3. Leesa
3
LEESA
I can’t believe I stood up to him! I… Leesa Emery Anderson… stood up to a man who is probably twice my weight and towers over me by six inches and I’m not short.
Inside, he doesn’t carry our bags. He doesn’t hold the door. He doesn’t look back after getting inside.
And that’s probably for the best.
I head to the left and he heads to the right. I try not to ogle everything in the place, but this house — mansion — has an organic modern feeling that makes me feel warm and comforted. The walls are a creamy white— everywhere. It’s like the snow came inside. But there are also buttery beiges, the soft golden of the aspen trees when they turn, and touches of greens that mimic the forest outside.
I shuffle past a gourmet kitchen that I can’t wait to get into and cook up some meals. I’m sure Shane had the fridge packed and I can imagine there are chocolate chips and ingredients to make my famous chocolate chip cookies. Jazzy loves cookies and we can finally make them together instead of me making them at midnight after getting home late.
After I get Jazzy settled in the cutest kids’ room on this floor, bright colors and shapes everywhere, and she’s equally as excited about the collection of Barbies and the Polly Pockets, my phone buzzes and I pull it from my pocket. I start down the hall to look at the bedrooms on this side, not looking at the screen before answering. And then remembering my lawyer saying to always look so I don’t answer calls from my ex, Cary. That protection order is only good if I adhere to it.
“Hello?” I open a door— the room’s too moody. Charcoal walls and grey furnishings. I don’t choose it.
“Leez!” Caia, my sister, practically screams into the phone. “What were you thinking?”
I yank the phone away before drawing back slowly. “Caia, calm down. What’s going on?”
“You’re going to miss our Christmas?”
Three girls in my family— Harper, Caia, and myself. And I’m the only one who didn’t get the overacting gene.
Well, most of the time.
I open another door and the room is too springy. It’s a rainbow of pastel color. Too much. Too happy. Too everything. I close the door.
“Yes, Jazzy and I will be spending time together this holiday. We really need this.”
“But… we have news.”
My spidey sense goes up. Her and her hubby, Alexie, forward for the Frostwolves Hockey team that our father is the General Manager of, have become quite the happy family in the last year and…
“Are you pregnant?” I ask.
“I am!” I pull the phone back as she screams and my face contorts.
“I’m so happy for you, sis.”
This is everything she’s ever wanted. A hockey player hubby, specifically Alexie, and a baby. Her own family.
There was a day when I thought I wanted more kids, but then I learned my husband already had another child. With another woman. In another state. And I decided Jazzy would be it for me.
She’s all I need.
“Thank you! We’re so excited.”
I stop at a door and when I push it creaks open a little, pushing on the door harder, and I’m rewarded with a fluffy wonderland. This is the room. This is the one. Modern, soft lines, curves on furniture, a low-pile rug in the middle. It’s perfect.
“Where exactly are you?” Caia asks.
“Shane’s family’s place in the mountains.”
“What?!” She spits through the phone. “That place was features in the last issue of Colorado Homes . It’s amazing and?—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But Shane’s brother showed up and he’s not exactly amazed that we’re here. But since it’s snowing, we’ll have to wait a little while to leave.”
“Is he cute?” she asks, and I can envision the smirk on her face in my mind.
I swallow. I don’t know what I want to admit. The fact that he’s hotter than a roaring fire or that he’s extra hot because he was kinda grumpy and gruff. My kryptonite apparently.
But since my ex started out that way, I quickly answer, “He’s fine. Shane got the looks in the family.”
“You’re lying!”
Damn.
Three sisters and she got the lie-dar. I can’t tell a fib to save my life.
“Okay, he’s attractive, in a mountain man meets GQ kind of way.”
“You don’t say.” I can hear her kicking up her feet onto the coffee table. “You know, you could have a little fun and get over Creepy Cary.”
“I’ve asked you not to call him that. He is still Jasmine’s dad.”
“She can’t hear me. And he was and is creepy. Look at the creepy things he did.”
She’s one step away from saying “I told you so” and I don’t need it.
“I’ve gotta go. Hope you have a good Christmas. Love you!”
“Wait! Leez! I have to tell you?—”
But I don’t wait. I’m never waiting for someone again. I’m doing what I need to do.
I hang up and figure if it’s important she can text me, but then the lights flicker and my heart leaps to my throat. Then they flicker again, and then it’s dark.
Shit.
Jazzy screams for me and I take out on an all-out run.
Rhodes
I hear the little girl scream when the electricity cuts out. It normally doesn’t last for a long time as we have a battery bank, and I wait for a couple seconds but nothing comes back on.
Fuck.
The little girl cries out for her mother again and I can’t help but take out on a sprint through the house.
There’s something in me that can’t stand that sound. That small and scared sound.
I round the corner and throw open the door and the little girl screams again.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s me, Rhodes. I promise, you’re safe.”
She reaches out for me and I freeze.
Am I authorized to pick her up?
Her eyes are huge in the little final afternoon light that comes through the window. I reach down and lift her into my arms. She sinks into me like I’m a human blanket, sobbing like she’s seen a ghost. I rub her back softly, repeating over and over, “You’re okay. I’m here.”
Her sobs slow. “I saw him.”
I lean back. “Saw who, sweetie?”
“The man in the window.”
My body goes cold. Maybe it was a shadow from outside. Maybe she just dreamed it. Maybe… it was real.
The woman rounds the corner like a tornado. “I’m so sorry. I got mixed up and turned the wrong way!” Her voice shakes.
I turn to her and the woman stops her mouth open.
“Is she okay?” she asks, her hand landing on my arm as it’s wrapped around the tiny body.
“I think so. Just scared.” I decide to skip the guy comment for now, not wanting to worry the woman or reignite the little girl’s fears. It’s amazing how a loud sound brings back my fears. I never want to do that to someone.
I rub the little girl’s back and she sighs. “You okay?” I ask the woman.
Her hand slides to her daughter’s back, brushing over mine softly.
“Does the electricity go out often?” she asks.
“No, we have multiple solar power banks in the garage. They should’ve turned on. I’m wondering what went wrong.”
“I’ll take her, if you want to go look.”
The little girl wraps her arms around my neck tighter, and I don’t think I could unwind her if I tried.
“It’s okay. I’ll look in just a little while.”
“I’m sorry that Shane didn’t explain that we would be here,” she says cautiously, like I’m going to go ballistic. When I never should have been that grumpy with her in the first place.
I relax a little. “I’m sorry that I was a grumpy old man.”
“You don’t look old,” she says it and then I watch her cringe a little and chuckle.
“Okay, little one, I need to go check on the electricity and see if we can get you back to playing Barbies.” I look down and unfortunately, I might have disfigured one with my booted foot.
She turns to her mother. “Mommy, can I have some hot chocolate?”
So resilient at this age. Too bad that fades overtime when we know things.
I hand her over. “The stove is gas. It’ll work.”
“Sure, pumpkin. Let’s get you some hot chocolate and marshmallows.”
“Thank you, Mr. Rhodes,” the little girl says softly and my heart about explodes in my chest.
“You’re welcome…”
The woman holds out her hand. “This is Jazzy and I’m Leesa Anderson.”
“Nice to meet you, Jazzy.” I boop her nose and she smiles a toothy grin. “And it’s really nice to meet you, Leesa.” I shake her hand. The room seems small. Like we’re taking up all the space by touching each other. Like I should be closer.
My heart does a backflip in my chest.
And I get the hell out of there.