Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
This is not good.
Not. At. All.
Justin’s hands had a white-knuckle clutch on the steering wheel. He turned into the direction of the skid. He heard Felicity gasp. Next, he felt her hand clutching his leg. He didn’t have time to calm her.
With some quick maneuvering, he got the pickup straightened out. It didn’t last long. The pickup pulled in the opposite direction. He gave up on the thought of getting stopped. He was doing his best to keep them on the roadway.
Headlights illuminated the upcoming intersection. He could only hope the oncoming traffic was able to stop. Because they absolutely could not.
The breath got trapped in his lungs. They careened through the four-way stop. Somehow they missed the other vehicles. He’d say that ranked up there as a Christmas miracle.
At last, the pickup slowed to a stop. It was then he took his first full breath as he loosened his cramped fingers from the steering wheel. That was close—too close.
He glanced over at Felicity. Her face was pale. He felt bad. They definitely needed to put down some anti-skid material at that intersection.
His hand moved to cover her hand where her fingers were digging into his thigh. He rubbed his fingers gently over the back of her hand. “I’m sorry about that.”
She attempted a smile, but it didn’t quite work. “It’s okay.”
And then, as though she realized she was touching him, she pulled her hand away. All that was left behind was a cold spot where her hand had once been.
Felicity visibly swallowed. “Maybe we should turn around.”
“But don’t you need something from the storage place?”
She nodded. “My mother’s sewing machine. I need it to fix the costumes for the Christmas play.”
He realized she had less than a week to fix the costumes. That wasn’t much time. They were halfway between the bookshop and storage place. They might as well keep going.
He pressed on the accelerator. Moving at a slower speed, they made their way as darkness descended upon them. He didn’t like this time of year when it grew dark so early. And the heavy cloud brought darkness all that much sooner.
“Justin, aren’t you going to turn around?”
“Where?” They were on a two-lane country road. “I’m not going off the road in the snow. We might never get back on the road again.”
“I’m sorry I got you into this.”
“It’s fine. We’ll be there in no time, and then we can head back to town.”
“I really am sorry.”
Honestly, it wasn’t her fault they were out on a snowy night. Justin inwardly groaned. He knew exactly why they were out here. Merry. She was matchmaking. He was certain of it. He wondered if Felicity was aware of it. There was no way he was asking her.
Still, the silence was awkward. He chanced a quick glance in Felicity’s direction. She was staring straight ahead as she worried her bottom lip.
Hoping to get her to relax a little, he said, “Why don’t you turn on the radio?”
Without a word, she reached out and turned it on.
A bouncy country tune was playing, but she changed the station until “White Christmas” was echoing through the pickup.
He wasn’t so sure about the choice in music, considering they’d just had a close call with all of the white stuff, but then he heard Felicity humming along.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The music abruptly stopped mid-chorus. “The National Weather Service in Burlington, Vermont, has issued a Severe Winter Storm Warning for Addison County, Bennington County, Caledonia County, Chittenden County, Essex County, Franklin County…”
“That includes us,” Justin said. “Turn it up.”
Without a word, Felicity did as he’d asked.
“We have a severe weather warning up until six p.m. There is a snow squall working its way through the area. It is creating whiteout conditions and putting down four to six inches of snow.”
“Six inches?” Felicity’s voice was woven with distress.
“Don’t worry.” He reached out to her and squeezed her forearm. “We’re going to be fine.”
“Turn around,” she said. “No sewing machine is worth getting stuck in a blizzard.”
“The snow is already picking up, and so is the wind. There’s no place to turn around. The safest thing for us to do is drive to the storage place. It isn’t too far up the road.”
The radio announcer’s voice drew his attention once more. “It’s a good evening to curl up with a frozen pizza, some hot chocolate, and watch your favorite movie. And if you’re already out on the roads, find a safe place to take shelter.”
After an advertisement, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” played on the speakers.
Felicity once more grew quiet while he focused on the road.
Right now, everything was coated in snow, so it was hard to tell exactly where he was on the road.
The good thing was that no one else was on the road at that moment.
A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of the storage unit. Felicity had the access code to open the gate. The parking lot hadn’t been plowed recently, so the tires made a crunching sound as they moved over several inches of fresh snow.
He scanned the building to his left. “What number did you say it is?”
“Eight thirty-one.”
He used the flashlight app on his phone to highlight the number plate on the side of the building. “We’re not even close. This one is three twenty.”
They drove around until they found the right unit in the back of the storage lot. He pulled to a stop, shining the headlights on the long metal building. The unit had not only an overhead door but also a man door.
“This place looks big,” he said.
“It does?”
He nodded. “What all does your mother have in there?”
“I’m not quite sure.” She opened the pickup door and got out.
