31. Who Does It Better, MeLumbersnack?
Who Does It Better, Me Or Lumbersnack?
Missy
Nick’s been distant. I think he’s still embarrassed about what happened with his dad. I wish I could make him see that he doesn’t need to be, but I suspect that’s something he needs to get to on his own.
Truth is, though, I’ve been so busy that I’ve hardly had time to notice his absence.
It’s been almost two weeks, and things are starting to settle into a good routine. Monday through Friday, I take Jonah to school. On Mondays, I grocery shop, do household chores, take a little nappy nap. Tuesday through Friday, I work all day, and Cara picks him up from school with Bowie, taking him to her or Doug’s place until I’m done, and I go pick him up. On Saturdays, Jonah comes down to the salon, draws, plays with his toys, plays on his iPad, and generally charms the women who come in for their haircuts until I take him for lunch at the diner and Lynnie or Cara takes him for the afternoon. And on Sundays, that’s Mama and Jonah time.
Today is Sunday, my favorite day of the week, and I’m in the kitchen making waffles while my baby leaps around the apartment in his Spiderman costume.
I hear the door to Nick’s apartment and check the time. He must be going for his run. I carry on mixing the batter when I hear his knock on my door, and I fight against the flutters in the pit of my stomach before heading to open it.
‘Morning.’ He smiles shyly, and I lean against the door frame, folding my arms across my chest.
‘Do I know you? I mean, you look vaguely familiar, but I’m not sure.’
‘Yeah, I’m sorry, I’ve had some stuff to take care of.’
I straighten and smile. ‘I guess I forgive you then. You feel like joining us for waffles?’
‘I thought you’d never ask.’
When Jonah and Nick are together in my apartment, it turns into a playground. Nick regresses to a five-year-old, and the two of them run around squealing and laughing, and I have to admit, I love every second of it. I try so hard to be the fun mama. I play with Jonah, and we laugh together — we dance and sing together, and I know he enjoys my company, but I’m his mom. I have to say no sometimes. I have to cook and clean and prioritize things other than just fun — Nick doesn’t.
He is here solely as our friend, so he gets the luxury of being able to make my son giggle until it hurts, and it is the most beautiful sound in the world.
‘Okay, you two, come and eat.’ I call them to the table with a smile on my face, and they rush over, sitting next to each other and digging in.
‘What are you doing today?’ Nick asks before taking a bite of a waffle and moaning almost indecently. ‘Oh, that’s good.’
Smiling, I shake my head.
‘Watching movies and eating takeout,’ Jonah answers, and I laugh.
‘Is that so?’
‘Yep.’ He grins and takes a bite.
‘Oh, okay. I was going to ask if you felt like joining me for a hike, but never mind.’
‘A hike?’ Jonah questions with his mouth full.
‘Jonah!’ He grimaces at my tone, understanding right away and closing his mouth.
‘Yeah, I need some fresh air, so I’m heading out to the forest, maybe up to the falls.’
‘The falls?’ I question.
Nick grins and nods. ‘You remember the name of this town, right?’
‘Yes, thank you very much, I do, but I didn’t know there were still actual falls.’
‘Oh yeah, it’s a beautiful spot, too, especially on a day like this.’
I glance at the window. The skies are blue, but it’s cold and crisp. I haven’t been outside yet, but I know there’s a light frost on the ground.
‘Um, what do you say, baby? You want to go see the waterfall with Nick?’ Jonah nods enthusiastically as he chews, and I shrug. ‘Okay, I guess we’re hiking then.’
Nick
We had to stop off at Cara’s house so both Jonah and Missy could borrow hiking boots. By some miracle, Bowie and Jonah are the same size and Cara is only a size bigger than Missy so with the thick socks she put on, they're okay , but I’m getting them their own boots. Before we’ve even made it out to the falls, I know I want to make this a regular thing.
Now I’m watching as Jonah leads the way along the frosty trail, and I’m loving this peaceful feeling as Missy and I walk side by side behind him.
‘I might get a dog,’ I muse, and she gasps.
‘Really? A puppy?’
‘Nah, an older rescue, I think — one that’s been overlooked. Maybe you guys could come with me so I can be sure it’s okay with Jonah before bringing one home.’
‘Really?’
I feel her attention on me and turn to smile at her before returning my gaze to Jonah.
‘Yeah, I live right next door, Miss. We’re friends, and he’s going to be in contact with it, so I need to know he’s safe with it.’
She smiles but doesn’t say anything as Jonah stills on the trail ahead of us.
‘What is it, bud?’ I ask quietly as I catch up to him to see him watching two rabbits hopping along the side of the trail.
‘They’re so cute,’ he whispers as I squat by his side and watch with him.
‘They are, huh?’ He turns to me and beams. ‘Shall we keep going, see what else we can spot? ’
Nodding, he runs on, and I wait for Missy to catch me up.
By the time we make it to the falls Jonah has spotted more rabbits, a couple of squirrels and an array of bugs, and he’s smiling from ear to ear.
‘Wow!’ Missy exclaims as she sits on a rock overlooking the water.
The falls are exactly that: multiple little waterfalls trickling over a small cliff, coming together in a stream that trails down to the lake. Niagara, it’s not, but it’s the lifeblood of our little town.
‘It’s so pretty up here.’
I turn away from where Jonah is throwing sticks in the stream and watching them float to see Missy leaning back on the rock, supporting herself on her hands, her jacket off, her ponytail falling down behind her. God, she’s beautiful. She steals the air from my lungs.
‘It’s um,’ I turn back to Jonah, ‘it’s pretty special.’
‘So, this is why the town is called Forest Falls.’
I laugh lightly. The obvious name comes from these falls, hidden deep inside the forest.
‘Yeah, when the first farm was set up, everything grew so well, they attributed it to the falls. The livestock were healthy, the town’s water all came from right here, and the land flourished as much as the people did. So, they called it Forest Falls and promised to take care of this place because it took care of them.’
‘I love that.’ She turns her attention from the trees to me, and our eyes meet across the stream. ‘You look good all outdoorsy, Nick Barber. It suits you.’
‘Tell me the truth, who does it better, me or lumbersnack?’
Her loud laugh is beautiful. It hits me right in my stomach, and I return a wide smile.
‘That depends. Are you looking to build a log cabin out here because that might swing it your way?’
I smile wider. ‘Not right here, but you never know.’
‘Lumbersnack’s got you beat right now, Barber.’
‘Hold onto your panties, Morgan. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.’
‘What are you two talking about?’ We both turn to see Jonah with his hands on his hips and a look of utter confusion on his face and we laugh.
‘Never you mind.’ Missy chuckles.
‘You want to come up on the cliff with me, Jonah?’ I point up top and hear Missy gasp, so I turn to her. ‘It’s safe, don’t worry.’
She holds my gaze and nods, and I take Jonah’s hand. She trusts me with the most precious thing in her life, and that means everything.