Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Steve
Dark clouds gather over the mountains as I check the local weather radar one more time. The storm they've been predicting all week is finally rolling in, bringing with it the first real snow of the season. I can already hear the wind picking up, whistling through the trees that surround the house.
“Is the power gonna go out?” Maddie asks from her perch by the window. She's been watching the clouds for the past hour, her math homework forgotten on the coffee table.
“We might,” I admit. “But that's why we have the generator.”
“And flashlights and candles,” Lainey adds, appearing from the kitchen with three steaming mugs on a tray. “Hot chocolate anyone?”
Maddie bounces over to claim her mug, barely waiting for Lainey's warning about the temperature before taking a careful sip. There's a smudge of whipped cream on her upper lip when she looks up at me. “Can we have dinner in here tonight? Please?”
I glance at Lainey, who shrugs. “It's your call, but I did make soup. Easy to eat anywhere.”
The first fat snowflakes begin to fall as we settle in with bowls of chicken soup and fresh bread. Maddie insisted on building a “fort” with couch cushions, and I didn't have the heart to refuse. Now she sits cross-legged in her creation, carefully breaking her bread into tiny pieces to float in her soup.
“Just like camping,” she declares, though she's never been camping in her life. Claire was more of a five-star hotel person, and after she died... well, it just never seemed like the right time.
The lights flicker once, twice, then go out completely. Maddie lets out a small squeak.
“It's okay,” I say quickly. “The generator should-”
But nothing happens. The familiar hum of electricity remains absent.
“I'll check it,” I say, already reaching for my phone's flashlight. “Lainey, there are candles in the kitchen, second drawer from the sink.”
“On it.” She moves with surprising confidence in the darkness.
Outside, the wind nearly knocks me off my feet. Snow stings my face as I make my way to the generator, my dress shoes completely inappropriate for the weather. The problem is immediately obvious – the automatic switch has failed. I reset it manually, but nothing happens. Great. Just what I need tonight.
When I make it back inside, the scene stops me in my tracks. Lainey has transformed the living room with candles, their warm light creating a cozy atmosphere despite the storm. She and Maddie are adding blankets to the fort, making it into a proper nest.
“Generator's dead,” I announce, stamping snow from my feet. “I'll call the repair service, but with this weather I don’t know when they’ll be able to get here.”
“We'll manage,” Lainey says with a confidence I wish I felt. “Right, Maddie?”
Maddie nods, though she inches closer to me when another gust of wind rattles the windows. “Can you stay in the fort with us?”
I should say no. Should maintain some professional distance. But the candlelight plays across Lainey's face as she pretends to be very busy arranging pillows, and Maddie's looking at me with those eyes that are so like her mother's, and I find myself nodding.
“Let me change first. I'm soaked.”
In my room, I trade my wet clothes for jeans and a sweater, trying not to think about how domestic everything feels downstairs. How right. When I return, Maddie has convinced Lainey to tell ghost stories.
“Not too scary,” I warn, settling into the fort. It's a tight fit with all three of us, but somehow we manage.
“No promises,” Lainey says with a grin that makes my stomach flip. “But I'll start with a funny one.”
She launches into a story about a ghost who's afraid of humans, complete with voices and dramatic gestures that have Maddie giggling. The storm rages outside, but in here, in this ridiculous blanket fort lit by candlelight, everything feels safe. Warm.
Dangerous.
Maddie falls asleep eventually, curled up between us like a cat. The candles have burned lower, casting everything in soft shadows. Lainey's voice has dropped to a whisper as she finishes her latest story.
“You're good at this,” I say quietly.
“What, ghost stories?”
“All of it. Making things feel normal.”
She's quiet for a moment, and I wonder if I've said too much. “Normal is underrated,” she finally replies. “After my grandmother died, all I wanted was normal. Instead, I ran away to see the world.”
“Did it help?”
“Maybe. Or maybe I just needed to leave to realize what I was looking for was here all along.”
She looks down at Maddie, smoothing a strand of hair from her face with a gentleness that makes my chest ache. It’s only been a few days and the bond between Maddie and Lainey seems to get stronger every day. I’m thankful for that, though it’s a little difficult to admit.
A particularly strong gust rattles the windows, making us both jump. Maddie stirs but doesn't wake.
“I should get her to bed,” I say, though I make no move to get up.
“Probably.” Lainey shifts slightly, her arm brushing against mine in the close quarters. The contact sends electricity through my skin, even through layers of clothing.
The moment stretches, heavy with things we can't say. Shouldn't say. The candlelight catches the gold flecks in her eyes, and I find myself wondering if her lips are as soft as they look.
A sharp knock at the front door shatters the moment.
“Steve?” a familiar voice calls. “You here?”
My in-laws. Of course they'd choose tonight to check on us.
Lainey scrambles backward out of the fort so quickly she nearly knocks over a candle. I catch it just in time, watching as she gathers herself, straightening clothes that aren't actually rumpled.
“I'll get Maddie to bed,” she whispers, already lifting my sleeping daughter. The loss of her warmth is immediate and jarring.
Another knock, more insistent this time.
“Coming,” I call softly, untangling myself from the blankets. But as I head for the door, I can't shake the feeling that I'm about to face an inquisition and I can’t imagine what I’ll say. No way I can answer questions when I’m not sure what would have happened if we hadn’t been interrupted.