“How was your day sweetheart?” He squeezed her.

  Chloe grabbed his hand and tried to pull him to the kitchen table. “Whoa, Nelly. Let me get my boots and coat off first, kiddo.”

  Dean listened intently as Chloe did a very thorough presentation on her bedroom design. “Looks like I’ve got some work to do.”

  “Can we really do this, Dad?”

  “You bet, kiddo. I’ve been thinking that it’s time we made this place feel like ours.”

  Chloe squealed. “Amber, did you hear that. The beach room – it’s going to be mine.”

  “I’m so excited for you.” If I had known this room would come to fruition, I probably would have steered her away from some of the very expensive furniture selections she’d made.

  “You’ll help, right?” She caught me off guard and grabbed my hand. Hers was small and slightly sweaty in mine. I could feel the tears forming and looked away from both Chloe and Dean, focusing on the snow globe outside the patio door. I took a deep breath and then met Chloe’s gaze. “If your dad says it’s okay, I’d be happy to help. I’ve got the feeling I might be better at painting than your dad.”

  Dean laughed. “That’s probably true.” He looked around the kitchen. “What did you two have for lunch?”

  “Ummm.” I looked at Chloe and she looked at me like we were both sitting in the principal’s office. “We got kind of wrapped up in that design and haven’t eaten yet.”

  “Good,” Dean grinned. “I’ll make us a big hearty lunch.” He pulled out a big pot and started filling it with water. “You’re both going to need some energy.”

  “Why?” Chloe asked.

  I was glad that she asked because I didn’t have a clue.

  “Have you seen the snow out there?” he asked. “We’re going to be shoveling for days.”

  Chloe groaned and I joined in. I don’t know how I did it, but other than Faith, I think that I had just made a new friend in Laketown. And she was eight years old.

  Dean was right and I was thankful for his pesto pasta feast at the end of the afternoon. Both of our driveways and walkways were cleared and we had moved on to clearing Mrs. Hunter’s across the street. The sun dipped behind the horizon and the clouds parted leaving behind the most gorgeous sorbet sunset. Chloe had gone inside and the two of us leaned on our shovels.

  “Thank you for today,” Dean smiled, his whiskers were coated in a layer of white frost. “When I left, I was worried that you were going to have the day from hell.”

  I shivered, the sweat was cooling my body now that we were standing still. “It could have gone either way, but she was an absolute sweetheart.” Dean didn’t seem to care that I had forgotten to feed his daughter lunch. “Dean, she’s a good kid. Whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it right. Don’t beat yourself up.”

  Dean nodded his lips in a narrow line. “I’m trying, Amber but it’s not easy.”

  I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. “I should thank you. Chloe and I really did have a great morning together.”

  He laughed. “I think your morning cost me ten thousand dollars in renovation costs.”

  I inhaled and pretended to wince, “Try thirty. But I can help you get those down. Your daughter has some expensive and surprisingly good taste.”

  “I don’t know who she gets that from,” he laughed.

  I wanted to reach up and melt the snow from his beard with my hand. I wanted to touch my lips to his and feel the warmth of his breath on mine, feel the cold of his nose against the cold of mine, but I glanced to the house and saw the curtain move. “I think your little designer is watching us.”

  “Well then, Amber,” Dean reached out his hand. “Thank you for all of your help. Friend.”

  I hated the way the last word sounded coming from his lips and I wanted to tell him that, but instead, I shook his hand. “You’re welcome.” But instead of using his crappy word, I added, “Neighbor.”

  A road sander lumbered by, shaking the ground as we crossed the street. “I’ll see you…” I paused at the end of my driveway searching for the right word.

  “Soon.” He finished my sentence and gave me a polite wave.

  He started to walk away and then I realized I hadn’t asked him something very important. “Dean,” I shouted.

  He turned.

  “How’s the new player?”

