RaeAnne Thayne - Season Of Wonder

The kitchen was small enough that cleaning it never took long. The house Frank Morales had provided as part of her internship compensation wasn’t big but it was comfortable, with three bedrooms, a living room and a lovely glass-enclosed family room facing the lake, which had become their favorite spot.

Someday she’d like to have a little bigger house, maybe with an actual dining room, but that would have to wait awhile. She had thousands of dollars in student loans to pay back first. Meantime, this house worked well for their needs.

Her life could have been easier. Occasionally, she tormented herself by playing the old what-if game, wondering how things might have been different for her and her daughters if she had been able to ignore her conscience and taken money from Tommy.

If she had accepted the ill-gotten gains her late ex-husband had tried to give for child support, she might have been able to start her professional life as a veterinarian with a clean slate, even with a little nest egg, instead of feeling swallowed by debt. But she would have had to sell her soul in return and she wasn’t willing to do that.

Yes, she was tired of the constant scrimping and saving and striving, but at least when she finally made her way to bed each night, she could close her eyes with a clear conscience.

Mostly clear, anyway.

She set the dish towel over the oven handle to dry and made her way to the family room. Silver was, as usual, on her phone while Mia was doing more somersaults, this time on the carpet, while their ancient little mutt Winky watched from her favorite spot on the floor, blocking the heater vent.

“Movie night!” Dani said cheerfully. “Who’s ready? I’ll make the popcorn. You two just need to pick a show.”

“Yay! Movie night. My favorite!” Mia grinned from the floor.

“I think we should watch a Christmas movie. What do you say? Elf , Grinch , Arthur Christmas or something off the Hallmark Channel.”

The previous Christmas, during Dani’s rare moments off from school, they had binge-watched movies on the Hallmark Channel. Dani had felt a little world-weary to truly appreciate the sweet happy endings but Silver had adored them.

It had been several months since Silver had been interested in anything sweet. Right around the time she’d dyed her hair and started begging for the tattoo Dani would not let her get until she was eighteen.

“Elf,” Mia declared without hesitation.

“Okay. One vote for Elf . What do you think, Sil?”

“I think you’re going to have to watch without me.” Her daughter rose from the sofa with the long-legged grace she had inherited from her father. “I’ve got to go. Some friends just texted me and they want to hang out.”

Dani felt her temper flare at Silver’s matter-of-fact tone but worked to keep it contained. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

Silver’s jaw worked. “Asking, I guess. Can I go hang out with my friends?”

At thirteen, she seemed to think she didn’t need permission these days for much of anything. Dani had a completely different perspective on the situation.

“Which friends? And what did they want to do?”

“Just friends from school,” Silver said, impatience threading through her voice. “Why do you have to know every single detail about my life?”

“Because I’m your parent and responsible for you. I’m not asking for every detail but I have to know where you’re going and who you will be with. Those are the house rules, kid. You know that.”

Silver didn’t appear to appreciate the reminder. “I thought you might lighten up a little once we moved to the middle of freaking nowhere. Instead, you’re worse than ever.”

Oh, Dani so did not want to deal with this tonight. Not after the day she’d had. “You’re going to want to watch your tone and your attitude, miss, unless you would prefer to spend the night in your room instead of with any friends.”

Her daughter glared for a moment and then, with her quicksilver moods lately, her expression shifted to one of resignation. “Fine. I’m going over to Jenny Turner’s house. She’s in my biology class. She was going to call some other friends so we could watch the latest Marvel movie that just came out. Is that okay with you?”

Dani knew Jenny and her parents. They lived just one street over and her family had two beautiful Irish setters who appeared well mannered and well loved.

“Will her parents be there?”

“Her dad is on a work trip but her mom will be home, she said.”

She wanted to say no. Dani had been looking forward to spending a little time together with her daughters. The girls didn’t have school the next day because of a teacher training thing and Silver could hang out all day with friends if she wanted while the babysitter was there with Mia.

But Silver had struggled to fit in socially and find good friends since they moved to Haven Point and Dani didn’t want to discourage any progress in that area.

“That’s fine, then. Do you want me to give you a ride?”

“No. I’ll walk. It’s just through the block. Can I stay until eleven?”

“Yes, since you don’t have school tomorrow. Text me when you’re done and I’ll pick you up. It doesn’t matter how close she lives, I don’t want you walking around town so late.”

“It’s like a block away, Mom. And, again, we’re in the middle of freaking nowhere, Idaho. Walking is good for me.”

She sighed, choosing to pick her battles. “Watch for cars.”

On impulse, Dani hugged her daughter, fighting the urge to wrap her arms around her and not let go. After a moment, Silver hugged her back but quickly pulled away and hurried out the door.

Dani watched after her, trying to ignore the niggle of worry.

How did parents survive these teenage years? She constantly felt like a raw bundle of nerves, always afraid she was going to say the wrong thing and set off an emotional meltdown.

She watched until Silver walked around the corner, then turned back to Mia.

“Guess it’s just you and me, pumpkin. I’ll make the popcorn. You pick the movie.”

“Elf,” Mia said without hesitation, which was just fine with Dani.

She was pouring kernels in the air popper when Mia came into the kitchen holding the Blu-ray.

“I found it.”

“Good job. Why don’t you grab some ice water so you don’t have to leave in the middle of the show if you need a drink? Your glass with the elephants on it is still at the table from dinner.”

Mia took her water glass and filled it from the refrigerator ice maker.

“Mama,” she said, features pensive, after the rattling ice stopped, “why doesn’t Silver like us anymore?”

Dani’s heart cracked apart a little at the sadness in her six-year-old’s voice, mostly because deep inside, she felt as bewildered and abandoned.

“She does, honey. She’s just a teenager living in a strange town and trying to make friends. It hasn’t been very easy for her.”

“I think I liked the old Silver better.”

Dani didn’t want to tell her daughter that she did, too.

After she finished adding toppings to the bowl of popcorn, she and Mia settled onto the couch. With Mia snuggled against her, Dani felt some of the tension leave her, but she couldn’t shake her worry about Silver. She wanted so desperately for her daughter to find good friends who were also decent human beings.

The movie was familiar enough that her mind began to wander. Not for the first time, she wondered if she had made a huge mistake by bringing her daughters to Haven Point.

It had seemed the perfect opportunity. She and Frank Morales had struck up an instant friendship her second year of veterinary school when she’d stayed after a seminar he presented at a conference to ask him some questions.