Chapter Twenty-Six
On Christmas morning, it took less than ten minutes for Ash’s nieces to tear through their mountain of presents. When Cosette unwrapped her own house in miniature, she shrieked, “A dollhouse!” and immediately dug out from the mess of wrapping paper her new bounty of Barbies and My Little Ponies to put in it. Ash’s smile faltered only a bit at the word dollhouse—Hazel would have loved that no one else besides him would call it a model.
It ached that she wasn’t here. Though they hadn’t specifically made plans to see each other on Christmas, when he’d helped her leave her dad’s house, it felt like she’d spend the morning with his family. And all of that aside, she was just supposed to be here. He felt it in his bones.
But she wasn’t. And she still hadn’t reached out, though her father had passed along that she was safe. No other details. That drove him pretty fucking crazy. But if she was safe and she was in contact with her dad, of all people, what did it say that she still hadn’t tried to contact him?
It was creeping up on noon, and across the living room, Maggie checked her phone for the hundredth time, just like Ash had been doing, then pulled out knitting needles and green yarn.
“Any news?” Ash asked, joining her on the brick hearth. Nick’s flight had been delayed again. He had officially missed Christmas.
“He was on standby for a flight to Midland, but I don’t know if he got on it.”
“Since when do you knit?”
“Since I needed to feel like I was doing something when there’s nothing I can do.”
Ash nudged his knee against hers. Her hands paused as she dipped her head to his shoulder. She breathed in deeply then righted herself and resumed knitting.
His father pushed up from his recliner then, catching Ash’s eye. “We still doing this?”
Ash checked his watch. “Yeah.”
After their conversation yesterday, he’d skimmed some used car listings. He’d intended just to prepare himself for the eventual expense a few weeks or even months from now. But he’d promised he’d try. And a local dealership was having a holiday sale. And suddenly he had his eye on an Altima with a bit of mileage, a moonroof, and a decent stereo. Most importantly, it wouldn’t be a constant source of worry.
He stepped into his boots and followed his father into the chilly, gray morning.
As Ash began to back his father’s truck down the driveway, another car pulled in beside them. It was white, like Hazel’s car, and absolute euphoria surged in his chest, only to crash a second later. It was an entirely different make and model than hers.
Then, Maggie ran out onto the driveway, feet shoved into June’s fuzzy boots, a throw blanket falling from one shoulder. Nick emerged from his rental car, and she threw her arms around her husband.
Ash and his father got out of the truck as everyone else poured from the house. Maggie cried, and then his mom burst into tears at the sight of the girls in Nick’s arms, and hell, Ash got misty-eyed too at the happy reunion.
After welcoming Nick, Ash and his dad headed to the dealership once more. They rode in silence for several minutes until his dad said, “Any word from Hazel?”
“Nope.”
“What’s your plan, then?”
Ash shook his head. “I don’t actually have a plan. I’m waiting. I’m buying a car. Beyond that…” He shrugged.
The light ahead turned red, and he slowed to a stop. His dad shifted in his seat. Ash wondered if he was uncomfortable, but if his dad needed something, he could ask. They both looked around the empty intersection. No one was out today.
After a minute, his dad said, “You think she’ll come around?”
The light finally turned green, and Ash pulled forward. “I’m kind of counting on it.”