The Dreadful Objects by Chris Cooper

Author:Chris Cooper [Cooper, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dreadful Media
Published: 2018-08-07T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Cincinnati winters were unpredictable. Some presented themselves as light chills in the air while others bore down with cold anger. This winter fell into the latter category. The first storm of the season left the roads slick with ice and covered with a deceitful layer of peaceful fluff. The university slid to a halt, as did the cars on the city streets. The school had been closed for three days, an unprecedented number of consecutive snow days, according to Sarah.

The snow was too deep for Buttons. Jamie watched him from the back patio as he did his best to keep his belly from touching the white powder. Jamie made a snowball and whistled to get the dog’s attention. He tossed it to Buttons, who jumped up to catch it. It exploded on impact, leaving him confused by its sudden disappearance. Jamie laughed and headed toward the door with the pup close behind him.

“Let's get you dried off, bud,” he said as he grabbed a towel next to the door and wrapped it around him.

Buttons moseyed over to his water bowl while Jamie pulled a large stockpot down from the kitchen cupboard. He had tried to convince Sarah they could reschedule their planned winter feast, but she insisted on braving the blizzard. Now he was obligated to deliver and was hoping that baked ziti would be acceptable. It was the last pasta dish in his cooking repertoire, which was in sore need of expansion. He filled the pot with water and set it on the stove to boil, then he went down to the wine cellar to grab a bottle. Ever since the nightmare, he’d forced Buttons to go with him each time he went into the cellar. The dog probably wouldn’t be able to save him from an evil wolf demon, but he found it comforting to know that he wouldn't die alone if such a beast were lurking in the corners of the basement.

The doorbell was barely audible from the cellar, but Buttons heard it and turned tail to run upstairs and greet Sarah. Bad timing. Jamie quickly grabbed a bottle from a shelf and scurried up the stairs.

Over the past few weeks, things with Sarah had started to change—just stolen glances at first, but he noticed their goodbye hugs had been lingering as well. He met her work friends a few times and was under the impression that she’d told them a lot about him. Maybe he was imagining it all, but part of him hoped he wasn't. He still thought of Lilly every day and wasn’t sure what dating again would be like, if he could even bring himself to date again, but something about her made him think it might be worth a try.

Sarah stood at the door with a container of dressing in one hand and a salad bowl in the other.

“How did you manage to ring the doorbell?” he asked.

“The baguette,” she replied, wiggling a thin loaf cradled under her arm.

He helped her inside, with Buttons close behind them.

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