  Fifteen

  Amber

  The sun shone brighter than I thought possible, the snow reflecting its rays in every direction. Faith and I had just unpacked all of the new office furniture. “Are you sure we don’t need to hire someone to help us move all this stuff?” I looked at the heavy desks, huge rolls of Moroccan rugs, and very heavy-looking live edge shelving.

  Faith shot me her best ‘come on, Amber’ look. “We can do it,” she said.

  Melissa burst into the office. “I see the shipment came in.” She was dressed in a huge coat and wearing a wool hat over the top of a baseball hat. “Don’t be a hero, Faith,” she laughed. “There’s got to be a few guys who will move some furniture for a case of beer or two.

  “Mom…” Faith shook her head and rolled her eyes at the same time. “It doesn’t have to be guys. I thought that you were a feminist.”

  “A feminist with a bad back from lifting too many appliances.”

  Since working with Faith and Melissa, I’d gotten to know their dynamic, and there were more than a few times that I was jealous of how close they were. I wasn’t close with my family, which was why I’d been so insistent on starting my own with Chad. A decision that was one of the worst mistakes I’d ever made. I rubbed the spot on my finger that used to house my engagement ring, the tan line had faded and it no longer felt bare without its weight.

  “Listen to your mom, Faith,” I laughed. “The last thing either of us needs is to drop one of those shelves on our toes.”

  Faith looked at her mom and then me, shaking her head. “Fine.” She pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her yoga pants. “I’ll see if some of Leo’s friends can do it.”

  One hour later, the office was filled with testosterone. Four of the Otters hockey team had shown up to help and not only was all the furniture in place, but they had also even installed the shelves and swept up the sawdust. It cost us two cases of beer and in my opinion, was the best money I’d ever spent. Throughout the commotion, I couldn’t help but notice the frosty interaction between Leo and Faith. They had been arguing about something at the hockey game, and I hadn’t heard her talk about him since.

  While the players worked, I kept an ear open for any talk of their coach, or the new player – who I’d heard had an ego the size of the leather sofa that had barely fit through the door.

  “Here you go.” I handed one of the young men, a huge wall of a guy named Mike Ryan a case of beer that looked dwarf-sized in his hands. There’s one more case in the kitchen, I pointed and another player, whose name I had already forgotten went to retrieve their payment.

  Mike smiled and I almost took a step back when I saw that he was missing his front tooth. “Thank you,” he whistled. The other two players burst out in laughter, bent over each other.

  “Shut up assholes,” Mike shouted, but every s came out as a whistle.

  I rolled my lips in and turned around to stop from laughing too, but quickly regained my composure. “No. Thank you. There’s no way we could’ve muscled that credenza in here.”

  Mike furrowed his brow at me. “Credenz-whatz-a?”

  The kid was lucky he was good-looking because I got the feeling he might have been hit in the head one too many times. “The marble table.”

  He nodded.

  I expected the three of them to leave, but they all lingered awkwardly in the great room. Were they expecting a tip? Faith said that all they asked for were two cases of crappy beer. I’m pretty sure that she added the crappy part. I looked past the players for any sign of Faith and then saw a flash of her blonde hair on the porch.

  One of the other players cleared his throat. “You mind if we hang back here for a minute?” He gestured to the porch where I now saw Leo and Faith gesturing wildly. I didn’t have to be a lip reader to see that they were yelling at each other.

  I pointed to the new lounge area. “You guys can be the first to test out the new seating.”

  The players didn’t have to be told twice and they flopped onto the new leather sofas. “Mind if we crack this open?” Mike asked.

  “Only if you give one to me.” I sat in the overstuffed club chair and crossed my legs in front of me. The sofas made the room smell like a new luxury car.

  Mike opened a beer and handed me the bottle. They held up their bottles and I met theirs with mine. “Cheers.” I smiled and took a sip. It wasn’t awful, it was almost like drinking water. “When is your next game?” I asked.

