Snowed in with Summer by Tiana Warner

Author:Tiana Warner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ylva-Publishing
Published: 2024-02-01T18:50:20+00:00

Chapter 12

A Plan for Redecorating

When I wake up, the yurt is warm. The fire is on, casting an orange glow throughout the dark room.

I sit up, finding the air comfortable enough that I don’t have to rush for my hoodie like the last couple of mornings. Summer’s bed is empty, the shadows of her blankets are in disarray, and she’s nowhere to be seen.

She must be eating breakfast—or else she’s done one of her classic disappearances and is off in the woods somewhere.

My feet are warm for once.

There’s a lump under the covers at the foot of my bed. I reach down to touch it, finding something hard. Pulling back the covers reveals a ceramic container. It’s an old-fashioned foot warmer.

What the…?

My heart seems to dissolve in my chest, and I slump. Summer must have slipped that into the foot of my bed before leaving. She remembered how cold my feet get at night. Back then, she used to get me a hot water bottle, or else take my feet in her hands to warm them up.

Damn you, Summer.

The gesture sends a shooting pain through my chest. I grit my teeth to ward it off, reaching for my phone.

While I have a minute alone, I take the opportunity to video call Mom.

“Morning, sunshine!” she sings, nestled into her usual spot with Stitch on her lap.

“Morning.” My voice is croaky, and I clear my throat. “Everything good at home?”

“Nothing new. How was yesterday?”

Seeing her on the couch with Stitch, the Christmas tree lights reflecting in her glasses, a strange mix of emotion trickles through my chest: a pang of homesickness hits as I wish I could settle into my familiar routines, and at the same time, my chest tightens with suppressed panic. Once this trip is over, then what? I’ll return to the place where I had my heart broken and start picking up the pieces. I’ll be alone and single, and everything that happened on this trip will fade until it’s a distant memory.

I draw a breath to keep my emotions in check, diving into a recap of yesterday’s snowshoeing excursion and the northern lights. “Today, we’re heading into Whitehorse to explore, and then Summer and I are going to visit the hot springs while Hannah and Trevor stay in town for a date night.”

“That sounds nice!” Mom says. “Are the hot springs also a date night?”

“Mom!” Heat rises in my face.

“Teasing, teasing,” she says, but I’m positive she said that to gauge my reaction. “How are things going with her?”

She’s always been terrible at forcing a casual tone.

“It’s…” I rub my forehead. The truth? Some moments are great, and some are terrible. Averaging that out… “Fine,” I finish.

“She was always so sweet. It’s too bad—” Mom fidgets with a loose thread on the blanket. “People have different priorities in life.”

“Yep.” I’m not sure I like the direction of the conversation, so I say, “Dad would like ice fishing.”

“Has Summer mentioned any kind of relationship or partner?” Mom says, not letting me change the topic.

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