Chapter Twenty-Three
brENT
If only the weather would cooperate. He paced back and forth and threw a quick glance out the window. From the looks of things, his entire plan might implode. He forced himself to stand still, glued to the window. He rubbed an eyebrow, willing the heavily falling snow to stop.
His gaze flitted around the wintry scene, and his worry quickly gave way to awe.
His shoulders rolled back, and his face relaxed.
As Brent stared out at his property, he was struck by the beauty of the view in front of him.
The bare trees were completely frosted in white.
A bulky blanket of snow covered the ground; the massive snowflakes that fell from the sky, adding a fluffy thickness to it at a surprisingly quick rate.
The morning sun was covered by a gray overcast that gave a silvery hue to everything underneath it.
He felt as if he had woken up in Narnia.
The silence was eerie, and the stillness was stunning, except for the rapidly falling snow.
For a moment, Brent felt as if he were the only living creature on Earth.
It seemed like the everyday world had suddenly stopped so nature could put on a spectacular show.
He would have loved to marvel at the scene outside his window for hours.
Not today, though. Today was crucial, and it needed to go perfectly.
Brent grabbed his notebook. He had every detail planned out.
He would pick up Clara, and they would drive to the other side of the river—over a covered bridge—to the rural Vermont countryside.
They would meander through the scenic back roads that would take them through picturesque villages filled with old-fashioned charm.
They would bundle up together in a horse-drawn sleigh for a cozy ride, surrounded by the sounds of jingle bells and the scents of maple syrup.
He realized it was a bit early for sugaring season, but still, the thought of boiled sap coming from the tiny sugar shacks only added to the Norman Rockwell idea he had for their day.
To top it off, he’d made reservations at a historic inn for a candlelight dinner. The entire experience would be a blissful day of holiday romance that Clara wouldn’t be able to resist despite her reservations.
Brent knew his real agenda, though—to talk about their future.
He feared she still wasn’t comfortable with their engagement, and he wanted to see where they stood now that he’d been home for a few weeks.
He needed to know what she was thinking so he could make a plan for their future—so he could fix what needed to be fixed.
Returning to the window for one last look, he continued to watch the snow falling.
It looked as if it was just getting started, with plenty more to come.
It appeared as if someone had cut open a pillow with an endless supply of feathers; the flakes floating softly down.
The ground appeared fluffy and pure, not a blade of grass to be seen.
It would have been beautiful if only it hadn’t been so disappointing.
Still, waking up to the sight of a fresh snowfall, Brent couldn’t help but feel a sense of renewal for the day to come.
It was like a blank canvas, a new start—even if only for the present day.
The world—and all its troubles—was now completely covered in white.
Today needed to be a fresh start for them.
He needed to get things back to where they were before this messy deployment scarred everything.
Brent glanced at his watch and pulled himself away from the window.
He needed to get moving if he was going to salvage this day.
He had to get to Cranberry Pines, to Clara’s house, before the roads got worse.
With any luck, by the time he got there, the snowfall would be slowing down, and they could get on the road with a timely departure.
He hurried out the door and hopped into his truck. He hated the feeling that was growing stronger inside him—the realization that he had no idea what this day was going to bring. Some people, like Dave, would call that the excitement of endless opportunities. To him, it was torture.
Brent drove into town with caution. He squinted through the windshield as his wipers worked to keep up with the falling snow.
He slowed his truck, turned onto Main Street, and let out a gasp.
He’d seen this town plenty of times, but never before like this, completely covered in white.
Main Street was nearly deserted. The sky was a dark gray despite the morning hour, and the street lamps were illuminated, giving a lustrous sheen to the snow.
The ground appeared to be covered in millions of tiny diamonds.
Shops and cafés, all decorated in matching garlands and wreaths, lined the street.
Brent passed a white church with a towering steeple.
The red doors had matching wreaths hanging side by side.
It was a quintessential New England town, and he had to admit that the snow only contributed to the perfect scene.
Sure, it was messing with his plans, but despite the circumstances, he took a moment to appreciate the charm.