  Dean and I had been neighborly the past few days but had really stepped back, even with texting. We couldn’t seem to go for more than two or three text messages without someone getting inappropriate. It was killing me. But, I understood. His daughter came first, and if we wanted a chance together, I had to be patient.

  “Tonight.” The pimply-faced player smiled. It was the first time I’d heard him speak all day. “We’re playing the top team in the league.”

  Mike stood up and sauntered over to the club chair and perched on the tufted arm. “You should come and watch it.” He took a swig of his beer and then winked at me. Oh, my god. One of Dean’s players was hitting on me. The guy had to be at least ten years younger than me. I could feel my cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “I can leave a box seat ticket for you and Faith.” He winked again.

  “Holy shit.” The other player, who I had gleaned as a rookie piped up, “I don’t know if Faith is going to want to come to the game after that.”

  Thankfully, Mike Ryan had the attention span of a golden retriever and hopped up from his all too close perch next to me. “After what?”

  The rookie ran to the window. “You didn’t see that? Faith just pushed Leo off the porch.”

  As everyone gawked out the window Faith stormed into the room, her nostrils flaring, her cheeks pink. “What are you all looking at?” she barked. “Take your beer and get the hell out of here.”

  The guys scurried out of the design firm with their cases of beer tucked under their arms, leaving me with a very irate Faith. “What’s going on?” I asked. “And did you push Leo off the porch?”

  Faith kicked off her boots and crossed her arms across her chest. “Don’t make it sound dramatic. The snowbank cushioned the fall.” Faith rushed past me and into her office, slamming the door behind her.

  The whole thing had happened so quickly, I was left standing alone in the middle of a gorgeous room, holding half a bottle of crappy beer after being hit on by someone almost young enough to be my kid. Melissa peeked her head out of her office. “What’s going on out here?” she asked.

  “I’m not too sure.” I hoped that Faith would reappear and explain what the hell had just happened. “Faith and Leo seemed to have a bit of a disagreement outside.” That was a diplomatic way of explaining it.

  Melissa waved her hand and shook her head. “Those two. That’s nothing new. They’ve been fighting like that since they were kids.” She looked past me and a huge smile lit up her face. “This looks amazing.” She had been in her office the entire morning, letting us get the space together for a big reveal. “Show me everything.” She hooked her hand in my arm but then let go to bang on Faith’s office door. “Faith, it’s reveal time.”

  It took a minute, but the door cracked open and Faith stepped out, her eyelids were rimmed in red, but that was the only sign that she had been crying. If it had been me, I would have come out looking like a puffer-fish on steroids. She squared her shoulders. “Let’s start with the reception area.”

  After the tour, Melissa crooked her arms around both Faith and my necks. “It looks gorgeous, ladies. Better than I could have ever dreamed.” I felt the quiver in her arms before I heard the small sob escape from my boss’s lips.

  Faith extracted herself from her mom’s double half-Nelson hold. “Mom, are you okay?”

  Melissa wiped at her eyes and gave us a big smile that even I knew was fake. “The firm needed some new blood. Thank you, Amber. You are truly talented.”

  Faith grabbed her mom’s hand. “What’s going on?”

  That’s when Melissa lost it. A full gasping sob filled the room and Faith clutched at her mom’s arm as her knees buckled. I grabbed onto her other arm and the two of us sat her down on the sofa.

  Faith sat on one side of Melissa and held her while tears sneaked out between her fingers. I sat on the edge of the club chair, not sure what to do. “Should I leave?” I whispered. Was this a moment that had to be between mother and daughter?

  Melissa held up her hand. “Don’t you dare. There’s something I have to tell both of you.”

  I gripped the edge of the cushion as my stomach sank, I had a feeling that life was going to change again, just as I was getting used to Laketown.

  “This wasn’t a test.” She sniffed. “The firm is in trouble. We usually limp through the winter, but this year it’s just…”

  Faith rubbed her mom’s back. “We always make it through the winter, Mom.” Then Faith looked at me and back to her mom. “Why did you spend all this money, if the firm was in trouble?”