Justin cut the engine and got out. The strong wind rushed past him.
Snow was blown in his face. He squinted as he made his way around the pickup.
By the time he caught up with Felicity, she was standing next to the building.
She placed the key in the door lock and turned it.
She pulled open the door and stepped inside.
It was pitch-black inside. Justin grabbed his phone and turned on the flashlight app again. He searched the wall and found a switch. When the lights flickered on, he was floored by the rows and rows of stuff.
“Look at all of this.” Astonishment sounded in Felicity’s voice.
“It’s massive in here. How will we find the sewing machine?”
“Good question. I have absolutely no idea. But since we have time to wait until the weather passes over, let’s start looking.”
He continued to stand still as his gaze continued to take in the sight. “What exactly are we looking for?” When she sent him a puzzled look, he clarified. “The sewing machine. Is it a standalone? Does it have a case? If so, what color?”
“Oh. Uh, it’s a standalone, and it should be in a white plastic carrying case.”
“Now we just have to hope that it wasn’t packed in a box.” He didn’t say it, but he felt as though they were searching for a needle in a haystack.
At least there were aisles that ran between the piles of cardboard boxes and furniture. There was enough stuff in here to fill an entire house and then some.
“I can’t believe it,” Felicity said.
“Believe what?” Maybe he shouldn’t have asked but he wanted to know what she was thinking. He had this urge to know everything about Felicity—the new Felicity—the successful woman who she’d become.
“That my mother kept everything from the house. She’d told me she did, but I guess I didn’t think she meant everything. Who packs up an entire house and puts it in storage?”
“Apparently your mother. I was surprised when I heard she sold the house. I can’t imagine how you must have felt.” He checked one side of the aisle while Felicity checked the other for the sewing machine.
“I didn’t know.” Her words were soft, almost a whisper.
“Didn’t know what? That she put everything in storage?”
“Well, that too, but I didn’t know she sold the house.
She tried to call me, but I was so wrapped up in my career that I didn’t have time to talk to her.
” She paused, but it seemed as though she had more to say.
“That isn’t exactly true. It was after my dad died, and I knew if I answered that she’d ask me to come home.
I wasn’t ready for that. The house seemed so empty without my dad in it—without his deep laugh and his corny dad jokes.
” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Anyway, I didn’t call her back, and she said the sale happened really fast… ”
The way her voice trailed away left him wondering if there was more to the story, but he wasn’t going to push her. He knew Felicity would open up when she was ready—at least that’s how it used to be between them. Now, everything had changed, and he felt as though he were on uneven ground with her.
“I think I see it!” Felicity was looking at the back of the unit.
He moved to her side. He didn’t see anything but a bunch of furniture with dust covers and more boxes. So many boxes. But he didn’t see anything that resembled a sewing machine.
He squinted into the shadows. “Where?”
She pointed. “Over there.”
He looked in that general direction. He still didn’t see anything. “Are you sure?”
“No. But I need to get back there to make sure.” She climbed up on what looked like a couch. “Whoa!” Her arms moved as if she were surfing.
He reached out, placing his hands on her waist until she had her balance. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
He let go of her. “Let me do it.”
“No. I’ve got this.”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How many times had he heard that in the past? “Just be careful, okay?”
“I always am.”
He laughed. “You forget that I know you very well. And you like to take risks. Like moving to New York City, where you knew absolutely no one.”
She climbed over the back of the couch onto some other piece of furniture. “And you always like to play it safe. Like staying here in Kringle Falls, where you know everyone instead of heading out and chasing your dreams.”
He wanted to get mad at her comment, but he couldn’t. It was true. Not only had he remained in their hometown, but he also hadn’t even told anyone about his dream of being an author.
She stopped and turned to look at him. “What? No comeback?”
He shrugged. “It’s tough to argue with the truth.”
Surprise lit up her eyes. She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but instead, she turned her back and continued climbing to the back of the area.
When she reached her destination, she said, “I found it!”
“Good job. Can you carry it?”
Her gaze narrowed as she pursed her lips. “Seriously? Are you implying that I’m a weakling?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that. I remember how hard you can punch.” He rubbed his bicep at the memory.
A big smile came over her face. It plumped up her cheeks and made her eyes twinkle with amusement. “That’s right. Now are you going to just stand there? Or are you going to give me a hand?”
“Uh. Right.” He climbed over the couch and the chair behind it. He held his hands out to her. “Here. Let me take it.”
She handed over the white sewing machine case. He retraced his steps until he placed it on the floor in the narrow aisle.
Thump. Crash.
He jerked around. He couldn’t see Felicity. His heart rate picked up. All he saw was a mess of cardboard boxes and lamps lying in a heap.