Chapter Six
H e’d checked everything off his detailed to-do list for Darby Jane’s first day of school.
Except have a plan for how he’d get out of his driveway when it was filled with two feet of fresh snow.
Shoveling wasn’t an option since he’d indeed broken his arm and had to wear a cast. Burke stood on the cabin’s porch and stared at the white snowdrift piled on top of the truck’s hood.
It wasn’t even daylight yet, and he could tell that too much snow had fallen for him to back out.
What if he got stuck? His chest tightened.
Who could he call? Did Charlie offer snow removal services?
“Oh, no!” Darby Jane’s voice trembled as she stepped out of the cabin. “How will we get out? I’m going to be late on my first day.”
No tears. Please, no tears.
Burke tugged his knit hat down over his ears, wincing as his broken wrist screamed at him. He scanned the driveway, analyzing his limited options. Why hadn’t he arranged for Darby Jane to ride the bus?
“Why doesn’t this place have a garage, anyway?” Darby Jane thumped down the steps and stuck her tongue out, trying to catch a snowflake.
“Good question. I guess Uncle Mac didn’t want one.
” He made a mental note to use the key Charlie had left him to check out the contents of the shed out back.
It would be nice to know what was stored in there.
Once he figured out how to clear a path through the snow.
He reached for the shovel leaning against the cabin.
Maybe he could knock some snow off the truck’s windshield if he only used his uninjured arm.
“Daddy, can we build a snowman?”
“I don’t think we have time for that, pumpkin. How about—”
“Good morning.” Jovi traipsed through the snow toward them, an insulated coffee mug in one hand and a shovel in the other. “I heard somebody has their first day of school today. Are you excited?”
“Miss Jovi!” Darby Jane squealed. “Can you help us, please? We’re stuck.”
“We’re not stuck,” Burke said. “We haven’t even tried to get out.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Jovi stopped beside Darby Jane at the bottom of the steps and glanced up at him. “Welcome to winter in Evergreen. Isn’t it amazing?”
She had to be well caffeinated. That was the only reasonable explanation. Because how could anybody be this happy at seven in the morning when it was still dark and ten degrees below zero?
He slanted her a look. “ Amazing isn’t the first word that comes to mind.”
Not that he wasn’t grateful for some help because he desperately needed a way out of his driveway. Quickly. But he wasn’t thrilled that he needed to rely on Jovi to solve all his problems.
Jovi cleared a spot off the bottom step and set her coffee down.
“I brought an ice scraper, just in case.” She pulled a plastic tool from her jacket pocket.
“Since you have a cast, I’m guessing shoveling isn’t part of your morning routine.
Good news: Looks like the snowplow has already been through, so give me about forty-five minutes, and I’ll have you all squared away. ”
“Thank you for rescuing us.” Darby Jane clapped her mittened hands together. “I really don’t want to be late on my first day.”
Burke winced. Did she have to keep mentioning that? School didn’t start for almost an hour, right? “What about your driveway, Jovi?”
“I don’t have anywhere to be right now.” The lone streetlamp at the edge of his yard granted enough light for him to admire her full pink lips. He couldn’t look away from the appealing flush clinging to her cheeks either.
Calm down. Bitter rivals, remember? Long-standing family feud? Falling for someone now is the last thing you need, Solomon.
True to her word, less than forty-five minutes later, Jovi had cleared off the truck and carved a drivable path to the road.
Burke stared in awe as she staked her shovel in the snowbank like some kind of warrior princess, then faced him with a triumphant smile.
“There.” Chest heaving, she planted her gloved hands on her hips. “Mission accomplished.”
He managed to find his voice. “I don’t know what to say.”
Her smile faded. “How about thank you ?”
He cringed. “Yes, of course. Thank you very much. I—I couldn’t have done this on my own.”
“C’mon, Daddy.” Darby Jane hurried toward the truck. “We’ve got to go.”
“What do you say to Miss Jovi?” Burke called out.
“Thank you, Miss Jovi!”
Jovi chuckled. “You’re welcome. I’ll just grab my coffee and be on my way. Hope you have a wonderful day, Darby Jane. Can’t wait to hear all about it.”