  “I didn’t want Amber to leave. Construction on the Yates’s new guest house was supposed to start in January, I thought if we could just make it through the holidays, everything would be okay.”

  Faith looked up to the ceiling and I saw her take a deep breath as if trying to control her temper. One that could get fired up enough to toss a friend off a porch. “We lost the Yates account? They’re our biggest client.”

  Melissa shook her head. “We didn’t lose the account. They’ve just pushed back construction, something about the price of oil.”

  I furrowed my brow at Faith. “Oil?”

  “I’ll explain later,” she said.

  Suddenly, I felt very awkward. My boss just basically told me she didn’t have anything for me to do.

  Melissa rubbed her hands on her corduroy pants. “Amber, if things don’t change I might have to lay you off.”

  “Oh,” I whispered. “But, I’ve just started.”

  “I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “But I will hire you back as soon as the projects fire back up again. This has been a bad winter for everyone in Laketown.”

  Faith stood up. “I don’t know who you are right now.” Her voice was stern and she crossed her arms. “The Melissa I know wouldn’t give up like this.” Faith pointed at me. “Amber is the best designer I’ve worked with in well, ever. We have to figure out a way to keep her here.”

  “I wish I could.” Melissa dried her eyes.

  Faith looked at me and back to her mom, and then put her hands on her hips. “If Amber and I can get a client, a decent client, will that be enough to hold us over until the spring thaw?”

  Melissa looked up at her daughter and nodded. “If it’s a decent client – yes. Even two smaller jobs would work.”

  “Then it’s settled.” Faith looked at me. “We’re going to get a new client.”

  I sat frozen in the big chair. A whole lot of shit had just been dumped on me and I was trying to figure out how to respond. “Come on, Amber.” Faith ordered.

  I stood up. “Where are we going?”

  Amber put on her coat and already had her feet shoved into her boots. “To find a new client.”

  Sixteen

  Dean

  The days were getting shorter and it felt like years since I’d touched Amber, not just a week. December was a hard month to live through in Laketown; there were days when I didn’t see daylight at all. The stars were out this morning when I dropped Chloe off at school, and when I left the rink at five o’clock, they were back, the Big Dipper shining brightly in the cold.

  Single parenting wasn’t getting any easier. As a matter of fact, in between Chloe’s grueling skating schedule and the pressure to return the Otters to their glory days was weighing heavily on me.

  The radio station played some twangy country song, and I rested my eyes while I waited for Chloe to emerge from her practice, while the submarine sandwich, her dinner, grew cold on the passenger seat beside me.

  “Dad.” A burst of cold air woke me up. “Were you sleeping?” Chloe tossed her skate bag in the back seat beside her and had the sandwich unwrapped before she’d even clicked into her seatbelt.

  Our headlights shone through the exhaust fumes from the other parents waiting for their figure skaters to exit the rink. “I was just resting my eyes, kiddo.”

  “You look sad.” Chloe was still at the age where she didn’t have a filter.

  I was sad. Parenting an eight-year-old girl by myself was hard. Watching the tension grow between my players had sent my stress levels sky-high. And I was in love with the woman next door. And that’s where she had to stay, next door. “I’m just tired, Chloe,” I lied. There was no need to burden my daughter with my feelings.

  We headed across town to McManus Place to find the parking lot jammed full. All the entire town could talk about for the past week was the game and the debut of Gunnar Lockwood in the blue and white Otters’ jersey. Sausage vendors lined the entryway to the stadium and the air was filled with charcoal and anticipation. As we drove to the rear of the building, and my private parking spot, we passed droves of fans holding homemade signs.

  “It looks like the whole town showed up,” I said.

  Chloe nodded. “All the girls from skating are on their way. And all my friends from school are going to be here too.”

  That’s why she didn’t put up a fight when I told her she had to come to the game.