Grey knew it was hard for any man to admit what Flynn just had. But for Flynn, it was even more so, seeing as he was one of the most prideful men Grey had ever known. He understood now why Flynn so desperately needed to get back in time, but even if they got to the airport first thing in the morning and flights were figured out by noon, it’d be a miracle if Flynn and his family made it home in time.
Dare was the first one to speak. “You were stuck in a true blizzard. Now that you have cell phone service, you can call the company you’re interviewing with tomorrow morning and explain that. I’ll bet they can reschedule your interview.”
“Maybe.” Flynn looked doubtful. “But I need this job, and it wasn’t easy to get the interview lined up in the first place.” He ran a hand over his face. “Look, I think we’re going to call it a night, and we’ll see if we can get things figured out in the morning. Who knows? Maybe they’ll clear the roads first thing and we’ll have a shot at getting out of here early.” He did, at least, have the good sense to give Mom a look of contrition. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” Mom’s voice was quiet. “I’m sorry that people in this family feel like they have to hide things from each other instead of relying on each other for help.” She sounded sad.
Flynn kissed her on the cheek, took Abby’s hand, and the two of them went upstairs.
Now that it was just Grey, Dare, and Mom, the living room seemed huge and empty. They sat staring at the fire that continued to crackle and burn in the hearth.
~*~
Cora couldn’t sleep. She was still angry at Flynn, upset with herself for losing her temper like she did, and completely spent after such an emotional admission downstairs. She had to admit, though, that it felt better to have finally told everyone about the baby. A tightness in her chest seemed to finally ease a little.
She’d processed her emotions surrounding the loss of the baby, but all this tonight had opened that back up again. Everything felt raw.
A half hour later, she finally gave up trying to sleep. Redressing, she slowly made her way down the hall and partway down the stairs. She’d tried to leave Pogo in her room, but he’d have none of it. Rather than risk him barking and waking the kids up, she motioned for him to follow. There was no sign of Flynn or Abby, but Dare, Grey, and Maria were still sitting in the living room.
One of the stairs creaked bringing Grey’s attention to her. He got to his feet as his face filled with concern. She wrapped her arms around her waist.
“Can’t sleep?” Mom asked. Cora shook her head. “I can’t imagine why not.” Mom offered her a small smile. “You know, we do still have plenty of chocolate bars left over from making s’mores. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could go for a good chocolate fix about now.”
Cora couldn’t agree more. Grey waited for her to sit down on the couch before doing the same.
Maria returned and handed out the candy bars. The room was filled with the sounds of the wrappers being opened.
Cora snapped off a piece of chocolate and let it melt on her tongue. Yep, chocolate really did make everything better. They ate in companionable silence for a while.
Dare finished his chocolate first and crumpled the wrapper in one hand. He looked at Cora. “Were you able to get a hold of someone at the hospital?”
“Yes, thank you. My friend, Jen, had left me several texts asking me to call her the moment I could to check in. I talked to her for a few minutes, then called into the hospital. They were able to bring in another nurse for my shift in the morning.”
Jen had asked Cora how things were going, and it took everything in Cora to keep control of her emotions. She promised to tell Jen all the news once she got back. And this time, she’d tell her about the ectopic pregnancy as well.
Cora realized she’d been staring at the fire without seeing it, a piece of chocolate held between her thumb and finger. It’d started to melt. She put it in her mouth and then licked the chocolate residue as well. “What about the rest of you? Did you get a hold of anyone?”
Dare propped his sock-covered feet on the coffee table. “I’m waiting until first thing in the morning. I was afraid that calling too late would get me fired as well. Trying to find that happy balance.” It was said with sarcasm, but he had a smile on his face. “My boss isn’t going to like that I’m calling in last minute, but at least I won’t be a no-show.”
“I hope your boss understands,” Cora said. She looked at Grey and Maria. “I suppose you both have to wait until your stores are open to check in, too.”
Maria nodded. “I do, but my manager has been working for me for years. There was no voicemail from him, so I’m confident all is well.”
“Same here.” Grey finished the last bite of his chocolate. “Brody has things under control.”
They all visited for several more minutes before Maria stood and said she thought she was finally ready to go to sleep. Dare agreed. They both gave her a hug and left. She wasn’t sure if they really were ready to go to bed, or if they felt like she and Grey needed some time to talk. Either way, she welcomed the quiet.
Grey moved to the hearth and worked on banking the fire. “I almost hate to put it out completely. We may want another one in the morning.”
Cora nodded. The central heating had effectively warmed up the entire cabin, but there was nothing better than a fire on a cold morning. Especially on a morning that was full of unknowns as tomorrow was bound to be.