Somehow, her kind words pained him. Like fingers pressing on a fresh bruise. She hadn’t meant to, but Jovi’s friendly encouragement carried a sharp reminder that his late wife wasn’t here to celebrate Darby Jane’s milestone event.
“Thanks again.” He offered a tight smile, then turned and climbed into the truck.
A few minutes later, he drove down the street toward her new school.
“Daddy, this is so not a good idea.” Darby Jane rode beside him, clutching her backpack on her lap.
Wow, her enthusiasm over Jovi’s surprise visit had faded quickly. He eased into the line of vehicles snaking back from the elementary school’s front door. “What’s not a good idea?”
“School. Today.” She looked at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. “I—I can’t.”
Oh, Darby Jane. He swallowed hard. “Sweetheart, it’s time. I’d keep you at the cabin with me forever if I could, but that’s not what’s best. For you or for me.”
“This is all so new and scary. What if no one likes me?”
Her solemn words, barely louder than a whisper, gutted him.
He’d asked too much of her. Saying goodbye to everything she’d known.
Moving to the opposite corner of the continent.
There was no going back now, though. “Remember our plan? Only two days this week, then a nice long weekend off, and a few more days next week.”
“But there will be lots more days after that.” She tightened her grip on her backpack straps. “What if I hate it?”
He reached across the bench seat and patted her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. You loved your last school, remember? I’m sure that once you get settled, you’ll love this one as well.” The words were more to comfort himself, really.
“I’m super scared.” She stared out the windshield, her lower lip trembling.
His stomach bottomed out. If only he could scoop her up and protect her from any more hurt. She’d known too much devastation already.
He had to be strong for both of them. Taking her small hand in his, he put on his best brave face as they reached the front of the line much too soon. A young woman with a friendly face opened the passenger door and smiled at Darby Jane, then at him.
“Hi there! Welcome to Evergreen Elementary School. I’m Mrs. Douglas, the music teacher. Are you ready to have a great first day?”
Burke tried to speak, but his throat closed up. He squeezed Darby Jane’s hand instead, hoping she’d understand what he couldn’t say aloud.
Her blue eyes pleaded with him not to make her go, but she nodded all the same and slid out of the truck with her backpack in tow.
Mrs. Douglas shut the door and then guided Darby Jane toward the school’s entrance.
With every step, Burke wanted to jump out of the cab and walk with her all the way to her desk.
But he couldn’t. It was time she did this on her own.
Besides, back in the fall in Charleston, she’d marched into school on her first day with her chin up and insisted she didn’t need his help.
He silently prayed that she’d find that same confidence again.
She glanced over her shoulder one last time before disappearing through the double doors.
He exhaled deeply, then slowly eased away from the curb and followed the car in front of him out of the parking lot.
She was bound to find new friends here. The excitement of learning had to outweigh her worries.
Right? He had just enough faith left in him to believe that this move might not be so bad after all.
Maybe the relocation to Evergreen would turn out to be a good decision.
Back at the cabin, he parked in the driveway and trudged inside.
He shrugged out of his coat, then approached the woodstove, holding out his hand to evaluate the warmth emanating from it.
Outside the window, thick wet flakes fell from a gray sky, nearly obstructing his view of the lake.
His casted wrist made every task more awkward, but he managed to add another log to the fire.
He passed through the living room and into the kitchen, where he stopped in the doorway.
The tiny space was quiet without Darby Jane.
He ran a hand over his face, then headed for the old coffee maker sitting on a corner of the counter. He refilled it with fresh grounds and cold water.
With coffee dripping, Burke moved to the kitchen table and opened his laptop on its warped surface. He had to write something. Anything. He stared down at the device for several seconds before finally letting out a sigh. Now what?
He had no new ideas. No words. Nothing but doubt and fear that he’d never find inspiration. And yet here he was, ready to try again. If he’d written one best-selling novel, a story he’d knocked out of the park on his first try, why couldn’t he create a second?
It had all seemed so easy with his debut, back when life was relatively simple. He’d fit his writing into early morning sessions before he left for work at the ad agency. Mary Catherine had kept life at home running smoothly, allowing him plenty of space to create. She’d been his biggest fan.
No. He couldn’t let his grief derail him. Not today.