Daddy Lessons by Carolyne Aarsen

Author:Carolyne Aarsen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2011-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“Try it again,” Dan called out as he double-checked the connection of the booster cables and then stood back as Hailey tried to start her car.

Dan’s truck and Hailey’s car were the only vehicles left on the parking lot of the ski hill. Everyone else had long gone.

Exhaust from his truck and light snow swirled around him, lit up from the beams of his truck’s lights. Darkness surrounded them, broken only by a few overhead lights on the parking lot.

If he looked over his shoulder, Dan could see the lights of Hartley Creek, nestled in the valley. Home was down there. A nice warm home.

He shivered and pushed his hands deeper in his pockets. He glanced back at his truck, where Natasha still sat, making sure she was okay. For the past twenty minutes they had been trying to start Hailey’s car. But now all he heard from Hailey’s engine was a faint clicking sound each time she turned the key in the ignition.

She finally stuck her head out the door of her car. “I’m not getting anything.”

Dan stared at the engine, as if it would give up some secret.

“Do you know what’s wrong?” Hailey asked, getting out of her car.

“My guess is you need a new battery,” Dan said, giving a shrug. “It should have fired up right away, hooked up to my truck.”

Hailey hunched her shoulders against the gathering cold, her eyes reflecting the light from his truck. “So what do I do now?”

“I can give you a ride into town,” Dan said. “We can deal with this tomorrow.” If he were completely honest, the idea of spending a little more time with Hailey didn’t bother him either.

They’d had a lovely dinner. Casual. Relaxed.

And thankfully Erik had stayed away.

Dan had surprised himself with the flash of jealousy he’d experienced when he’d seen Erik grab Hailey. And when he winked at her. And when he invited her to come boarding with him.

“I guess we’ll have to,” Hailey said. She squinted up at the falling snow. “Though it will probably have a foot of snow on it by then.”

“We’ll take a shovel along,” Dan said. He shivered again. “But we should get going.”

“Sure. You must be freezing,” Hailey said, giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks for your help.”

“No problem.”

As Dan coiled up the cables, he glanced Hailey’s way, surprised to see her still watching him. It had been that way all evening, sitting across the table from each other. A casual glance that they both allowed to linger.

The occasional brush of their hands.

It was a like a slow movement toward the emotions they’d shared that moment in the cabin. An easy shift into different territory.

He didn’t want to think too hard about what was happening. He was tired of analyzing and watching. Right now loneliness was too familiar to him and he missed having Hailey in his life.

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