Brent turned off the main road in search of somewhere to park.
He looked up to see a red-brick building with paper snowflakes hanging in the windows.
Behind it stood the biggest sledding hill he had ever seen.
Kids of all ages raced up the hill and flew down on sleds, saucers, and inflatable tubes.
He was careful, pulling into a parking spot at the end of the street.
A high-pitched tone screamed from his phone. It was a weather alert.
Route 4 Closed.
Brent let out a laugh and threw his hands in the air. Canceled. There went all his planning. So much for their romantic day. So much for them talking about their future. He rubbed his temples in frustration, trying to figure out how to recover this date.
He trudged through the snow to Clara’s townhouse, still not knowing what the new plan would be. It felt as if his feet were weighed down with the knowledge that the fate of their relationship stood on his shoulders.
Clara answered the door before he could even ring the bell. She was holding up her phone with the road-closure alert displayed.
“I have good news.” She gave him a playful smile. “The roads are closed.”
“Why is that good news?”
“Because it’s a snow day, and I say we go sledding.”
“Sledding?”
Clara nodded, a huge grin on her face.
“Let’s give it a little more time,” he said. “They may open back up.”
“There’s no better place to go sledding than Cranberry Pines.” She pulled him over to the edge of her front porch and pointed to the sledding hill down the street. “See?”
“Yeah, I saw that coming in. Looks like those kids are having a ball.”
It did look like they were having fun, Brent had to admit, but they were also kids. The two of them had important things to talk about today. He wasn’t sure going sledding was the best way to spend their time.
“It’s so much fun, and I know the very best spot to go,” Clara said.
He lowered his brows. “I don’t know.” He opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it, unsure what to say.
“Come on, lets go off plan for once.” She looked up at him with her big blue eyes, full of excitement.
Brent ran a hand through his hair and snorted in amusement. He couldn’t resist Clara’s enthusiasm. Maybe he couldn’t control the weather. Maybe his perfect plans had once again been scrapped. But as he looked at Clara’s eager smile, he only cared about one thing at that moment—making her happy.
He shrugged. “Okay. Let’s go sledding.”
She squealed, grabbed Brent by the hand, and quickly pulled him inside her house. She threw on her coat and mittens. He noticed two fully inflated snow tubes waiting for them in her entryway.
He laughed. “It looks as if you’ve made some plans of your own.”
“Come on,” she said, motioning for him to follow.
He picked up the tubes and followed her out the front door. They began a slow, heavy walk through the snow-covered town. She led him across the street and down to the next block. He would follow her anywhere.
“Where are we going?” he asked as they walked past the big sledding hill with all the kids.
“You’ll see.”
Clara continued to lead him a couple more blocks down a narrow road. Finally, they reached a steep hill that sat empty and deserted. The fresh mountain of snow was completely untouched. It looked like an enormous scoop of mashed potatoes.
Brent looked up. “What’s this?”
“This is the hill only the true locals know about.”
He squinted to get a better look. He couldn’t help but appreciate the purity of the glistening hill.
He was surprised by the beauty of everything: the snow-covered hill, the peacefulness of the town, the look on her face.
There was that feeling again. The one he’d had in his kitchen when they were baking.
The one he had on the dance floor at the party.
It wasn’t one he was used to. Brent was usually too busy making plans, looking ahead to the next thing to appreciate it.
Sometimes, it was nice, though, to simply enjoy being exactly where he was.
He looked at Clara, holding her tube with a delighted expression. He clutched his hand to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut as he took in a deep breath of air. Then, he released it all. He let go and surrendered to a plan that wasn’t his—it was better.
“First ones here,” Brent yelled, pumping his fist. He gave her a high five. “Let’s go!”
Clara laughed. “Well, you’ve changed your tune. What happened to all that stick-to-the-plan mentality?”
He shrugged. “I guess it does look pretty fun.” He looked her in the eye. “Or maybe you bring something out in me.” He wasn’t sure why he had said that or what it even meant. The only thing he knew was that it was true.